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This week, CFI is in Davos for the World Economic Forum. This month, we’re also celebrating 10 years of making a global impact through finance training. From the beginning, our belief has been simple: access to high-quality, practical education can change careers, lives, and communities around the world. Today, our CEO and co-founder Tim Vipond, FMVA® was interviewed by Olivia Kinghorst at CBS, sharing CFI’s perspective on the future of work, the importance of skills-based education, and what finance professionals need to stay competitive. As conversations around AI, access to opportunity, and the future of work take center stage, we’re proud to be part of what’s next. Here’s a quick behind-the-scenes look. Full interview coming later this week on CBS. #wef26 #Davos2026 #Davos #AIinFinance #WorldEconomicForum #CFI #FMVA Acumen

AI is changing finance, but it is not removing the need for human judgment. As new tools emerge, the most valuable skills are interpretation, critical thinking, and decision-making. Technology can amplify capability, but it does not replace it. In our work with learners, we see the strongest outcomes when professionals combine solid fundamentals with the ability to use new tools thoughtfully and responsibly. #wef26 #Davos2026 #Davos #AIinFinance #WorldEconomicForum #CFI #FMVA

The role of finance is changing faster than reporting alone can keep up with. Modern finance leaders are expected to shape strategy, enable better decisions, and prepare their organizations for uncertainty. Across high-performing finance teams, the same four priorities consistently define how leadership expectations are evolving. Here’s what that looks like in practice: 1️⃣ Strategic Decision Support Finance leaders go beyond reporting results. They deliver insights that influence business strategy, guide long-term growth, and support critical decisions. 2️⃣ Digital Transformation Adopting new tools, from AI-driven forecasting to advanced data visualization, is essential for improving speed, accuracy, and confidence in decision-making. 3️⃣ Talent Development Modern finance leaders invest in building teams with strong technical capabilities and communication skills, preparing the next generation to operate effectively across the business. 4️⃣ Risk Management In an environment shaped by economic uncertainty and market volatility, leaders must identify and manage risk while still enabling growth and opportunity. Today’s finance leaders don’t just manage numbers. They guide strategy, technology, talent, and risk. ♻️ If you found this helpful, repost to share it with your network. 👉 Follow Corporate Finance Institute® (CFI) for practical leadership insights, frameworks, and resources to support your day-to-day work.

We are focused on helping people develop a modern skillset. At Corporate Finance Institute® (CFI) our mission is to empower anyone to become a world-class finance professional. This year our focus will be on incorporating new technical skills and tools such as AI, while also focusing on fundamental skills like judgement, interpretation, and decision making. Now is time to sharpen your skills, upgrade your resume, and leverage technology to your advantage.

Cash flow pressure is usually operational before it’s financial. Cash flow is driven by a business's ability to manage receivables, payables, and inventory efficiently over time. That’s why corporate finance teams rely on a small set of working capital equations to understand where cash is tied up and how operating decisions affect liquidity. This guide breaks down six working capital equations that every corporate finance professional should know, along with their applications in forecasting and financial modeling. impact cash flow: 1️⃣ Accounts Receivable Days Measures how long it takes to collect cash from sales. A higher number signals slower collections and greater cash tied up in receivables. 2️⃣ Forecasting Accounts Receivable Uses forecasted sales and receivable days to estimate future receivables, helping model how growth impacts cash inflows. 3️⃣ Accounts Payable Days Shows how long a company takes to pay suppliers, typically linked to the cost of sales. This reflects short-term financing provided by vendors. 4️⃣ Forecasting Accounts Payable Applies forecasted cost of sales and payable days to estimate future payables and understand upcoming cash outflows. 5️⃣ Inventory Days Calculates how long inventory is held before being sold, linking working capital directly to cost of sales or revenue. 6️⃣ Forecasting Inventory Combines forecasted cost of sales with inventory days to estimate future inventory balances in a financial model. These equations are foundational for building accurate forecasts and understanding how operational decisions impact cash flow. 📘 Read the full guide for a deeper breakdown: https://ow.ly/1oze50XU5tC 🎓 Explore the FMVA® program to learn how to apply working capital equations inside complete financial models: https://ow.ly/kkBM50XU5tE ♻️ If you found this helpful, repost to share it with your network. 👉 Follow Corporate Finance Institute® (CFI) for practical corporate finance insights, frameworks, and resources to support your day-to-day work.

