How AI is Being Used to Make Better Decisions and Build Faster Models with Nicholas Moen

In this episode of FP&A Unlocked, Paul Barnhurst sits down with Nicholas Moen, CMA and Director of Finance at Section, an AI software company. Nicholas shares insights on leveraging AI in FP&A to streamline financial modeling, automate workflows, improve decision-making, and build high-performing teams. He discusses practical strategies for training finance teams, balancing human oversight with AI automation, and applying FP&A insights to drive operational impact in enterprise organizations.

Nicholas Moen is a CMA and finance leader at Section, where he reinvents finance through AI, helping organizations build AI-powered workflows at scale. Based in Franklin, Pennsylvania, Nicholas specializes in leveraging AI to streamline FP&A processes, automate workflows, and empower finance teams to focus on strategic decision-making.

Expect to Learn:

• How AI frees FP&A teams from manual work
• Automating reports, spreadsheets, and workflows
• Training and empowering teams on AI tools
• Key FP&A skills: business partnering, listening, and data understanding

Here are a few relevant quotes from the episode:

• "Context is everything. Using AI to capture meeting insights and key assumptions helps teams make smarter, faster decisions." - Nicholas Moen
• "A strong FP&A professional understands both data structures and business partnering, skills that AI cannot replace." - Nicholas Moen

Nicholas Moen demonstrates how AI is reshaping the role of FP&A, allowing teams to focus on strategic decision-making instead of manual tasks. By leveraging tools like Claude and Lovable, finance professionals can automate workflows, build models faster, and make more informed business decisions.

Follow Nicholas:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicholas-moen-320a11106/

Substack: https://substack.com/@runningfinance

Earn Your CPE Credit

For CPE credit, please go to earmarkcpe.com, listen to the episode, download the app, answer a few questions, and earn your CPE certification. To earn education credits for the FPAC Certificate, take the quiz on earmark and contact Paul Barnhurst for further details.

In Today’s Episode

[02:56] – What great FP&A looks like today

[05:14] – Automating spreadsheets with Claude

[14:31] – Building micro-apps with Lovable

[17:58] – Commission automation

[21:26] – Doing analysis on the go

[30:12] – Low-hanging AI wins for FP&A

[33:58] – Training and knowledge sharing

[38:41] – Top soft and technical skills

[41:35] – Personal side: music and hobbies

[45:53] – How to connect with Nicholas