Study: Pandemic impact on small companies worsened by Sarbanes-Oxley

A provision in the 2002 federal law to improve corporate accounting leaves companies reliant on debt at a time when credit markets are wobbling.

By Robert Freedman • April 14, 2020

CFO in the Know: Tapping working capital lines to finance modular construction

Components are completed faster and with fewer mistakes when they're built in a factory. Here's how to get financing when most lenders say "no."

By Kim Slowey • April 14, 2020

Explore the Trendline➔

Compensation: solving the cost-talent puzzle

In today’s strong labor market, CFOs leery of raising wages find creative ways to find and retain key employees.

By CFO Dive staff

Survey: Half of CFOs expect a return to normal by Q3

Only 9% of CFOs surveyed by CFO Magazine expect a sustained recession, with economic activity not picking up until 2022.

By Jane Thier • April 13, 2020

CFOs look to credit lines, bond markets for cash

It’s crunch time for CFOs as they help their companies navigate the downturn.

By Robert Freedman • April 13, 2020

Pivoting from growth to margins

ThoughtSpot's new CFO brings finely honed ideas to the finance team just as the company faces the global downturn.

By Robert Freedman • April 12, 2020

54% of small business CFOs to slow pay vendors: Gartner

The coronavirus pandemic is drawing a clear divide between large and small business CFOs when it comes to crisis planning and how much cash it will take to stay afloat, the survey found. 

By Jane Thier • April 12, 2020

Economist: China not a good model to predict recovery

​A modest recovery through the second half of the year will likely follow stay-in-place restrictions, Andrew Duguay of Prevedere says.

By Robert Freedman • April 8, 2020

Shutdown-impacted businesses taking PPP loans may risk losing CARES Act tax benefits

Until rules are out, it's not clear paying expenses with stimulus loan funds will help your business come tax time.

By Robert Freedman • April 7, 2020

Survey: 62% of CFOs to cut selling, administrative budgets

Dialing back on sales force activity is a way to force functional leaders to tighten their belts, but it might hurt in the long-term, Gartner survey findings suggest. 

By Jane Thier • April 6, 2020

CFOs modeling pandemic outcomes with agility

To help their companies navigate uncertainties, CFOs are running dozens of models. The operational changes they need to make are much more clear.

By Robert Freedman • April 6, 2020

Two investments to make if revenue plummets

Real-time data analytics and targeted marketing can help leverage shifting consumption to survive the downturn and prepare for the recovery. 

By Robert Freedman • April 5, 2020

Survey: 3 in 4 CFOs pushing for permanent remote staffing following shutdown

When it comes to creative cost savings, remote work could be key for CFOs looking to avoid severe cuts and downside operational impacts, according to a Gartner survey. 

By Jane Thier • April 5, 2020

Filing for bankruptcy? Understand your lenders' leverage

No one wants to consider bankruptcy. But as the downturn persists, CFOs will benefit from understanding their lenders' tactical goals.

By Kenneth Rosen • April 4, 2020

Getting through the downturn by improving receivables

Segmenting customers based on risk and improving the onboarding process can help bring in revenue you would otherwise lose, payment specialists say.

By Robert Freedman • April 2, 2020

UK CFOs' advantage over US counterparts: Wage help

The $2.1T stimulus encourages companies to retain employees, but assistance isn't explicitly geared to that end.

By Robert Freedman • April 1, 2020

Examining KPIs in a more useful light

Having a tool that presents data through multiple perspectives helps executives make better decisions faster, a veteran tech CFO says. 

By Robert Freedman • March 31, 2020

The $2.1T stimulus: What's in it for business?

The law includes $500 billion for large businesses that can be leveraged into several trillion dollars in loans. Another $350 billion is set aside for forgivable loans to small businesses.

By Robert Freedman • March 30, 2020

Cash flow is king as CFOs weather coronavirus disruption

Maximize customer touchpoints based on value, not volume, to bring in the most cash, a consultant advises, as part of a strategy to get through the uncertainties ahead. 

By Ted Knutson • March 29, 2020

Stimulus bill includes favorable treatment of net operating losses

Restored advantageous tax carrybacks will help abate the liquidity crunch facing CFOs.

By Robert Freedman • March 29, 2020

Payment recovery touted as source of working capital

Building a forensic audit into your source-to-pay process could put otherwise misspent money back into your pocket.

By Robert Freedman • March 26, 2020

Get to the core of coronavirus impacts in your reporting, AICPA specialist says

Accounting standards provide flexibility to work around coronavirus challenges, AICPA director Bob Durak said.

By Ted Knutson • March 26, 2020

Retail and restaurants face long recovery road, S&P says

Some struggling main street companies aren’t expected to recover without government help.

By Robert Freedman • March 25, 2020

More CFOs feeling the heat with ransomware

Cybersecurity is a finance issue that CFOs leave to tech colleagues at their peril, Anup Singh of network security company Illumio says.  

By Anup Singh • March 25, 2020

Survey: Smart data management by CFOs helps retain subscription customers

Reducing churn, especially while customers hard-hit by uncertainty are demanding value, starts with deciding what data to collect and when to collect it. 

By Robert Freedman • March 24, 2020

Wall Street goes remote as NYC becomes COVID-19 epicenter

While many companies shift to remote work, Wall Street has two large roadblocks: compliance and security. 

By Jane Thier • March 23, 2020