Category: Finance Technology & Tools

Practical tips, frameworks, and tools that make Finance work smarter.

  • When an Inefficient System Is Mistaken for a Broken One

    Broken. Think about that word. Does it mean a system once worked but no longer does? Does it mean the system still works, but is no longer fit for its intended purpose? Or does it work exactly as designed—just inefficiently, expensively and without the ability to scale? Those are not the same diagnosis. Before replacing…

  • When Numbers Stop Needing Meaning

    Remember when someone first told you that even-numbered highways generally run east-west and odd-numbered highways north-south? A clever convention. Without a compass, you instantly have a sense of direction. Now think about the first chart of accounts you built in an ERP system—or even in QuickBooks. 1xxxx Assets. 2xxxx Liabilities. 3xxxx Equity. Then some variation…

  • The Hardest Part of Build versus Buy

    I started thinking about the old build versus buy debate. At first, it seems obvious. AI changes everything. Software can be written faster than ever. Surely the advantage shifts toward building. Then I thought about the real cost of building. Not the programmers. Not the budget. The risk. We often say changing a core operating…

  • Technology Decisions Are Capital Allocation Decisions

    Why Build versus Buy Is Really an Investment Decision We’ve all been there.  Aging systems no longer fit for purpose. Time to consider a new engine. Unfortunately, not as simple as trading in the old Model T for a new Audi. The business truism aptly defines the complication – trying to swap out the engine…

  • AI Doesn’t Change the Rules. It Changes the Economics.

    Every major technological revolution creates the same illusion. People believe the new technology changes the rules. Usually it changes the economics. The rules of sound decision making remain remarkably constant. Every major technological revolution creates the same illusion. People believe the new technology changes the rules. Usually, it changes the economics. AI reduces the cost…