Emergency government procurement opens opportunities — and risks

Agencies are bypassing procedures to get COVID-19-related goods and services faster. Ensure the solidity of your own processes before doing business with them, specialists advise.

By Robert Freedman • Oct. 18, 2020

COVID-19 intensifying audit committee work

Helping CFOs and their teams make forward-looking assessments against pandemic uncertainty has become a focus, a survey shows. 

By Robert Freedman • Oct. 11, 2020

Explore the Trendline➔

Navigating risk in turbulent times

CFOs must help their organizations mitigate risks by balancing the need for both growth and stability. 

By CFO Dive staff

As regulators step up data analytics, companies must do the same

Complying with government document requests is becoming too difficult and risky without predictive analytics tools, an e-discovery specialist says.

By Robert Freedman • Oct. 6, 2020

M&A politicization presents new CFO challenges

The Trump Administration's call for an American company to oversee U.S. operations of TikTok adds a level of uncertainty to future cross-border deals involving consumer technology.

By Ted Knutson • Oct. 1, 2020

Companies lagging on LIBOR transition; lawsuits expected

There's little chance regulators will delay the December 2021 transition because of the pandemic, specialists say. 

By Robert Freedman • Sept. 29, 2020

Ex-Amazon tax manager hit with insider trading

The employee had access to calculations used to finalize numbers in the company's quarterly and annual earnings filings. 

By Robert Freedman • Sept. 29, 2020

Using data-analytics tool, SEC catches two companies' accounting violations

In a first, the agency used risk-based data analytics to uncover accounting and disclosure violations in the way the companies manage and disclose their earnings. 

By Robert Freedman • Sept. 28, 2020

Executives risk wealth loss as bankruptcies increase

CFOs and other corporate leaders face big personal losses if their company goes bankrupt and their deferred compensation is tied to nonqualified accounts.    

By Robert Freedman • Sept. 28, 2020

Rotations don't lead to audit improvements, studies find

Efforts by firms to minimize disruption when engagement partners leave appear to work well in keeping audit quality high. 

By Robert Freedman • Sept. 27, 2020

SEC hits BMW with $18M fine for false sales disclosures

 Investors who purchased some $18 billion in company bond offerings were misinformed about the pace of the company's U.S. sales.  

By Robert Freedman • Sept. 27, 2020

Modeling skills a key shift in FP&A teams, CFOs say

The pandemic has accelerated the trend of new finance hires being expected to bring modeling competency to improve predictive analytics capabilities.  

By Robert Freedman • Sept. 22, 2020

CFO: Crisis 'not a good time to slow down' on innovation

Shoring up cash and investing for growth can happen in tandem, Learn4Life Network finance leader Guita Sharifi says.

By Robert Freedman • Sept. 21, 2020

The cost CFOs refuse to cut: Employee retention

As the pandemic drags on, CFOs are reexamining their budgets and overwhelmingly opting to protect staff retention efforts, fearing the costly departure of top performers.

By Jane Thier • Sept. 16, 2020

Real-time planning helps CFOs answer pandemic-critical 'what if' questions

To forecast today, think in shorter time horizons, identify how COVID-19 changes your business drivers, use large amounts of quality data to weigh "what if" scenarios, and create agile processes, specialists say. 

By Paul Prendergast and Patrick Picha • Aug. 27, 2020

Wall nonprofit said to have used shell entities to pass donations to officers

We Build the Wall is charged with using a shell nonprofit, a veiled corporation and two anonymous associates as part of an effort to pass payments to officers.

By Robert Freedman • Aug. 24, 2020

Judge OKs lawsuit by businesses seeking coronavirus-related insurance claims

In a first, restaurants and other businesses hit by pandemic shutdowns can move forward on legal efforts to get insurers to pay on business interruption policies.

By Robert Freedman • Aug. 23, 2020

Improper revenue recognition tops SEC fraud cases

Attorneys who work with SEC whistleblowers walk through the 10 most common types of fraud in an Accounting Today analysis.  

By Robert Freedman • Aug. 20, 2020

Rank-and-file sexual harassment can devalue companies by 20%

Sexual harassment that doesn't make the news won't often affect stock prices right away, but within a year it can hit valuations hard.

By Robert Freedman • Aug. 17, 2020

Making recovery audits part of your source-to-pay process

Invoicing errors chip away at margins, eventually turning into large losses, which recovery audits can help address.

By Mark Irwin • Aug. 13, 2020

Pension debt expected to rise 6% due to COVID-19 volatility

Companies in the auto and airline industries, among other sectors hard hit by the coronavirus, will see pension debt rise most, Moody's Investors Services analysts say.

By Robert Freedman • Aug. 13, 2020

3 things CFOs can do to navigate change (but aren't)

How are finance leaders adapting to today's business changes? Vena's 2020 Industry Benchmark Report takes a closer look.

Aug. 11, 2020

CFOs challenged to retain finance talent amid COVID-19

At a CFO Live virtual event, panelists shared thoughts on retaining crucial finance talent during a time when companies need it most.

By Jane Thier • July 30, 2020

False claims expected to be principal source of Main Street loan enforcement

Companies who act in good faith and can back up their certifications "have little to fear" from federal enforcement, the Department of Justice says.

By Robert Freedman • July 27, 2020

Understand your coverage options in the face of 2020's triple risk threat

COVID-19, protest-related vandalism, and a severe hurricane season promise to test organizations' insurance against loss of business. 

By Joseph Galanti and Peter Halprin • July 27, 2020

Bessemer finance leader: You need 2 years of cash to survive

Veteran CFO Jeff Epstein says it's time to make a change if you can't support yourself into 2022.

By Robert Freedman • July 19, 2020