Why CFOs speak to the press (and whether they should)

Finance chiefs' credibility, diligence and deep knowledge of the numbers make them ideal candidates for press interviews and company spokespeople, PR specialists say.

By Jane Thier • Aug. 13, 2021

How a Big-4 firm reduced lease agreement review time by 80%

AI can automate the extraction of information needed to comply with new ASC 842 standards.

By Steve Levine • Aug. 11, 2021

Explore the Trendline➔

CFO best practices in the evolving generative AI era

As the initial frenzy around the launch of generative artificial intelligence subsides, a new GenAI era appears to be taking shape.

By CFO Dive staff

Setting up a high-functioning accounting operation

Start with a clean chart of accounts and end with operationally knowledgeable team members so the finance leader can focus on strategic value-adds, specialists say. 

By Robert Freedman • Aug. 10, 2021

Independent auditors provide ESG disclosure assurance

The expertise external auditors bring to financial reporting can help investors and other stakeholders feel confident as companies step up environmental, social and governance reporting.  

By Kathryn Kaminsky • Aug. 10, 2021

FASB eases private-company stock compensation award accounting

Companies can satisfy GAAP using the IRS ‘presumption of reasonableness’ standard rather than doing a separate valuation estimate.

By Robert Freedman • Aug. 6, 2021

GM CFO: 'We're exercising a lot of caution about the future'

The automaker “has always been focused on making sure we're putting numbers out that we know we can deliver on,” Paul Jacobson told analysts Thursday.

By Jane Thier • Aug. 6, 2021

Forecasting cash flow under volatile conditions

Not getting the forecast right can lead to a cash crunch and, if the business is for sale, make it harder to close the deal.

By Ramona Dzinkowski • Aug. 4, 2021

Mastercard CFO: consumers 'ready and willing' to increase spending

“The U.S. has always been a laggard when it comes to contactless payments, but that’s changing,” Sachin Mehra says. 

By Jane Thier • Aug. 3, 2021

Almost 90% of SPACs have had to restate financials

Concerns by the Securities and Exchange Commission over the accounting of warrants spurred a compliance rush, both by operating companies and SPAC sponsors.

By Robert Freedman • Aug. 2, 2021

CFOs called key to setting comparables in SPAC warrant valuations

The goal is to find comparables that accurately reflect the lowest possible volatility level of the target company’s warranty valuation.

By Robert Freedman • July 30, 2021

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

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