Financial planning and analysis (FP&A) plays a critical role in high-stakes business decisions, from capital investments to pricing strategies and demand forecasting. This collection of short case studies shows how FP&A teams at Tesla, Netflix, Amazon, and Walmart apply financial analysis to support smarter decisions, reduce risk, and strengthen performance. Tesla: Strategic Investments Backed by…
Recent global trade volatility has brought new challenges for FP&A professionals. With changes to tariffs becoming increasingly common, it’s more crucial than ever to understand the implications for your organization’s financial health. A tariff impact analysis is a structured financial assessment that quantifies how a tariff directly affects costs, profits, and overall financial performance. FP&A…
How Do Companies Decide Where To Invest, When To Return Cash to Shareholders, or When To Take Bold Risks on New Technologies? In this episode of Corporate Finance Explained, we break down capital allocation, the art and science behind a company’s biggest money decisions. From ROI and NPV to multi-billion dollar bets on streaming, cloud…
Carried interest is one of the most misunderstood compensation terms in finance, but it plays a central role in how private equity firms get paid for profitable investments. This guide to carried interest explains how it works, when it’s paid, and why it’s a key part of aligning the incentives for both private equity managers…
What is Cash Runway? Cash runway is the number of months a company can continue operating before it runs out of cash, assuming current spending levels stay the same. Startup businesses often use this metric to measure the rate at which the startup is spending its equity capital raised from investors. How to Calculate Cash…
What happens when a company starts slipping, has declining margins, mounting debt, or cash flow concerns? In this episode of Corporate Finance Explained on FinPod, we take a closer look at how businesses bounce back from financial distress and the critical role corporate finance teams play in making that happen. From early warning signs to…
What Does It Take To Go From Audit Associate to CFO of a PE-Backed Startup? In this episode of Careers in Finance, host Meeyeon reconnects with longtime friend and finance leader Sharron Xiao to explore the career choices, transitions, and leadership lessons that shaped her journey from the Big Four to the C-suite. This is…
The terms “cash” and “liquidity” are often used interchangeably even in some business meetings, investor calls, and financial communications. Treating these two distinct terms as the same thing can lead to costly misunderstandings. This article breaks down cash vs. liquidity to explain the differences, show where each appears in financial statements, and how to use…
Why do so many profitable companies fail? It’s not because they’re losing money — it’s because they run out of cash. That disconnect is why cash management should be a top priority for finance teams. In this post, we’ll explore four real-world case studies in cash flow, two success stories and two cautionary tales, and…
May 21, 2025 – New York, NY – Corporate Finance Institute® (CFI) and Macabacus, two of the most trusted platforms for finance professionals worldwide, today announced the appointments of Tim Vipond as CEO of CFI and Charlie Schilling as CEO of Macabacus. These leadership additions reflect a strategic commitment to accelerating the companies’ significant growth…
