Financial Modeler's Corner

In this episode of Financial Modeler’s Corner, Giles Male turns the tables on regular host Paul Barnhurst, also known as The FP&A Guy, to discuss Paul’s journey through FP&A, financial modeling, training, entrepreneurship, and the growing impact of AI on finance. They explore how Paul built his personal brand, transitioned from corporate finance into his own business, and developed a career centered around education, community, and connecting people across the FP&A ecosystem.

Expect to Learn
How Paul built The FP&A Guy brand.
Why entrepreneurship comes with different risks.
What makes financial modeling training effective.
How AI is changing financial modeling.
Why human judgment still matters.
Lessons from rebuilding a difficult model.

Here are a few quotes from the episode:
“What's the point of keeping a goal going for the sake of a goal if it doesn't make sense?” - Paul Barnhurst
“AI is going to change it, but trust still matters, and there will be areas you want a human.” - Paul Barnhurst

Paul explains how his career evolved from corporate FP&A into a business built around training, podcasts, software research, educational content, and professional connections. He also discusses how AI can help financial modelers work more efficiently while emphasizing that judgment, creativity, and an understanding of the business remain essential.

Follow Giles:
LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/giles-male-30643b15/

Disclosure: Portions of this episode (such as the introduction or promotional segments) use AI-generated voice narration produced under human editorial review.

In Today's Episode:
[00:00] - Introduction
[03:03] - A Week in the Life of The FP&A Guy
[07:39] - How Paul Built His FP&A Brand
[12:12] - Lessons From Posting Consistently on LinkedIn
[15:42] - Leaving Corporate Life & Starting a Business
[21:42] - What Makes Financial Training Effective
[31:06] - Human Judgment & Creativity in Financial Modeling
[35:14] - Paul’s Worst Financial Modeling Experience
[42:17] - Rapid-Fire Financial Modeling Questions
[47:37] - What’s Next for The FP&A Guy

In this episode of Financial Modeler's Corner: The ModSquad, Ian Schnoor, Paul Barnhurst, and Giles Male welcome Diarmuid Early to discuss how modern Excel features are changing financial modeling. They explore the benefits of dynamic arrays, LET and LAMBDA functions, and how these tools can make financial models more flexible, consistent, and efficient.

Diarmuid Early is the Founder of Early Days Consulting and an expert in Excel and financial modeling. He is an accomplished competitive Excel esports participant and an active contributor to the Excel community. He shares practical approaches to using dynamic arrays, LET, and LAMBDA functions to build more flexible, efficient, and reliable financial models.

Expect to Learn
How dynamic arrays improve flexibility and consistency in financial models.
How LET and LAMBDA functions simplify complex calculations.
Why Power Query is useful for connecting Excel workbooks.
How custom functions can improve model accuracy and auditability.
When modern Excel features create compatibility and modeling challenges.

Here are a few quotes from the episode:
“Lambdas can do crazy things, but you don't need them to do crazy things to be useful.” - Diarmuid Early
“For the guts of 40 years, one Excel formula returned one result, and now one Excel formula can return many results.” - Diarmuid Early

Diarmuid explains how dynamic arrays and LAMBDA functions can reduce repetitive work and help financial modelers build more adaptable models. He also highlights their limitations, particularly when dealing with circular dependencies, complex calculations, and older Excel versions.

Follow Ian:
LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/ianschnoor/

Follow Giles:
LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/giles-male-30643b15/

Follow Diarmuid:
LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/diarmuidearly/

Disclosure: Portions of this episode (such as the introduction or promotional segments) use AI-generated voice narration produced under human editorial review.

In Today's Episode:
[00:00] - Introduction
[10:44] - Modern Excel & Financial Modeling
[12:41] - Understanding Dynamic Arrays
[19:15] - Understanding LAMBDA Functions
[24:35] - Practical LAMBDA Applications
[33:16] - Benefits of Reusable Functions
[34:49] - LAMBDA Limitations & Compatibility
[38:48] - Making LAMBDA Models Easier to Audit
[43:10] - When Small Model Changes Become Big Problem
[46:21] - Resources for Learning LAMBDA

In this episode of Financial Modeler's Corner, host Paul Barnhurst sits down with Taimour Zaman to discuss why AI-generated financial models often fail to convince lenders, what investors really look for when evaluating financing opportunities, and how financial modelers can build more credible models by focusing on risk, capital protection, and realistic exit strategies.

Taimour is the Founder and Chief Capital Strategist of AltFunds Global, a financial advisory firm with offices in Canada and Switzerland. With more than 11 years of experience, he has advised operators and project sponsors on structured finance transactions ranging from $1 million to $500 million. He has developed 13 structured finance programs and built a network of more than 900 brokers.

Expect to Learn:
Why AI-generated financial models often fail to meet lenders' expectations.
The three critical factors investors look for: capital protection, returns, and exit strategies.
How to approach financial modeling from a lender's perspective rather than a borrower's.
Why geopolitical risks, currency fluctuations, and unexpected events matter in financing decisions.

Here are a few relevant quotes from the episode:
“Put yourself in the lender banker's shoe. Know and understand the world is full of shocks and surprises and build me a model that protects and manages my risk.” — Taimour Zaman
“So it's AI assisted model building rather than AI building the entire model.” — Taimour Zaman

Taimour explains that a strong financial model is not simply about projecting growth or presenting impressive numbers. It must demonstrate how investors can protect their capital, receive their expected returns, and recover their investment when things do not go according to plan.

