Paul BarnhurstFP&A Expert Empowering Finance Professionals to Excel Everday

Great FP&A starts with better modeling.

3 Sept 2026 · 1 min

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This content was created by Paul Barnhurst. This content was uploaded by Paul Barnhurst. This is a YouTube video titled "Great FP&A starts with better modeling." (created 2026-09-03T13:00:05Z). The excerpt is a short interview/Q&A between Paul Barnhurst and another participant (Speaker B) about FP&A technical skills. Speaker B argues that financial modeling is the number-one skill to master, citing improved productivity and the importance of proper model design and best practices; Paul Barnhurst concurs from his own experience.

What is the number one technical skill that FP&A professionals need to master?
I would say financial modeling, and this is maybe slightly biased because that is what has helped me tremendously. So I could picture myself not doing financial models properly and not using the best practices, and once I started doing that, I could see a drastic change in my productivity in terms of the analyst to manager level. So yes, I would say financial modeling, and I could be slightly biased about it.
We're all slightly biased. That's all right, but you're in good company. A lot of people say financial financial modeling. You're not alone on that. I know for me, learning proper design and modeling made a big difference, so I get it.