Vena Implementation Partner or Do It Yourself? What One Lean Team Learned
Should you hire a Vena implementation partner or set Vena up yourself? The honest answer, and what a lean dental group finance team learned doing both.
The MCC Blog
Notes on budgeting, the close, consolidation and reporting, for the people who actually build the file. Written to be useful whether or not you ever talk to us.
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The Rolling ForecastHow to Review AI Output in FP&A: If You Can't Teach It, You Don't Own It
AI can build a financial model in minutes and hard-code your drivers without telling you. Three checks finance teams should run before trusting it.
Stop Padding Budget Deadlines
Telling department heads the budget is due Friday when it's due in two weeks works once. Here's what gets budgets back on time every year.
Budget Season Isn't Optional. The Chaos Is.
The math has never been the hard part of budgeting. Chasing inputs and hunting for the right file is. Here's where budget season chaos comes from.
Your Planning Model Is Planning for Last Year's Company
If your planning model hasn't changed since last year's budget, it's planning for a company that no longer exists. Six yes-or-no checks to run first.
Keep Excel. Lose the Month-End Assembly.
Finance teams don't need to leave Excel. They need to stop rebuilding the board pack by hand every month. Here's the difference.
The Rolling ForecastUpload and Pray
If your team fixes the same number in Excel after every ERP export, that's upload and pray. Three steps to fix it before a new planning tool.
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Three Ways I Think About AI Spend
AI spend isn't a brand new cost category. Split it into stable, general usage and project based costs, and your AI forecast gets a lot more accurate.
The Rolling ForecastDid Nobody Forecast the AI Token Bill?
McKinsey's CFO says his AI bill can't grow like it did this year. Five rules to forecast AI token costs from usage instead of a guess.
The Rolling ForecastWe All Run Better If We Run Together
A team member who won't ask for help is rarely a discipline problem. Charlie Liu on the baggage people carry, and his one piece of advice for new managers.
The Rolling ForecastWhat Building MCC Taught Me About Accountability
What years of sacrifice teach a leader: the weight of true accountability, leading from the front lines, and the real proof it's paying off.
The Rolling ForecastThe Reason Your Hotel's Systems Don't Talk to Each Other
Some hotel tech vendors make more money when your systems can't connect. How per-call API fees and costly middleware keep hotel data apart.
The Rolling ForecastWhat If Your Forecast Was Never the Problem?
Hotel finance teams aren't bad at forecasting. Their data sits in systems that don't talk. Three lessons, and what changes when occupancy drops 2 points.
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If You Got Hit by a Bus Tomorrow...
Senior accountants are building AI skills nobody else can see. Greg Hood on why finance should document AI work the way engineering teams do.
The Rolling ForecastHow Not to Buy FP&A Software
Most FP&A software projects stall for reasons the demo never shows. Here are five things to check before you sign, from your data to your implementer.
What 50 Years of Hotel Budgeting Teaches Finance Teams
William, VP of Finance at Trump Hotels, shares 50 years of FP&A lessons, from 13-column paper ledgers to Vena, and why infrastructure decides scale.
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Have You Ever Wondered What FP&A Looked Like Before Excel?
From 13-column paper to Excel, FP&A platforms and AI. William Etzine of Trump Hotels on four generations of budgeting, and the trust gap that stays.
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The Part of FP&A Nobody Actually Teaches You
Most FP&A teams spend their week on the model, not the plan. Paul Barnhurst on why the assumptions behind a forecast matter more than its formulas.
AI in FP&A: What The FP&A Guy Thinks (And Why CFOs Still Won't Let It Touch the Budget)
Paul Barnhurst, The FP&A Guy, joined Making Cents with Charlie to break down AI adoption, the planning tool dilemma, and the skills CFOs need.
Choosing a Vena Partner: What CFOs Should Check First
Picking a Vena partner? Check that they know finance, fix the process before the build, and show you what a normal month looks like after go-live.
MCC Wins Vena International Partner of the Year 2025
Monte Carlos Consulting Inc. was named Vena's International Partner of the Year and earned Distinguished Partner status, in the top 1% of Vena's ecosystem.