3-way forecast (2024)

When do I need a three-way forecast?

When you and your management want to be confident about your cash position.
When you want your business to be attractive to potential investors and lenders.
When you want to bring financial stability to your company, now and in the future.

What is a three-way forecast?

A three-way forecast, also known as the 3 financial statements is a financial model combining three key reports into one consolidated forecast. It links your Profit & Loss (income statement), balance sheet and cashflow projections together so you can forecast your future cash position and financial health.

Because your cashflow forecast is driven by the real-time data in your balance sheet and profit and loss statements, the report has accounting integrity. For this reason, a three-way forecast is also beneficial for banks and investors.

In addition to providing granular financial forecasts that explain the future prospects of your business model, three-way forecasts are accurate, robust and provide the best possible insights for your future financial position.

Why is three-way forecasting important for a business?

A three-way forecast is important for a business as it highlights future financial situations enabling you to ensure that the businesscan afford to pay suppliers and employees.

3-way forecast (2024)

FAQs

What is a 3 way forecast in reach reporting? ›

3-Way Forecasting in Reach Reporting

Truly Integrated 3 Statement Model: Seamlessly combine your Profit and Loss (Income) Forecast, Balance Sheet, and Cash Flow Forecast into a comprehensive, integrated forecast.

What is the 3 way statement model? ›

What is a 3-Statement Model? The 3-Statement Model is an integrated model used to forecast the income statement, balance sheet, and cash flow statement of a company for purposes of projecting its forward-looking financial performance.

What is the difference between DCF and 3 statement model? ›

In a DCF model, similar to the 3-statement models above, you start by projecting the company's revenue, expenses, and cash flow line items. Unlike 3-statement models, however, you do not need the full Income Statement, Balance Sheet, or Cash Flow Statement.

What is the formula for calculating forecast? ›

Formulas for Forecast Models

The average of the n last time series values is calculated. The average can always be calculated from n values according to formula (1). Thus, the new average is calculated from the previous average value and the current value weighted with 1/n, minus the oldest value weighted with 1/n.

How to do a 3 9 forecast? ›

For example, a “3+9” RF, uses 3 months' actual data and 9 months' forecasted data. Any rolling forecast planning process requires revisions to accommodate the latest strategy decisions from a top-down approach. The rolling forecast is prepared regularly throughout the year to reflect changes in the industry or economy.

What are the 3 most important components of forecasting? ›

3 Important Elements of Financial Forecasting
  1. Historical (Quantitative) Data Gathering. ...
  2. Research-Based (Qualitative) Data Gathering. ...
  3. Take the Middle Ground.

Which of the following are the 3 principles of forecasting? ›

Time Series Analysis

As with all forecasting methods, success is not guaranteed. The Box-Jenkins Model is a technique designed to forecast data ranges based on inputs from a specified time series. It forecasts data using three principles: autoregression, differencing, and moving averages.

What are the three elements of a good forecast? ›

List the elements of a good forecast. -The forecast should be timely. -The forecast should be accurate. -The forecast should be reliable.

How do the three statements link together? ›

Net income from the bottom of the income statement links to the balance sheet and cash flow statement. On the balance sheet, it feeds into retained earnings and on the cash flow statement, it is the starting point for the cash from operations section.

What are the three main financial statements? ›

The income statement, balance sheet, and statement of cash flows are required financial statements. These three statements are informative tools that traders can use to analyze a company's financial strength and provide a quick picture of a company's financial health and underlying value.

How do you explain DCF model? ›

A DCF model is a specific type of financial modeling tool used to value a business. DCF stands for Discounted Cash Flow, so a DCF model is simply a forecast of a company's unlevered free cash flow discounted back to today's value, which is called the Net Present Value (NPV).

What are three methods to add a forecast to a time series? ›

Types of forecasting methods
ModelUse
DecompositionalDeconstruction of time series
Smooth-basedRemoval of anomalies for clear patterns
Moving-AverageTracking a single type of data
Exponential SmoothingSmooth-based model + exponential window function

How do you calculate 3 month moving average forecast? ›

To get the simple moving average (SMA) you would divide the total sales from January – March by the number of periods, which in this case would be 3 (3 months), giving you a simple average number of sales per month. This number can be used to forecast the sales of the upcoming months or period.

What is the 3 statement model in Excel? ›

What is a 3-Statement Model? In financial modeling, the “3 statements” refer to the Income Statement, Balance Sheet, and Cash Flow Statement. Collectively, these show you a company's revenue, expenses, cash, debt, equity, and cash flow over time, and you can use them to determine why these items have changed.

Top Articles
Latest Posts
Article information

Author: Nicola Considine CPA

Last Updated:

Views: 5777

Rating: 4.9 / 5 (69 voted)

Reviews: 84% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Nicola Considine CPA

Birthday: 1993-02-26

Address: 3809 Clinton Inlet, East Aleisha, UT 46318-2392

Phone: +2681424145499

Job: Government Technician

Hobby: Calligraphy, Lego building, Worldbuilding, Shooting, Bird watching, Shopping, Cooking

Introduction: My name is Nicola Considine CPA, I am a determined, witty, powerful, brainy, open, smiling, proud person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.