Category: Finance Careers

C.3 The Head of FP&A ✦ In Plain WordsFP&A means financial planning and analysis. It takes the Controller’s history and turns it into forward-looking decisions through the budget, regular re-forecasts and variance analysis, which explains why actual results differ from the plan.Why it matters: The Controller tells you what happened; FP&A helps decide what to […]

✦ In Plain WordsThe Treasurer keeps cash available where and in the currency it is needed. They also manage interest-rate, currency and credit risk. Their core tool is the 13-week cash forecast, a rolling look at the next three months of cash coming in and going out.Why it matters: A company can be profitable on […]

✦ In Plain WordsThe Controller owns the accuracy of the books. Every month they turn thousands of transactions into trustworthy financial statements, run the close and manage the relationship with the auditors.Why it matters: If the books are wrong, every decision built on them is wrong too. ★ In BriefSummary: The Controller owns the accuracy […]

B.8 Fintech and Payments Company ✦ In Plain WordsA fintech or payments company is built around customer money in flight. Its finance team handles safeguarding accounting, daily settlement reconciliations, liquidity and float, and regulatory reporting for state money transmitter licenses or bank partners. Revenue accounting must also decide whether revenue is reported gross or net, […]

B.5 IT / Software / SaaS Company ✦ In Plain WordsA mature software or subscription company’s finance team looks like a large corporation’s, but subscriptions reshape it: revenue is earned over time, software development costs can be capitalized, stock-based pay is a big cost, and indirect tax applies in every market. Revenue Operations usually reports […]

B.2 Bank / Financial Institution ✦ In Plain WordsA bank’s finance team is built around capital, liquidity and legal entities. On top of the usual roles it adds regulatory capital, product control, legal-entity control, asset-liability management and finance change. The Chief Risk Officer is a peer of the CFO, not a subordinate, a line that […]