Virtual CFO
FP&A
FP&A work tracks your Canadian business against its budget every month, breaks margin down by product, location or customer, and explains in plain language why the numbers moved, turning a closed set of books into a pack your leadership team actually reads and acts on.
13-week cash forecast
Illustrative client · August 2026
CAD
- Cash today
- $244,220
- Lowest week ahead
- 239,800
- Largest outflow
- Payroll, 46,300
Illustrative. An example of the document, not a client's figures.
The gap between a closed month and a decision
A closed month tells you what happened. FP&A work explains why it happened and what to do next. Once the monthly close is done, through our bookkeeping service or your own team, FP&A layers a budget versus actual review, margin analysis and a written narrative on top, turning the close into a planning tool rather than a compliance step.
What sits inside the monthly pack
A typical pack includes a budget versus actual summary with the larger variances explained, margin trends by product, service line or location where that split matters, and cost driver tracking tied back to the original budget assumptions. The goal is a pack leadership reads in ten minutes and discusses, not a spreadsheet nobody opens twice.
Ad hoc modelling between reports
Beyond the recurring pack, FP&A covers the specific question that comes up between reporting cycles: what does adding two staff do to cash over the next two quarters, what does a supplier price increase do to margin, what happens to receivables if a large customer moves to longer payment terms. These models draw on the same underlying data as the monthly pack, so the answer is grounded in your real numbers.
Sits alongside your existing finance function
FP&A does not require us to own your books. We build this analysis on top of a close your own controller or bookkeeper runs in QuickBooks Online, Xero or Sage 50, whichever your business uses under ASPE or IFRS. It pairs closely with KPI design for the metrics behind the numbers, and with fractional CFO time for a standing advisory relationship.
Questions
Frequently asked questions: FP&A
Do we need a fractional CFO relationship to also get FP&A work?
No. FP&A can run as its own monthly deliverable. Many Canadian clients start with FP&A reporting alone and add fractional CFO time later once they want a standing advisory relationship.
How is margin analysis broken down?
Typically by product line, location or customer segment, depending on where your business actually has margin variation. The split follows your chart of accounts and sales data rather than a generic template.
Does our budget need to have been built by you?
No. We can track against a budget built internally or by a previous advisor; FP&A work does not depend on us having built the original budget.
How soon after month end is the FP&A pack ready?
That depends on your own close speed. We agree a specific delivery date during onboarding based on how quickly your books close each month.
What exactly is included in fP&A?
Monthly budget-versus-actual report with variances explained in plain language, and margin analysis by product, service line or customer segment. This work runs inside Excel or Google Sheets, whichever your business already has in place, and it rolls into your regular monthly close rather than sitting off to the side as a separate, unreconciled process.
Is FP&A only for larger companies?
No. Any business tracking a budget benefits from someone explaining the variances each month rather than just reporting the numbers.
What is included in the monthly pack?
Typically a budget-versus-actual summary, margin trends, key variances and a short written narrative, tailored to what your leadership actually reads.
Can FP&A work run alongside our own controller?
Yes. FP&A sits on top of the books your controller or bookkeeper closes each month; we do not need to own the close to deliver the analysis.
How do we get started with fP&A?
Getting started with fP&A begins with a short review of your current records and software access. Once that is done we confirm scope and timing in writing, and ongoing work begins on the schedule agreed with you.
Related services
- Virtual CFOBudgetingAn annual budget built from your real numbers, broken out by month and department, that becomes the baseline every later report is measured against.
- Virtual CFOKPI designA short list of the numbers that actually run your business, defined once and tracked consistently, instead of a dashboard nobody opens.
- Virtual CFOFractional CFOA senior finance lead who works your numbers on a part-time basis: monthly reviews, board and investor prep, and a second opinion before a big decision.
Industries
- SaaSBookkeeping and reporting for subscription software businesses tracking recurring revenue, deferred revenue and burn.
- Startups and VC-backed companiesBookkeeping and reporting for early-stage, venture-backed companies watching burn, runway and investor reporting closely.
- Agencies and consultanciesBookkeeping for marketing agencies, design studios and consulting firms billing clients on retainers and project fees.
- Professional servicesBookkeeping for professional service firms such as engineering, architecture and IT consulting billing clients by project or retainer.
Next step
Talk to the team that would run your books
A short call covers your setup, your software and what a first month would look like. You get a written scope and price after it.