Mar 12 • Christopher Van Vleet, MS Ed
Can’t AI just handle the numbers? The case for building financial acumen alongside AI fluency
Financial acumen is no longer a finance department skill—it belongs to every professional with a stake in business outcomes. This article examines why, despite the rise of AI, the ability to read, interpret, and communicate financial data remains a deeply human capability. Learning & Development (L&D) leaders, team managers, and individual professionals will find both the evidence and a practical starting point for closing the gap.
In 2025, the Wall Street Journal published a piece with a title that stopped me in my tracks: Wall Street Has Had Its Own Language for Centuries. How Well Do You Speak It? It points to something broader than Wall Street—the quiet belief, held by many capable professionals, that telling a business story using financial data is for Them, not Us. It doesn't have to be.
Many wonder: "How do I confidently participate in financial conversations—especially when it's my idea on the table?" That's the competency gap I work on. The function leader struggling to translate an idea into an ROI narrative that resonates with leadership knows this feeling well. Financial acumen—the ability to understand what financial data means, why it matters, and how to use it to drive decisions—is a skill every professional can build and use frequently in any industry.
I argue that—even given the proliferation and use of AI tools—financial acumen remains one of the most important capability investments an organization can make today, not just a personal development choice. Here's why.
Many wonder: "How do I confidently participate in financial conversations—especially when it's my idea on the table?" That's the competency gap I work on. The function leader struggling to translate an idea into an ROI narrative that resonates with leadership knows this feeling well. Financial acumen—the ability to understand what financial data means, why it matters, and how to use it to drive decisions—is a skill every professional can build and use frequently in any industry.
I argue that—even given the proliferation and use of AI tools—financial acumen remains one of the most important capability investments an organization can make today, not just a personal development choice. Here's why.
The evidence is clear—and growing
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects employment of financial managers will grow 15 percent from 2024 to 2034—much faster than average. As Accounting Today reported in January 2025, finance has evolved from a number-crunching function to a strategic and consultative one. Deloitte’s 2026 Finance Trends Survey polled more than 1,300 finance leaders across the globe and found more than half of survey respondents (57%) say they are now among the top leaders influencing strategy development across the organization.
It’s telling that by 2031, 73 percent of U.S. high school students will graduate having taken a personal finance course (up from just 9 percent in 2017)—a signal of just how urgently this skill is being recognized at every level.
Forbes, in September 2025, made a compelling argument for the L&D and leadership development community: financial acumen is being reframed not as a technical skill, but as a strategic leadership capability. The professionals who can translate financial data into a business story—who can hold their own in any conversation about performance, ROI, or market dynamic—are the ones who get heard.
It’s telling that by 2031, 73 percent of U.S. high school students will graduate having taken a personal finance course (up from just 9 percent in 2017)—a signal of just how urgently this skill is being recognized at every level.
Forbes, in September 2025, made a compelling argument for the L&D and leadership development community: financial acumen is being reframed not as a technical skill, but as a strategic leadership capability. The professionals who can translate financial data into a business story—who can hold their own in any conversation about performance, ROI, or market dynamic—are the ones who get heard.
AI and financial acumen: Complementary, not competing
AI can run the numbers faster than any of us—and AI tools are showing they can be an important and worthy companion for foundational learning, for example, the difference between book value and market value of an asset or entity when working on a business pitch. But what AI can’t do is interpret the underlying meaning of an asset’s value or provide the contextual judgment that decisions require. By contrast, equipped with financial acumen tailored to their role, individual contributors and functional teams are better positioned to navigate organizational dynamics and make a persuasive business case to a skeptical stakeholder.
Financial acumen isn’t about crunching data. It's about knowing what the data means, bringing curiosity to why it matters, and how to use it to move people and decisions forward—and that remains a deeply human capability. There's a meaningful difference between an organization that trains people to use AI tools and one that builds financial acumen alongside AI fluency. The former might create dependency on the tools; the latter creates durable capability that adapts as the tools evolve.
