In 2015, corporate finance endured a drop in oil prices and a tightening labor market and waited with anticipation as the Federal Reserve mulled increasing interest rates for the first time in years.
Amid the turbulence, CFO journalists dug into financial management and business planning, published articles on management processes, changes, and trends, and probed the hot issues of fraud, insider trading, and cybersecurity.
Here are some of the best of CFO’s articles that appeared in 2015, by category.
Accounting
Accounting Issues Mask a Seller’s True Value
Five accounting issues to be aware of when analyzing the financial reporting of a target company.
Accounting and Tax
Why Is Financial Planning and Analysis Falling Flat?
Just 40% of finance executives rated their financial planning and analysis capabilities as effective. It’s time for a change.
Analytics
Death By Digital: Good-Bye to Finance as You Know It
It will be the best thing that ever happened to your finance organization.
Auditing
How Artificial Intelligence Can Boost Audit Quality
Using artificial intelligence, auditors may soon be able to provide clients with new ways to uncover risk hiding in plain sight in financial statements.
Budgeting
Zero-Based Budgeting: No Longer Just a Crisis Tool
Economic volatility and prevalent M&A help seal ZBB’s evolution into an ongoing process.
Business Planning
5 Ways CFOs Can Enable High Performance
Companies perform better when their finance chiefs have strategic roles.
3 Things CFOs Should Know about Project Management
Don’t fall into the trap of aiming for positive outcomes with no sense of structure or consistency around how to achieve them.
Cash Flow
CFOs Reveal Their Top Issues for 2016
What will CFOs be spending their time on next year? Preserving margins and sustaining or improving earnings performance top the list, says Protiviti.
Corporate Real Estate
How to Mitigate the Impact of New Lease Accounting Rules
It’s not too early to start looking into responses to the rule changes, which take effect in 2018.
Credit
Anatomy of a Turnaround: YRC Worldwide
After seven years of financial turmoil, the big trucking company finally exits survival mode.
Financial Planning and Analysis
CFOs Frustrated with Return on FP&A Investments
Some wonder if they should continue the investments, but what they really should do is to refocus their financial planning and analysis teams.
GAAP and IFRS
FASB Rids Income Statements of ‘Extraordinary Items’
FASB issues an accounting standards update that eliminates the “Extraordinary Items” classification.
Health Benefits
Square Off: Are Wellness Programs Cost Effective?
You know there’s a hot debate around an issue when people on both sides of the matter insist that there’s really no debate at all.
Human Capital and Careers
10 Tips on How to Become a CFO
From writing your curriculum vitae to negotiating the employment contract, here’s how to get to be CFO.
Spreadsheets
10 Most Popular Excel Tips and Tricks
We review a list of 10 of the most popular excel tips and tricks by “Mr. Excel.”
Training
What Will the CFO Role Look Like in 2020?
As much as technology influences the CFO role today, it may define the job in five years.
Finance and Accounting Skills Gap Vexes CFOs
The wish list of traits desired in entry-level finance and management accounting staff continues to expand.