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Good financial storytelling is essential for success in finance, but it’s rarely taught, which is why it feels so hard.

This Week's Chart Drop

On 10th September, Oracle’s Larry Ellison briefly became the richest person in the world before Elon Musk reclaimed the crown. That single-day surge, the largest wealth jump in history, was driven by Oracle’s unexpectedly strong earnings. So far this year, Ellison’s net worth has grown $170 billion. It's a real rag to riches story - born to a 19-year-old single mother, given up after 9 months, and later a college dropout obsessed with code, Ellison built extraordinary wealth.

When in doubt, use a 2D bar chart. It’s simple. Horizontal comparisons often work better than vertical ones, and a 2D bar chart forces you to strip out the non-essential.

Design Trick

Use colour strategically. Here, Ellison’s bar is highlighted in blue while the others stay neutral, drawing the eye exactly where you want it.

Each week, I share one simple Excel visual—from sport, business, or personal finance—to give finance professionals ideas on how to present their data.

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