James Richard
Key takeaways from Microsoft’s Finance Team: Excel, Automation, and Efficiency
There are a lot of positive things to learn from tech giant Microsoft. After all, you have to be doing something right to be the 4th most...
top of page
Welcome to the
Solving Finance Blog
James Richard
- 6 days ago
- 4 min
Key takeaways from Microsoft’s Finance Team: Excel, Automation, and Efficiency
There are a lot of positive things to learn from tech giant Microsoft. After all, you have to be doing something right to be the 4th most...
James Richard
- Feb 23
- 4 min
The Top 5 Dangers of Using Spreadsheets for Financial Modeling
Businesses today continue to heavily rely on spreadsheet software like Microsoft Excel for financial modeling, despite the numerous...
James Richard
- Jan 12
- 4 min
The Benefits of Continuous Planning: Is it Time to Make the Switch?
Effective financial planning and analysis (FP&A) plays a vital role in supporting the financial well-being of a company. This business...
James Richard
- Jan 1
- 5 min
Best FP&A Software Solutions for Excel Users
FP&A software solutions come in many shapes and sizes. There are simple Excel plug-ins, complex and expensive software for large...
James Richard
- Sep 18, 2022
- 7 min
Dear Excel, How can FP&A professionals make the most of their spreadsheets?
After (almost) 40 years, there is a reason why FP&A and accounting professionals continue to use Excel. It works. But what happens when...
James Richard
- Aug 7, 2022
- 5 min
What to do When Excel Doesn't Meet Your Spreadsheet Needs
Excel is an excellent tool for processing data, but it has its limitations. If you are using overly complicated formulas, or if your...
James Richard
- May 22, 2022
- 4 min
How to Accelerate the Month-End Close Process
Speeding up the headache that is the month-end close is a finance team’s dream. Fewer days spent in consolidation, forecasting, and...
James Richard
- May 16, 2022
- 5 min
The Must-Haves for Your Board Reporting Package
A board report package, also known as a board pack, is a collection of corporate updates, metrics, KPIs, and financial statements that...
James Richard
- May 2, 2022
- 5 min
The 5 Secrets to Excel’s Survival and How to Improve its Shortcomings
In a couple of years, Microsoft Excel will turn 40 years old- an ancient dinosaur in terms of technology and software. While most tech...
James Richard
- Mar 15, 2022
- 4 min
The Future of Business Modeling: Evolving From Excel to Integrated FP&A
The pressure of newer and faster technologies along with a more integrated and globalized approach to finance, is requiring companies to...
James Richard
- Feb 15, 2022
- 3 min
Takeaways from $7.8 Billion Lost in Dysfunctional FP&A Reporting Processes
In a recent study conducted by the University of Baltimore Business School and FP&A software enterprise DataRails, it was discovered that...
James Richard
- Nov 18, 2021
- 4 min
Almost 90% of Excel Spreadsheets Contain Errors; Here’s how to Avoid this Statistic
The famous statistic that 88-90% of Excel files contain errors is a pretty scary thought. Despite the advanced functions and all of the...
James Richard
- Nov 17, 2021
- 3 min
3 Excel based Financial Planning Software Vendors You Must Know
Check out our review of 3 companies that developed an excel based financial planning software to allow companies to be more efficient....
James Richard
- Oct 31, 2021
- 5 min
Excel: Safeguard Your Data
Microsoft Excel is undoubtedly the most widely used spreadsheet software in the market; counting the number of people who don't use it is...
James Richard
- Aug 23, 2021
- 5 min
Utilizing Spreadsheet Automation
One of the most advantageous aspects of Microsoft Excel a finance professional can learn is how to automate different tasks. In this post...
James Richard
- Aug 8, 2021
- 4 min
4 Common Problems in Budgeting & Forecasting with Excel & How to Fix Them
There are over 6,500 languages spoken in the world today, three of which have over one billion speakers. In third place is Mandarin, with...
James Richard
- Jul 12, 2021
- 3 min
Financial Reporting with Excel Done Right
Financial reporting is a standard accounting practice that uses financial statements to disclose a company’s financial information and...
James Richard
- Jul 5, 2021
- 3 min
Common FP&A Problems With Excel & How to Fix Them
Decades after the creation of Microsoft Excel, many FP&A professionals today continue to use this 34 year old application. Excel has...
James Richard
- Jun 13, 2021
- 4 min
How Technology Can Help FP&A Bridge the Strategy Execution Gap
Does your organization’s strategy seem like a mystery or a carefully guarded secret? Can it feel as if people's daily work doesn't relate...
James Richard
- May 18, 2021
- 3 min
Can Excel Survive?
In 1985, Ronald Reagan was a second-term U.S. president; Mikhail Gorbachev assumed the role of general secretary of the Soviet Union’s...
bottom of page