Long-term business success is driven by how FP&A turns strategy into action. FP&A plays a central role in aligning financial planning with business objectives, helping leadership make informed decisions in uncertain and fast-changing environments. When FP&A is done well, it connects goals, forecasts, risk management, and resource allocation into a continuous planning cycle that supports sustainable growth. This guide highlights five essential FP&A strategies that support long-term business success. Here’s how they work together in practice: 1️⃣ Set Financial Goals Align financial objectives with overall business strategy to ensure planning supports long-term priorities. 2️⃣ Forecast Revenue and Expenses Use data-driven projections to guide planning, evaluate scenarios, and anticipate performance changes. 3️⃣ Identify and Mitigate Risks Develop strategies to manage financial disruptions and reduce uncertainty before they impact results. 4️⃣ Allocate Resources Wisely Optimize budgeting and capital allocation to support the initiatives that drive the most value. 5️⃣ Monitor and Adapt Plans Track performance and adjust forecasts based on real-time data and evolving business conditions. Strong FP&A enables organizations to plan proactively, respond effectively, and stay focused on long-term outcomes. 📘 Read the full guide for a deeper look at strategic financial planning in FP&A: https://cfi.to/ujxey ♻️ If you found this helpful, repost to share it with your network. 👉 Follow Corporate Finance Institute® (CFI) for practical FP&A insights, frameworks, and resources to support your day-to-day work.

Mid-career decisions get complicated when expectations start to compete with values. In this clip from FinPod’s Careers in Finance series, Hayley Rosenlund shares a candid perspective on how internal expectations, societal pressure, and long-held ideas of success can quietly shape career decisions in ways that create stress and misalignment. As careers progress, the trade-offs become less straightforward. There’s rarely a perfect answer, especially when ambition, family considerations, and personal priorities don’t align neatly at the same time. Hayley’s insight highlights an important reality of mid-career growth: The goal isn’t to eliminate complexity, it’s to acknowledge your circumstances and make decisions that align with what matters to you now. Staying connected to your values allows you to optimize within your situation, rather than chasing a version of success that no longer fits. 🎙️ Tune into the full episode here: https://ow.ly/hNRs50XVRYQ ♻️ If you found this helpful, repost to share it with your network. 👉 Follow Corporate Finance Institute® (CFI) Finance Institute® (CFI) for practical career insights, expert conversations, and resources to support your day-to-day work.

As finance professionals progress, expectations shift from producing analysis to owning outcomes, ensuring accuracy, and guiding decisions at the enterprise level. That’s why FP&A, Controller, and CFO roles, while closely connected, are designed around very different responsibilities. Understanding how these roles differ helps clarify what skills to build as you move forward in your career. This guide breaks down the core responsibilities of the FP&A, Controller, and CFO roles, and explains how each contributes to the broader finance function. Here’s how they differ in practice: FP&A 🔹 Provides variance insights that inform actuals and performance discussions 🔹 Owns forecast logic, scenario modeling, and forward-looking analysis 🔹 Prepares budget and forecast materials used in executive and board reviews Controller 🔹 Ensures financial integrity that the CFO can rely on 🔹 Manages close timelines, audit preparation, and regulatory compliance 🔹 Consolidates actuals and aligns them with FP&A forecasts CFO 🔹 Converts analysis into decisions that shape long-term strategy 🔹 Leads capital structure strategy and investor communication 🔹 Uses forecast versus actuals to identify risk and opportunity Each role builds on the one before it. Progression depends on developing the right mix of technical, analytical, and cross-functional skills. 📘 Read the full guide for a deeper breakdown of FP&A vs. Controller vs. CFO roles: https://ow.ly/KPi650XVLEh ♻️ If you found this helpful, repost to share it with your network. 👉 Follow Corporate Finance Institute® (CFI) for practical career insights, frameworks, and resources to support your day-to-day work.

