Every company seems to be saving thousands of hours with AI. I would like to know where everyone is keeping them. Because apparently AI wrote the email, summarized the meeting, analyzed the data, drafted the presentation and saved Brenda six hours on Tuesday. Fantastic. What happened Wednesday? I ask because companies are getting very good […]
https://sarahgschlott.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/pexels-silverkblack-36733366-modified-scaled.jpg14402560Sarah Schlotthttps://sarahgschlott.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/icon-10c-two-blob-light_clearspace-1030x1030.pngSarah Schlott2026-09-29 00:24:412026-10-01 02:43:46How to Measure AI ROI: A Practical Guide for CFOs and Finance Teams
I wouldn’t have written this article a few years ago. Mostly because nobody was asking me whether I trusted the financial forecast built by a robot. Finance has changed. Now AI can analyze historical results, identify patterns, generate baseline forecasts, flag anomalies, help build scenarios and explain variances. Some newer systems are moving toward something […]
https://sarahgschlott.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/pexels-pavel-danilyuk-8439093-modified-scaled.jpg17092560Sarah Schlotthttps://sarahgschlott.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/icon-10c-two-blob-light_clearspace-1030x1030.pngSarah Schlott2026-09-29 00:16:222026-10-01 02:43:38AI in FP&A: Can You Trust an AI-Generated Financial Forecast?
If you’re building an FP&A team, I have one request. Please don’t start with the org chart. I know it’s tempting. CFO at the top. VP of FP&A underneath. Director. Manager. Senior Analyst. Analyst. Look at that. We have a department. We haven’t figured out what any of these people are doing yet, but the […]
https://sarahgschlott.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/pexels-mikhail-nilov-6592700-1-modified-scaled.jpg17052560Sarah Schlotthttps://sarahgschlott.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/icon-10c-two-blob-light_clearspace-1030x1030.pngSarah Schlott2026-09-28 21:29:422026-10-01 02:41:32FP&A Team Structure: Who Should You Hire and When?
I have a complicated relationship with revenue growth percentages. Not because they’re useless. Because they have a tendency to arrive before the explanation. “Revenue grows 10% next year.” Okay. Why? “Well, we grew about 10% this year.” That is certainly information. It is not yet a revenue forecast. One of the easiest ways to build […]
https://sarahgschlott.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/pexels-hikaique-116029-modified-scaled.jpg14402560Sarah Schlotthttps://sarahgschlott.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/icon-10c-two-blob-light_clearspace-1030x1030.pngSarah Schlott2026-09-28 21:20:122026-09-30 23:55:35How to Build a Revenue Forecast That Doesn’t Start With Last Year + 10%
Rolling Forecast: What It Is, How It Works, and When to Use One I have never understood why December 31 gets so much authority over financial planning. Apparently the calendar changes and Finance is supposed to lose interest in what happens next. It’s October. We have a three-month forecast remaining. Very useful. Management is making […]
https://sarahgschlott.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/pexels-yankrukov-7698796-modified-scaled.jpg17072560Sarah Schlotthttps://sarahgschlott.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/icon-10c-two-blob-light_clearspace-1030x1030.pngSarah Schlott2026-09-28 21:10:182026-10-01 02:43:08Rolling Forecast: What It Is, How It Works, and When to Use One
I don’t think a company wakes up one morning and suddenly needs FP&A. There usually isn’t a ceremony. Nobody cuts a ribbon. What happens instead is that the CEO asks a question that used to take ten minutes to answer, and three days later Finance is still working on it. Someone wants to know what […]
https://sarahgschlott.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/pexels-silverkblack-23496867-modified-scaled.jpg14402560Sarah Schlotthttps://sarahgschlott.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/icon-10c-two-blob-light_clearspace-1030x1030.pngSarah Schlott2026-09-28 21:05:422026-10-01 02:41:38When Does a Company Need FP&A? 11 Signs You’ve Outgrown Basic Finance
I can usually tell when a company has confused its budget with its forecast. It’s September. The business has changed. Sales are running below plan. Hiring moved. A product launch slipped. A large customer expanded unexpectedly. Marketing changed its spending. And somehow the forecast still looks remarkably similar to the budget everyone approved nine months […]
https://sarahgschlott.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/pexels-rdne-5915236-modified-1.jpg8001200Sarah Schlotthttps://sarahgschlott.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/icon-10c-two-blob-light_clearspace-1030x1030.pngSarah Schlott2026-09-28 15:29:402026-10-01 00:03:49Budget vs. Forecast: What’s the Difference and When Should You Use Each?
