MS EXCEL MASTERCLASS – EXCEL ESSENTIALS TO APPLICATIONS – AllQuant
COURSE OVERVIEW
This comprehensive program delivers institutional-grade Microsoft Excel proficiency through a practitioner-led, application-driven curriculum. Spanning foundational mechanics to advanced quantitative tools, the course equips participants with robust Excel modeling capabilities essential for financial analysis, data manipulation, and performance analytics. Designed by hedge fund professionals, the instruction emphasizes real-world deployment rather than theoretical function description, culminating in three live applications: a revenue dashboard, personal expense tracker, and mortgage calculator.
Core Value Proposition: Master Excel as a quantitative modeling platform—acquiring skills immediately transferable to investment analysis, portfolio construction, and risk management—using only free data sources and native Excel functionality.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
Upon completion, participants will demonstrate operational competency in:
Excel Architecture & Navigation: Interface optimization, file management, and efficient workbook structuring for complex models
Data Formatting & Visualization: Professional-grade table design, conditional formatting, and advanced charting (scatter plots, histograms, combo charts)
Mathematical & Statistical Functions: SUM, AVERAGE, COUNTIF through advanced operations including regression (LINEST, SLOPE, INTERCEPT), correlation analysis, and distribution analysis (SKEW, KURT)
Logical & Conditional Logic: Nested IF statements, AND/OR combinations, and dynamic decision-tree construction
Lookup & Reference Systems: VLOOKUP, HLOOKUP, INDEX-MATCH combinations, and OFFSET for dynamic data retrieval across large datasets
Date & Time Manipulation: WORKDAY, EOMONTH, and custom date arithmetic for financial modeling timelines
Advanced Tools: Solver for optimization problems, PivotTables for multi-dimensional analysis, and Macros for task automation
Real-World Application: Building interactive dashboards, performing correlation matrices, conducting trend analysis, and developing financial calculators
COURSE CONTENT STRUCTURE
Total Duration: 6 hours on-demand video across 8 sections, plus 15 articles and 18 downloadable resources
- SECTION 1: INTRODUCTION (2 lectures · 1 minute)
- Course navigation and learning pathway optimization
- Pre-course software setup and resource access protocols
- SECTION 2: THE BASICS OF MICROSOFT EXCEL (4 lectures · 42 minutes)
- Excel interface anatomy: ribbon customization, Quick Access Toolbar optimization
- Navigation mastery: keyboard shortcuts, cell referencing systems, and workbook management
- Data formatting fundamentals: number formats, custom formatting, and table structuring
- SECTION 3: DATA FORMATTING AND VISUALIZATION (2 lectures)
- Advanced chart creation: Scatterplots for correlation analysis, histograms for distribution analysis, and combo charts for multi-series data
- Visualization best practices: axis scaling, trendline integration, and statistical annotation
- SECTION 4: BASIC OPERATIONS AND FUNCTIONS (14 lectures · 1 hour 24 minutes)
- Mathematical operations: arithmetic, exponents, and order-of-operations in formulas
- Statistical functions: SUM, AVERAGE, MEDIAN, MODE, COUNTIF, COUNTIFS
- Date functions: TODAY, NOW, DATEDIF, and custom date calculations
- Lookup functions: VLOOKUP horizontal/vertical lookup, HLOOKUP, MATCH for position identification
- Reference functions: INDEX for dynamic retrieval, OFFSET for range shifting
- String manipulation: LEFT, RIGHT, and MID for text parsing
- SECTION 5: LOGIC AND CONDITIONAL FUNCTIONS (5 lectures · 47 minutes)
- Logical operators: IF, AND, OR, NOT for decision trees
- Nested conditionals: multi-criteria evaluation and error handling
- Practical applications: building dynamic filters and conditional aggregations
- SECTION 6: ADVANCED MATH AND STATISTICAL FUNCTIONS (6 lectures · 45 minutes)
- Distribution analysis: STDEV, SKEW, KURT for volatility and tail risk assessment
- Correlation analysis: CORREL for portfolio diversification metrics
- Regression analysis: SLOPE, INTERCEPT, and LINEST for trend identification and forecasting
- Data Analysis ToolPak: linear regression automation and residual analysis
- SECTION 7: ADVANCED MICROSOFT EXCEL TOOLS (4 lectures · 31 minutes)
- Solver: constrained optimization for asset allocation and cost minimization
- PivotTables: multi-dimensional data summarization and drill-down analysis
- Macros: recording, editing, and automating repetitive tasks
- SECTION 8: APPLYING MICROSOFT EXCEL IN THE REAL WORLD (8 lectures · 1 hour 14 minutes)
- Revenue Dashboard Construction: Interactive KPI tracking with dynamic charts and conditional formatting
- Correlation Analysis: Building correlation matrices for portfolio risk assessment
- Trend Analysis: Time-series decomposition and forecasting for financial data
- Personal Expense Tracker: Automated categorization and budget variance analysis
- Mortgage Calculator: Amortization schedules, interest sensitivity analysis, and loan optimization
DELIVERABLES & RESOURCES
- 18 Downloadable Resources: Complete Excel workbooks for each lecture, including pre-built templates for regression, correlation, and dashboard models
- 15 Supplementary Articles: Deep-dive explanations of function syntax, error handling, and best-practice guidelines
- Source Data Files: Structured datasets for real-world application exercises
- Macro-Enabled Templates: Ready-to-use VBA scripts for automation tasks
- Performance Checklists: Self-assessment rubrics to validate competency at each section
TARGET AUDIENCE PROFILE
- Investment professionals requiring Excel proficiency for financial modeling, risk analysis, or portfolio construction