Finance has changed more in the last decade than many roles have in the decades before it. What began with Excel modeling and valuation fundamentals has expanded into automation, AI-enabled analysis, and a more strategic role for FP&A and finance leadership. Corporate Finance Institute® (CFI) marks its 10-year anniversary, and we’re taking a moment to reflect on how finance skills have evolved and where the profession is headed next. Join us for 10 Years of CFI: The Evolution of Skills in Finance, a live webinar celebrating a decade of helping finance professionals build the skills that matter most. In this session, our speakers will share insights on: 🔹Then: The core skills that inspired CFI’s first courses and defined finance a decade ago 🔹Now: The technical and strategic capabilities driving success in today’s industry 🔹Next: The emerging skills finance professionals will need to thrive in the decade ahead 📅 January 21, 2026 ⏰ 9:00 AM PT 🔗 Register here: https://ow.ly/bXSm50XVOzQ ♻️ Repost and share so your network can join too! 👉 Follow Corporate Finance Institute® (CFI) for practical finance insights, frameworks, and resources to support your day-to-day work.

Balance sheets don’t just show what a company owns and owes. They show how the business is built. For finance professionals, understanding balance sheet structure is essential. It explains liquidity, solvency, capital structure, and how operational decisions flow through a company’s financial position. That’s why balance sheets are organized the way they are. Each section tells a different part of the story, and together they form the foundation of financial analysis and modeling. This guide breaks down the standard balance sheet format and structure and how each component fits into the bigger picture. Here’s how it’s organized: 1️⃣ Current Assets Cash, receivables, and inventory expected to convert to cash within one year. These accounts are critical for assessing short-term liquidity. 2️⃣ Non-Current Assets Long-term resources like property, plant and equipment, and intangible assets that support operations over time. 3️⃣ Current Liabilities Near-term obligations such as accounts payable, short-term debt, and the current portion of long-term borrowings. 4️⃣ Non-Current Liabilities Long-term financing obligations, including bonds payable and long-term debt, tied to the company’s capital structure. 5️⃣ Shareholders’ Equity Capital invested by shareholders and retained earnings, representing the residual ownership interest in the business. 6️⃣ How It All Connects Assets show what the company owns, liabilities show what it owes, and equity reflects the value attributable to shareholders. Understanding balance sheet structure is essential for building accurate forecasts, valuations, and financial models. 📘 Read the full guide for a deeper breakdown of balance sheet format and structure: https://ow.ly/kmcA50XVNiS 🎓 Explore the FMVA® certification to apply balance sheet concepts inside complete financial models: https://ow.ly/4P2q50XVNiR ♻️ If you found this helpful, repost to share it with your network. 👉 Follow Corporate Finance Institute® (CFI) for practical accounting and finance insights, frameworks, and resources to support your day-to-day work.

Liquidity problems can stop a business tomorrow. Solvency problems threaten its future. Both concepts are critical in financial analysis, but they measure very different risks. Confusing liquidity with solvency can lead to misdiagnosed issues and poor decisions at both the operational and strategic level. That’s why finance professionals evaluate them separately. Each answers a different question about a company’s financial health. This guide breaks down the key differences between liquidity and solvency and why both matter in practice. Here’s how to distinguish the two: 1️⃣ Liquidity 🔹 Evaluates short-term cash availability 🔹 Can often be improved quickly through working capital adjustments 🔹 Liquidity issues typically signal immediate operational risk 2️⃣ Solvency 🔹 Evaluates long-term financial viability 🔹 Depends on capital structure and overall debt levels 🔹 Solvency concerns often point to deeper, structural financial instability Strong financial analysis considers both time horizons. Liquidity determines whether a company can meet near-term obligations, while solvency determines whether it can sustain operations over the long run. 📘 Read the full guide to understand the difference between liquidity and solvency: https://ow.ly/ArwP50XTchi ♻️ If you found this helpful, repost to share it with your network. 👉 Follow Corporate Finance Institute® (CFI) for practical finance insights, frameworks, and resources to support your day-to-day work.

