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Oct 6 · Video

The CFO lessons behind Costco's long-term strategy

CFOs can learn a lot about pricing and leadership from Costco. In this episode of How CFOs Think, the former Costco CFO Richard Galanti explains how Costco Wholesale – a multibillion-dollar global retailer with warehouse club operations in 14 countries – has used pricing discipline, operational efficiency, transparency and long-term thinking to build customer loyalty and value. Listeners will learn: Why Costco maintains strict limits on product mark-ups How operational efficiency helps protect customer value Why Costco sometimes accepts lower short-term earnings How transparency shapes relationships with investors and suppliers What the CFO contributes to major capital and strategic decisions Why monthly performance reviews support better decision-making What new CFOs should focus on during their first 90 days How long-term financial discipline can support shareholder returns Tune in with special guest Richard Galanti, who will also be speaking at CPA Congress 2026. Host: Ky Chow, media trainer, journalist, writer and presenter Guest: Richard Galanti, who joined Costco in 1984 after helping raise the company's original outside capital as a banker and spent close to 40 years as its CFO. Richard Galanti will appear at CPA Congress 2026. Loving this episode? Listen to more INTHEBLACK episodes and other CPA Australia podcasts on YouTube. And don't forget to click subscribe to the channel for a wide range of content that will help your career. CPA Australia publishes four podcasts, providing commentary and thought leadership across business, finance, and accounting: With Interest INTHEBLACK INTHEBLACK Out Loud Excel Tips Search for them in your podcast platform. Email the podcast team at podcasts@cpaaustralia.com.au
Oct 1

How to use Python in Excel for sentiment analysis

Excel's core strength is working with numbers. And we love how it makes our data work more efficiently. However, what happens when the data is words? Python in Excel closes that gap, allowing you to analyse short-form feedback such as customer surveys, employee comments, training feedback and help desk responses. This episode explains how sentiment analysis works and how to combine Python with Excel formulas to create a practical feedback analysis workflow. You will learn: How sentiment analysis can help analyse large volumes of written feedback How Python in Excel gives Excel capabilities it does not have natively How VADER scores negative, neutral, positive and overall sentiment How to turn raw sentiment scores into useful descriptions with XLOOKUP How spill ranges, LET, DROP, HSTACK and VSTACK extend the analysis Where sentiment analysis can struggle, including sarcasm, irony and jargon Why human judgement is still needed to interpret and act on feedback Tune in now. Host: Neale Blackwood CPA. He has more than 20 years of experience as a Microsoft Excel educator and is the author of more than 200 INTHEBLACK articles as well as a book, Advanced Excel Reporting for Management Accountants. There is a useful companion video to go with this episode of Excel Tips. And you can read more of Neale's Excel articles on INTHEBLACK. You can find a CPA at our custom portal on the CPA Australia website. Loving this content? Would you like to listen to more Excel Tips and other CPA Australia podcasts like INTHEBLACK and With Interest? Head to CPA Australia's YouTube channel. CPA Australia publishes four podcasts, providing commentary and thought leadership across business, finance, and accounting: With Interest INTHEBLACK Excel Tips INTHEBLACK Out Loud Search for them in your podcast platform. You can email the podcast team at podcasts@cpaaustralia.com.au
Aug 3

Create interactive Excel charts

Wouldn't it be useful to learn how to build interactive Excel charts that respond automatically to user input using dynamic arrays? This expert-led episode introduces the core techniques behind flexible charting in Excel, with practical examples. Key takeaways: Create charts that automatically adjust the number of months displayed Use SEQUENCE to build flexible dynamic array calculations Combine data for charts with the HSTACK function Find the latest reporting period using MAX and EOMONTH Extract and summarise data with INDEX, MATCH and GROUPBY Fix a common dynamic array date bug using a simple formula adjustment Learn why helper cells make complex formulas easier to understand This is the first episode in a two-part series on interactive Excel charts, with the next instalment in September covering more advanced reporting techniques, including financial year reporting. Tune in now. Host: Neale Blackwood CPA. He has more than 20 years of experience as a Microsoft Excel educator and is the author of more than 200 INTHEBLACK articles as well as a book, Advanced Excel Reporting for Management Accountants. There is a useful companion video to go with this episode of Excel Tips. And you can read more of Neale's Excel articles on INTHEBLACK. You can find a CPA at our custom portal on the CPA Australia website. Loving this content? Would you like to listen to more Excel Tips and other CPA Australia podcasts like INTHEBLACK and With Interest? Head to CPA Australia's YouTube channel. CPA Australia publishes four podcasts, providing commentary and thought leadership across business, finance, and accounting: With Interest INTHEBLACK Excel Tips INTHEBLACK Out Loud Search for them in your podcast platform. You can email the podcast team at podcasts@cpaaustralia.com.au
Jun 1

