I have a fairly simple test for a forecasting process. When the forecast changes, can anyone explain why? Not which cell changed. Not which department submitted a new number. Not that revenue is now $600,000 lower than it was three weeks ago. What changed in the business? That question sounds embarrassingly basic until you’ve sat […]
I have a strong opinion about building an FP&A function from scratch: Don’t start by hiring FP&A people. I realize this is an inconvenient opening for an article about building an FP&A function. But I’ve seen companies decide they need FP&A and immediately jump to the org chart. We need a Director. Maybe two analysts. […]
https://sarahgschlott.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/pexels-pavel-danilyuk-7654493-modified-scaled.jpg17092560Sarah Schlotthttps://sarahgschlott.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/icon-10c-two-blob-light_clearspace-1030x1030.pngSarah Schlott2026-09-26 23:18:022026-10-01 02:41:52How to Build an FP&A Function From Scratch: A Practical Guide
I’ve noticed something slightly strange about the way I learn. Whenever someone explains something new to me, my brain immediately starts looking for something old. A person. A meeting. A mistake. A company I worked for. Something my mother said 25 years ago. A completely unrelated Tuesday in 2011. Anything, apparently, that will give the […]
https://sarahgschlott.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/pexels-cottonbro-5723883-scaled.jpg17072560Sarah Schlotthttps://sarahgschlott.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/icon-10c-two-blob-light_clearspace-1030x1030.pngSarah Schlott2026-09-26 20:29:152026-09-26 20:31:09How Past Experiences Help Us Learn New Things
I can usually tell pretty quickly when a finance function isn’t working. Not because the forecast is wrong. Forecasts are wrong all the time. If being wrong disqualified a finance team, we’d have to shut down the profession. It’s usually smaller things. Someone says, “Let me check with Mike.” Then someone else says it. Then […]
https://sarahgschlott.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/pexels-yankrukov-7792840-modified-scaled.jpg17072560Sarah Schlotthttps://sarahgschlott.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/icon-10c-two-blob-light_clearspace-1030x1030.pngSarah Schlott2026-09-26 06:00:542026-09-26 08:49:10Things I Notice When a Finance Function Isn’t Working
I have trust issues with beautiful financial models. Not because I don’t like them. I do. Give me clean tabs, consistent formatting, sensible colors and a model where I don’t need an archaeological expedition to find the assumptions. I’m happy. But I’ve been around Finance long enough to know that a beautiful spreadsheet and a […]
I have a slightly inconvenient habit in Finance. When the numbers are bad, I ask questions. When the numbers are good, I ask more questions. Revenue is $800,000 ahead of forecast? Great. Why? Gross margin improved three points? Wonderful. What happened? Cash collections suddenly accelerated? Now I’m suspicious. This is probably not the personality trait […]
https://sarahgschlott.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/pexels-karola-g-6028573-modified-scaled.jpg17072560Sarah Schlotthttps://sarahgschlott.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/icon-10c-two-blob-light_clearspace-1030x1030.pngSarah Schlott2026-09-25 08:59:252026-10-01 02:50:23Good News Makes Me Nervous
I started my career as a billing temp. Not exactly the traditional origin story for a finance executive. No investment banking. No glamorous rotational program. No dramatic montage involving Wall Street, three computer monitors and someone yelling about EBITDA. I was billing people. But one of the first things I remember doing was asking if […]
https://sarahgschlott.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/pexels-googledeepmind-17485658-modified-scaled.jpg14402560Sarah Schlotthttps://sarahgschlott.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/icon-10c-two-blob-light_clearspace-1030x1030.pngSarah Schlott2026-09-24 16:29:302026-10-01 00:08:39Finance Is Supposed to Know the Business. Somehow We Made That Optional
One of the more curious things I’ve noticed over the years is that budgets are often approved long before anyone walks into the conference room. That sounds ridiculous, of course. The meeting is on everyone’s calendar. The deck is polished. The assumptions have been circulated. People ask questions. Slides get skipped. Someone inevitably says, “Let’s […]
https://sarahgschlott.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/pexels-artempodrez-6779567-2-modified-1-1.jpg6751200Sarah Schlotthttps://sarahgschlott.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/icon-10c-two-blob-light_clearspace-1030x1030.pngSarah Schlott2026-08-19 16:29:232026-09-24 21:56:17The Budget Was Approved Long Before the Meeting
