A discounted cash flow (DCF) model is a valuation method that discounts the projected future cash flows of a business to determine its current value. It is commonly used by investment bankers, private equity firms, and investors to evaluate potential investments. While creating a DCF model from scratch takes time, financial modeling templates that include pre-built DCF models can be downloaded to save time and effort. These templates contain charts, formulas, and calculations to automatically analyze input financial projections. They provide a professional, structured way to value a business using the DCF approach.