Few external shocks ripple through a business as quickly as tariff changes. When tariffs shift, cost structures, supplier economics, and pricing decisions can change almost immediately. That’s why FP&A and corporate finance teams are often pulled in early to assess exposure and guide decision-making. Without a structured approach, tariff analysis can become reactive and fragmented. A clear framework helps teams quantify impact, evaluate trade-offs, and communicate implications to leadership. This guide outlines a six-step framework for analyzing tariff impact in a way that supports informed, timely decisions. Here’s how the process breaks down: 1️⃣ Identify The Affected Input Pinpoint the raw material, product, or service line subject to the tariff. Precise identification is critical for accurate cost attribution. 2️⃣ Map The Scope and Timing Clarify when the tariff starts, how long it lasts, and which vendors or SKUs are impacted to define the exposure window. 3️⃣ Quantify Direct Cost Impact Calculate the added cost per unit and total operational impact, factoring in volume, cadence, and historical pricing. 4️⃣ Analyze Downstream Effects Model the impact on pricing, margins, and strategy, including whether costs are passed on, absorbed, or addressed through product mix changes. 5️⃣ Evaluate Mitigation Options Assess potential responses such as supplier shifts, FX hedging, or timing adjustments to estimate how much risk can be offset. 6️⃣ Summarize Business Impact Deliver a cross-functional view of variance, risk, and recommended actions built for decision-makers. Tariff modeling isn’t just about cost. It’s a strategic lens for sourcing, pricing, and margin control. 📘 Read the full guide on tariff impact analysis: https://ow.ly/EzxY50XTc3t ♻️ If you found this helpful, repost to share it with your network. 👉 Follow Corporate Finance Institute® (CFI) for practical FP&A insights, frameworks, and resources to support your day-to-day work.

📢 The latest edition of The Fin is here! This month’s issue focuses on building durable finance skills for an AI-driven landscape, alongside new learning opportunities and tools to support professional development in 2026. 🔹 New Course: Exchange-Traded Funds (ETFs) — Learn how ETFs work, including structure, creation, and the roles of issuers and market participants. 🔹 Financial Modeling in the AI Era — Explore why core modeling skills matter more than ever as AI reshapes finance workflows. 🔹 AI Tutor (Free Trial) — Get instant, on-demand answers to finance and career questions with CFI’s AI Tutor. 🔹 Expanded Translations — All CFI courses now include subtitle translations in multiple languages for global accessibility. Stay informed with expert-led insights and tools designed to support confident decision-making and long-term growth. Read the full newsletter here 👇

Strong earnings don’t guarantee financial stability. That’s one of the most common and costly misunderstandings in financial analysis. Interpreting the numbers correctly matters just as much as calculating them. Finance professionals face these judgment calls every day, where profitability, liquidity, and capital structure choices directly affect risk and strategy. This video Ryan Spendelow, FMVA® walks through two real-world scenarios that test how well you connect financial results to business decisions. Here’s what they reveal: 1️⃣ Profitability does not equal liquidity A company can report growing net income while burning cash. When operating cash flow is negative and declining, the immediate concern is liquidity risk, not profitability. Strong earnings paired with cash burn often signal working capital pressure or aggressive growth that can lead to insolvency. 2️⃣ Capital structure decisions shape risk and ownership When a company with strong cash flows considers an acquisition, debt financing can preserve existing shareholder ownership by avoiding dilution. While debt introduces financial risk, it can be an effective tool when cash generation is stable. These are the types of decisions finance professionals make every day when translating financial data into strategy. ♻️ If you found this helpful, repost to share it with your network. 👉 Follow Corporate Finance Institute® (CFI) for practical finance insights, frameworks, and resources to support your day-to-day work.

An FP&A professional doesn't stand out because of experience; they stand out by how they operate. As FP&A roles expand beyond reporting and expectations shift toward leadership, decision support, and strategic influence. The professionals who advance are the ones who consistently translate analysis into action and communicate with impact. Across high-performing FP&A teams, the same capabilities show up again and again as roles evolve from analyst to leader. This guide breaks down the core skills that set top FP&A professionals apart. Here’s what that progression looks like: 1️⃣ Understand how FP&A supports business goals Top FP&A professionals connect financial data to strategy, operations, and execution. They understand how internal and external factors shape performance and use planning and forecasting to support better decisions. 2️⃣ Build a strong analytical and financial foundation They have a solid grasp of accounting, financial statements, and variance analysis, and can clearly explain what’s driving results and why it matters. 3️⃣ Create forecasts and build planning models High-impact FP&A leaders develop models for revenue, headcount, capital spending, debt, and cash flow using real business scenarios and structured Excel workflows. 4️⃣ Design dashboards and automate reporting They build dashboards, automate recurring reports, and surface the metrics that matter most so stakeholders can act faster. 5️⃣ Communicate with impact Clear, concise communication is what turns analysis into influence. Top FP&A professionals lead conversations, present insights effectively, and deliver recommendations that guide strategy. These skills are what enable FP&A professionals to transition from execution to leadership. 🎓 Explore the FPAP® certification: https://ow.ly/iyMc50XLJ8F ♻️ If you found this helpful, repost to share it with your network. 👉 Follow Corporate Finance Institute® (CFI) Finance Institute® (CFI) for practical FP&A insights, frameworks, and resources to support your day-to-day work.

