The FP&A Guy Network

In this episode of FP&A Unlocked, host Paul Barnhurst is joined by Zach Rial and Chris Ortega, alongside co-host Glenn Snyder, to discuss budgeting and forecasting best practices. The conversation explores how finance teams should think about the purpose of budgeting, balancing control with agility, involving the business in the planning process, and using forecasting as a tool for better decision-making.
Zach Rial is a finance leader at AskElephant, a startup focused on revenue and conversation intelligence. He brings experience as an operator who uses finance, FP&A, and business insights to help companies grow and improve decision-making. Chris Ortega is the CEO of Fresh FP&A, a global fractional CFO and advisory firm supporting small and medium-sized businesses. Chris has over 20 years of experience in accounting, finance, and leadership roles, helping organizations build, scale, and prepare for growth.
Expect to Learn:
The real purpose of budgeting and forecasting
How to create a business-focused planning process
Why trust and partnership are essential for FP&A teams
How to balance budget discipline with flexibility
Best practices for managing AI costs and governance

Here are a few relevant quotes from the episode:
“A budget is the direction of where you want to go, but things change so much in a business.” - Chris Ortega
“The budget process should not be a finance exercise. It’s an organizational exercise.” - Glenn Snyder

Effective budgeting is not about predicting the future perfectly, it is about creating alignment, understanding business drivers, and enabling better decisions. The strongest FP&A teams use budgets and forecasts as tools to guide the business, build trust, and help leaders navigate uncertainty.

Follow Zach:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zacharyrial/

Follow Chris:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/freshcfo/

Follow Glenn:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/glenntsnyder/

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

Earn Your CPE Credit
For CPE credit, please go to earmarkcpe.com, listen to the episode, download the app, answer a few questions, and earn your CPE certification. To earn education credits for the FPAC Certificate, take the quiz on earmark and contact Paul Barnhurst for further details.

In Today's Episode:
[00:00] - Introduction
[06:20] - The Purpose of Budgeting
[12:26] - Making Budgeting a Business Process
[17:24] - Building a Better Planning Approach
[26:51] - Practical Budgeting and Forecasting Tips
[37:44] - Building Trust With Business Partners
[44:35] - Managing AI Costs and Governance
[54:18] - Balancing Budget Control and Agility
[58:35] - Final Advice

In this episode of Future Finance, hosts Paul Barnhurst and Glenn Hopper discuss AI fatigue, better ways for finance teams to use AI, and the growing challenge of forecasting AI costs. They explore why finance leaders should focus less on chasing new models and more on building the data, context, and workflows needed to get real value from AI.

In this episode, you will discover:
Why finance teams should stop chasing every new AI model.
Why context is becoming more important than prompting alone.
How better KPIs and data foundations improve AI results.
How organizations can forecast and manage AI token costs.
Why AI success should be measured by business outcomes.

Paul and Glenn explain why effective AI adoption isn't about using the most tokens or knowing every new tool. It's about using AI to help finance make better, faster decisions.

Follow Glenn:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gbhopperiii

Follow Paul:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thefpandaguy

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

Future Finance is sponsored by QFlow.ai, the strategic finance platform solving the toughest part of planning and analysis: B2B revenue. Align sales, marketing, and finance, speed up decision-making, and lock in accountability with QFlow.ai.

Stay tuned for a deeper understanding of how AI is shaping the future of finance and what it means for businesses and individuals alike.

In Today’s Episode:
[00:00] – Trailer
[03:17] – AI Fatigue & Model Overload
[09:38] – Beyond Prompt Engineering
[16:03] – Building Better AI Context
[24:29] – Organizing Finance Knowledge
[27:29] – Token Maxing & AI Costs
[32:06] – Forecasting Token Spend
[38:23] – Focusing on Business Value
[41:43] – Closing Thoughts

In this episode of Financial Modeler’s Corner, Paul Barnhurst speaks with Diarmuid Early about what separates great financial modelers from technically capable ones, the rise of AI in financial modeling, and why judgment remains essential. Diarmuid shares lessons from his career, his experience as a three-time World Financial Modeling Champion, and why understanding what a model actually means matters more than simply building it correctly.

Diarmuid Early is the founder of Early Days Consulting, a data analytics and financial modeling consultancy. He previously worked at Boston Consulting Group and spent nearly a decade in Deutsche Bank’s Origination and Advisory division. He holds a PhD in computer science and is a three-time World Financial Modeling Champion, Excel MVP, and Master Financial Modeler

Expect to Learn:
Why great modelers think beyond simply building the model
How assumptions and business understanding drive valuable financial models
Where AI currently fits into financial modeling
Why AI-generated models still require careful human review
Why continuous learning remains essential for financial modelers

Here are a few relevant quotes from the episode:
“The hard part is getting everybody aligned. What are the assumptions?” - Diarmuid Early
“There is a smart way to do it. And so if you're banging your head against it, go find the smart way.” - Diarmuid Early

AI will continue to take on more of the technical work involved in financial modeling, but speed alone does not make a model useful or reliable. Strong modelers will continue to stand out through their ability to develop credible assumptions, interpret results, exercise judgment, and understand the decisions a model is meant to support.

