SEC charges Nikola founder with fraud

Trevor Milton repeatedly made claims, mostly through social media, that either misstated or far exceeded what Nikola and its products actually did or could do, according to the Securities and Exchange Commission. 

By Robert Freedman • July 29, 2021

SEC may require climate risk disclosures in expanded 10-Ks: Gensler

SEC Chair Gary Gensler says a company, when filing mandatory climate risk disclosures, may need to measure carbon emissions across its “value chain.”

By Jim Tyson • July 28, 2021

Explore the Trendline➔

Top 5 stories from CFO Dive

The promises and traps of generative AI, revamped modern finance teams and stark geopolitical risks are among the top forces CFOs are grappling with this year.

By CFO Dive staff

Global regulators unite to intensify scrutiny of SPACs

A group of securities market regulators from several countries launched a joint network to monitor SPAC deal-making.

By Jim Tyson • July 27, 2021

Loan performance could worsen under new lease accounting standards

For executives whose pay is tied in part to company performance, debt troubles from the reporting changes could impact compensation.

By Ed McCarthy • July 26, 2021

Twitter CFO eyeing subscription model

Over time, CFO Ned Segal said, Twitter envisions subscriptions being a “big part” of the company. But currently, it's prioritizing advertising, which brought in over $1 billion during the second quarter, and "is firing on all cylinders.”

By Jane Thier • July 26, 2021

Tax complexity rising for global companies, survey finds

Global companies face increasingly complex taxation in dozens of countries, especially in calculating transfer pricing and when challenging tax assessments, according to a survey.

By Jim Tyson • July 26, 2021

Coronavirus real estate shifts pose accounting complexities

CFOs confront a tangle of accounting challenges as they reopen offices and prepare for post-pandemic use of real estate, a Deloitte survey found.

By Jim Tyson • July 23, 2021

Usefulness of SaaS metrics lies in context, not isolation

High customer acquisition costs, like some low conversion rates, shouldn't automatically be considered a bad signal.

By Robert Freedman • July 23, 2021

Retailer, former CEO charged with accounting failures

The SEC charged Tandy Leather Factory and its former CEO with knowingly maintaining a flawed inventory system that led to errors in its financial statements.

By Jim Tyson • July 22, 2021

Corporate 'greenwashing' poses growing threat to ESG goals: report

Sustainable financing has surged since 2015 but false corporate claims jeopardize carbon reduction efforts, Generation Investment Management said in a report.

By Jim Tyson • July 21, 2021

Chipotle CFO: higher wages preventing staff shortages

The company maintains pricing power, finance chief Jack Hartung says, giving it flexibility to decide when to use that power to either protect margins or make an additional investment in its people. 

By Jane Thier • July 21, 2021

J&J predicts faster coronavirus vaccine sales amid debate over boosters

The pharmaceutical company expects $2.5 billion in sales from its shot this year, its CFO told analysts, despite concerns over protection against variants and significant manufacturing setbacks.

By Ned Pagliarulo , Jane Thier • July 21, 2021

CEO, CFO charged with faking revenue, bond documents

The Securities and Exchange Commission alleges the former executives of FTE, a network infrastructure company, used phony paperwork to hide the financial health of the company while spending lavishly on themselves. 

By Robert Freedman • July 20, 2021

SPAC sponsor, merger target charged with misleading statements

Under a settlement for making inaccurate claims about the target company's technology, the sponsor must give up any founder shares it would have received from the merger, and private investment in public equity (PIPE) investors can terminate their subscription agreements before the merger. 

By Robert Freedman • July 14, 2021

Bank of America's Q2 profit soars, CFO sets in-person work deadline

A $2.2 billion loan-loss reserve release buoyed the nation's second-largest bank as it anticipates an economic rebound from the COVID-19 pandemic. 

By Anna Hrushka • July 14, 2021

Double set of books could prove Trump Organization's undoing

An internal spreadsheet the company kept treated expenses in one way while the expenses were treated another way in the general ledger.

By Robert Freedman • July 13, 2021

3 hit with Long Island Iced Tea insider trading

A company employee sent a friend a draft press release on the beverage company's upcoming pivot to blockchain technology.  

By Robert Freedman • July 12, 2021

Levi's CFO: 'I firmly believe we have pricing power'

On the heels of a strong second-quarter earnings report for the company, Harmit Singh discussed the merits of upping prices during times of economic success versus amid hardship.

By Jane Thier • July 12, 2021

Why CFOs should lead the way on sustainability

The way forward can feel messy, time-consuming and amorphous for CFOs, but this is an extraordinary time in history to tackle these challenges.

By Anthony Coletta • July 7, 2021

Trump CFO, company charged with scheme to hide compensation

Among the counts against Allen Weisselberg is grand larceny in the second degree, a felony with a maximum 15-year prison sentence.

By Robert Freedman and Jane Thier • July 1, 2021

FASB appears ready to require supplier financing disclosure

The trade payable arrangements, which help companies manage cash, typically aren’t publicly reported despite posing a liquidity risk.  

By Robert Freedman • July 1, 2021

Getting EBITDA and free cash flow right in credit deals

These non-standardized measures are important, but because they mean different things to different people, they should be used carefully in credit raises and other contexts. 

By Robert Freedman • June 30, 2021

Trump Organization expected to be indicted on tax treatment for perks

The company could face going-concern issues as a result of the action even if the case goes nowhere, analysts say.

By Robert Freedman • June 29, 2021

From green to gold: 5 ways CFOs can gain from climate risk disclosure

CFOs confronting growing pressure to disclose climate change risks can find in their analysis opportunities to improve capital allocation and risk management.

By Jim Tyson • June 29, 2021

Low-quality assurance of ESG reports pose stability risk: IFAC

Companies' attempts to back up their ESG reports with low-quality assurance has put financial stability at risk, a study by the International Federation of Accountants says.

By Jim Tyson • June 24, 2021