ALIGNED PLANNING WEBINAR SERIES, WEBINAR 3 OF 3
NASBA-COMPLIANT CPE WEBINAR • 1.0 CPE CREDIT • FREE
Is Your Budgeting and Forecasting Software Built for Where You’re Going — or Just Where You’ve Been?
Two people on your team sent the CEO two different numbers for the same month, from two tabs of the same file, both technically "right." If a spreadsheet or outdated system has ever put you in that position, this session is for you. Most CFOs underestimate what that cost by six figures.
● Thu, October 22, 2026 • 1:00 – 2:00 PM ET
● Live Online (Group Internet Based) • 1.0 CPE Credit
Is Your Budgeting and Forecasting Software Built for Where You're Going — or Just Where You've Been?
EVENT SNAPSHOT
| Format | Live webinar, Q&A included |
| Duration | 60 minutes |
| CPE Credit | 1.0 credit hour |
| Field of Study | Finance |
| Cost | Free, no purchase required |
No replays are scheduled at this time. If you can't attend live, register anyway and we'll notify you if this webinar is added back to the calendar.
Hosted by Heather L. Cole, host of the Financial Executives International Podcast, Executive Advisor, and one of only 32 IBM Lifetime Champions worldwide, Founder & CEO of Lodestar Solutions
A 60-Second Look at What You’ll Learn
Hear directly from Heather on why the real question isn’t whether your software works — it’s whether it’s built for where you’re going.
LIVE DEMONSTRATION FEATURING
IBM PLANNING ANALYTICS
THE HIDDEN COST OF INACTION
Budget Season Doesn't Wait. Neither Does This Decision
We know budget season isn't the time to rip anything out. It is the time to decide whether the leftover dollars in this year's budget, or the first dollars in next year's, finally go toward ending this. Miss this session and you're not staying neutral, you're deciding by default
From scattered spreadsheets to
one connected source of truth
SOFTWARE THAT SOLVES REPORTING
Tells you where you’ve been. Tabs, formulas, and file versions that show last month’s numbers accurately, after enough time spent reconciling them by hand.
SOFTWARE BUILT FOR WHERE YOU’RE GOING
A consolidated, single source of truth that connects budgeting, forecasting, and reporting, so your team spends time on decisions instead of reconciling tabs.
This isn’t a product demo. It’s a live calculation of what your current process is costing you, and a look at what a true single source of truth looks like in practice, powered by IBM Planning Analytics.
Your Host
Heather L. Cole
Founder & CEO, Lodestar Solutions
Heather Cole is Founder and CEO of Lodestar Solutions and one of only 32 IBM Lifetime Champions worldwide. She serves as an Executive Advisor, hosts the Financial Executives International Podcast, and is a long-time member of Financial Executives International's Tampa Chapter. For more than 25 years, Heather has worked with financial executives to improve the FP&A process, helping CFOs and finance teams move from static, annual forecasts to driver-based planning that stays accurate as conditions change. She will lead the llive session and stay on for questions.
What You’ll Walk Away With
Presented at a Basic level. No prerequisites or advance preparation required.
01
The warning signs your process, spreadsheet or software, has become a liability, not a convenience.
02
How to calculate the true, fully-loaded cost of staying in a manual or outdated process.
03
The real difference between tools that solve reporting and tools that solve planning.
04
A live look at a consolidated, single source of truth in practice, powered by IBM Planning Analytics.
Built for CFOs and Finance Leaders Ready to Move Beyond Spreadsheets
This session is for finance leaders who suspect their current process, spreadsheet or software, is quietly costing them more than they realize.
Chief Financial Officers
Controllers
Treasury & Corporate Finance Leaders
VPs of Finance
FP&A Directors & Managers
Finance Business Partners
Reserve Your Seat and Put a Real Number on What Inaction Is Costing You
Free. No purchase required. Register now to hold your spot.
This is webinar 3 of 3 in the Aligned Planning Webinar Series. No replays are scheduled at this time.
If you can't attend live, register anyway and we'll notify you if this webinar is added back to the calendar.
Is Your Budgeting and Forecasting Software Built for Where You're Going — or Just Where You've Been?
Thu, Oct 22, 2026 · 1 - 2 PM ET · You'll receive a confirmation email from Zoom with your join link.
ALIGNED PLANNING WEBINAR SERIES
This Is Webinar 3 of 3.
THIS EVENT HAS PASSED
How to Improve Financial Forecast Accuracy When Business Conditions Keep Changing
Where this series started. Why forecast responsiveness, not just accuracy, is the real 2026 problem. 1.0 CPE credit.
THIS EVENT HAS PASSED
Financial Scenario Planning: How to Prepare for Disruption and Make Faster Decisions
Build on session one. Go deeper on scenario modeling so your team can move fast when conditions change. 1.0 CPE credit.
CPE Credit Information
Field of Study
Finance
Program Level
Basic
Delivery Method
Group Internet Based
Prerequisites / Advance Prep
None
CPE Credit
1.0 (50-minute hour, per NASBA guidelines)
Attendance Requirement
Attendees must remain present for the entire session and correctly answer at least 3 of the 4 polling questions presented live to receive credit.
This program is free; no purchase required to attend.
Registration: Each attendee must register individually. Registration links are unique and may not be shared or forwarded; a unique registration is required to verify attendance and maintain CPE credit certification.
Refund/Cancellation: Free program, no fees collected, no refund applicable. Cancel anytime via [email protected].
Complaints: Contact Lodestar Solutions at [email protected]. Complaints regarding NASBA National Registry sponsors may go to NASBA at www.nasbaregistry.org.
NASBA Sponsor ID: 167915
· 813-415-2910
CPE SPONSOR INFORMATION
Lodestar Solutions is registered with NASBA's National Registry of CPE Sponsors. Sponsor ID: 167915. State boards of accountancy have final authority on acceptance of CPE credit. Complaints regarding registered sponsors may be submitted to NASBA at www.nasbaregistry.org.
© 2026 Lodestar Solutions. All rights reserved. - Free program, no fees collected, no refund applicable. Cancel anytime via [email protected]. - Presented at a Basic level; no prerequisites or advance preparation required.