Deep Dive

Industry insights from our journalists

  • Multiple pedestrians and cyclists cross at an intersection with designated crosswalk lanes. In the background a sign reads, "Seattle Children's Hospital, Emergency, Main Entrance, River Parking.."
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    Cars are king of the commute. But employers may have a once-in-a-generation chance to change that.

    A perhaps overlooked element of the return-to-office conversation: How employees get to work in the first place.

    Ryan Golden, Shaun Lucas and Julia Himmel • April 4, 2024
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    2024 proxy outlook: What’s driving the ESG proposal approval dip?

    Major asset managers and a spate of anti-ESG proposals helped push approval rates down, yet even more ESG proposals are expected after a record 2023.

    Lamar Johnson • Jan. 25, 2024
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    Modern finance team makeovers: Controllers

    As finance departments undergo seismic tech-driven changes, controllers are poised to play a crucial role as the CFOs’ right hand.

    Grace Noto • Jan. 17, 2024
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    Stock photo via Getty Images
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    Seeking ‘Goldilocks’: 5 CFO trends for 2024

    Financial executives in the new year must protect profits by adapting to trends ranging from falling price pressures and borrowing costs to federal disclosures on carbon emissions.

    Jim Tyson • Jan. 9, 2024
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    Courtesy of FASB
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    FASB at 50: Under the gun to modernize GAAP

    With its anniversary year drawing to a close, there are signs FASB is stepping up the pace of its standards setting. Some finance executives are wary. 

    Maura Webber Sadovi • Dec. 20, 2023
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    Cybersecurity pressures stretch CFOs

    CFOs are bracing for new SEC cybersecurity rules set to kick in this month as the regulator is already signaling an aggressive enforcement posture.

    Alexei Alexis • Dec. 12, 2023
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    Courtesy of the National Retail Federation
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    Retailers have a crime problem. It’s in the numbers.

    The issue is complex and often clouded by imprecise data — sometimes from the industry itself.

    Daphne Howland • Dec. 1, 2023
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    ‘Rough ride’: 5 CFO tips for cutting insurance costs amid climate change

    CFOs facing more destructive weather and soaring insurance costs can take five steps to hold down premiums.

    Jim Tyson • Nov. 26, 2023
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    Next-gen CFOs: Forging a new path

    The finance chief has long been more than a routine number-cruncher. For Gen Z, the route to the CFO chair will likely better reflect the role’s complexity.

    Grace Noto • Nov. 16, 2023
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    Why EBITDA has such a strong hold on retail

    Is it the 'Wild West' of measures or a fair predictor of long-term success? Either way, retailers won’t quit talking about EBITDA.

    Dani James • Sept. 25, 2023
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    Three key steps to the fractional CFO seat

    Figuring out your niche — and what you can charge for it — is an essential first step for intrepid fractional CFOs, experts say.

    Grace Noto • Aug. 16, 2023
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    Who will pay to decarbonize the supply chain?

    Some brands are helping their suppliers reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Others are dumping new requirements on vendors without shouldering any of the costs.

    Ben Unglesbee • Aug. 15, 2023
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    The dawn of the interim CFO

    With financial leadership coming at a premium, interim CFOs are having their moment in the spotlight.  

    Grace Noto • May 16, 2023
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    MF3d via Getty Images
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    4 CFO tips for demystifying AI hype

    Innovation in AI has prompted talk of a coming technological leap as profound as the creation of the internet. It has also sparked anxiety. CFOs need to navigate past the hype and fear.

    Jim Tyson • April 17, 2023
  • Angela Pierce, CFO at Anaconda
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    Women CFOs: Raising their hands

    From promotions amid pregnancies, fake engagement rings and surprise opportunities, these women leaders have faced highs and lows on their way to finance leadership.

    Elizabeth Flood • March 29, 2023
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    KPMG’s 29-year SVB stint stirs independence debate

    The bank’s failure — two weeks after it effectively got a clean bill of financial health — is reigniting some concerns that cozy client-auditor ties may jeopardize audit rigor.

    Maura Webber Sadovi • March 16, 2023
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    Standard-setters consider softer start to climate risk disclosure

    A backlash against proposals to require detailed corporate reporting on climate risk may compel more gradual application of the rules.

    Jim Tyson • Feb. 24, 2023
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    4 rules for CFOs cutting office space

    Trimming office space budgets has always been a quick cost-cutting solution for companies in recessionary times. Now hybrid work is complicating matters.

    Maura Webber Sadovi • Jan. 31, 2023
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    5 CFO tips for boosting tech ROI

    CFOs are overhauling their technology budgets as inflation, slumping economic growth and other external forces jeopardize their earnings targets.

    Jim Tyson • Jan. 27, 2023
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    4 CFO trends to watch in 2023

    Fed efforts to curb inflation, an imbalance in the demand and supply of workers and clarification of accounting standards are among the CFO trends this year.

    Jim Tyson and Maura Webber Sadovi • Jan. 6, 2023
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    CFO stressors: Job creep

    While many finance chiefs are adjusting to their expanding duties, some CFOs feel they are doing an untenable share of the C-suite’s heavy lifting.

    Elizabeth Flood • Dec. 7, 2022
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    CFO stressors: Four cures for inflation fever

    CFOs have seized on ways to shield profits against the worst price pressures in nearly 40 years.

    Jim Tyson • Nov. 21, 2022
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    CFO stressors: Agonizing over layoffs

    As a growing number of economists forecast a downturn, finance chiefs are wrestling with if or when to make the hard, emotionally-charged call to cut jobs.

    Grace Noto • Oct. 31, 2022
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    CFO stressors: Sounding the alarm after suicide

    Gustavo Arnal’s death has led to new conversations around C-suite mental healthcare and the rising pressures challenging even the most battle-tested finance leaders.

    Maura Webber Sadovi • Oct. 24, 2022
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    7 CFO tips to prepare for SEC climate risk rule

    CFOs should not delay putting in place the staff, technology and processes needed to comply with an imminent SEC rule requiring detailed disclosure on climate risk.

    Jim Tyson • Oct. 18, 2022