Private Equity roles go to individuals who demonstrate the ability to think like investors. Private equity recruiting is driven by how well you demonstrate financial fluency, analytical strength, and a readiness for deal work. If you want to make the leap, focus on the capabilities that matter in the industry. Here are three steps that help you move toward private equity: 1️⃣ Build a strong finance foundation Most professionals enter PE with experience from investment banking, consulting, or corporate finance, where they’ve developed fluency in valuation, modeling, and deal-related analysis. 2️⃣ Gain technical and deal exposure PE firms expect you to evaluate investment opportunities, perform due diligence, and assess risk. Hands-on experience, even through internships or projects, helps you stand out. 3️⃣ Network intentionally Private equity hiring is highly relationship-driven. Building connections increases your access to opportunities, including off-cycle roles. Private equity firms value strong analytical ability, technical expertise, and the capacity to contribute to deal execution. These steps ensure your readiness. 📘 Learn more about private equity roles and skills: https://ow.ly/Vhob50XHVy1 ♻️ If you found this helpful, repost to share it with your network. 👉 Follow Corporate Finance Institute® (CFI) for practical investment and career insights, frameworks, and resources to support your development.

Last day to save 40%!✨ Start the year earning the credentials and skills trusted by high-performing finance teams. ✔️ Strengthen your capabilities in Excel modeling, forecasting, and variance analysis ✔️ Lead forecasting and budgeting with accuracy ✔️ Deliver insights that shape strategy and leadership Join thousands of professionals who’ve advanced through certifications like FMVA and FPAP. Build the skills finance teams rely on and take the next step in your career. Sign up today 👉 https://ow.ly/MLYl50XHcgM

Strong FP&A performance is built on a defined set of skills that support insight, influence, and execution. As the role evolves, FP&A professionals are expected to model uncertainty, communicate clearly, and guide business decisions with confidence. This guide breaks down the essential skills that enable FP&A to operate at that level. Here’s what that skill set looks like: 1️⃣ Financial modeling that informs action Build models tied to real business decisions, use scenario analysis to reflect uncertainty, and design outputs for decision-makers, not just finance. 2️⃣ Advanced Excel for scalable workflows Automate reporting, structure models for auditability, and build in logic checks to reduce risk and manual effort. 3️⃣ Data visualization that communicates insight Highlight performance at a glance, guide attention with a clear layout, and focus visuals on KPIs stakeholders actually care about. 4️⃣ Budgeting and forecasting expertise Use rolling forecasts, partner with leaders on assumptions, and build forecasts around drivers and trends, not static inputs. 5️⃣ Strategic business acumen Connect analysis to revenue and margins, understand cost drivers across the business, and challenge assumptions with long-term outcomes in mind. 6️⃣ Stakeholder management and influence Translate insights into executive-ready messages, anticipate questions through scenario framing, and align analysis with leadership priorities. Together, these skills are what move FP&A from reporting to real influence across the organization. 🎉 Kick off the new year with skills that accelerate your growth. Use code NYNY40 for 40% off all CFI certifications and courses: https://ow.ly/6YBi50XHG0G 📘 Read the full guide for a deeper breakdown of the skills that define high-impact FP&A roles: https://ow.ly/jMC250XKwc1 ♻️ If you found this helpful, repost to share it with your network. 👉 Follow Corporate Finance Institute® (CFI) for practical FP&A insights, frameworks, and resources to support your day-to-day work.

