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FinanceReview

Monthly financial review (budget vs actual and forecast)

75 minutes 8 blocks Free template

A 75-minute monthly review of actuals against budget, cash, KPIs and the forecast, ending with decisions and owners.

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Opens in the builder. No sign-up to try it; 14 days free to run it live.

By the end of this meetingLeadership understands the material variances and the forecast, and every decision has an owner and a date.

75 min · 8 blocks, drawn to scale Fits exactly
  1. Opening and headlines, 5 minutes 5
  2. Financial performance vs budget and prior year, 15 minutesInfo 15
  3. Cash and liquidity: AR/AP, 13-week outlook, 10 minutes 10
  4. Operational metrics and KPIs, 15 minutesDiscuss 15
  5. Forward look and forecast, 15 minutesDiscuss 15
  6. Decision items and asks, 7 minutes 7
  7. Approve or decline each ask, 3 minutes 3
  8. Action items and close, 5 minutes 5
019385675 min
  1. +0′Opening and headlinesOne word for this month's results?5 minCheck-in
  2. +5′Financial performance vs budget and prior yearTip: Cover material variances only, drivers in descending order of impact.15 minInfo
  3. +20′Cash and liquidity: AR/AP, 13-week outlook10 minInfo
  4. +30′Operational metrics and KPIsTip: Ask what each metric means for the business, not just what it is.15 minDiscuss
  5. +45′Forward look and forecastTip: Treat the forecast update as a call to action: what should change course?15 minDiscuss
  6. +60′Decision items and asksTip: Don't let one topic take over; park it with an owner.7 minDecide
  7. +67′Approve or decline each askDo you approve this ask?3 minVote
  8. +70′Action items and closeTip: Every action leaves with an owner and a date.5 minWrap-up

Why it works

Built so the monthly financial review (budget vs actual and forecast) ends on time, with everyone in it.

  • Every voice in the first minutes

    A 5-minute check-in: everyone sends a mood and one word from their phone, and it shows on their tile in the call. People who speak early speak again.

  • Updates stay short

    25 minutes of updates with a visible clock. In a video call the speaker is spotlighted and the room is muted, so nobody talks over them.

  • Discussion with a clock

    30 minutes of open floor with a countdown everyone can see, and a talk-balance meter so the loudest voice doesn't take all of it.

  • It ends in a decision

    Capture the decision and its owner with one click while it's said. It lands in the summary, word for word.

  • A vote the whole room sees

    One tap each on a phone, live bars on the screen. A tick shows who has voted, never what they chose.

  • Wraps up on time

    Decisions and actions are read back, the summary is already written, and a finish on time earns the confetti.

How to run it

  1. 1Send the financial package 24 to 48 hours before the meeting.
  2. 2Focus on material variances instead of reviewing every line item; explain 90%+ of them, biggest drivers first.
  3. 3Pair the data with insight: what caused each variance and what it means.
  4. 4Use the forecast discussion to decide what should change, not to re-budget.
  5. 5Keep the meeting on the calendar even in busy months, and end with owners and dates.

Questions about the monthly financial review (budget vs actual and forecast)

How long should a monthly financial review meeting be?
The one timed template found, from Eagle Rock CFO, runs 75 minutes.
What should a monthly financial review include?
Headlines, performance vs budget and prior year, cash and liquidity, operational KPIs, the forecast, decision items, and action items.
How much variance detail is enough?
OnlyCFO suggests explaining 90% or more of material variances, with drivers in descending order of impact, rather than walking every line item.

Built from

The structure, timings and tips on this page come from these sources.

  • eaglerockcfo.com
  • onlycfo.io
  • fpa-trends.com

Run it with your team

  • A countdown for every block on the shared screen
  • A video call that changes with each block
  • Check-ins and votes from every phone, no app
  • Decisions and actions in a scored summary

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Run this agenda in a minute.

Open it in the builder, adjust the minutes, press Run live. Everyone joins with a scan.

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