Financial Modeler's Corner

In this episode of Financial Modeler's Corner, host Paul Barnhurst welcomes Lance Rubin, Founder of Model Citizn, to discuss how AI is transforming financial modeling, accounting, and FP&A. They explore the risks of AI-generated financial models, the importance of human oversight, and why strong financial modeling skills remain essential. Lance Rubin is a Chartered Accountant and financial mod...

In this episode of Financial Modeler’s Corner, Giles Male turns the tables on regular host Paul Barnhurst, also known as The FP&A Guy, to discuss Paul’s journey through FP&A, financial modeling, training, entrepreneurship, and the growing impact of AI on finance. They explore how Paul built his personal brand, transitioned from corporate finance into his own business, and developed a caree...

In this episode of Financial Modeler's Corner: The ModSquad, Ian Schnoor, Paul Barnhurst, and Giles Male welcome Diarmuid Early to discuss how modern Excel features are changing financial modeling. They explore the benefits of dynamic arrays, LET and LAMBDA functions, and how these tools can make financial models more flexible, consistent, and efficient. Diarmuid Early is the Founder of Early Days...

In this episode of Financial Modeler's Corner, host Paul Barnhurst sits down with Taimour Zaman to discuss why AI-generated financial models often fail to convince lenders, what investors really look for when evaluating financing opportunities, and how financial modelers can build more credible models by focusing on risk, capital protection, and realistic exit strategies. Taimour is the Founder an...

In this episode of Financial Modeler’s Corner, host Paul Barnhurst sits down with Danielle Stein Fairhurst to discuss how AI is reshaping financial modeling, what modelers need to do to stay relevant, and why strategic thinking matters more than ever. Danielle also shares practical lessons from training financial modelers, working with real-world client models, and preparing for the Advanced Finan...

In this episode of Financial Modeler’s Corner, host Paul Barnhurst sits down with Danielle Stein Fairhurst to discuss how AI is changing financial modeling, why modelers need to keep learning, and how dynamic arrays are shaping the future of Excel. Danielle also shares her thoughts on model design, AFM exam preparation, and why strategic thinking still matters in an AI-driven world. Danielle Stein...

In this episode of Financial Modeler’s Corner, host Paul Barnhurst sits down with Dan Mayoh to discuss his career in financial modeling, lessons from model auditing, and why he sees Excel as one of the world’s most accessible programming languages. Dan also shares how mathematical modeling, poker, and probability have shaped his approach to risk and decision-making under uncertainty. Dan Mayoh is...

In this episode of Financial Modeler’s Corner, host Paul Barnhurst sits down with Oren Klaff, Private Equity Fund Manager and bestselling author of Pitch Anything , to discuss how financial modeling can support deal-making, investment decisions, and career growth. Oren shares how modeling helped him move from financial analyst to dealmaker. Oren Klaff is a Private Equity Fund Manager and the autho...

In this episode of Financial Modeler’s Corner, the Mod Squad, Ian Schnoor, Giles Male, and Paul Barnhurst, speak with Peter Fuller about AI-powered financial modeling and the rapidly changing future of Excel. Peter shares how Tracelight evolved from an AI-for-Excel tool into a broader AI workspace for professionals in finance and consulting. Peter Fuller is the Co-Founder and CEO of Tracelight, ba...

In this episode of Financial Modeler’s Corner , Paul Barnhurst speaks with Oren Klaff about how financial modeling can become a powerful tool for deal-making, investment decisions, and career growth. Oren explains why modelers should focus on identifying key sensitivities, communicating insights effectively, and helping buyers and sellers find ways to make deals work rather than simply pointing ou...

In this episode of Financial Modeler’s Corner, Paul Barnhurst speaks with Marli van Staden-Basson about best-practice financial modeling, AI, model design, and the skills needed to build reliable models. Marli explains why transparency, usability, and risk management matter, and how AI makes strong modeling practices even more important. Marli van Staden-Basson is the founder and financial modelin...

In this episode of Financial Modeler’s Corner, Paul Barnhurst speaks with Diarmuid Early about what separates great financial modelers from technically capable ones, the rise of AI in financial modeling, and why judgment remains essential. Diarmuid shares lessons from his career, his experience as a three-time World Financial Modeling Champion, and why understanding what a model actually means mat...

