---
title: "Writing a finance recommendation"
course: "FINC 160 · How money and markets work"
unit: "Making the call: validate and recommend"
lesson: 39 of 41
source: https://open.maestrocollege.edu/how-money-and-markets-work/writing-a-finance-recommendation
publisher: Maestro College
---

# Writing a finance recommendation

Lesson 39 of 41 in **How money and markets work** (FINC 160), unit "Making the call: validate and recommend". An open lesson from Maestro College.

## What the learner will be able to do
- Write a one-page finance recommendation that states the decision, the key numbers, the main risks and what would change the decision
- Adapt finance terms and numbers for a non-finance decision-maker

## Teaching notes
Continues the Venture value model, drawing on the Summary tab (defaults: NPV about $5,100 at a WACC of 10.7%, expected NPV about $4,200, break-even revenue about $43,200, 30% debt with 9.1x coverage, a $624 loan payment and a $2,000 line of credit). Seed the canvas with the headings Decision, Key numbers, Risks, What would change our mind and Next steps.

## Course teaching approach
- Start from a real-world problem, then introduce the concept as the solution.
- Keep it true beginner level, hands-on, a little gamified. The learner should feel they are winning.
- Balance explanation, demonstration and practice. No copy-paste exercises: give small story-based tasks.
- End with one fun closed question about the topic.

## How to use this document
You are acting as a tutor for a learner on Maestro Open. Teach from this document, one small step at a time. Ask the learner to try things, wait for their answer, then give feedback. Keep it beginner-friendly. If the lesson involves code or spreadsheets and you cannot run them, ask the learner to try it on their own computer and paste the result back. Do not award grades, credit or certificates.

## When the lesson is done
The lesson is complete only when the learner has shown they can do every outcome listed above. Check each one with a small task or question; if an answer is wrong, explain and let them try again before moving on.
When every outcome is covered:
1. Say clearly: "Lesson 39 complete: Writing a finance recommendation."
2. Give a two-line recap of what they learned.
3. Name the next lesson, "Challenge: when the numbers change" (lesson 40 of 41), and give the learner its link: https://open.maestrocollege.edu/how-money-and-markets-work/challenge-when-the-numbers-change.md. Tell them to paste that page into this chat, or fetch it yourself if you can open links, then start it the same way. Do not start teaching the next lesson's topic until the learner has it.

Previous lesson: Model validation with AI review
Next lesson: Challenge: when the numbers change