Strategy & operations

Sequoia Capital exec: CFOs must be master storytellers

The most important part of any story is the conclusion you draw from it and how you’re going to make or save money as a result, Alfred Lin says.

By Robert Freedman • Aug. 07, 2020

CFO Dive: A year to remember

The last 12 months have been full of change for CFOs. They've relied on creativity to thrive no matter the challenge. That creativity has guided CFO Dive in its first year of coverage. 

By Robert Freedman , Jane Thier • Aug. 05, 2020

How new visibility led to big cash savings at AT&T

Generating billions of dollars in savings starts with business leaders taking a broader view of how they deploy working capital, Xandr CFO Ray Carpenter says.

By Robert Freedman • Aug. 03, 2020

Most CFOs don't drive returns exceeding cost of capital: survey

CFOs who model costs around the factors unique to their organizations exhibit more resilience in the face of unexpected events, such as today's economic crisis, Gartner found.

By Jane Thier • Aug. 03, 2020

P&G CFO credits narrow focus for best sales year in 15 years

On the heels of the company's earnings report Thursday, vice chairman, CFO and COO Jon Moeller said the company is situated "very, very well" for the future.

By Jane Thier • Aug. 02, 2020

Pandemic to heighten internal reporting challenges

As staff work remotely, finance leaders are paying an even higher price in opportunity costs to release recurring reports, a reporting software executive says.   

By Robert Freedman • July 31, 2020

COVID-19 accelerating changes in health benefits, specialists say

Employer plans will likely focus more on preventive care and telehealth after the pandemic.

By Robert Freedman • July 30, 2020

CFOs: FP&A and accounting must speak the same language

Poor coordination between backward-looking and forward-looking finance functions eats up time and resources better spent elsewhere. 

By Robert Freedman • July 30, 2020

The CFO's responsibility on diversity, unconscious bias and positive outcomes

During a CFO Live virtual event, panelists discussed diversity & inclusion efforts and where CFOs are particularly prized to make a difference.

By Jane Thier • July 29, 2020

Building your own SaaS billing system not for the faint of heart

A system that grows as your services and pricing become more complex will be far costlier and take longer than you expect, a consultant says.

By Robert Freedman • July 29, 2020

Audits helped identify embedded leases, survey finds

Companies' first audits since transitioning to ASC 842 lease accounting standards led to control and efficiency improvements.

By Robert Freedman • July 28, 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

Opinion

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

Capital will flow to companies aiming at post-COVID-19 economy, funder says

Companies that must retool to compete once the pandemic goes away face a steeper hurdle attracting capital.

By Robert Freedman • July 26, 2020

Patience helps CFO pull off complex deals

A reverse merger and the use of convertible debt are part of the mix of deals PAVmed CFO Dennis McGrath has used to drive companies to success.  

By Robert Freedman • July 23, 2020

Men's Wearhouse parent's CFO departs amid store closures, layoffs

Tailor Brands, which owns Men's Wearhouse and Jos. A. Bank, will cut 20% of its corporate workforce and close up to 500 stores, it said Tuesday. The CEO and newly hired chief restructuring officer will share interim CFO duties.

By Kaarin Vembar • July 23, 2020

Remote work exposes payment system inefficiencies

Although most organizations want to automate payments, only about 8% have fully done so.

By Robert Freedman • July 22, 2020

Staff do worse when asked to report frequently, accounting study shows

The negative impact is magnified when the reporting is intended to help a supervisor evaluate performance.

By Robert Freedman • July 21, 2020

PE market remains healthy for COVID-unaffected companies

The appetite for capital and investment remains strong, although deals require more equity now than pre-pandemic, fund managers say.

By Robert Freedman • July 20, 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

M&A picking up as acquirers, investors gain comfort with COVID-19

Acquirers' due diligence is evolving because it's harder to use historical data to predict the future, deal advisors say.

By Ted Knutson • July 16, 2020

Bessemer finance leader: 'CFOs should be raising capital right now'

Investors are looking for deals despite COVID-19's impact, Jeff Epstein of Bessemer Venture Partners says.

By Robert Freedman • July 15, 2020

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

New bankruptcy process a 'game-changer' for COVID-hit small businesses

Subsection 5 favors owners keeping their equity through a quicker and cheaper reorganization than exists under regular Chapter 11 rules.

By Robert Freedman • July 13, 2020

'Bonus depreciation' rule fix makes property improvements more attractive

Companies have a new tax incentive to remodel property post-COVID now that qualified improvement property can receive the 15-year recovery treatment, with retroactive relief available. 

By Ed McCarthy • July 12, 2020