- Finance students and CFA candidates seeking practical skills gap closure before entering asset management
- Self-directed investors building custom analytics for personal portfolio tracking
- Career changers entering quantitative finance roles without formal Excel training
- AllQuant strategy course enrollees needing prerequisite Excel competency for financial modeling courses
- Individuals seeking point-and-click software training without formula-driven analysis
- Participants expecting VBA programming depth (course focuses on recording macros, not writing code from scratch)
- Users already proficient with advanced functions like INDEX-MATCH combinations and LINEST (content will be repetitive)
- Those requiring specialized finance tools like Bloomberg API integration (course uses only Yahoo Finance and free sources)
PREREQUISITES & TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS
- Basic arithmetic and algebraic comfort (understanding of variables and equations)
- Familiarity with data concepts: rows, columns, and tables
- No prior finance knowledge required; applications are explained in context
- Microsoft Excel 2013 or later (Windows or Mac) with macros enabled
- Stable internet connection for downloading resources
- No prior programming or VBA knowledge required
Software Provision: All resources provided within course; no additional software purchases necessary
INSTRUCTOR BIOGRAPHIES
ENG GUAN – CO-FOUNDER & LEAD INSTRUCTOR
Quantitative investment practitioner with 15+ years spanning sovereign wealth funds, investment banks, proprietary trading desks, and multi-strategy hedge funds. Most recent role: key Portfolio Manager at a Singapore-based multi-strategy hedge fund, managing cross-asset systematic strategies with direct P&L responsibility. Holds MSc in Financial Engineering specializing in derivatives pricing and optimal execution algorithms.
Pedagogical Edge: Hedge fund deployment experience ensures Excel instruction emphasizes error-resistant model construction and audit trails—skills absent in generic Excel courses. His financial engineering background provides rigorous statistical foundation for regression and correlation modules.
PATRICK LING – CO-FOUNDER & SENIOR INSTRUCTOR
15+ years comprehensive investment industry experience across private banking (UBS), investment banking (Goldman Sachs), and hedge fund portfolio management. As a key Portfolio Manager at the same Singapore-based multi-strategy hedge fund, he co-managed systematic equity strategies and developed proprietary risk analytics. Holds MSc in Wealth Management integrating quantitative techniques with high-net-worth client portfolio construction.
Pedagogical Edge: Private banking experience translates complex Excel functions into client-facing reporting tools and decision dashboards—critical for professionals needing to communicate quantitative insights to non-technical stakeholders.
Joint Credibility: Both instructors maintain parallel practitioner careers, ensuring Excel curriculum evolves with industry demands rather than academic theory.
METHODOLOGICAL APPROACH
The course employs a "function-application-integration" framework. Each Excel function is first taught in isolation with syntax mastery, then immediately applied to a mini-case study, and finally integrated into a larger real-world project (dashboard, tracker, calculator). This prevents the common gap between isolated function knowledge and practical model construction.
Instruction emphasizes error-proofing and auditability: every model includes input validation, formula error-checking, and documentation trails—practices essential for financial models but absent in standard Excel training.
Time Commitment Structure: 6 hours of video instruction plus 3-4 hours of hands-on practice. Real-world projects require independent extension for full customization but are functional as provided.
COURSE SCOPE & LIMITATIONS
- Coverage Depth:
- Functions: Comprehensive coverage from basic to advanced, including all major lookup, statistical, and logical functions
- Tools: Covers Solver, PivotTables, and Macro recording; does not teach advanced VBA programming or Power Query
- Applications: Three complete financial applications; participants can extend to other domains (HR, operations) using same framework
- Explicit Exclusions:
- No Power Query, Power Pivot, or Power BI integration
- No advanced VBA coding (beyond macro recording)
- No cloud-based Excel or collaboration features
- No specialized add-ins (addressed only in context of Solver)
- Version Compatibility: Teaches to Excel 2013+ feature set; earlier versions will lack some functions (e.g., STDEV.S, COUNTIFS).
BOTTOM-LINE ASSESSMENT
This program provides institutional-grade Excel proficiency taught through a financial practitioner lens—distinct from generic Excel courses that lack real-world application rigor. The instructors' hedge fund background ensures emphasis on auditability, error-checking, and reproducibility, which are non-negotiable in professional finance settings.
Critical Differentiator: Unlike standard Excel courses, this explicitly connects each function to financial modeling workflows (correlation for portfolios, regression for forecasting, dashboards for reporting), making it an ideal prerequisite for AllQuant's quantitative strategy courses.
For finance professionals, investment analysts, and serious self-directed investors, this represents the most efficient pathway to Excel mastery without sifting through generic business training. The primary limitation is scope: participants seeking Power Query, advanced VBA, or business intelligence tools will need supplemental training. However, for pure quantitative modeling in Excel, this course's practitioner-led approach is unmatched in the online education market.
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