FP&A and planning
These guides cover financial planning and analysis: driver-based operating models, budgets, rolling forecasts, budget vs actual reviews and headcount and scenario planning. They are written for CFOs, controllers and founders who want a planning process that drives decisions instead of a spreadsheet that goes stale. If you want that process built and run for you, see Decipher's outsourced FP&A services.
Exit planning starts with the numbers, 12 to 24 months out
Exit planning on the financial side means getting the books, earnings, working capital and reporting into the shape a buyer will test, well before a sale. A month-by-month timeline, what buyers look at, how valuation approaches work, and the mistakes that cost sellers time and price.
Selling a business: the financial steps from prep to close
Selling a business runs through a fixed sequence: get the numbers ready, set a price, market to buyers, sign a letter of intent, survive diligence, sign the purchase agreement and close. What the seller's finance side does at each stage, the deal terms that decide what the seller keeps, and a worked example from headline price to cash at closing.
What virtual CFO services cover, and how they work
A virtual CFO delivers CFO work remotely: cash, forecasting, reporting, board preparation and decision support, run through shared systems and a fixed meeting calendar. What the service covers, how a remote month runs, what access it needs, and when remote delivery does not fit.
Fractional CFO vs controller: which one a company needs
A controller makes the numbers right; a fractional CFO decides what to do with them. How to tell which gap to fill first, and how the two roles split the work when a company has both.
Outsourced CFO services: what's included and when they fit
Outsourced CFO services cover the forward-looking finance work: cash, planning, reporting, board materials and decisions. What a typical engagement includes and excludes, the two main delivery models, and how to scope one.
Part-time CFO: how the month is spent and what it covers
A part-time CFO runs cash, forecasting, reporting and board preparation on a set monthly calendar. How a typical month is structured, an illustrative hours table, what changes the time needed, and how to make limited hours count.
Data room checklist: the finance folder investors expect
A data room checklist for the finance folder of a venture raise: what goes in each subfolder, what investors check, how to keep the deck, model and data room consistent, and the gaps that slow diligence.
Monthly cash flow forecast example, filled in line by line
A fully filled-in six month cash flow forecast for an illustrative services company, with every line explained: opening cash, collections by timing, payroll, taxes, debt service, capex, financing, the minimum cash check and a downside case.
Series A financial model: what investors expect to see
What a Series A financial model for a SaaS company should contain, how it ties to actuals and the deck, how to show what the raise buys, and the mistakes investors spot first.
What a fractional CFO for agencies fixes, client by client
A fractional CFO for agencies works on client and project profitability, retainer and project revenue mix, cash timing, hiring against the pipeline, pricing, owner pay and sale readiness. A worked client profitability example shows where the margin really goes.
Startup board deck: what to include for a board meeting
What goes in a startup board deck for a regular board meeting: the section order, how long it should be, when to send it, how to keep metric definitions stable, and how a board member actually reads it.
Cash flow forecasting: methods, templates and an example
What a cash flow forecast is, how it differs from a budget and a cash flow statement, which horizon to use when, direct vs indirect methods, a step-by-step build, a worked example, what to look for in a template, and how investors and lenders read the result.
FP&A software: when you need it and how to choose it
A vendor-neutral buyer's guide to FP&A software: what planning tools do, spreadsheets vs FP&A software, the signs a company has outgrown spreadsheets, an evaluation checklist, and a phased rollout that avoids a wasted year.
How to build a 13-week cash flow forecast, step by step
A step-by-step guide to building a 13 week cash flow model from open invoices, pay dates and bills, running a downside case, and keeping it current every Monday. Includes a free 13 week cash flow template.
Budget vs actual analysis: how to run a variance review
How to build a budget vs actual report, calculate and explain variances, set materiality thresholds, and run a monthly review that ends with owners and actions, plus how a board reads the result.
Headcount planning: a hiring plan your cash can survive
How to build a startup hiring plan that ties to the cash forecast: fully loaded cost, start dates and ramp time, hiring triggers, base, accelerated and hold scenarios, and how an investor reads the plan.
Rolling forecast vs annual budget: how to run each one
The annual budget is the commitment; the rolling forecast is the best current view. How the two work together, how to choose a horizon and cadence, how driver-based forecasting works, and a step-by-step monthly process with a worked example.
What is FP&A? Financial planning and analysis explained
FP&A (financial planning and analysis) is the finance work that looks forward: budgets, forecasts, variance analysis and decision support. What an FP&A function produces, how it runs each month, and when a company needs one.