Why Excel macros still matter in 2026

Excel macros are far from obsolete. And here's why. This episode explores why VBAs (Visual Basic for Applications) still play an important role in workflow efficiency for accountants and finance professionals. Key learnings: Why macros still matter in modern Excel workflows How VBA compares with Power Query The limits of Power Query for in-situ data fixes How AI can help write and debug VBA code How to automate data cleansing tasks in Excel Why VBA is a useful entry point into programming How to store macros in the personal macro workbook Ways to run macros from the quick access toolbar Listen now to help level up your Excel skills with macros. Host: Neale Blackwood CPA. He has more than 20 years of experience as a Microsoft Excel educator and is the author of more than 200 INTHEBLACK articles as well as a book, Advanced Excel Reporting for Management Accountants. For more, check out the accompanying YouTube video of this episode. Read more of Neale's Excel articles on INTHEBLACK. Loving this content? Don't forget to subscribe to EXCEL TIPS and share this episode with your colleagues and friends in the business community. Would you like to listen to more Excel Tips and other CPA Australia podcasts like INTHEBLACK and With Interest? Head to CPA Australia's YouTube channel. And don't forget to subscribe to the channel. You can find a CPA at our custom portal on the CPA Australia website. CPA Australia publishes four podcasts, providing commentary and thought leadership across business, finance and accounting: With Interest INTHEBLACK Excel Tips INTHEBLACK Out Loud Search for them in your podcast platform. You can email the podcast team at podcasts@cpaaustralia.com.au
Sep 1

Create interactive Excel charts (part 2)

Can you make Excel reporting more interactive? Yes, you can. And it's all to do with dynamic arrays. In the second of this two-part series, discover how to create dynamic Excel charts this time using financial year calculations and checkboxes. This is useful for finance pros because the techniques allow users more control. You will learn: How to convert calendar year calculations into financial years How to use checkboxes to control ascending or descending chart order How checkboxes can figure out which metrics appear on a chart How PIVOTBY creates two-dimensional reports for chart data How FILTER, HSTACK and VSTACK can combine chart components How formatted tables allow charts to update when new monthly data is added How to build safeguards for accidentally deleted checkboxes Tune in now. Host: Neale Blackwood CPA. He has more than 20 years of experience as a Microsoft Excel educator and is the author of more than 200 INTHEBLACK articles as well as a book, Advanced Excel Reporting for Management Accountants. There is a useful companion video to go with this episode of Excel Tips. And you can read more of Neale's Excel articles on INTHEBLACK. You can find a CPA at our custom portal on the CPA Australia website. Loving this content? Would you like to listen to more Excel Tips and other CPA Australia podcasts like INTHEBLACK and With Interest? Head to CPA Australia's YouTube channel. CPA Australia publishes four podcasts, providing commentary and thought leadership across business, finance and accounting: With Interest INTHEBLACK Excel Tips INTHEBLACK Out Loud Search for them in your podcast platform. You can email the podcast team at podcasts@cpaaustralia.com.au
Jul 1

How to create accounting reports with DAX

From trial balances to profit and loss statements, reporting sits at the centre of modern finance. This episode explores how finance professionals can use DAX (Data Analysis Expressions) formulas and Power Pivot to build more powerful accounting reports in Excel. Learn how to create scalable, maintainable reporting models using Excel's data model, while applying techniques that can also be used in Power BI. Some of the key learnings: Understand the relationship between Power Pivot and DAX Build accounting reports using multiple related tables Overcome financial year limitations in pivot tables Correct debit and credit sign issues in trial balances Test and validate DAX measures using pivot tables Use AI to write, explain and review DAX formulas Listen now to improve your Excel skills. Host: Neale Blackwood CPA. He has more than 20 years of experience as a Microsoft Excel educator and is the author of more than 200 INTHEBLACK articles as well as a book, Advanced Excel Reporting for Management Accountants. For more, check out the accompanying YouTube video of this episode. Read more of Neale's Excel articles on INTHEBLACK, including this story that explains DAX in further detail. Loving this content? Don't forget to subscribe to EXCEL TIPS and share this episode with your colleagues and friends in the business community. Would you like to listen to more Excel Tips and other CPA Australia podcasts like INTHEBLACK and With Interest? Head to CPA Australia's YouTube channel. And don't forget to subscribe to the channel. You can find a CPA at our custom portal on the CPA Australia website. CPA Australia publishes four podcasts, providing commentary and thought leadership across business, finance and accounting: With Interest INTHEBLACK Excel Tips INTHEBLACK Out Loud Search for them in your podcast platform. You can email the podcast team at podcasts@cpaaustralia.com.au
Mar 2