Follow Diarmuid:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/diarmuidearly/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@dimearly

Follow Financial Modeler's Corner:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/financial-modeler-s-corner/

Disclosure: Portions of this episode (such as the introduction or promotional segments) use AI-generated voice narration produced under human editorial review.
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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:
[00:00] - Trailer
[03:31] - Diarmuid’s Journey Into Financial Modeling
[06:00] - Financial Modeler Stereotypes
[08:20] - Career Advice for Aspiring Modelers
[12:46] - Financial Modeling Competitions
[14:59] - Consulting, Coaching, and Career Evolution
[18:25] - Meeting Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella
[21:08] - AI and the Future of Financial Modeling
[25:41] - Why AI-Generated Models Still Need Review
[31:09] - Financial Modeling Standards and Best Practices
[35:19] - Diarmuid’s Most Challenging Modeling Case
[39:28] - Excel Shortcuts and Modeling Tools
[41:38] - Rapid-Fire Modeling Questions
[46:01] - Continuous Learning and Final Advice

In this episode of FP&A Unlocked, host Paul Barnhurst is joined by Brock Beyer and Natalia Kudinova to discuss how vibe coding is changing the way finance professionals automate work and build practical tools. They explore real-world use cases, AI token costs, security and maintenance concerns, and why finance teams should start with simple, repetitive processes rather than business-critical systems.

Brock Beyer is the CPA Controller at Jump, where he has used vibe coding to build internal productivity tools. Natalia Kudinova is a Senior Director at ABBYY with experience across finance leadership, treasury, tax, reporting, transformation, and process improvement.

Expect to Learn:
What vibe coding means for finance professionals
Practical finance processes you can automate with AI
How to manage AI token usage and costs
Why security and human oversight remain essential
How to start small and learn through experimentation

Here are a few relevant quotes from the episode:
“You don't have to feel this pressure to vibe code every single tool.” - Brock Beyer
“Start with the tasks that you are most tired of doing manually.” - Natalia Kudinova

Vibe coding is giving finance professionals new ways to automate repetitive work and build practical tools without traditional coding expertise. The key is to start small, focus on well-defined processes, and keep humans involved in reviewing results. As AI adoption grows, security, cost, and maintainability will remain critical considerations.

Follow Natalia:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/natalia-kudinova-aca/

Follow Brock:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brockbeyer/

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

Earn Your CPE Credit
For CPE credit, please go to earmarkcpe.com, listen to the episode, download the app, answer a few questions, and earn your CPE certification. To earn education credits for the FPAC Certificate, take the quiz on earmark and contact Paul Barnhurst for further details.

In Today's Episode:
[00:00] - Trailer
[03:12] - What Great FP&A Looks Like
[04:59] - What Is Vibe Coding?
[09:36] - Getting Started With Vibe Coding
[16:02] - Where Vibe Coding Makes Sense
[20:21] - AI Token Costs and ROI
[34:12] - Best Finance Processes to Automate
[41:53] - What You Shouldn't Vibe Code
[46:17] - Maintenance and Security
[54:17] - Final Advice

In this episode of Future Finance, hosts Paul Barnhurst and Glenn Hopper welcome Alex Curran, CEO of Aptitude Software, to discuss AI-native ERP, the changing role of CFOs, and how finance teams can prepare for AI adoption. Alex explains why strong data foundations, flexible architecture, and real-time finance systems are becoming essential.

Alex Curran is the CEO of Aptitude Software, a company with decades of experience building finance solutions for complex organizations. After more than 12 years at Aptitude, Alex became CEO in late 2023 and now leads the company’s focus on AI-native finance technology, including the Fynapse platform.

In this episode, you will discover:
Why CFOs are becoming strategic partners in business decisions.
Why clean, detailed data is essential for effective AI adoption.
What makes an ERP system truly AI-native.
How CFOs can evaluate legacy and newer AI-native ERP platforms.
Why flexible AI models and real-time finance are becoming more important.

Alex explains that successful AI adoption requires more than adding AI features to existing finance systems. Organizations need the right data and architecture to support changing AI technologies while meeting complex finance requirements.

Follow Glenn:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gbhopperiii

Follow Paul:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thefpandaguy

Follow Alex:
Website: http://fynapse.app/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alex-curran-9aa593b/
Future Finance is sponsored by QFlow.ai, the strategic finance platform solving the toughest part of planning and analysis: B2B revenue. Align sales, marketing, and finance, speed up decision-making, and lock in accountability with QFlow.ai.

Stay tuned for a deeper understanding of how AI is shaping the future of finance and what it means for businesses and individuals alike.

In Today’s Episode:
[00:56] – Meet Alex Curran
[02:32] – Aptitude Software and Fynapse
[05:16] – The Changing CFO Role
[07:03] – Finance’s Data Problem
[10:53] – AI-Native Finance Systems
[14:33] – Evaluating ERP Options
[17:32] – The Future of AI-Native ERP
[18:59] – Closing Thoughts