10 buzzwords defining trends finance teams faced in 2025

From workslop and microshifting to conscious unbossing, the language of work this year reflected complicated operational and talent risks for CFOs.

By Adam Zaki • Dec. 23, 2025

How Bevi’s CFO turned the tap on $100M of annual revenue

Wajeeha Ahmed, the water dispenser maker’s first finance chief, says that sharing financial performance with employees helps drive impact.

By Dan Niepow • Dec. 22, 2025

Explore the Trendline➔

Top 5 stories from CFO.com

From CPA licensure changes to undergoing a digital transformation, these are the most popular stories CFOs are reading. 

By CFO.com staff

How data and discipline defined the mid-market CFO in 2025

Alignment challenges and capital scrutiny pushed CFOs in the post-startup, pre-IPO realm beyond reporting and into decision support and process recalibration.

By Adam Zaki • Dec. 19, 2025

CFOs expect pricing pressures to continue in 2026: Duke-Fed survey

In their most recent quarterly survey, Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business and the Federal Reserve Banks of Richmond and Atlanta find CFOs expect pricing pressure to persist due to tariffs.

By Adam Zaki • Dec. 17, 2025

CFOs targeting both business growth and cost reductions in 2026

A new survey by Gartner shows the “very explicit tension” finance chiefs expect to face in the year ahead.

By Dan Niepow • Dec. 17, 2025

How CPA licensure became a CFO issue in 2025

What started as a professional standards debate became a CFO concern tied to audit quality and hiring.

By Adam Zaki • Dec. 16, 2025

Cisco CFO highlights rival’s integration as M&A lesson: Trial Balance

At a recent conference, Mark Patterson criticized Hewlett Packard Enterprise’s Juniper integration as a source of customer uncertainty.

By Lauren Muskett , Adam Zaki • Dec. 15, 2025

What M&A’s $4.8 trillion comeback means for CFOs

Rising valuations, larger deals and AI’s role in due diligence are expected to impact how many finance teams prepare for 2026.

By Adam Zaki • Dec. 12, 2025

54% of Gen Z finance employees say they ‘love’ Excel

A love-hate relationship that now spans generations is still the driving force that keeps the tool a focal point across corporate finance.

By Adam Zaki • Dec. 10, 2025

CFOs expect inflation to linger through 2027

Though more than half of finance chiefs surveyed by CNBC don’t anticipate a recession in the new year, a similar share think inflation will remain above the Fed’s target rate for a while.

By Dan Niepow • Dec. 10, 2025

Instacart CFO vies for more partnerships and enterprise customers

In the perpetually competitive world of online grocery, Emily Reuter said enterprise-level offerings remain a “key component” of the company’s broader strategy.

By Dan Niepow • Dec. 9, 2025

Finance leaders project modest revenue and profit gains in 2026

Despite a decline in optimism about the U.S. economy at large, finance execs are feeling pretty good about their own companies’ prospects.

By Dan Niepow • Dec. 9, 2025

Cebro Frozen Foods former CFO arrested, accused of stealing millions: Trial Balance

Robert Fantazia, his wife and their two sons, one of whom is believed to be incarcerated, are all named in the lawsuit.

By Lauren Muskett , Adam Zaki • Dec. 8, 2025

Templafy’s Cynthia Stephens on why tech CFOs need flexibility

The finance chief shares what she’s learned over nearly three decades leading financials for tech companies, including Amazon Web Services.

By Dan Niepow • Dec. 4, 2025

Workers less happy, more informed with company benefits

A new global survey from WTW found that 84% of respondents are “well informed” about their benefits but only 61% are satisfied with them.

By Dan Niepow • Dec. 4, 2025

After a deal value surge in 2025, CFOs should brace for a split M&A market

Early data from Deloitte’s 2026 M&A Trends Survey shows rising optimism for dealmaking next year despite flat volume and mixed economic signals.

By Adam Zaki • Dec. 3, 2025

Elon Musk’s economic predictions may carry major CFO implications: Trial Balance

Musk sees a future where AI reshapes work and productivity, predicting rapid deflation, talent scarcity and a world where working will be optional.

By Lauren Muskett , Adam Zaki • Dec. 1, 2025

NYCPA CEO Calvin Harris Jr. on New York’s new CPA pathway

Gov. Kathy Hochul’s approval of the state’s 120-hour pathway marks its first major shift in CPA licensure in more than a decade. 

By Adam Zaki • Nov. 25, 2025

Making the shift from the C-suite to the boardroom

Board service requires a redefined role, a fresh mindset and a reorientation of relationships.

By Karen Jaw-Madson • Nov. 25, 2025

New Jersey nonprofit’s ex-CFO gets 8 years in state prison

Colleen Witten, the former finance chief of Occupational Training Center Services of Burlington County, also must pay back $2.58 million in restitution to the organization.

By Dan Niepow • Nov. 24, 2025

Inside the 2025 MIT Sloan CFO Summit: Trial Balance

Beth Kurth, executive producer of the MIT Sloan CFO Summit, said this year’s conversations showed a shift toward practical AI and tougher questions for vendors.

By Lauren Muskett , Adam Zaki • Nov. 24, 2025

CFOs netted average of $8.4M in benefits via change in control pacts this year

A new report by Alvarez & Marsal details average benefits paid to leaders across a variety of companies in the S&P 1500. 

By Dan Niepow • Nov. 20, 2025

How Aaron Wilkins is taking nonprofit CFO skills to entrepreneurship

The former CFO of Human-I-T discusses starting his own business, how his CFO acumen helped propel his career and which tech companies delivered on ROI.

By Adam Zaki • Nov. 20, 2025

CFO optimism around AI rises as adoption levels off

Gartner research suggests a pause in AI adoption is giving CFOs room to learn from early pilots and build confidence.

By Adam Zaki • Nov. 19, 2025

CFO Alliance develops new processes for finance to quantify what’s often qualitative

The group’s “Project Greenlight” guide is designed to provide actionable steps for CFOs to take at a time of rapid change and uncertainty.

By Dan Niepow • Nov. 19, 2025