Your financial controls probably don't work under today's conditions

With staff remote, executives in survival mode, and hundreds of billions in assistance pouring into the economy, the chances of mistakes and abuse getting past safeguards are heightened, accounting specialists say.

By Robert Freedman • July 14, 2020

Preparing for risk the way insurers do

Insurers manage their risks not just to preserve assets but to capitalize on their ability to price uncertainty, turning some risks into opportunities.

By Jim Toole • July 9, 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

Survey: 77% of CFOs say company is underprepared for climate change

CFOs rate floods, droughts and wildfires as most financially concerning, according to a survey conducted by property insurer FM Global. 

By Jane Thier • July 8, 2020

How COVID-19 is changing conversations about going concern

CFOs should expect more — and more targeted — questions as auditors try to get a picture of how well their organization is positioned to survive the downturn. 

By Bob Dohrer • June 30, 2020

A CFO's 3-step plan for remaining profitable during COVID-19

LendingUSA's Ron Oertell says his company's services as a point-of-sale fintech are greater now than they were, pre-pandemic.

By Jane Thier • June 24, 2020

5 transfer pricing actions to consider during COVID-19

If your intercompany pricing policies are based on normally functioning markets, you could be faced with tax inefficiencies and distortion in how you allocate profits or losses.

By Barry Freeman and Selena Schneider • June 16, 2020

Sec. 363 bankruptcy sales may yield higher prices than Chapter 11

The process is less familiar than Chapter 11 but can result in quicker sales and more proceeds to secured creditors.

By Robert Freedman • June 1, 2020

Insurers propose pandemic assistance plan

Federal money, not business interruption insurance, is the appropriate response to a pandemic, property and casualty carriers say. 

By Robert Freedman • May 26, 2020

Need and eligibility keys to avoiding PPP loan liability risk

Document what goes into your decision to apply for a loan to protect yourself and your company if you're hit with an audit or lawsuit, an attorney says. 

By Robert Freedman • May 25, 2020

Survey: CFOs hopeful, employees wary, 2 months into pandemic

While CFOs are growing increasingly optimistic about their business' adaptability and ability to recover, employees remain uncertain, a new PwC survey finds.

By Jane Thier • May 12, 2020

CFO in the Know: Are CFOs ready to go with the EU's medical device regulations?

Requiring fewer applications to submit for approval, the new process could ultimately cost companies less.

By Ed McCarthy • May 12, 2020

Fed expands Main Street program, cuts loan threshold by half

The central bank is including larger companies, but some small-business advocates and industry leaders say the $500,000 minimum loan is still too high.

By Anna Hrushka • May 1, 2020

How a fintech CFO preserves long-term ambition through cost-cutting amid pandemic

As the coronavirus pandemic brings fast-growing startup culture to its knees, fintech CFO Catherine Birkett advises balancing long-term ambition with near-term KPIs.

By Jane Thier • April 29, 2020

CFOs cautioned on post-lockdown tort risk

Plaintiff attorneys face a high bar to show someone contracted COVID-19 after workspaces reopen, but defending against their claims is expensive.

By Robert Freedman • April 29, 2020

Survey: 42% of CFOs lack contingency plans for a 2nd COVID-19 wave

A second wave could mean another drop in customer demand that CFOs' revenue and profit models won't capture, a Gartner Finance research vice president said.

By Jane Thier • April 28, 2020

Survey: As states reopen, CFOs prioritize cost containment, safety measures

CFOs will focus on reducing costs and keeping their workplace safe as stay-at-home mandates lift and employees slowly return to work, a new PwC survey reveals.

By Jane Thier • April 27, 2020

Boeing CFO tapped to lead new enterprise operations group

The group will help get the company back into competitive mode as it restarts commercial airplane operations in Washington State later this week. 

By Jane Thier • April 22, 2020

Harvard CFO: Must cut non-essential spending, despite $41B endowment and stimulus aid

After the Dept. of Education announced Harvard would be receiving $9 million from the CARES Act, many expressed outrage. But that cash may be more vitally needed than appearances suggest, university CFO Thomas J. Hollister said.

By Jane Thier • April 20, 2020

CFOs' challenge: Anticipating the new normal

As you try modeling what the world will look like post-COVID, don't assume a return to the past, planning specialists say.

By Robert Freedman • April 16, 2020

Can COVID-19 get you out of a contract as a material adverse change?

Whether you can cite the pandemic as a ground for getting out of a contract — or if someone can cite it against you — depends on subtleties of law. 

By Gary Kleinrichert, Brent Miller • April 15, 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

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

PwC: 87% of CFOs fear COVID-19 business impacts

In the two weeks since PricewaterhouseCoopers released its first survey, CFOs' fears about the long-term impacts of the virus have ballooned.

By Jane Thier • March 31, 2020

CFO's secret weapon against coronavirus: Scenario planning

Dennis McGonigle, CFO of SEI Investments, has run practices of business interruption and disaster events, including what they’d do in the case of a pandemic, with his company for years. Here's how he's managing COVID-19.

By Jane Thier • March 30, 2020

General Motors, Boeing CFOs share 'immediate, aggressive' cost-cutting plans

Both the automotive and airline industries are facing enormous challenges amid the coronavirus pandemic, with GM halting production altogether to focus on manufacturing much-needed ventilators. 

By Jane Thier • March 29, 2020