7 Financial Analysis Hacks You Don’t Want To Miss
These financial analysis hacks are practical tactics, real examples, and step-by-step walkthroughs you can steal and implement today.
FP&A
FP&A. Three letters that are the backbone of any well-run finance team. If the accounting team keeps the lights on, FP&A is the one mapping out where to put the next power plant. This is the function where data meets strategy, and I’m here to walk you through everything that makes it tick. From budgeting and forecasting to variance analysis and strategic planning, it’s all on the table.
I’ll break down how FP&A connects daily operations with long-term vision, and why those Excel sheets actually hold the pulse of the business. Whether it’s building a killer annual operating plan or tracking down what’s eating into your margins, FP&A is where the magic (and hard truths) happen.
This tag is your one-stop shop to mastering the FP&A function, no matter your experience level. We’ll dig into tools like scenario modeling, rolling forecasts, and KPIs that actually tell a story. Are dashboards, BI tools, or the latest FP&A software worth the hype? I’ll tell you when they are (and when they aren’t).
Plus, you’ll learn how to go beyond just crunching numbers to providing real insight that drives strategic decisions. If you’re ready to upgrade your FP&A game from good to indispensable, this is where you’ll find the tools and know-how to make it happen.
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My Ultimate Guide To Finance Dashboard Design Best Practices
With my collection of finance dashboard design best practices, I’ll show you how to build finance dashboards that actually serve a purpose
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The Easy Guide To Automating Finance Presentations
Imagine making a change in Excel or Google Sheets—and watching your presentation or dashboard update in real time.
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7 Power Query Hacks You Can’t Live Without
These aren’t your garden-variety Power Query hacks. We’re going deep—with five hacks that saved my sanity and probably my blood pressure.
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I Tried 7 AI Tools For Finance So You Don’t Have To
Alright, so here’s the deal—I’ve been obsessing over AI tools lately. Not because it’s trendy or I’m some sort of bleeding-edge tech nerd, but because I wanted to see how these tools could actually make life easier in the wild, chaotic world of the financial industry. Spoiler alert: the results were… mixed. Some tools had me fist-pumping at how much time they saved, while others left me staring at my screen, wondering why I even bothered. Whether you’re juggling reports, analyzing trends, or herding data through seemingly endless spreadsheets, you’ve probably wondered if there’s a smarter way to get things done. That’s exactly what I set out to uncover by testing seven popular AI tools for finance —ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Copilot, Llama, Nova, and DeepSeek….
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5 Easy Steps To Building A Waterfall Forecast
A waterfall forecast breaks down the cumulative effect of increases and decreases, whether we’re talking about revenue, expenses, or any key metric in your financial kingdom. It’s your go-to tool when you need to analyze what’s driving changes in performance. Was it a spike in operating costs? An unexpected boost in sales? This chart lays it all out, step by step, making complex shifts easy to see and even easier to explain.
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5 Easy Steps For Annual Operating Planning (With Time-Saving Hacks)
Annual Operating Planning (AOP)—sounds official, right? More like officially stressful. It’s the finance world’s version of assembling IKEA furniture without instructions, except instead of a wobbly bookshelf, you’re risking major budget disasters and a few heated meetings with your boss. For the uninitiated (or those pretending not to know because denial is easier), AOP is the process that sets the stage for your company’s entire fiscal year. It’s about forecasting revenue, estimating expenses, deciding how many people you’ll need, and pinning down key performance goals for the year ahead. Sounds straightforward enough, but when you mix in last-minute data snafus, conflicting priorities, and a team still recovering from last year’s mishaps, it can spiral into chaos faster than your afternoon coffee runs out. But don’t…
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The Easy Guide To Getting Started With AI In FP&A
Here’s the deal. This guide is your crash course in everything AI in FP&A, minus the fluff. AI systems are transforming the finance industry by automating tasks and providing insights. I’ll break down what AI actually is (spoiler alert—it’s not as scary as it sounds), why you should care, and how it’s shaking up the world of finance.
I’ll even throw in some real-world examples and practical steps so you can start applying this wizardry to your daily grind.
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The Easy Way To Automate Month-End Close
If month-end close feels like a recurring horror movie you can’t escape, trust me, I’ve been there. You know, the late nights staring at spreadsheets, the constant barrage of “Are we done yet?” from impatient stakeholders, and the sinking feeling when you realize a tiny error threw off your whole reconciliation. It’s the stuff nightmares are made of. But spoiler alert—it doesn’t have to be that way. Here’s the deal: the grind of a manual month-end close is more than just tedious—it’s downright draining. You’re battling endless data entry, tracking down discrepancies like a detective, and trying to juggle deadlines while avoiding burnout. And what does all that get you? A process that’s slow, error-prone, and, frankly, not sustainable. But here’s the good news—learning how…
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The Ultimate Guide To Profitability Models for Forecasting
Think of profitability models for forecasting as your financial crystal ball, but way more reliable (and less mystical). They’re frameworks that help you predict how much profit you’re looking at down the road by crunching things like sales, costs, expenses, and historical financial data. Why should you care? Because flying blind in business is like driving with your windshield fogged up—it’s a fast track to hitting something you didn’t see coming. Forecasting with profitability models clears that view, giving you the insights you need to drive your business toward sustained profits. Financial planning is a crucial aspect of using profitability models for forecasting, as it involves a comprehensive evaluation of current business variables to predict future financial states and assess profitability. Whether you’re prepping for…
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