Master your messy data

Messy, unstructured data. It slows reporting, creates errors, and tests everyone's patience. Right? This episode breaks down how the new Regular Expressions (REGEX) work and how they help you find patterns in unstructured text, from email addresses to dates and hidden white space. You will learn: what REGEX is and why it matters for accountants and analysts how to use REGEXEXTRACT, REGEXTEST and REGEXREPLACE when to combine REGEXTEST with FILTER for smarter analysis how REGEX now works inside XLOOKUP and XMATCH ways to manage white space and non-standard characters why building a reusable pattern library will save time. Programmers have been using REGEX patterns for decades, but they've only just come to Excel. The good news is Excel's new REGEX functions give finance teams a practical way to take back control. Listen now to help improve your Excel skills. Host: Neale Blackwood CPA. He has more than 20 years of experience as a Microsoft Excel educator and is the author of more than 200 INTHEBLACK articles as well as a book, Advanced Excel Reporting for Management Accountants. For more, check out the accompanying YouTube video of this episode. Read more of Neale's Excel articles on INTHEBLACK. Loving this content? Don't forget to subscribe to EXCEL TIPS and share this episode with your colleagues and friends in the business community. Would you like to listen to more Excel Tips and other CPA Australia podcasts like INTHEBLACK and With Interest? Head to CPA Australia's YouTube channel. And don't forget to subscribe to the channel. You can find a CPA at our custom portal on the CPA Australia website. CPA Australia publishes four podcasts, providing commentary and thought leadership across business, finance and accounting: With Interest INTHEBLACK Excel Tips INTHEBLACK Out Loud Search for them in your podcast platform. You can email the podcast team at podcasts@cpaaustralia.com.au
4d ago · Video

How AI is changing the role of auditors

We know that AI is changing how audit work is performed. However, it is not replacing the need for professional judgement. This episode examines what responsible AI adoption means for auditors, accounting firms and the wider profession. The discussion also considers how firms can build the governance, skills and culture needed to adopt AI effectively. Listeners will learn: Why adopting AI requires professionals to both adapt and develop new skills Why industry knowledge and human judgement remain central to audit How audit teams may evolve as data analytics and technology skills become more important Why regulators, professionals and technology providers need to work together How complacency, rather than AI itself, could pose a greater risk to the profession Why it matters to clearly communicate AI's role to clients, teams and stakeholders Host: Gavan Ord, business investment and international lead, CPA Australia Guest: Brian Indradjaja FCPA, Indonesia leader and president director of PT Deloitte Indonesia, and Deloitte's Asia Pacific digital regulations leader. Learn more about Brian Indradjaja FCPA and Deloitte. Loving this episode? Listen to more With Interest episodes and other CPA Australia podcasts on YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/@CPAaustralia/podcasts And don't forget to click subscribe to the channel for a wide range of content that will help your career. CPA Australia publishes four podcasts, providing commentary and thought leadership across business, finance and accounting: With Interest https://www.cpaaustralia.com.au/tools-and-resources/podcasts/with-interest INTHEBLACK https://www.cpaaustralia.com.au/tools-and-resources/podcasts/intheblack INTHEBLACK Out Loud https://www.cpaaustralia.com.au/tools-and-resources/podcasts/intheblack-outloud Excel Tips https://www.cpaaustralia.com.au/tools-and-resources/podcasts/excel-tips Search for them in your podcast platform. Email the podcast team at podcasts@cpaaustralia.com.au
08/01/2023