“FP&A consultant” is one of those job descriptions that can mean almost anything. Build a forecast. Fix a model. Help with the budget. Prepare something for the board. Figure out why margins are falling. Untangle a reporting process that apparently requires three people, six spreadsheets and one person who absolutely cannot take vacation. All technically […]
https://sarahgschlott.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/pexels-artempodrez-6779567-2-modified-1.jpg6751200Sarah Schlotthttps://sarahgschlott.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/icon-10c-two-blob-light_clearspace-1030x1030.pngSarah Schlott2026-09-27 12:42:542026-10-01 02:41:47What Does an FP&A Consultant Do? A Practical Guide
I don’t start reviewing a financial model with the formulas. This occasionally bothers people. They’ve spent a lot of time building those formulas. There may be nested IF statements. INDEX MATCH. XLOOKUP. Maybe something involving OFFSET that nobody wants to discuss. I’m sure it’s all very impressive. I want to know why revenue grows 12%. […]
https://sarahgschlott.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/pexels-leeloothefirst-5561913-modified-1.jpg8011200Sarah Schlotthttps://sarahgschlott.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/icon-10c-two-blob-light_clearspace-1030x1030.pngSarah Schlott2026-09-27 12:35:312026-10-01 02:42:58How to Review a Financial Model Before You Trust It
There is something about cash that improves everyone’s interest in Finance. Revenue misses forecast? We should discuss it. Gross margin moves? Let’s understand the drivers. Cash gets tight? Suddenly the CFO, CEO, Controller, three department heads and someone who hasn’t spoken to Finance since the Christmas party would like an update. Preferably this afternoon. That’s […]
How to Measure AI ROI: A Practical Guide for CFOs and Finance Teams
Every company seems to be saving thousands of hours with AI. I would like to know where everyone is keeping them. Because apparently AI wrote the email, summarized the meeting, analyzed the data, drafted the presentation and saved Brenda six hours on Tuesday. Fantastic. What happened Wednesday? I ask because companies are getting very good […]
AI in FP&A: Can You Trust an AI-Generated Financial Forecast?
I wouldn’t have written this article a few years ago. Mostly because nobody was asking me whether I trusted the financial forecast built by a robot. Finance has changed. Now AI can analyze historical results, identify patterns, generate baseline forecasts, flag anomalies, help build scenarios and explain variances. Some newer systems are moving toward something […]
FP&A Team Structure: Who Should You Hire and When?
If you’re building an FP&A team, I have one request. Please don’t start with the org chart. I know it’s tempting. CFO at the top. VP of FP&A underneath. Director. Manager. Senior Analyst. Analyst. Look at that. We have a department. We haven’t figured out what any of these people are doing yet, but the […]
How to Build a Revenue Forecast That Doesn’t Start With Last Year + 10%
I have a complicated relationship with revenue growth percentages. Not because they’re useless. Because they have a tendency to arrive before the explanation. “Revenue grows 10% next year.” Okay. Why? “Well, we grew about 10% this year.” That is certainly information. It is not yet a revenue forecast. One of the easiest ways to build […]
Rolling Forecast: What It Is, How It Works, and When to Use One
Rolling Forecast: What It Is, How It Works, and When to Use One I have never understood why December 31 gets so much authority over financial planning. Apparently the calendar changes and Finance is supposed to lose interest in what happens next. It’s October. We have a three-month forecast remaining. Very useful. Management is making […]
When Does a Company Need FP&A? 11 Signs You’ve Outgrown Basic Finance
I don’t think a company wakes up one morning and suddenly needs FP&A. There usually isn’t a ceremony. Nobody cuts a ribbon. What happens instead is that the CEO asks a question that used to take ten minutes to answer, and three days later Finance is still working on it. Someone wants to know what […]
Budget vs. Forecast: What’s the Difference and When Should You Use Each?
I can usually tell when a company has confused its budget with its forecast. It’s September. The business has changed. Sales are running below plan. Hiring moved. A product launch slipped. A large customer expanded unexpectedly. Marketing changed its spending. And somehow the forecast still looks remarkably similar to the budget everyone approved nine months […]
What Does an FP&A Consultant Do? A Practical Guide
“FP&A consultant” is one of those job descriptions that can mean almost anything. Build a forecast. Fix a model. Help with the budget. Prepare something for the board. Figure out why margins are falling. Untangle a reporting process that apparently requires three people, six spreadsheets and one person who absolutely cannot take vacation. All technically […]
How to Review a Financial Model Before You Trust It
I don’t start reviewing a financial model with the formulas. This occasionally bothers people. They’ve spent a lot of time building those formulas. There may be nested IF statements. INDEX MATCH. XLOOKUP. Maybe something involving OFFSET that nobody wants to discuss. I’m sure it’s all very impressive. I want to know why revenue grows 12%. […]
13-Week Cash Flow Forecast: A Practical Step-by-Step Guide
There is something about cash that improves everyone’s interest in Finance. Revenue misses forecast? We should discuss it. Gross margin moves? Let’s understand the drivers. Cash gets tight? Suddenly the CFO, CEO, Controller, three department heads and someone who hasn’t spoken to Finance since the Christmas party would like an update. Preferably this afternoon. That’s […]