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Courses/Finance/Budgeting & Financial Forecasting

Critical Skills for CFOs & Controllers: Budgeting & Forecasting Strategies for Today’s World

Move beyond the mechanics to master the people, politics, and strategy of financial planning.

Created byDavid Petersworkspace_premium
5.0
(27 reviews)
IntermediateUpdated Apr 16, 2026
Critical Skills for CFOs & Controllers: Budgeting & Forecasting Strategies for Today’s World

What You'll Learn

check_circleState the difference between a forecast and a budget.
check_circleIdentify the difference between top-down and bottom-up budgeting.
check_circleRecognize the key elements of a flexible budgeting approach.
check_circleDefine a key forecast driver.
check_circleState when it may be appropriate to make a forecast adjustment.

About This Course

The budget and the forecast are two common tools used by controllers and CFOs across almost every industry. However, are we really getting the most out of these tools? Or are we merely replicating whatever was done last year? In this course, we will use examples and illustrations to demonstrate various budgeting and forecasting techniques. We will discuss traditional approaches, as well as newer approaches such as flexible budgeting, in an effort to show how companies can gain more value.

The coursework delves into modern financial frameworks, strategic resource allocation, advanced scenario planning, and the integration of predictive analytics into the finance function. By examining real-world applications and evolving best practices, this overview illuminates how to align dynamic financial planning with overarching corporate strategy, ultimately empowering financial leaders to mitigate risk, optimize capital, and steer their organizations toward sustainable growth in an unpredictable global economy.

Who Should Attend:

CFOs and controllers who are involved in the budgeting and forecasting process.

Your Instructor

David Peters
David Peters

CPA, CFP, CLU, CPCU, MST, MBA

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star1,872 reviews

David Peters is the Founder and Owner of Peters Professional Education in Richmond, VA. He is registered with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) as an Investment Advisor Representative (IAR) with Peters Financial LLC. He brings over 20 years of experience in financial services, including three years in the hedge fund industry and six years in insurance. David was the first Chief Financial Officer of Compare.com, where he served for more than three years. He holds four master’s degrees, contributes frequently to professional publications, and is a nationally recognized CPE instructor and discussion leader for Surgent seminars and a former instructor for Don Farmer. David received the AICPA Outstanding Facilitator Award in 2021, 2023, and 2024 as well as Surgent's Outstanding Discussion Leader awards in 2019 and 2022. He also co-authored the Virginia CPA Ethics course in 2018, 2019, and 2020, which is a requirement for all CPAs licensed in Virginia. Through Peters Professional Education, David is the author and instructor for over 125 recorded on-demand CPE courses and leads private trainings, in-person tax seminars, and quarterly live tax update webinars. His areas of instruction include accounting, finance, insurance, financial planning, and ethics, and he regularly teaches professionals across the United States.

Credit Information

Is this course eligible for my CPD requirements as a Canadian CPA?

Provincial regulators of CPAs in Canada do not require that independent providers of CPD be approved to offer courses. Instead, individual CPAs are responsible for assessing whether a CPD activity meets their requirements, and may take activities from any source provided those requirements are met.

Every course offered on LearnFormula is delivered by a qualified subject matter expert or learning organization, and advances learning objectives that are relevant to the responsibilities or professional competencies of Canadian CPAs. All activities on LearnFormula are quantifiable in terms of hours, and are also verifiable, in that users receive documented evidence of their attendance via a certificate of completion after finishing a course (and this certificate is stored by LearnFormula indefinitely). Nearly 100,000 Canadian CPAs successfully satisfy their CPD requirements via LearnFormula on an annual basis.

What Students Are Saying

5.0
Student's Choice
27 reviews

Frequently Asked Questions

We are a registered provider with 327+ associations and regulatory bodies worldwide. We operate across 29 global markets including Canada, the US, Australia, and the UK. Every course page clearly displays its specific accreditations. Upon completion, you receive a professional certificate that can be validated online. Our certificates include all necessary accreditation details, credit hours, and completion dates, and are formatted specifically to meet the submission requirements of most global regulatory bodies.