Financial acumen isn’t about crunching data. It's about knowing what the data means, bringing curiosity to why it matters, and how to use it to move people and decisions forward—and that remains a deeply human capability. There's a meaningful difference between an organization that trains people to use AI tools and one that builds financial acumen alongside AI fluency. The former might create dependency on the tools; the latter creates durable capability that adapts as the tools evolve.
Key Takeaways
- Financial acumen is no longer a finance department skill—it's a leadership capability every professional can and should build.
- AI accelerates analysis—but human judgment, context, and persuasion remain irreplaceable in the room.
- Organizations investing in financial acumen today are building the kind of workforce that can compete, communicate, and lead with confidence tomorrow.
Ready to take the next step?
Whether you’re an L&D leader evaluating capability investments, a team manager looking to upskill your people, or a professional ready to build your own financial confidence—here are three ways to move forward:
- Reflect on the gap—where does financial acumen show up as a limiting factor in your team’s performance or your own?
- Explore the learning options—whether for yourself or your organization, a path can be designed to meet you where you are.
- Share this post—if this resonates with a colleague, a client, or your network, pass it along. The conversation about financial acumen in the workplace is one worth having.
If any of this resonates with your work, I'd love to hear from you.
Christopher Van Vleet is the Founder of Bend River Consulting and an accredited Let's Talk Finance facilitator. He works with professionals, teams, and founders to build financial acumen and strategic communication skills.
Christopher Van Vleet is the Founder of Bend River Consulting and an accredited Let's Talk Finance facilitator. He works with professionals, teams, and founders to build financial acumen and strategic communication skills.
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References
Wall Street Has Had Its Own Language for Centuries. How Well Do You Speak It? The Wall Street Journal, September 24, 2025. Available at wsj.com (subscription required).
Five Trends That Will Redefine Finance and Accounting in 2025. Accounting Today, January 13, 2025. https://www.accountingtoday.com/list/five-trends-that-will-redefine-finance-and-accounting-in-2025
Reframing Financial Literacy As Strategic Leadership. Forbes, September 24, 2025. Melissa Houston. https://www.forbes.com/sites/melissahouston/2025/09/24/reframing-financial-literacy-as-strategic-leadership/
2025 Legislative Review of K-12 Financial Education Requirements. National Endowment for Financial Education (NEFE), August 2025. https://www.nefe.org/news/2025/08/2025-legislative-review-of-k12-financial-education-requirements.aspx
Financial Managers: Occupational Outlook Handbook. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, August 2025.
Gilbert, T.F. (1978). Human Competence: Engineering Worthy Performance. McGraw-Hill.
Deloitte’s Finance Trends 2026: Navigating the expanded scope of finance. https://www.deloitte.com/us/en/insights/topics/leadership/finance-trends-leadership.html
Five Trends That Will Redefine Finance and Accounting in 2025. Accounting Today, January 13, 2025. https://www.accountingtoday.com/list/five-trends-that-will-redefine-finance-and-accounting-in-2025
Reframing Financial Literacy As Strategic Leadership. Forbes, September 24, 2025. Melissa Houston. https://www.forbes.com/sites/melissahouston/2025/09/24/reframing-financial-literacy-as-strategic-leadership/
2025 Legislative Review of K-12 Financial Education Requirements. National Endowment for Financial Education (NEFE), August 2025. https://www.nefe.org/news/2025/08/2025-legislative-review-of-k12-financial-education-requirements.aspx
Financial Managers: Occupational Outlook Handbook. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, August 2025.
Gilbert, T.F. (1978). Human Competence: Engineering Worthy Performance. McGraw-Hill.
Deloitte’s Finance Trends 2026: Navigating the expanded scope of finance. https://www.deloitte.com/us/en/insights/topics/leadership/finance-trends-leadership.html
Wealthvox publishes and delivers financial education materials that enable anyone to access the power of the financial conversation.
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