In this episode of Financial Modeler’s Corner, Paul Barnhurst speaks with Ryan Humphrey about financial model auditing, the skills strong modelers need, and how AI is changing the profession. Ryan explains why communication, judgment, and independence matter alongside technical ability. He also shares how model audits work, why poorly structured models create risks, and how AI could shift financia...

In this episode of Financial Modeler’s Corner, Paul Barnhurst speaks with Ryan Humphrey about financial model auditing, the skills strong modelers need, and how AI is changing the profession. Ryan explains why communication, judgment, and trust matter as much as technical ability. He also shares how model audits work, why poorly structured models create serious risks, and why finance professionals...

In this episode of The ModSquad , Paul Barnhurst, Giles Male, and Ian Schnoor are joined by Excel and Financial Modeling World Champions Michael Jarman and Diarmuid Early to discuss a unique “man versus machine” financial modeling challenge. The group breaks down their experience testing AI against expert modelers using real financial modeling and Excel competition cases. They explore where AI per...

In this episode of Financial Modelers Corner, host Paul Barnhurst welcomes Dr. Eric Kelley, Finance Professor | Microsoft MVP (Excel), and one of the leading educators in financial modeling. Eric shares how his passion for teaching, mathematics, and financial markets led him into academia, and why developing scalable financial models starts with understanding the business before opening Excel. Dr....

In this episode of Financial Modeler's Corner, host Paul Barnhurst is joined by Ian Schnoor, Executive Director of the Financial Modeling Institute. They discuss the future of financial modeling in the age of AI, with a focus on how modelers are using AI today, where human judgment still matters, and what governance, ethics, and skill development look like going forward. Expect to Learn: Why commu...

In this episode of Financial Modeler’s Corner, Paul Barnhurst sits down with Dr. Eric Kelley, finance professor, Microsoft Excel MVP, and financial modeling educator, to discuss how financial modeling education is evolving through Excel Esports and hands-on learning. Eric shares how he uses competitions, real-world cases, and structured modeling techniques to help students build stronger financial...

In this episode of The Mod Squad, Paul Barnhurst, Ian Schnoor, and Giles Male put today's leading AI tools to the test in a live financial modeling "bake-off." Using the same modeling case and prompts, they compare ChatGPT, Claude, and Copilot to see how well each tool builds a financial model. The discussion highlights the progress AI has made, where it still falls short, and why financial modeli...

In this episode of Financial Modeler’s Corner, Paul Barnhurst sits down with Jorge Rojas, finance professor, consultant, and Advanced Financial Modeler, to explore how emerging technologies are reshaping financial modeling. Jorge shares insights from his latest research on spatial finance and Earth observation data, explaining how satellite imagery, AI, and alternative data sources are transformin...

In this episode of The Mod Squad, Paul Barnhurst, Ian Schnoor, and Giles Male share their real experiences using AI in financial modeling. They discuss what works, what doesn’t, and how finance professionals can best use AI today. From testing different AI tools to running a “bake-off” on a real financial model, the conversation highlights the practical challenges, hallucinations, and creative app...

In this episode of Financial Modelers Corner, Paul Barnhurst talks with John Yeldham, founder of Lodeum, about building trust in Excel models, standardizing modeling language, and creating modular, scalable models. John shares his experience leading financial modelers and using advanced Excel features like Lambda functions and dynamic arrays. Expect to Learn: Standardize language to improve clarit...

In this episode of Financial Modeler’s Corner, Paul Barnhurst sits down with John Yeldham, a leading expert in financial modeling and founder of Lodeum, a global online financial modeling training platform. John shares his experience leading and training teams of financial modelers across corporate and project finance, and discusses the importance of standardizing language, modular model design, a...

Paul Barnhurst speaks with Ilyas Anis, CFO and Chartered Financial Modeler, about using financial models to build stakeholder confidence, drive operational decisions, and tell a clear business story. Ilyas shares insights on integrating AI, avoiding common modeling pitfalls, and the importance of scenario analysis and three-statement models. Ilyas Anis is Finance Lead at Turning Point Brands Canad...

In this episode of Financial Modeler’s Corner, host Paul Barnhurst (aka The FP&A Guy ) is joined by guest Mark Proctor. Together, they discuss the intricacies of financial modeling and data analysis, with a focus on building efficient models and leveraging automation in Excel. Mark shares his deep expertise on why structure is key, how to automate tedious tasks, and how Excel continues to evol...