You've spent days building a perfect financial model, yet something about the final decision just feels "off." The numbers don't lie, but our own brains can quietly lead us astray. In this episode of FinPod, we dive deep into the world of cognitive biases and reveal how these hidden mental shortcuts can derail even the most rigorous financial analysis.

We explore real-world corporate case studies and provide a practical toolkit of proven safeguards you can build into your own process to protect your decisions from these human flaws:

• Discover how biases like overconfidence and loss aversion led to multi-billion dollar mistakes at Hewlett-Packard and Kodak.
• Learn to use pre-mortem analysis to confront potential flaws and risks before a project even begins.
• Understand how groupthink and confirmation bias contributed to the tragic Boeing 737 MAX crisis, and how red team reviews can build institutionalized skepticism.
• Implement a decision journal to track your assumptions over time, helping you spot your own recurring biases.
• Break free from anchoring bias with scenario diversification, a technique used to explore a wider range of outcomes beyond a single, comfortable forecast.

This is a must-listen for any finance professional looking to move beyond the spreadsheet and ensure their strategies are robust and resilient.

Ever feel like your crucial financial analysis gets lost in translation? You're not alone. In this episode of FinPod's "What's New at CFI", we sit down with Paul Barnhurst, famously known as The FP&A Guy, to discuss his new CFI course: "Crafting the Narrative: Storytelling with Data."

Paul reveals why simply presenting numbers is no longer enough to get buy-in and advance your career. He shares why the ability to transform data into a compelling story is the most valuable skill a finance professional can have today.

Key takeaways from our discussion include:

• The Power of a Narrative: Discover the difference between a simple report and a persuasive story that includes key insights and a clear call to action.
• The "What, So What, Now What" Framework: Learn a powerful, time-tested framework for building a message that moves decision-makers to action.
• Structuring Your Presentations: Find out why planning your narrative is more important than building your slides, and how this one shift can make your presentations far more impactful.
• Case Studies in Action: Get a sneak peek into the course's practical scenarios, including how to tell the story behind a missed earnings target or an acquisition proposal.
• Presentation Pet Peeves: We both vent about our biggest presentation pet peeves and share tips for how you can avoid them.

If you've ever struggled to get your message across in a meeting or a deck, this episode and the new CFI course are for you. Learn how to level up your executive communication and craft narratives that get results.

In this episode of Corporate Finance Explained, we delve into the essential practice of integrating macroeconomic analysis into corporate financial strategy. We tackle the common disconnect between positive internal performance and concerning external economic signals, providing a clear pathway to informed decision-making.

Join us for another episode of CFI Member Spotlight on FinPod, where we chat with our global community about their unique career paths in finance. In this episode, host Meeyeon sits down with Milerde Armando, a banking professional with over 15 years of experience, to discuss his journey from frontline retail banking to the strategic world of investment banking.

Milerde, joining us from Maputo, Mozambique, shares his insights on:

• The Power of Staying Put: Milerde reflects on his decade-long career with a single company, highlighting how his dedication helped him build crucial skills and relationships.
• From Retail to Investment Banking: Discover what inspired Milerde's career shift and how his foundational skills in client relationships and communication became the perfect springboard for a technical investment banking role.
• The Importance of Education: Milerde shares how online education and courses, like CFI's FMVA® (Financial Modeling & Valuation Analyst) program, equipped him with the technical skills needed for success in his new role.
• Building Trust in Finance: Learn Milerde's secret to building trust with clients, from small businesses to large enterprises.
• Favorite Books and Hobbies: Get to know Milerde on a personal level as he shares his favorite books, his love for Excel, and his passion for swimming.

Whether you're new to finance or a seasoned professional looking for a new challenge, Milerde's story is a powerful reminder that every career is a journey of continuous learning and growth.

Don't forget to like, subscribe, and hit the bell for more FinPod episodes!

