Sarah Schlott
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The 5 Most Common Mistakes I See in Financial Models—and How to Fix Them

1 Comment/by Sarah Schlott

Financial modeling, when it’s good, is like jazz—dynamic, structured, and intentional. When it’s bad, it’s a car crash on the freeway: you can’t look away, and everyone’s pretending it’s still moving forward. I’ve reviewed hundreds of models in my career, from scrappy startup decks to nine-figure buyout scenarios. Some were elegant. Many were… not. The […]

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Implementing Zero-Based Budgeting in FP&A: A 10-Step Guide

1 Comment/by Sarah Schlott

Zero-based budgeting (ZBB) sounds like one of those things consultants throw into the air like a glitter bomb: shiny, disruptive, and mostly theoretical. But trust me—when done right, it’s not just buzzword bingo. It’s a radical clarity tool. And if you’re in FP&A like me, you know the annual budget ritual has devolved into a […]

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Top 10 Principles for Transforming FP&A Towards Long-Term Value Creation

1 Comment/by Sarah Schlott

It’s been said a hundred times in every boardroom I’ve ever sat in: “We need to be more strategic with our planning.” Great. But what does that actually mean in a world where financial planning and analysis (FP&A) is still, in many places, little more than spreadsheet jockeying dressed in quarterly PowerPoint suits? I’ve watched […]

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Mastering AI in Finance: Building Expertise for a Data-Driven Future

1 Comment/by Sarah Schlott

Somewhere between the endless waves of hedge fund quants and Silicon Valley’s dopamine engineers, finance quietly fell in love with artificial intelligence. Not the kind that makes TikToks or generates emails. I’m talking about AI in finance—technology that can out-predict, out-price, and outmaneuver legacy systems that once defined Wall Street. I’ve watched it happen. At […]

