The Future of Financial Planning: Why Centage Is the Next Step Beyond Excel

When I stepped into my role as CEO of Centage, I asked one simple question: Why do so many businesses still rely on spreadsheets for budgeting and forecasting—even when they know it’s not working?

The answer? Because they don’t have a better alternative.

Most FP&A teams today are stuck between two extremes:

1. Excel & Plugins – Flexible but chaotic, prone to errors, and impossible to scale.
2. Enterprise Performance Management (EPM) Software – Powerful but complex, expensive, and overkill for most mid-sized businesses.

That’s where Centage comes in—the perfect next step when your business outgrows Excel but isn’t ready for an expensive, complicated EPM system.

Financial Planning Should Be Smarter, Not Harder

For years, finance teams have patched together spreadsheets, plugins, and manual processes, accepting broken formulas and version control nightmares as part of the job. I believe that financial planning should empower you, not hold you back.

That’s why we’re relaunching our Worksheets in March—to make budgeting and forecasting even more intuitive, powerful, and collaborative. With Centage, finance teams get:

✅ An Excel-like experience—without the spreadsheet headaches
✅ Built-in security, governance, and automation to eliminate errors
✅ Seamless collaboration with department heads, so budgeting isn’t a solo sport
✅ A system that grows with you, instead of forcing workarounds when things get complex

Centage is not just another finance tool. It’s a living model for your business, adapting in real-time as things change—so you always have an accurate, up-to-date financial picture.

Where We’re Headed

This relaunch is just the beginning. Over the next year, we’ll continue to push the boundaries of what’s possible in FP&A, ensuring that Centage remains the most intuitive, flexible, and powerful planning tool for growing businesses.

If your company has reached the tipping point where Excel just isn’t cutting it anymore, Centage is here to help. The future of financial planning is smarter, faster, and easier—and we can’t wait to show you what’s next.

🚀 Stay tuned. Big things are coming.

Paul Lynch
CEO, Centage

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