The FP&A Buyer’s Guide

Escape Spreadsheet Prison. Build Strategic Finance.

You didn’t get into finance to fix broken formulas.
You got into it to influence decisions, shape strategy, and help your company win.

Yet most FP&A teams are stuck spending 70–80% of their time collecting, consolidating, and fixing data — and only 20–30% on analysis and insight.

This guide exists to flip that ratio.

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Who This Guide Is For

This guide is built for:

• FP&A Managers, Directors, and VPs
• Finance leaders escaping spreadsheet chaos
• Teams evaluating FP&A software for the first time
• Organizations replacing Excel-based planning
• Leaders tired of vendor hype and vague promises

If forecasting feels harder every quarter, you’re the audience.

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Read the Full Guide

👉 Click here to read the FP&A Buyer’s Guide
A brutally honest, no-BS framework for deciding if, when, and how to invest in FP&A software.

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What Makes This Buyer’s Guide Different

This is not:

• A vendor-sponsored feature checklist
• A glossy comparison chart
• A sales pitch disguised as “thought leadership”

This is a practitioner-driven, opinionated guide built from real-world FP&A experience.

It tells you:

• When FP&A software actually makes sense — and when it doesn’t
• Why buying too early can be just as damaging as buying too late
• How vendors overpromise (especially around AI)
• What questions expose demo theater vs. real capability

If you want honest answers — even when they’re uncomfortable — this guide is for you.

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Inside the FP&A Buyer’s Guide

✅ The Excel Complexity Threshold

✅ Tactical vs. Strategic Finance

✅ The Truth About AI in FP&A

✅ How to Evaluate FP&A Software (Without Wasting Months)

✅ Matching Software to Where You’re Going

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What You’ll Walk Away With

After reading this guide, you’ll be able to:

• Clearly articulate whether FP&A software is right for you
• Identify the right tier of solution for your complexity
• Ask questions vendors can’t dodge
• Avoid costly implementation mistakes
• Make a confident, defensible buying decision

No guesswork. No sales pressure. Just clarity.

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Built by FP&A experts at Centage

Centage helps growing finance teams automate tactical work — budgeting, forecasting, consolidation — so they can focus on the strategic analysis that drives better decisions.

This guide reflects that same philosophy: less hype, more truth, real-world impact.

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