A company can have cash and still face serious liquidity risk. Cash on the balance sheet can look reassuring at first glance. But cash alone doesn’t explain whether a business can consistently meet short-term obligations or respond to unexpected demands. That’s why finance teams look beyond cash when evaluating financial health. Liquidity adds critical context by focusing on access, timing, and flexibility across the balance sheet. Understanding the difference between cash and liquidity is essential for assessing risk, solvency, and operational resilience. Here’s how the two concepts differ in practice: Cash 🔹 The actual money a company has on hand 🔹 Includes bank balances and physical currency 🔹 Easy to track, but limited in scope 🔹 Represents what’s already available Liquidity 🔹 How easily assets can be converted into cash 🔹 Includes receivables, inventory, and access to credit 🔹 Reflects a company’s ability to meet short-term obligations 🔹 Focuses on access, not just current cash Evaluating both cash and liquidity provides a more complete view of a company’s financial position and its ability to operate through changing conditions. 📘 Read the full guide to understand how cash and liquidity are used in financial analysis: https://ow.ly/K10f50XLJvg ♻️ If you found this helpful, repost to share it with your network. 🎉 Kick off the new year with skills that accelerate your growth. Use code NYNY40 for 40% off all CFI certifications and courses: https://ow.ly/6YBi50XHG0G 👉 Follow Corporate Finance Institute® (CFI) for practical finance insights, frameworks, and resources to support your day-to-day work.

Early-career roles are competitive, but interns who think like analysts stand out long after the summer ends. The difference isn’t effort; it’s how you show curiosity, take ownership, and make your work easier for the team around you. These habits demonstrate maturity and potential, even as your responsibilities continue to develop. Here are three ways to be the intern people remember: 1️⃣ Ask thoughtful questions Proactively seek clarity and context. Questions like “What insight should this deliver?” show you’re thinking beyond the task. 2️⃣ Improve a process or tool Look for small inefficiencies in templates, workflows, or data formatting. Even minor improvements signal initiative and ownership. 3️⃣ Follow up with clear summaries Recap meetings, decisions, or key takeaways. Short, well-written summaries reinforce your contribution and help teams move faster. Your internship is your launchpad. Use it to build habits that set the tone for the rest of your career. 🎉 Kick off the new year with skills that accelerate your growth. Use code NYNY40 for 40% off all CFI certifications and courses: https://ow.ly/6YBi50XHG0G ♻️ If you found this helpful, repost to share it with your network. 👉 Follow Corporate Finance Institute® (CFI) for practical career insights, frameworks, and resources to support your day-to-day work.

When performance lives across multiple business units, clarity depends on how well you consolidate the story. For FP&A teams managing multiple subsidiaries, cross-border operations, or group-level reporting, consolidation isn’t just a technical task. It’s how leaders get a single, reliable view of performance. A strong consolidation model brings fragmented data into one clear, decision-ready framework. Here’s the step-by-step approach behind it: 1️⃣ Set up clearly labeled worksheets Organize tabs by business unit or entity. Consistent naming keeps the model easy to navigate and reduces linking errors. 2️⃣ Gather historical data Import actuals, budgets, and forecasts from each unit. Complete, reliable inputs are essential for credible outputs. 3️⃣ Standardize formats Align currencies, date formats, and account structures before consolidating to prevent mismatches that distort results. 4️⃣ Create consolidation calculations Roll up revenue, expenses, and key metrics into unified schedules to produce a company-wide view. 5️⃣ Validate the numbers Check links, reconcile totals, and flag discrepancies. Accuracy builds confidence in the model. 6️⃣ Build a summary dashboard Highlight consolidated KPIs and trends at a glance using clear formatting and visual cues. 7️⃣ Add charts and visuals Graph revenue, margins, and other key measures to make trends easier for decision-makers to interpret. 8️⃣ Prepare the presentation Package insights into a concise, professional deck so stakeholders can act quickly. 9️⃣ Add sensitivity analysis Test how changes in key assumptions affect results, helping leadership assess risk and compare scenarios. A well-built consolidation model turns complexity into clarity, supporting stronger and faster decisions across the organization. ♻️ If you found this helpful, repost to share it with your network. 🎉 Kick off the new year with skills that accelerate your growth. Use code NYNY40 for 40% off all CFI certifications and courses: https://ow.ly/6YBi50XHG0G 📘 Read the full guide for a deeper walkthrough of consolidation modeling: https://ow.ly/7eMU50XKsrI 📥 Download the consolidation model template to apply this framework in Excel: https://ow.ly/lshx50XKsrJ 👉 Follow Corporate Finance Institute® (CFI) for practical FP&A insights, frameworks, and resources to support your day-to-day work.