Numbers & Judgment • The decision toolkit
Better models.
Clearer decisions.
Ten practical Excel tools for cash, forecasts, investments, and financial leadership. Clear inputs. Visible assumptions. Results worth discussing.
Free to use · No email gate · Editable formulas · Worked examples
Cash & forecasting
See the timing, understand the gap, and decide what changes next.
01 / 13-Week Cash Flow
When will cash get tight? Compare the original plan, actual results, and a stressed outlook. See the first week below your cash floor and the peak funding gap.
7 tabs · Weekly variance · Receipt-delay stress · Cash chart
02 / Budget vs. Actual & Year-End Forecast
Where will the year finish? Blend closed-month actuals with the remaining forecast. Flag material variances and document the cause, owner, and action.
10 tabs · Favorable/unfavorable logic · Materiality checks
03 / Forecast Scenario Planner
The range—not a single answer. Compare downside, base, and upside cases using volume, pricing, staffing, costs, and management actions. Optional weights must total 100%; they are judgments, not statistical percentiles.
7 tabs · Sensitivity heatmap
04 / Break-Even & Pricing
What must each sale contribute? Calculate break-even units, sales needed for a target profit, capacity constraints, and the additional volume needed to offset a discount.
7 tabs · Price/volume sensitivity
Investment & business decisions
Separate attractive headlines from the cash, cost, and assumptions underneath.
05 / Rental Property Underwriting
From rent to real cash flow. Model the rent roll, vacancy, operating costs, debt, capital reserves, and acquisition cash. Compare cap rate, cash-on-cash return, and debt coverage across price, rent, and vacancy sensitivities.
7 tabs · Financing and all-cash cases
06 / Loan & Refinancing Comparison
A lower payment is not the whole answer. Compare fees, interest, payoff timing, and remaining balances at the same horizon. See when cumulative economic savings recover refinancing costs.
6 tabs · 480-month schedule · Zero-rate support
07 / Capital Project ROI & Payback
Does the project earn its cost? Include setup, working capital, recurring costs, benefits, terminal proceeds, and a downside case. Compare net present value with simple and discounted payback.
7 tabs · Up to 10 years · Sensitivity heatmap
08 / AI & Automation ROI
Time saved is not automatically money saved. Allow for adoption, review, rework, subscriptions, implementation, and training. Keep cash benefits separate from staff capacity available for other work.
6 tabs · First-year cash impact · Capacity view
Leadership & nonprofit finance
Bring the financial signal forward without losing the judgment that makes it useful.
09 / Board Finance Dashboard
What needs a board decision? Bring unrestricted cash, cash coverage, reserves, the year-end result, and revenue concentration into one briefing. Use adjustable warning thresholds and a separate decision log.
8 tabs · Monthly trends · Decision owners
10 / Nonprofit Program & Grant Sustainability
Fund the full cost—not just the activity. Compare usable funding with direct costs and allocated overhead. Show cost recovery, required subsidy, cost per participant, and the effect of grant reductions without assuming restricted surpluses can move freely.
7 tabs · 6 programs · Funding stress tests
Open the guide. Change the inputs. Challenge the result.
Every workbook includes a Start Here guide, clearly marked editable inputs, formula-driven calculations, a dashboard chart, and methodology notes. All example figures and thresholds are fictional and must be replaced with verified information for the decision at hand. No macros or email signup are required.
General educational tools—not financial, investment, tax, legal, lending, or grant-compliance advice. Test assumptions and obtain appropriate professional review before relying on a model for a consequential decision.
