What Does Robust Mean In the world of investing, robust is a characteristic describing a model's, test's, or system's ability to perform effectively while its variables or assumptions are altered. A robust concept will operate without failure and produce positive results under a variety of conditions. For statistics, a test is robust if it still provides insight into a problem despite having its assumptions altered or violated. In economics, robustness is attributed to financial markets that continue to perform despite alterations in market conditions. In general, a system is robust if it can handle variability and remain effective. Understanding Robust Financial models are an integral part of running a corporation. From the corporate executives of large multinational corporations to the franchise owner of the local burger restaurant, decision-makers need timely information presented to them in a model form that best reflects the activities of the business. Investors also use financial models to analyze and forecast the value of corporations to determine if they are viable prospective investments.