Unlock 14 expert tips for Excel formulas

Unleash your Excel skills by using the valuable functionality of formulas. Go straight to episode sections: The formula bar – 1:06 Starting formulas – 1:41 Using functions – 2:58 Function arguments – 4:09 Relative and absolute cell and range references – 7:15 The calculation sequence – 9:46 Parentheses (brackets) – 10:39 Colours in formulas – 12:37 Entering cell and Range references – 13:50 The Function Wizard – 15:57 Formula auditing – 17:01 IF error – 19:12 REF error – 20:01 Dynamic arrays and the SPILL error – 20:26 Tune in now to level up with these expert shortcuts and techniques. Host: Neale Blackwood CPA has more than 20 years of experience as a Microsoft Excel educator. He is the author of more than 200 INTHEBLACK articles as well as a book, Advanced Excel Reporting for Management Accountants. CPA Australia publishes three podcasts, providing commentary and thought leadership across business, finance, and accounting: With Interest INTHEBLACK Excel Tips Search for them in your podcast platform. You can email the podcast team at podcasts@cpaaustralia.com.au
06/02/2025

Excel's GROUPBY and PIVOTBY explained

Excel's new functions, GROUPBY and PIVOTBY, offer a smarter way to build reports. Instead of relying on traditional pivot tables, these new tools allow you to summarise datasets using dynamic, formula-based solutions that update automatically when the underlying data changes. In this episode: Understand the key differences between GROUPBY and PIVOTBY See how these tools can save time and reduce manual errors Explore practical applications for accountants and analysts Discover how to modernise reporting with flexible, auto-updating formulas For fast reference use the episode timestamps.  00:17 - Two new functions that can change report creation 00:35 - PivotTables can create summary report based on a data set 00:52 - The limitation of PivotTables – Refreshing the data 01:06 - New functions GROUPBY and PIVOTBY 01:12 - Use a function to create a PivotTable report – no Refresh needed 01:36 - GROUPBY reports – row-based reports 01:41 - PIVOTBY reports - row and column-based reports 01:59 - Best practice data source – a formatted table 02:14 - GROUPBY arguments listed and explained 02:46 - Multiple columns and subtotals are possible but require other functions 03:09 - Two functions that combine columns – HSTACK and CHOOSECOLS 04:03 - Structured references include table names and column names 04:18 - Formatted tables automatically expand when new data is added 04:35 - Formatting subtotal rows differently using conditional formats 05:05 - Filtering and sorting is possible in the GROUPBY report 05:25 - Companion video has an example of a Slicer as filter 05:43 - Controlling sorting 06:18 - New function to add percentages to reports called PERCENT OF 06:42 - Companion video has a hack to easily combine SUM and PERCENT OF 07:02 - Multiple calculations add headings to the report – they can be removed 07:09 - Remove heading with the DROP function 07:25 - PIVOTBY function description and explanation 08:09 - Dates can be problematic as you want to group them by month 08:31 - Companion video shows the TEXT function solving the problem 08:53 - Allowing the user to modify the report 09:15 - INDIRECT function solution 10:05 - Explanation of the INDIRECT function 10:38 - Adding extra calculations to the report 11:07 - The LET function allows you to capture and modify the report Whether optimising month-end processes or improving team workflows, GROUPBY and PIVOTBY help turn complex datasets into clear, actionable reports. Listen now to stay up to date with these Excel capabilities. Host: Neale Blackwood CPA. He has more than 20 years of experience as a Microsoft Excel educator and is the author of more than 200 INTHEBLACK articles as well as a book, Advanced Excel Reporting for Management Accountants. You can find a CPA at our custom portal on the CPA Australia website. Would you like to listen to more Excel Tips episodes? Head to CPA Australia's YouTube channel. CPA Australia publishes four podcasts, providing commentary and thought leadership across business, finance, and accounting: With Interest INTHEBLACK INTHEBLACK Out Loud Excel Tips Search for them in your podcast platform. Email the podcast team at podcasts@cpaaustralia.com.au

CPA Australia podcasts provide commentary and thought leadership across business, finance and accounting.

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CPA Australia

Top Shows

The CFO lessons behind Costco's long-term strategy

How to use Python in Excel for sentiment analysis

Create interactive Excel charts

Why Excel macros still matter in 2026

Create interactive Excel charts (part 2)

How to create accounting reports with DAX

Master your messy data

How AI is changing the role of auditors

Unlock 14 expert tips for Excel formulas

Excel's GROUPBY and PIVOTBY explained

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