In this episode of Corporate Finance Explained on FinPod, we're tackling one of the most vital topics in business and finance: how companies handle financial crises and recessions.

When economic storms hit, corporate finance fundamentally shifts from long-term strategy to immediate, day-to-day survival. Your finance team becomes the nerve center, constantly stress-testing models, monitoring liquidity, and making real-time trade-offs.

Welcome back to What's New at CFI on FinPod! In this exciting episode, we're joined by Paul Barnhurst, The FP&A Guy, as he introduces CFI's brand-new course: FP&A Tool Selection.

Are you an FP&A professional struggling with chaotic Excel models, disconnected reports, or overwhelmed by the sheer number of available planning tools? This course is your ultimate guide! Paul walks us through why choosing the right tool is more strategic than ever and how to navigate the exploding FP&A software market.

In this episode, Paul reveals:

• Key signs it's time to upgrade from Excel: When do broken models, collaboration issues, and countless budget versions signal a need for a dedicated FP&A tool?
• Navigating the 150+ FP&A tools: Frameworks to narrow down your options based on desired functionality (spreadsheet-native vs. complete replacement), company size (small to enterprise), industry focus, and platform capabilities.
• The critical groundwork for tool selection: Why building robust requirements, writing a solid problem statement, and managing a rigorous RFP process are essential to avoid the "wow factor" and ensure a good fit.
• Paul's personal must-have productivity tools (beyond Excel!): Discover his favorite non-FP&A tools like ClickUp, ChatGPT, and Claude, and how he leverages them for productivity, research, and even devil's advocacy in decision-making.

This course is a must-have for anyone evaluating new FP&A software or seeking a smarter process for optimizing their finance tech stack. Learn from the expert and make informed decisions to empower your finance career!

Welcome to FinPod by CFI's "Careers in Finance" series! In this exclusive episode, we sit down with Tim Vipond, the visionary co-founder and CEO of Corporate Finance Institute (CFI). Go beyond the typical resume and uncover the fascinating career journey that led him to build the world's leading online finance education platform.

Tim shares his candid experiences starting from his early interest in finance, shaped by family and university, and his foundational investment banking analyst roles at firms like Scotia Capital. He opens up about the rigorous demands of Wall Street, the pursuit of perfection, and the steep learning curve for aspiring finance professionals.

Whether you're an aspiring investment banker, a current finance professional looking to pivot, or an entrepreneur seeking inspiration, Tim's story offers invaluable lessons on career resilience, risk-taking, and building a globally impactful business.

Want to understand how credit ratings actually affect your company’s financial decisions?

In this episode of Corporate Finance Explained, we unpack how credit ratings from agencies like Moody’s, S&P, and Fitch impact everything from bond yields and stock prices to capital structure decisions.

Learn how companies like Ford, Apple, Kraft Heinz, and Netflix responded to downgrades, upgrades, and rating watchlists—and how finance teams manage their credit profile through strategy, communication, and capital discipline.

In this episode of Careers in Finance on FinPod, we sit down with Eric Byunn, Partner and Co-Founder of Centana Growth Partners, to unpack the journey behind one of the most respected voices in growth equity. From his early days at Harvard and McKinsey to product leadership at Netscape and founding his own investment firm, Eric shares candid insights on navigating career transitions, leading through uncertainty, and building a successful finance career with curiosity and conviction.

This episode is a must-listen for early-career finance professionals, consultants considering a pivot to investing, and anyone interested in how great investors think not just about deals, but about people, purpose, and long-term impact.

What’s really behind the rise of corporate stock buybacks? In this episode of Corporate Finance Explained, we break down how buybacks work, when they create value, and when they can backfire. You'll learn the financial strategy behind share repurchases, how they compare to dividends, and what finance professionals need to know about timing, capital structure, and investor perception. Featuring real-world case studies from Apple, Boeing, and Bed Bath & Beyond, this is a must-listen for mid-career finance professionals navigating boardroom decisions and capital allocation models.