Follow Taimour:
Website: https://altfundsglobal.com/
Substack: https://taimour1.substack.com/

Follow Financial Modeler's Corner:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/financial-modeler-s-corner/
Newsletter - Subscribe on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/build-relation/newsletter-follow?entityUrn=7079020077076905984

Sign up for the Advanced Financial Modeler Accreditation today and get 15% off using the code “Podcast” at https://bit.ly/497oAqW

Disclosure: Portions of this episode (such as the introduction or promotional segments) use AI-generated voice narration that has undergone human editorial review.

In Today's Episode:
[00:00] - Trailer
[06:16] - Taimour's Journey Into Structured Finance
[10:34] - Real Estate & Alternative Financing
[16:55] - Building Models From an Investor's Perspective
[19:57] - Managing Risk & Exit Strategies
[22:20] - What Lenders Look for in Financial Models
[27:17] - Real-World Financing Risks
[32:14] - The Right Role for AI in Modeling
[36:00] - Rapid Fire & Closing Advice

In this episode of Financial Modeler’s Corner, host Paul Barnhurst sits down with Danielle Stein Fairhurst to discuss how AI is reshaping financial modeling, what modelers need to do to stay relevant, and why strategic thinking matters more than ever. Danielle also shares practical lessons from training financial modelers, working with real-world client models, and preparing for the Advanced Financial Modeler (AFM) exam.

Danielle Stein Fairhurst is the Principal Financial Modeling Specialist at Plum Solutions, a Microsoft Excel MVP, Master Financial Modeler with the Financial Modeling Institute, LinkedIn Learning instructor, and internationally recognized financial modeling trainer and speaker. She is also the author of Financial Modeling in Excel For Dummies and Using Excel for Business and Financial Modeling.

Expect to Learn:
How AI is changing financial modeling.
Why modelers need to keep learning and experimenting.
How to use AI without outsourcing your thinking.
Why real-world models differ from training examples.
How to prepare effectively for the AFM exam.

Here are a few relevant quotes from the episode:
“AI is already building financial models, and that is quite terrifying to me.” - Danielle Stein Fairhurst
“I think it's important that we just sit down and think strategically about what we want rather than outsourcing all of your creativity and all of your thinking to AI.” - Danielle Stein Fairhurst

Danielle explains that AI can save time and help modelers go deeper with analysis, but it shouldn't replace independent thinking. She also shares why simplicity matters in real-world models and why practice and speed are essential when preparing for the AFM exam.

Follow Danielle:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniellesteinfairhurst

Follow Financial Modeler's Corner:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/financial-modeler-s-corner/
Newsletter - Subscribe on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/build-relation/newsletter-follow?entityUrn=7079020077076905984

Sign up for the Advanced Financial Modeler Accreditation today and get 15% off using the code “Podcast” at https://bit.ly/497oAqW

In Today's Episode:
[00:48] - Danielle's Background
[01:41] - Modeling Journey
[02:59] - Careers & AI
[05:58] - AI & Financial Modeling
[11:34] - AI in Everyday Work
[13:31] - Real-World Models
[17:20] - AFM Preparation
[19:09] - Closing Thoughts

In this episode of Financial Modeler’s Corner, host Paul Barnhurst sits down with Danielle Stein Fairhurst to discuss how AI is changing financial modeling, why modelers need to keep learning, and how dynamic arrays are shaping the future of Excel. Danielle also shares her thoughts on model design, AFM exam preparation, and why strategic thinking still matters in an AI-driven world.

Danielle Stein Fairhurst is the Principal Financial Modeling Specialist at Plum Solutions, a Microsoft Excel MVP, Master Financial Modeler with the Financial Modeling Institute, LinkedIn Learning instructor, and internationally recognized financial modeling trainer and speaker. She is also the author of Financial Modeling in Excel For Dummies and Using Excel for Business and Financial Modelling.

Expect to Learn:
How AI is changing financial modeling.
Why modelers should not outsource all their thinking to AI.
How dynamic arrays are changing Excel modeling.
What it takes to prepare for the AFM exam.
Why simplicity and strong model design still matter.

Here are a few relevant quotes from the episode:
“AI is already building financial models, and that is quite terrifying to me.” - Danielle Stein Fairhurst
“I think it’s important that we just sit down and think strategically about what we want, rather than outsourcing all of your creativity and all of your thinking to AI.” - Danielle Stein Fairhurst

Danielle explains that AI can now handle many technical tasks that once required significant modeling expertise. She believes modelers should embrace these tools while still relying on their own judgment, creativity, and strategic thinking.

Follow Danielle:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniellesteinfairhurst
Follow Financial Modeler's Corner:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/financial-modeler-s-corner/
Newsletter - Subscribe on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/build-relation/newsletter-follow?entityUrn=7079020077076905984

Sign up for the Advanced Financial Modeler Accreditation today and get 15% off using the code “Podcast” at https://bit.ly/497oAqW

Disclosure: Portions of this episode (such as the introduction or promotional segments) use AI-generated voice narration that has undergone human editorial review.

In Today's Episode:
[00:00] - Trailer
[05:19] - AI and the Future of Financial Modeling
[08:30] - Financial Modeling Pet Peeves
[10:21] - Updating Courses with AI
[15:34] - Lessons From Danielle’s Pilgrimage
[18:26] - AI Building Financial Models
[27:30] - Training vs. Real-World Modeling
[31:01] - Preparing for the AFM Exam
[35:35] - Dynamic Arrays in Financial Modeling
[40:24] - Lessons From Past Models
[44:47] - Rapid Fire: Excel & Modeling
[48:41] - Closing Thoughts