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Why Tariff Increases Haven’t Shown Up in Inflation—Yet: A CFO’s Real-World Perspective on E-Commerce and Consumer Packaged Goods
Last year, when tariffs were introduced, I wrote a blog article about how they represented a critical kitchen table issue for many small American businesses that have built their business models around contract manufacturing in China and selling through U.S. retail channels—often their own web properties or Amazon—directly to American consumers. This represents a significant Continue reading
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How Time Tracking Data Transforms Multi-Year Financial Models: Strategic Financial Forecasting Series Part 1
Time tracking data represents a strategic asset for financial forecasting. We’re excited to bring you this series of guest posts from fractional CFO and forecasting expert Salvatore Tirabassi, where he’ll explore how time data fuels accurate financial forecasts. Whether you’re a seasoned CFO or building out your first forecasts, this series offers practical insights into Continue reading
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Beeper After One Year: The Evolution Continues
A little over a year ago, I published a blog article titled “From Too Many Messaging Apps to Just One” and discussed my discovery of Beeper, a unified messaging app that I use on my desktop and iPhone. I have been using this app for over a year now, and there have been some upgrades Continue reading
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Why The AI Bubble Won’t Pop As The Internet Bubble Did: An Overlooked Reason
So the AI bubble is on everyone’s mind. I don’t have an answer on where that stands. However, I was around during the Internet bubble. In fact, I got out of my Wharton/Penn grad studies in mid-1999 to start my career in venture capital, and by March 2000, I was doing restructurings as co-investors in Continue reading
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4 Hours to a Board Deck: How CFOs Are Using AI to Transform Financial Presentations
For CFOs, the quarterly board presentation represents a significant operational and strategic challenge. Board meetings require clear communication of key metrics such as cash position, revenue growth, and major investments. The process, which commences usually a few weeks before the close of a quarter, is typically characterized by an intensive, multi-week effort. It involves coordinating Continue reading
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Excel’s Game-Changing COPILOT Function: Why My Previous AI Recommendations Just Changed
TL;DR: Microsoft just launched the revolutionary COPILOT function in Excel, bringing AI directly into spreadsheet cells. This changes everything I recommended in my previous Copilot vs Claude comparison. While Claude still excels for complex Power Query work, Excel’s new COPILOT function delivers the speed, flexibility, and native integration that transforms how we work with data—without Continue reading
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Copilot vs Claude for Excel: Which AI Assistant Wins for Formula Building?
TL;DR Copilot offers seamless integration directly in Excel, but requires OneDrive auto-save, responds slower, and provides limited formula alternatives. Claude delivers faster responses with multiple formula options and excels at Power Query M code, but requires copying/pasting between windows. For basic users, Copilot’s integration wins despite its limitations. For advanced users or those preferring file Continue reading
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The Apple and AI Conundrum
It’s been painful to watch Apple lag behind in the Artificial Intelligence (AI) race, especially given that it was a pioneer in conversational AI with the launch of Siri in 2011. Siri marked the start of a new phase in the industry, and set expectations for future innovation. Since then, however, Apple has struggled to Continue reading
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Implementing Predictive Analytics in Financial Forecasting: An AI-Driven Approach
Although traditional financial forecasting methods, such as Excel-based models and historical trend analysis, have made notable progress, these approaches often rely on manual inputs, are susceptible to human error, and fail to account for external variables that significantly influence performance. Moreover, they tend to focus on short-term horizons, making it difficult for businesses to anticipate Continue reading
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Tariff Impact: Beyond Headlines to the P&L Reality for Emerging Businesses
Overview The ping-ponging news on tariffs has been very confusing for emerging businesses and clients that I service through my CFO services practice. The international trade commission has found that while steel and aluminum producers may benefit from tariffs imposed by President Trump, the overall economic repercussions could be detrimental, particularly for downstream industries. In Continue reading
