Ex-CFO, others at healthcare ad company charged with $487M fraud

Among other offenses, CFO Brad Purdy "did nothing to correct the financial statements before he provided them to investors," the SEC alleges. 

By Robert Freedman • Nov. 26, 2019

Managing a smooth transition to ASC 606 revenue recognition

Decisions made by legal, sales, and other teams can affect how you recognize money coming in and going out. Collaboration is key to staying on the right side of the 700 pages of guidelines.

By Robert Freedman • Nov. 25, 2019

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

Companies gain when their CFO sits on outside boards

Outside board responsibilities are time-consuming, but they can provide the CFO's company with better financial management. 

By Robert Freedman • Nov. 24, 2019

Non-GAAP measures getting out of control, critic says

"Total revenue other bets" and other non-standard metrics serve a purpose, but they risk being abused as companies use them more in their financial reports.

By Robert Freedman • Nov. 17, 2019

Understated income tax expense at center of Mattel accounting error

The company is revising its 2018 10-K and has acknowledged material weakness in its internal controls.

By Robert Freedman • Nov. 6, 2019

Under Armour accounting reportedly under SEC scrutiny

Investigators are learning whether the athletic wear giant smoothed out its revenue over quarters to improve its financial appearance, The Wall Street Journal reported.

By Robert Freedman • Nov. 4, 2019

Which KPIs are worth tracking?

Srinivas Pothireddy, vice president at Apps Associates, told CFO Dive which metrics to analyze and which to ignore for meeting today's digitized demands. 

By Jane Thier • Oct. 30, 2019

Amazon CFO: shift to 1-day shipping a 'drastic change to the whole network topology'

Brian Olsavsky attributed the increased costs to continued capacity building related to the shift of default Amazon Prime shipping from two days to one.

By Emma Cosgrove • Oct. 25, 2019

New metrics for improving visibility into company performance

Finance metrics are lagging indicators, so you need to centralize collection of other performance measures to forecast future value.  

By Robert Freedman • Oct. 23, 2019

Firms seek FASB guidance on supplier financing arrangements

Arrangements such as reverse factoring need clear direction because they represent undisclosed liabilities that can catch investors off guard, analysts and accounting firms say.

By Robert Freedman • Oct. 21, 2019

FASB extends lease accounting standards until January 2021

Private companies and nonprofits get a one-year reprieve on new standards for showing lease obligations in their financials. 

By Robert Freedman • Oct. 17, 2019

U.S. Bancorp CFO attributes 'strong quarter' to mortgage business growth

Strategic investments in loan officers and its digital platform have contributed to the growth of U.S. Bancorp's mortgage arm, CFO Terrance Dolan said.

By Anna Hrushka • Oct. 17, 2019

Card revenue buoys Citi Q3 earnings; CFO stresses cost management

An 11% jump in the North American card segment stands as a relief after the bank lowered its expectations on net interest income. Meanwhile, the company is trying to rein in expenses, CFO Mark Mason said.  

By Dan Ennis • Oct. 16, 2019

Companies more open when they face higher lawsuit risk

The easier it is to sue, the more shareholders benefit, because companies are more likely to give regular guidance on the direction of their earnings.

By Robert Freedman • Oct. 15, 2019

Since Enron, most countries have adopted accounting standards

The next phase is to gain widespread adoption of investigation and discipline standards — in short, give standards more teeth.

By Robert Freedman • Oct. 14, 2019

Accounting GAAP: Why digital companies struggle with reporting standards

The legacy accounting system often misses the mark for many businesses. 

By Suzanne Northington • Oct. 6, 2019

Look at evidence before splitting up audit firms, accounting coalition says

The International Federation of Accountants and other global accounting associations say firms that combine audit and non-audit work tend to perform better than those that only perform audits. 

By Robert Freedman • Oct. 3, 2019

SEC rule expansion lets all companies 'test the waters' before issuing IPO

The SEC's rule, previously reserved for emerging enterprises, allows companies to gauge market interest among potential investors before or after filing their registration statement.

By Robert Freedman • Oct. 2, 2019

Lawmaker wants FASB standards subject to federal rulemaking procedures

Unhappiness with how FASB handled its Current Expected Credit Loss (CECL) standard has led to a flurry of activism in the House.

By Robert Freedman • Sept. 30, 2019

Fiat Chrysler to pay $40M over misleading investors on sales

The company touted uninterrupted sales growth between 2012 and 2016. In months when the streak would have ended, it reported old sales as though they had just occurred, the SEC said.

By Robert Freedman • Sept. 29, 2019

PwC settles with SEC for $7.9M over audit violations, improper conduct

The firm exercised decision-making authority on behalf of some public clients, violating audit independence rules.

By Robert Freedman • Sept. 23, 2019

Reverse factoring in cash management prompts alarm from Moody's

Companies are stretching out their supplier payments with a new take on conventional factoring, but this often creates an undisclosed material debt obligation.

By Robert Freedman • Sept. 22, 2019

Former Viking Energy CEO charged with lying about CFO

The company operated without a finance chief despite a CFO signature appearing on annual and quarterly reports.  

By Robert Freedman • Sept. 18, 2019

Disclosure rule hasn't improved audit quality, researchers say

PCAOB's Rule 3211, controversial when enacted, was supposed to increase accountability and audit quality.

By Robert Freedman • Sept. 17, 2019

SEC fines Marvell Technology $5.5M in revenue manipulation scheme

The company's use of pull-in sales masked a substantial decline in customer demand, a loss of market share and reduced future sales, the agency said. 

By Robert Freedman • Sept. 16, 2019