<description>&lt;p&gt;In this episode of &lt;em&gt;The ModSquad&lt;/em&gt; on &lt;em&gt;Financial Modeler’s Corner&lt;/em&gt;, Giles Male and Ian Schnoor put Elkar to the test, a financial modeling tool that's been getting attention for its speed and slick design. From solving structured Excel challenges to building full forecast models, they push the tool to its limits. What follows is a revealing look at how Elkar performs when accuracy, logic, and professional modeling standards are on the line. Along the way, they uncover surprising strengths, critical flaws, and even moments of unexpected comedy. Whether you’re curious about automation or cautious about AI in finance, this episode offers plenty to think about.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Expect to Learn&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;What Elkar gets right: speed, formatting, and a sleek interface&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Where it breaks down: logic errors, disconnected assumptions, and unreliable outputs&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;How Elkar stacks up against other AI tools like TabAI and Agent&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Why using AI without understanding modeling fundamentals can be dangerous&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;What it takes to turn a promising AI output into a reliable financial model&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Here are a few quotes from the episode:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;"Right now, Elkar is like a junior analyst, you see potential, but you can't let them run unsupervised." - Giles Male&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;"AI tools like this might build something that looks like a model, but without logic, it’s a house of cards." - Ian Schnoor&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In this episode, Elkar proves to be a fast and visually polished AI tool with clear potential, especially in formatting and task execution speed. However, when it comes to financial logic, assumption structuring, and balance sheet integrity, it consistently misses the mark. The tool even resorts to shortcuts like hardcoding values and plugging imbalances. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Follow Giles Male:&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;LinkedIn -&amp;nbsp; &lt;a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/giles-male-30643b15/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"&gt;https://www.linkedin.com/in/giles-male-30643b15/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Follow Ian:&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;LinkedIn - &lt;a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/ianschnoor/?originalSubdomain=ca" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"&gt;https://www.linkedin.com/in/ianschnoor/?originalSubdomain=ca&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Elkar: &lt;/em&gt;&lt;a href="https://elkar.co/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"&gt;https://elkar.co&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In today’s episode: &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;[06:48] - Exploring Elkar: Website, Pricing, and Features&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;[10:34] - Elkar Takes on the Esports Excel Challenge&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;[20:14] - Elkar Gets Caught Cheating&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;[24:18] - Elkar Struggles with Complex Logic&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;[35:45] - Cash Flow Logic &amp;amp; Balance Sheet Errors&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;[46:38] - From Hardcoding to Dynamic Assumptions&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;[53:45] - Balance Sheet Plugging and Logical Failure&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;[57:34] - Reviewing Elkar’s Working Capital Assumptions&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;[1:04:20] - Wrap up &amp;amp; Final Thoughts&lt;/p&gt;</description>

Financial Modeler's Corner

Paul Barnhurst AKA The FP&A Guy

Elkar AI Put to the Test in Live Financial Modeling with Honest Results for Modellers - Ian & Giles

NOV 25, 202568 MIN
Financial Modeler's Corner

Elkar AI Put to the Test in Live Financial Modeling with Honest Results for Modellers - Ian & Giles

NOV 25, 202568 MIN

Description

In this episode of The ModSquad on Financial Modeler’s Corner, Giles Male and Ian Schnoor put Elkar to the test, a financial modeling tool that's been getting attention for its speed and slick design. From solving structured Excel challenges to building full forecast models, they push the tool to its limits. What follows is a revealing look at how Elkar performs when accuracy, logic, and professional modeling standards are on the line. Along the way, they uncover surprising strengths, critical flaws, and even moments of unexpected comedy. Whether you’re curious about automation or cautious about AI in finance, this episode offers plenty to think about.Expect to LearnWhat Elkar gets right: speed, formatting, and a sleek interfaceWhere it breaks down: logic errors, disconnected assumptions, and unreliable outputsHow Elkar stacks up against other AI tools like TabAI and AgentWhy using AI without understanding modeling fundamentals can be dangerousWhat it takes to turn a promising AI output into a reliable financial modelHere are a few quotes from the episode:"Right now, Elkar is like a junior analyst, you see potential, but you can't let them run unsupervised." - Giles Male"AI tools like this might build something that looks like a model, but without logic, it’s a house of cards." - Ian SchnoorIn this episode, Elkar proves to be a fast and visually polished AI tool with clear potential, especially in formatting and task execution speed. However, when it comes to financial logic, assumption structuring, and balance sheet integrity, it consistently misses the mark. The tool even resorts to shortcuts like hardcoding values and plugging imbalances. Follow Giles Male:LinkedIn -  https://www.linkedin.com/in/giles-male-30643b15/Follow Ian:LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/ianschnoor/?originalSubdomain=caElkar: https://elkar.coIn today’s episode: [06:48] - Exploring Elkar: Website, Pricing, and Features[10:34] - Elkar Takes on the Esports Excel Challenge[20:14] - Elkar Gets Caught Cheating[24:18] - Elkar Struggles with Complex Logic[35:45] - Cash Flow Logic & Balance Sheet Errors[46:38] - From Hardcoding to Dynamic Assumptions[53:45] - Balance Sheet Plugging and Logical Failure[57:34] - Reviewing Elkar’s Working Capital Assumptions[1:04:20] - Wrap up & Final Thoughts