When Numbers and Strategy Collide: The Financial Modeling Disconnect Suppose you work as a financial analyst for a mid-sized retailer that launches a new premium product line. Six months later, financial forecasts show a 40% revenue shortfall. Why? Their models used historical performance data without factoring in the business’s strategic shift to premium positioning. This…
Understanding the Budgeting Process: Why It’s Essential A budgeting process translates a company’s goals into a financial plan that outlines the spending needed to achieve them. The budget defines where resources go, how investments are prioritized, and the financial constraints teams must work within. Developing an accurate budget requires multiple steps, and often months, to…
Mastering FP&A 3-Statement Modeling Building a 3-statement financial model is a critical skill for finance professionals, but many struggle to get their models to balance. In this episode of What’s New at CFI on FinPod, we break down CFI’s latest course: FP&A 3-Statement Modeling—designed to help finance professionals build structured, scalable models with confidence. What You’ll…
Understanding Quantitative vs. Qualitative Budgeting: When Numbers Alone Aren’t Enough Picture this: Your meticulously crafted budget, built on five years of historical data and precise financial models, falls apart just three months into the fiscal year. When this happens, it’s typically because financial plans rely solely on quantitative budgeting without considering the strategic insights from…
How Supporting Schedules Improve Clarity in Financial Models Without well-structured supporting schedules, 3-statement financial models can quickly become cluttered, difficult to audit, and prone to errors. These schedules help organize complex calculations, ensuring financial models remain accurate, transparent, and easy to modify. What are Supporting Schedules and How Do They Work? A supporting schedule (or…
GRR vs. NRR: Measuring Sustainable Growth in SaaS What’s the real measure of a thriving SaaS business — keeping customers or expanding their accounts? When measuring revenue retention, two key metrics dominate the conversation: Gross Revenue Retention (GRR) and Net Revenue Retention (NRR). While both track recurring revenue, they serve different purposes: GRR focuses solely…
Why Strategic Financial Planning Matters for a Career in FP&A As an FP&A professional, strategic financial planning is one of the most valuable skills you can develop. It goes beyond budgeting and forecasting, ensuring that a company’s financial strategy aligns with long-term business goals and supports real decision-making. You may already understand FP&A’s core role…
In this episode of Corporate Finance Explained, we break down the fundamentals of financial statement analysis—a vital skill for corporate finance professionals, investors, and business leaders. We start by exploring the three core financial statements: Income Statement – Reveals a company’s profitability by detailing revenues and expenses over a specific period. Balance Sheet – Provides…
In this episode of CFI’s podcast, Ayesha Zain shares her inspiring journey from a background in public administration and philosophy to her current role in venture capital. She discusses the importance of mentorship, her experience with CFI’s FMVA program, and the challenges of breaking into the finance industry. Ayesha emphasizes the value of networking, both…
Mastering the Stakeholder Balancing Act Imagine you just finalized this quarter’s financial forecast when leadership announces a shift in priorities. Now, your manager needs updated models, department heads want impact assessments, and the CFO expects revised forecasts by the end of the week. Your usual deadlines remain unchanged. You need to prioritize these stakeholder requests…
