Why automakers and FP&A teams must brace for a post-incentive world. A Subsidy Built Into the Price Tag For 16 years, U.S. buyers of electric vehicles counted on a cushion: the $7,500 federal tax credit. It narrowed the affordability gap. It signaled government commitment. And it gave automakers cover while they scaled production and reduced […]
Why FP&A Must Treat Geopolitics as a Financial Driver North Korea set new conditions for resuming talks with the United States, with Kim Jong Un citing his “fond memories” of meetings with Donald Trump but insisting Washington drop demands for denuclearisation. The headline may sound like pure politics. But to financial planning and analysis (FP&A) […]
Why FP&A Must Model Policy Shock Like Market Shock Indian IT shares dropped sharply after reports that the U.S. may introduce a $100,000 H-1B visa application fee, a move tied to proposals from former President Donald Trump’s campaign. The change could hit a $283 billion Indian IT services industry, heavily reliant on H-1B visas to […]
https://theschlottco.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/65-1.jpg8001200Sarah Schlotthttps://theschlottco.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/logo-schlottco-1.pngSarah Schlott2025-09-22 06:17:192025-09-22 06:17:19When a Visa Costs More Than an Engineer’s Salary
Why Pfizer’s Metsera Buyout Is a Lesson in FP&A Agility Pfizer Inc. is closing in on a $7.3 billion acquisition of Metsera, an anti-obesity drugmaker. If finalized, it would be one of the largest pharma M&A deals in years — and Pfizer’s boldest attempt to diversify as COVID-19 vaccine revenue falls. The prize? Entry into […]
https://theschlottco.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/114-1.jpg8001200Sarah Schlotthttps://theschlottco.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/logo-schlottco-1.pngSarah Schlott2025-09-22 06:00:512025-09-22 06:05:10Diet Pills, Mega Deals, and a $7.3B Forecast Gap
Most FP&A teams still forecast with lagging data: revenue booked, expenses paid, churn realized. By the time those numbers show up, the damage is already done. Forecasting shouldn’t just record history. It should see around corners. That’s what leading indicators deliver — early signals that predict financial outcomes before they hit the P&L. Here’s how […]
https://theschlottco.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/9.jpg11471732Sarah Schlotthttps://theschlottco.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/logo-schlottco-1.pngSarah Schlott2025-09-17 21:19:042025-09-17 22:10:46How FP&A Can Build Leading Indicators Into Forecasts
7 Ways AI in FP&A Creates New Risks You Can’t Ignore AI is flooding into FP&A. Forecasts update in seconds, dashboards glow with insights, and executives cheer at “smarter” planning. But here’s the truth: AI doesn’t remove risk. It creates new ones. And if you’re not careful, your forecast bot will lie more confidently than […]
https://theschlottco.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/pexels-goumbik-590022.jpg7951200Sarah Schlotthttps://theschlottco.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/logo-schlottco-1.pngSarah Schlott2025-09-17 21:10:252025-09-17 22:10:47Your Forecast Bot Lies More Than Your Sales Team
Why FP&A Needs Decision Ownership, Not Consensus Theater Most FP&A teams mistake “inclusive” forecasting for accuracy.They gather inputs from every function, run endless meetings, and stitch together a model built on 20 competing opinions. It feels democratic. It looks collaborative. Leadership calls it “alignment.” But it’s not forecasting. It’s consensus theater. And it misses, quarter […]
https://theschlottco.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/10.jpg11551732Sarah Schlotthttps://theschlottco.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/logo-schlottco-1.pngSarah Schlott2025-09-17 20:56:302025-09-17 22:10:48Forecasting By Committee Is How Empires Collapse
Why FP&A Must Build Decay Into Assumptions Most FP&A teams treat their models as immortal. Build it once, lock it down, circulate the deck. A month later, six months later, a year later — the same model is still being referenced, as if assumptions never rot. But here’s the thing: assumptions decay. Quickly. Faster […]
https://theschlottco.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/11.jpg10951732Sarah Schlotthttps://theschlottco.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/logo-schlottco-1.pngSarah Schlott2025-09-17 20:37:292025-09-17 22:10:48Forecast Models Age Like Milk, Not Like Wine
Why FP&A Needs Rolling Reality Instead of Annual Myths Every fall, FP&A teams gather to perform the same ritual: budgets.Spreadsheets get locked. Assumptions get baked. Presentations get polished. And within weeks? Reality diverges. Yet leaders keep talking to the budget as if it were alive — debating variances, justifying misses, pretending the ghost still matters. […]
