Can Competition Make You Better at Finance? with Eric Kelley

In this episode of Financial Modelers Corner, host Paul Barnhurst welcomes Dr. Eric Kelley, Finance Professor | Microsoft MVP (Excel), and one of the leading educators in financial modeling. Eric shares how his passion for teaching, mathematics, and financial markets led him into academia, and why developing scalable financial models starts with understanding the business before opening Excel.

Dr. Eric Kelley is a Professor of Finance at the University of Tennessee's Haslam College of Business, a Microsoft Excel MVP, and Faculty Fellow with the Microsoft Excel Collegiate Challenge (MECC). He coaches the University of Tennessee's Excel eSports team, which won the 2024 MECC World Championship, and is passionate about using financial modeling and Excel eSports to prepare students for finance careers.

Expect to Learn:

• Why communication matters as much as modeling skills.
• Building scalable financial models that last.
• Common financial modeling mistakes to avoid.
• How Excel eSports sharpens problem-solving.
• Why competition improves modeling skills.

Here are a few relevant quotes from the episode:

• "Great financial modelers need strong oral communication skills because they must explain the story behind the model, not just build it." - Dr. Eric Kelley
• "You're not trying to solve a single problem, you're trying to build a system that can take flexible inputs and generate useful outputs." - Dr. Eric Kelley

Eric Kelley shares why financial modelers need more than technical skills, highlighting the importance of communication, problem-solving, and building scalable models. He also discusses how Excel eSports and hands-on learning are helping students develop real-world modeling skills for future finance careers.

Follow Eric:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ekkell/\
• University of Tennessee: https://haslam.utk.edu/

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In Today's Episode:

[00:00] - Introduction & Dr. Eric Kelley

[02:10] - Eric’s Finance Journey

[03:17] - The Top Modeling Skill

[04:40] - Understanding Your Model

[05:33] - Common Modeling Mistakes

[08:03] - Excel eSports Explained

[10:31] - Performing Under Pressure

[11:51] - Coaching Excel Champions

[14:22] - Excel eSports in Modeling

[17:13] - Teaching with FMI Cases

[18:57] - The Future of Financial Modeling