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Latest Posts

  • CFO Succession Planning: Building the Next Generation of Finance Leaders
  • How to Evaluate Supplier Bulk Discounts and Minimum Order Quantities
  • How to Decide Whether to Discontinue an Unprofitable Product
  • How to Evaluate Longer Customer Payment Terms: A CFO Guide
  • Galderma’s $1.5 Billion Skincare Deal. Somebody Please Show Me the Synergy Spreadsheet.
  • Lonza Wants Higher Margins From Maturing Investments. I’d Like to Meet the Payback Schedule.
  • Rio Tinto Targets $5 Billion in Capital Release. I’d Start With the Cash We Already Own.
  • Workday Wants AI Agents to Do the Finance Work. Wonderful. Who Signs Off When They’re Wrong?
  • A $700,000 Signing Bonus for a CFO? I’d Like to See the Hiring Economics, Please.
  • Diesel Prices Are Wrecking the Freight Budget. The IEA Says the Squeeze Could Last Into 2027.
  • Wells Fargo’s EPS Grew Faster Than Earnings. I’d Like the Rest of the Story.
  • Goldman Sachs Just Delivered a Monster Quarter. I Want to Know How Much of It Is Repeatable.
  • CFOs Are Optimistic About Their Businesses but Worried About Stock Valuations. Both Can Be Right.
  • AI Skills May Command Higher Finance Salaries. Now CFOs Have Another Budget Problem.
  • The AICPA Just Published AI Audit Guidance. Finance Might Want to Check Who’s Responsible for the Numbers.
  • The 2027 Budget Isn’t Broken Yet. Its Assumptions Are Already Getting Nervous.
  • PayPal’s Budget Reallocation Playbook Has One Rule Finance Teams May Not Like: No Sacred Cows
  • McKinsey Says Automation Could Absorb Half of U.S. Work Hours. Who’s Training the Next Finance Leader?
  • AWS Replaced an 18-Tab Pricing Model With an AI Chatbot. The Interesting Part Isn’t the Chatbot.
  • AI Was Supposed to Improve Margins. Why Is It Showing Up in Cost of Revenue?
  • Your 2027 Budget Has a Problem: Last Year’s Numbers May Be the Wrong Starting Point
  • Only 10% of Companies Have Fully Integrated Planning. Apparently, the Other 90% Have Meetings.
  • Business Spending Is Still Growing in 2026: Why CFOs Shouldn’t Put Every Investment on Hold
  • AI Productivity Gains Are the Next Earnings Story: Why FP&A Could Become the Most Important Team in the Room
  • UnitedHealth Raises 2026 Earnings Guidance: The Profit Growth Lesson Hiding in Its Medical Costs
  • IMF Raises Global Growth Forecast for 2026: Why CFOs Should Look for Opportunities, Not Just Risks
  • FIS Launches Agentic AI Cash Flow Forecasting: Finance Might Finally Get Ahead of the Money
  • Goldman Sachs Q3 2026 Earnings Beat: What FP&A Can Learn From a $1.8 Billion Revenue Surprise
  • JPMorgan CFO Sees AI Dealmaking Opportunities: Why the Next Wave of AI Investment Could Be Good for Business
  • IMF Warns of AI Investment Bubble Risks: The $1 Trillion Question CFOs Should Be Asking
  • How AI Is Changing Accenture’s Consulting Business Model: The Billable Hour Has a Proble
  • How CFOs Are Using AI to Prepare Earnings Calls: The Financial Reporting Risks Nobody Wants to Explain
  • AI Chip Stocks Are Falling. Your Forecast Shouldn’t Pretend They Can’t
  • Your First Finance Hire: Are You Solving a Problem or Just Collecting Job Titles?
  • Long-Range Financial Planning: Build a Three-Year Plan Without Pretending to Predict
  • Top-Down vs. Bottom-Up Budgeting: Which One Should Finance Trust?
  • How to Build a Business Budget From Scratch Without Guesswork
  • Budgeting and Forecasting: Seven Controls That Make the Numbers More Reliable
  • Predictive Budgeting: When the Algorithm Gets the Assumptions Wrong
  • FP&A Forecast Credibility: How CFOs Keep Optimism From Becoming the Official Number
  • FP&A Decision Rights Framework: How CFOs Turn Financial Analysis Into Action
  • How to Forecast SaaS Renewal Costs and Avoid Software Budget Surprises
  • How to Calculate the Impact of a Supplier Price Increase on Gross Margin
  • How to Build a Financial Forecast Model in Excel: A Step-by-Step FP&A Example
  • FP&A Software Implementation Timeline: How Long It Takes and What CFOs Should Budget
  • Board Forecast Bridge Analysis: How CFOs Explain What Changed and What to Do Next
  • Forecast Assumption Ownership: How CFOs Stop Planning Surprises
  • Capital Expenditure Stage Gate Process: When CFOs Should Release the Money
  • Sales Capacity Planning: How CFOs Test Revenue Targets Before Hiring
  • Business Unit Profitability Analysis: How to Separate Real Losses From Allocated Costs
  • Capacity-Constrained Financial Planning: A CFO Guide
  • Your CFO Changed the Forecast. Was That Judgment or Wishful Thinking?
  • Post-Acquisition Synergy Tracking: Where Did the Promised Savings Go?
  • Capital Allocation for CFOs: When Every Investment Looks Good
  • That $24,000 Job Looked Profitable. So Where Did the Money Go?
  • Lease or Buy the Equipment? I’d Like to See the Numbers Before We Sign Anything.
  • Your Business Might Be Sitting on More Cash Than You Think. Let’s Find It.
  • Your Monthly Management Report Is Beautiful. Does Anyone Actually Do Anything With It?
  • Should You Outsource the Work or Keep It In-House? Let’s Do the Math.
  • Your Biggest Customer Is 30% of Revenue. How Much Risk Is That, Really?
  • How to Calculate Price, Volume, and Mix Variances Without Fooling Yourself
  • How to Calculate Whether a Sales Discount Is Worth It (Before You Give Away Your Margin)
  • How to Calculate Break-Even Sales for Multiple Products (And Why the Mix Matters)
  • How to Forecast Accounts Receivable Collections Without Pretending Every Customer Pays on Time
  • Customer Profitability Analysis: Your Biggest Customer Might Not Be Your Best Customer
  • When Should I Hire a Controller? Look for the Ownership Gap
  • Can My Business Afford Another Employee? Model the Gap Before You Hire
  • How Much Cash Should a Small Business Keep in Reserve?
  • Continuous Planning vs. Rolling Forecast: What Is the Difference?
  • How to Build an AI Business Case for Finance That a CFO Can Defend

Sarah Schlott

FP&A consulting, forecasting, accounting support and finance strategy for CFOs and growing finance teams.

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FP&A ConsultingForecasting & PlanningScenario Modeling & Decision SupportManagement ReportingCash ForecastingFP&A Function & Finance SystemsVariance AnalysisKPI DashboardsBoard ReportingFP&A for PE-Backed CompaniesOrlando FP&A Consulting

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