Gusto took steps to control its financial destiny, CFO says

Facing devastation among its small-business clients, the SaaS-based payroll company cut costs despite its healthy balance sheet.  

By Robert Freedman • May 7, 2020

Study: COVID-19 cost cuts may damage CFOs' long-term growth prospects

As the coronavirus pandemic lingers, CFOs who prioritize long-term growth over short-term cost cuts help their companies prevail relative to their peers, a longitudinal study from Gartner Finance found.

By Jane Thier • May 6, 2020

Explore the Trendline➔

CFO best practices in the evolving generative AI era

As the initial frenzy around the launch of generative artificial intelligence subsides, a new GenAI era appears to be taking shape.

By CFO Dive staff

CFO's challenge: Balancing fast growth with controls

As data governance start-up PeerNova prepares to resume expansion after the shutdown, its CFO brings hard-won lessons to head off its accounting problems.

By Robert Freedman • May 6, 2020

As transactions move online, handling fraud, friction become key

Too much fraud protection means too few sales. CFOs need to decide what balance they're willing to accept as e-commerce increases. 

By Robert Freedman • May 5, 2020

Restaurants call on insurers to pay business interruption claims

Lawmakers and lawyers are getting involved as insurers say COVID-19 isn't covered, while Main Street businesses say they're counting on the proceeds to keep them afloat.  

By Robert Freedman • May 4, 2020

Goodwill impairment testing during COVID-19 times

Economic uncertainty is forcing finance chiefs to rethink the impairment testing process.

By Suzanne Northington • April 30, 2020

Ford Motor CFO stresses 'maximizing liquidity' amid Q2's $5B operating loss

CFO Timothy Stone announced a loss figure twice as large as analysts expected on the auto company's latest earnings call, but believes the company has the cash it needs for 2020.

By Jane Thier • April 30, 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

Switching FP&A focus from growth to survival

How companies are charting their financial path when many of the old assumptions have been thrown out the door.

By Robert Freedman • April 28, 2020

How to use venture debt during the economic downturn

Start discussing funding with your lender sooner rather than later; the downturn has slowed the process down.

By Robert Freedman • April 27, 2020

6 Guidelines for CFO crisis leadership

Of the entire c-suite, CFOs are best-positioned to guide their companies through the pandemic, CFO Leadership Council President Jack McCullough said.

By Jane Thier • April 25, 2020

In crisis, not enough for processes to be on cloud; they need to be unified

Stay-at-home mandates have shown how crucial cloud systems are for maintaining one's finance and accounting operations. But using a variety of systems will hinder your agility. 

By John O'Rourke • April 24, 2020

Tax expert: Maximize operating losses to get most from stimulus

Carrying back losses under the federal government's pandemic-response rule changes can get your company a bigger tax refund, according to BDO partner Randy Schwartzman. 

By Robert Freedman • April 23, 2020

Chipotle CFO: 'Our worst days have passed'

By revamping its business around online advertisements and free delivery, Chipotle has weathered the pandemic better than many restaurant chains. But what will its dining experience look like next year?

By Jane Thier • April 23, 2020

Negotiation, not escape clause, called best way to get pandemic rent concessions

CFOs might have lease terms they can trade for temporary rent help, or even improve their lease terms long-term, specialists say. 

By Robert Freedman • April 22, 2020

Annapurna Pictures lays off CFO amid entertainment business freefall

As movie theaters shutter and production halts, entertainment companies are slashing executive pay and laying off mid-level employees. 

By Jane Thier • April 21, 2020

Post-pandemic M&A: Remote-work, med-tech deals to fuel recovery

Low interest rates will lure acquirers; they're using the downturn to reassess valuations and deal structures. 

By Ted Knutson • April 20, 2020

A CFO whose big spending paid off

When trying to grow a recurring-revenue company, bookings are more important than revenue, a veteran SaaS finance executive says.

By Robert Freedman • April 19, 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

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

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