Your 40s are where financial decisions stop being theoretical. You’re earning, juggling responsibilities, and thinking ahead—all at once. But this is also the decade where small missteps compound faster, and “I’ll fix it later” gets expensive. I’ve made some of these mistakes myself. Others I’ve seen play out repeatedly. None of them look dramatic in […]
https://sarahgschlott.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/88u-TQ8Sx5MiT8TjXZQh07NOqO1zzg3DT3oJYJnH6fceHyTIIBRGPSDUtlN0dK45nCm-qt_bNo8z4tDgEMUNZ4gVvW2TpWfPNQCp-d8_PPnGrULTpUb05R6xacyXHbAt8-_wEfcN-nU1jJ5ea9DkPDgQ_jqX23v9aQmBInhEpu1DsG9EgzGphk7Yel0Tn0SR.jpeg13652048Sarah Schlotthttps://sarahgschlott.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/icon-10c-two-blob-light_clearspace-1030x1030.pngSarah Schlott2026-04-26 21:57:342026-09-24 21:56:188 Financial Mistakes Women in Their 40s Make—and How to Fix Them (2026 Guide)
And Somewhere, an FP&A Model Just Started Lying The number dropped.Below 200,000. Cue the headline writers polishing the word resilient like it’s a participation trophy. But if you work in FP&A, that number doesn’t mean “things are fine.”It means nothing is giving way. And nothing costs more than pressure that refuses to release. The number […]
FP&A Forecasting Process: A Practical Step-by-Step Guide
I have a fairly simple test for a forecasting process. When the forecast changes, can anyone explain why? Not which cell changed. Not which department submitted a new number. Not that revenue is now $600,000 lower than it was three weeks ago. What changed in the business? That question sounds embarrassingly basic until you’ve sat […]
How to Build an FP&A Function From Scratch: A Practical Guide
I have a strong opinion about building an FP&A function from scratch: Don’t start by hiring FP&A people. I realize this is an inconvenient opening for an article about building an FP&A function. But I’ve seen companies decide they need FP&A and immediately jump to the org chart. We need a Director. Maybe two analysts. […]
How Past Experiences Help Us Learn New Things
I’ve noticed something slightly strange about the way I learn. Whenever someone explains something new to me, my brain immediately starts looking for something old. A person. A meeting. A mistake. A company I worked for. Something my mother said 25 years ago. A completely unrelated Tuesday in 2011. Anything, apparently, that will give the […]
Things I Notice When a Finance Function Isn’t Working
I can usually tell pretty quickly when a finance function isn’t working. Not because the forecast is wrong. Forecasts are wrong all the time. If being wrong disqualified a finance team, we’d have to shut down the profession. It’s usually smaller things. Someone says, “Let me check with Mike.” Then someone else says it. Then […]
I Have Trust Issues With Beautiful Financial Models
I have trust issues with beautiful financial models. Not because I don’t like them. I do. Give me clean tabs, consistent formatting, sensible colors and a model where I don’t need an archaeological expedition to find the assumptions. I’m happy. But I’ve been around Finance long enough to know that a beautiful spreadsheet and a […]
Good News Makes Me Nervous
I have a slightly inconvenient habit in Finance. When the numbers are bad, I ask questions. When the numbers are good, I ask more questions. Revenue is $800,000 ahead of forecast? Great. Why? Gross margin improved three points? Wonderful. What happened? Cash collections suddenly accelerated? Now I’m suspicious. This is probably not the personality trait […]
Finance Is Supposed to Know the Business. Somehow We Made That Optional
I started my career as a billing temp. Not exactly the traditional origin story for a finance executive. No investment banking. No glamorous rotational program. No dramatic montage involving Wall Street, three computer monitors and someone yelling about EBITDA. I was billing people. But one of the first things I remember doing was asking if […]
The Budget Was Approved Long Before the Meeting
One of the more curious things I’ve noticed over the years is that budgets are often approved long before anyone walks into the conference room. That sounds ridiculous, of course. The meeting is on everyone’s calendar. The deck is polished. The assumptions have been circulated. People ask questions. Slides get skipped. Someone inevitably says, “Let’s […]
8 Financial Mistakes Women in Their 40s Make—and How to Fix Them (2026 Guide)
Your 40s are where financial decisions stop being theoretical. You’re earning, juggling responsibilities, and thinking ahead—all at once. But this is also the decade where small missteps compound faster, and “I’ll fix it later” gets expensive. I’ve made some of these mistakes myself. Others I’ve seen play out repeatedly. None of them look dramatic in […]
Jobless Claims Fell Below 200,000
And Somewhere, an FP&A Model Just Started Lying The number dropped.Below 200,000. Cue the headline writers polishing the word resilient like it’s a participation trophy. But if you work in FP&A, that number doesn’t mean “things are fine.”It means nothing is giving way. And nothing costs more than pressure that refuses to release. The number […]