What is Financial Planning & Analysis?: Course Fees 2025, Subjects, Top Colleges, Admissions

Financial Planning and  Analysis is the study of analyzing financial data, developing financial models, and supporting strategic decision-making in organizations. Read further for more information on this course;

Financial Planning & Analysis: Highlights

Refer to the table below to get a quick review for the Financial Planning & Analysis (FP&A) course:

Source: Multiple external sites (information may vary.)

Financial Planning & Analysis is a strategic activity to ensure the good health of a company’s finance. It is a process of combining analysis of operational and financial data to assess the business processes and strategies of an organisation and progress towards these goals. Financial Planning & Analysis as a career has good prospects with lucrative salaries and corporate benefits. One can opt for a career in FP&A if they are good with numbers and have a flair for data crunching.

It is a set of activities undertaken to forecast a company’s profit or loss in the future. The four activities include – analysis, planning, forecasting and reporting. Financial Planners inform the management on the efficacy of the company’s plans and investments viz. the present and future market trends. The key role of an FPA professional is to help the company manage its finances better by analysing various internal and external factors.

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Branches of Financial Planning & Analysis

There are several branches of FP&A which are implemented across different aspects of a company's Financial Management. Some of the important branches of FP&A include the following:

• Cost Management and Analysis:This section focuses on cost-cutting measures in order to reduce expenses throughout the organization's many functions. Managing costs entails discovering cost-cutting opportunities and ensuring optimal resource allocation.
• Variance Analysis: This branch assists in determining the causes of inconsistencies and in implementing corrective steps. It helps in finding the discrepancies between actual financial performance and planned or predicted figures 
• Financial Modelling: It includes creation of detailed mathematical representations of the company's financial status and provide insights into possible effects of various business decisions.
• Budgeting and Forecasting: This branch relates to the deveopment of budgets and predictions for the company's financial performance over particular time periods. Estimating income, costs, and other financial variables to drive resource allocation and company decisions is what it entails.
• Performance Analysis: Within FP&A, performance analysis entails following and assessing the company's financial and operational performance in relation to specified KPIs and standards. 
• Capital Expenditure Planning: FP&A professionals evaluate new projects' financial feasibility and how they correspond with the company's strategic objectives.

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Check the syllabus of this course here:

Read More:

• Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA)
• Certified Public Accountant (CPA)
• Certified Financial Planner (CFP)
• Financial Risk Manager (FRM)

FP&A experts are critical in assisting firms in making educated financial decisions, achieving strategic goals, and driving growth. Organisations hire experts who can analyse, predict financial growth of an organisation and suggest measures to control the losses. 

Is FP&A the right domain for you?

In present times, FP&A is an essential tool which is utilised by various organisations to analyze their liquidity, asset management, profitability and efficiency ratios. It is widely used by organisations such as Manufacturing, Automotive, Transportation, Agriculture, Food Industry, Telecommunications, Hospitality, Tourism, Financial Services etc. After pursuing this course, experts will be trained in the following domains:

• Financial Reporting
• Risk Assessment
• Data Analytics
• Strategic Planning
• Budgeting and Forecasting
• Variance Analysis
• Financial Analysis
• Scenario Planning
• Cost Analytics
  
  

Required Skills and Education for FP&A Jobs

For an effective FP&A profesisonal, one requires skills different from other qualifications. These skills help in establishing a sound Financial Planning career in top organisations. The skills required are:

• Ability to interpret the effect of Global & Local Economic environments on Financial Markets and Investments.
• Capability to forecast the impact of government economic policies on a business.
• Proficiency in analyzing Financial Statements to identify the Financial Strengths and Weaknesses of a company using various tools of Analysis.
• Understanding of corporate governance issues that arise from the separation of corporate ownership and control.
• Ability to employ working capital strategies and tools to efficiently manage current assets and liabilities.
• Skills to manage costs of long-term capital, optimize capital structure, and quantitatively evaluate capital resource investments.
• Proficiency in using statistical methods to analyze quantitative data and their applications in a range of Financial Analysis Techniques.
• Awareness of social, ethical, social, and cultural issues and the importance of professional skills and responsibilities as a Financial Analyst.

Financial Planning & Analysis Eligibility Criteria

• A bachelor’s or master’s degree in finance or related areas such as accounting, taxation, economics, business, etc.
• MCom or MBA in Finance is an add on since most of the FP&A courses that are complemented by a postgraduate degree.
• About two to three years of work experience in a full-time mode in the relevant field is also required to pursue a Financial Planning & Analysis course.

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Potential Career Paths in FP&A

As per candidate's interests, skills and aspirations, they can choose various career paths after completing a course in Financial Planning & Analysis. Here are some potential job pathways after completing Financial Planning & Analysis:

Salaries of FP&A Professionals

Financial Planning and Analysis as a career offer growth, stability and monetary benefits. The opportunities for quick growth are higher in this field and at the same time there  is complete job security. Moreover, one gets many opportunities to connect with industry, thereby having a sense of fulfilment from the career. In this field, one can start as an intern or accountant and can rise up to the level of Chief Financial Officer or CFO. Given below are some of the top job roles available after completing a course in Financial Planning and Analysis:

The following is a list of the salaries as per their level of job position:

*Data sourced from AmbitionBox

Also Read:  Financial Planning a promising career

Top Companies hiring Financial Planning & Analysis Professionals

Financial Planners and Analysts are hired by banks, finance companies and auditing firms. Given below are some of the top recruiters for Financial Planning and Analysis professionals.

Candidates can refer to this section for Financial Planning & Analysis (FP&A) FAQs.