Beginners Guide to FP&A Automation with Free Generative AI

Generative AI for Financial Analysts Financial Professionals

What you'll learn
- Use natural language to instruct AI to perform actual vs. budget analysis. Instantly flag significant variances. Drill down and summarize key drivers.
- Leverage AI to create dynamic forecasts, run "what-if" scenarios instantly, and transition from static budgets to agile financial models.
- Utilize AI to generate concise executive summaries, craft compelling narratives from complex data, and build dynamic, interactive dashboards for stakeholders.
- Use AI to identify anomalies in your data, helping you uncover risks and opportunities and enabling you to become a more strategic advisor to the business.
- Effectively use AI to get your data "analysis-ready" by teaching it to think like you. Making labels, capitalizations, abbreviations consistent across report.

Requirements
- This course is best suited for individuals with a background in Finance or FP&A who want to leverage AI to simplify their daily workflows and evolve into a more strategic role.

Description
Transform your Financial Planning & Analysis (FP&A) skills with this beginner-friendly course on AI-powered automation. Using the free version of Microsoft Copilot integrated with Excel, you’ll learn how to streamline your workflows, save time, and uncover insights faster — no coding required.

This isn’t just theory. Through step-by-step, real-world examples, you’ll see exactly how to apply free generative AI to your day-to-day finance tasks.  You can start using these skills right away at work or in your business. We’ll cover:

AI for Data Cleanup: Quickly prepare and clean datasets in seconds.

AI for Budgeting & Forecasting: Build smarter, faster forecasts directly in Excel.

AI for Storytelling: Turn raw numbers into compelling visuals and presentations.

AI for Variance Analysis: Analyze performance gaps and explain the “why” behind results.

AI for Anomaly Detection: Spot errors and outliers before they become costly mistakes.

By the end of the course, you’ll have practical tools to automate some of the most time consuming tasks in your FP&A processes, elevate your insights, and future-proof your career. Perfect for financial analysts, accountants, business owners handling their own finances, and anyone ready to work smarter with Excel and AI (free version of Microsoft Copilot) in their finance role.  No prior AI knowledge required.

Who this course is for:
- This course is designed for professionals who currently work in or plan to work in Finance or Financial Planning & Analysis (FP&A).
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