https://theschlottco.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/pexels-jakubzerdzicki-20142092.jpg8011200Sarah Schlotthttps://theschlottco.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/logo-schlottco-1.pngSarah Schlott2025-09-17 15:12:032025-09-17 22:10:49Your Budget Is a Ghost, Stop Talking to It
Why FP&A Needs Capacity for Human Energy in Forecasts Most FP&A models assume people are machines. Productivity per headcount is fixed, output per hire never wavers, and teams deliver indefinitely at full tilt. But businesses don’t run on perfect constants. They run on people. And when FP&A ignores human energy, forecasts might balance on […]
https://theschlottco.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/pexels-goumbik-590016-1.jpg7951200Sarah Schlotthttps://theschlottco.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/logo-schlottco-1.pngSarah Schlott2025-09-17 13:42:292025-09-17 22:10:50Spreadsheets Don’t Sweat, But Your Team Does
EV Prices Jump as $7,500 Credit Disappears
Why automakers and FP&A teams must brace for a post-incentive world. A Subsidy Built Into the Price Tag For 16 years, U.S. buyers of electric vehicles counted on a cushion: the $7,500 federal tax credit. It narrowed the affordability gap. It signaled government commitment. And it gave automakers cover while they scaled production and reduced […]
Nuclear Memories Don’t Balance a Forecast Ledger
Why FP&A Must Treat Geopolitics as a Financial Driver North Korea set new conditions for resuming talks with the United States, with Kim Jong Un citing his “fond memories” of meetings with Donald Trump but insisting Washington drop demands for denuclearisation. The headline may sound like pure politics. But to financial planning and analysis (FP&A) […]
When a Visa Costs More Than an Engineer’s Salary
Why FP&A Must Model Policy Shock Like Market Shock Indian IT shares dropped sharply after reports that the U.S. may introduce a $100,000 H-1B visa application fee, a move tied to proposals from former President Donald Trump’s campaign. The change could hit a $283 billion Indian IT services industry, heavily reliant on H-1B visas to […]
Diet Pills, Mega Deals, and a $7.3B Forecast Gap
Why Pfizer’s Metsera Buyout Is a Lesson in FP&A Agility Pfizer Inc. is closing in on a $7.3 billion acquisition of Metsera, an anti-obesity drugmaker. If finalized, it would be one of the largest pharma M&A deals in years — and Pfizer’s boldest attempt to diversify as COVID-19 vaccine revenue falls. The prize? Entry into […]
How FP&A Can Build Leading Indicators Into Forecasts
Most FP&A teams still forecast with lagging data: revenue booked, expenses paid, churn realized. By the time those numbers show up, the damage is already done. Forecasting shouldn’t just record history. It should see around corners. That’s what leading indicators deliver — early signals that predict financial outcomes before they hit the P&L. Here’s how […]
Your Forecast Bot Lies More Than Your Sales Team
7 Ways AI in FP&A Creates New Risks You Can’t Ignore AI is flooding into FP&A. Forecasts update in seconds, dashboards glow with insights, and executives cheer at “smarter” planning. But here’s the truth: AI doesn’t remove risk. It creates new ones. And if you’re not careful, your forecast bot will lie more confidently than […]
Forecasting By Committee Is How Empires Collapse
Why FP&A Needs Decision Ownership, Not Consensus Theater Most FP&A teams mistake “inclusive” forecasting for accuracy.They gather inputs from every function, run endless meetings, and stitch together a model built on 20 competing opinions. It feels democratic. It looks collaborative. Leadership calls it “alignment.” But it’s not forecasting. It’s consensus theater. And it misses, quarter […]
Forecast Models Age Like Milk, Not Like Wine
Why FP&A Must Build Decay Into Assumptions Most FP&A teams treat their models as immortal. Build it once, lock it down, circulate the deck. A month later, six months later, a year later — the same model is still being referenced, as if assumptions never rot. But here’s the thing: assumptions decay. Quickly. Faster […]
Your Budget Is a Ghost, Stop Talking to It
Why FP&A Needs Rolling Reality Instead of Annual Myths Every fall, FP&A teams gather to perform the same ritual: budgets.Spreadsheets get locked. Assumptions get baked. Presentations get polished. And within weeks? Reality diverges. Yet leaders keep talking to the budget as if it were alive — debating variances, justifying misses, pretending the ghost still matters. […]
Spreadsheets Don’t Sweat, But Your Team Does
Why FP&A Needs Capacity for Human Energy in Forecasts Most FP&A models assume people are machines. Productivity per headcount is fixed, output per hire never wavers, and teams deliver indefinitely at full tilt. But businesses don’t run on perfect constants. They run on people. And when FP&A ignores human energy, forecasts might balance on […]