Skill · Research & Analysis
Financial Model Checker
Finds the errors in a financial model that change the numbers people decide on, with exact cells, corrected formulas and recalculated impact, and says what they mean for the raise, loan or budget.
When to use
- Before a forecast, budget or business-plan model goes to investors, a bank, a board or an adviser.
- The model has grown over time, several people have edited it, and nobody fully trusts it.
- A number in the model feels wrong and you want to know why.
When not to use
- Tax, audit or accounting sign-off. The skill checks the model's logic, not compliance with accounting standards or tax law.
- The model doesn't exist yet. Build the structure first (inputs, calculations, outputs), then audit it.
- Only values were shared, without formulas. Ask for the formulas first; values alone hide most errors.
Example
User: SaaS forecast for a seed round; the deck says the round takes us to break-even. Revenue!C5:N5 is monthly revenue: C5 = 10000, D5 =C5*1.2 copied across. Costs!C8:N8 =Revenue!C5*0.18+42000, copied across. Cash!C3, opening cash after the round, = 900000. Summary!B4 =SUM(Revenue!C5:M5) is labelled "year-one revenue". Our real monthly growth last year averaged 6%.
Result (illustrative and abbreviated; your model's wording will differ):
For: seed round, read by investors · currency as in the model · monthly · VAT basis not stated (assumed excluded)
Verdict for the raise: Fix before sending. On your own 6% growth the round still reaches break-even, but in month 30, not month 10; in a realistic downside cash runs out first.
Key output: Break-even month = 10 as built (the ERROR fix does not change it) → 30 on your 6% history. Year-one revenue (Summary!B4) = 321,504 → 395,805 after the ERROR fix → 168,699 on your history (recalculated).
What this means for the raise
| Case | Break-even month | Cash at month 12 | Lowest cash (month) |
|---|---|---|---|
| As built (20% growth; the ERROR fix changes none of these) | 10 | 720,560 | 692,551 (9) |
| Your history (6% growth) | 30 | 534,334 | 285,846 (29) |
| Realistic downside (4% growth, fixed costs +10%) | 46 | 468,812 | runs out in month 29 |
Months 13 onwards extend the model's own formulas (recalculated month by month and with the closed formula). On your own growth the round covers the plan, with about 6.8 months of fixed costs left at the low point. In the downside it does not: cash runs out in month 29 and the shortfall peaks at about 186,600 in month 45. Before sending, show the 6% case beside the 20% case and replace "break-even in month 10" with the range.
Findings, ranked by money at stake
Impacts: each fix on its own against the as-built model (Summary!B4 = 321,504, reconciled).
F1 · RISK · 20% monthly growth against 6% in your history (≈ −171,788 on year-one revenue; break-even month 10 → 30)
Cells: Revenue!D5:N5 · Now: =C5*1.2 · Fix: =C5*(1+Inputs!$B$3), with the growth rate in Inputs!B3
Why: nothing in the model supports 20%, and investors will test the break-even claim against your history first. At 6%, the 11 months Summary!B4 sums = 10,000 × (1.06^11 − 1) ÷ 0.06 ≈ 149,716, against 321,504 (recalculated with the closed formula and a month-by-month sum).
F2 · ERROR · Year-one total misses month 12 (+74,301)
Cells: Summary!B4 · Now: =SUM(Revenue!C5:M5) · Fix: =SUM(Revenue!C5:N5)
Why: C to M is 11 months. Month 12 = 10,000 × 1.2^11 ≈ 74,301; cross-check: 395,805 − 321,504 = 74,301 (recalculated).
What is inside
The full skill has these sections. The ones marked “in the pack” come with the download.
- When to use on this page
- When not to use on this page
- Inputs to ask for in the pack
- Workflow in the pack
- Output format in the pack
- Example on this page
- Model notes (Oct 2026) in the pack
- Troubleshooting in the pack
Get Financial Model Checker
The full skill is a SKILL.md folder you install once and reuse: the workflow, the checklist and the answer format written out, with notes for each model. It comes in the Research & Analysis pack (3 prompts · 15 skills · 2 free), with a QUICKSTART, setup notes in every item and 12 months of updates.
All-Access 39 € vs 7 packs × 12 € = 84 € · less than buying 4 or more packs one by one
Stuck? Email support@meevra.com — we'll help you set it up.