FinPod

SQL is one of the most valuable technical skills for finance professionals, business intelligence analysts, and data analysts. But once you've mastered the basics, how do you write cleaner, more scalable queries that support real business decisions?
In this episode of What's New at CFI, Meeyeon sits down with CFI instructor Joseph Yeates to discuss CFI's new Advanced SQL for Analysts course. They explore how advanced SQL helps analysts move beyond answering individual questions to building flexible, reusable data models that support reporting, dashboards, and business intelligence workflows.
Whether you're working in Excel, Power BI, Python, or directly with SQL databases, this course is designed to help you collaborate more effectively with data engineering teams, organize complex SQL queries, and build stronger data analysis skills.

What if the most important number in finance isn't revenue or net income, but the cash that's left over after a business pays for its own survival?
In this episode of Corporate Finance Explained, we break down free cash flow (FCF) and why it is one of the most important metrics in corporate finance, valuation, investing, and financial analysis. While headlines focus on revenue growth and earnings beats, free cash flow reveals whether a company is actually generating real economic value or simply producing attractive accounting results.
Using real-world examples from Microsoft, Adobe, Costco, and AMC Entertainment, we explore how companies can report strong earnings while quietly burning cash, and why free cash flow often provides a clearer picture of financial health than net income alone.

What happens when the biggest AI companies in the world borrow hundreds of billions of dollars to build infrastructure before the demand is fully proven?
In this episode of Corporate Finance Explained, we unpack the corporate finance behind the AI boom and explore how Amazon, Microsoft, Meta, and Alphabet are funding one of the largest private capital investment cycles in modern history. With projected AI infrastructure spending approaching $700 billion, the real story is not the technology itself. It's the debt, capital structures, and financial risk sitting beneath the headlines.
We break down how hyperscalers are using project finance, special purpose vehicles (SPVs), private credit, and long-term power contracts to build massive AI data centers at unprecedented speed. Along the way, we examine the growing debate around GPU depreciation, AI infrastructure economics, and whether today's AI buildout resembles past capital cycles like railroads and telecom networks.

What if the biggest threat to corporate profitability isn’t a recession, a supply chain disruption, or a technological breakthrough, but a tax that changes overnight?
In this episode of Corporate Finance Explained, we break down the financial mechanics of tariffs and explore how rising trade barriers are reshaping corporate strategy, supply chains, pricing decisions, and profitability around the world. With the average effective U.S. tariff rate reaching levels not seen since the 1930s, companies are being forced to rethink where they manufacture, how they source materials, and how they manage risk.
Using real-world examples from Apple, General Motors, and Ford, we examine how finance teams model tariff exposure, why legal changes can create massive uncertainty, and how tariffs quietly flow through inventory, balance sheets, and income statements before eventually showing up in consumer prices.

In this episode of Corporate Finance Explained, we break down the hidden mechanics of Cost of Goods Sold (COGS) and why the companies that master their costs often outperform competitors that generate far more revenue. Through real-world examples from Costco, Walmart, Tesla, and Blue Apron, we explore how gross margin, unit economics, supply chains, and operational efficiency shape long-term business success.
While revenue grabs headlines, COGS determines whether a company can scale profitably, defend its margins, and build a durable competitive advantage. We unpack the strategies behind some of the world's most successful businesses and reveal how seemingly small decisions inside operations, procurement, and product design can dramatically impact profitability.