Preparing for an IPO in 2023: What to Know

Inflation continues to bombard the economy alongside rising interest rates, an unpredictable labor market, and insolvency issues for banks, and the thought of going public in such an unpredictable market may be far-fetched for finance leaders who are looking to batten down the hatches and ride ou...

By Adam Zaki • March 13, 2023

U.S. Payrolls Grow 311K, But Labor Market May Be Softening

Jobs growth in the U.S. continued at a stronger-than-expected pace in February, and the average hourly earnings increase, while slightly lower than expectations, remained historically high. Overall, employment data suggested that a 50-basis point hike in Fed funds by the Federal Reserve Open Mark...

By Vincent Ryan • March 10, 2023

Explore the Trendline➔

Tax policy shifts: What CFOs need to know to stay ahead

Discover how evolving tax policies are creating new opportunities and challenges for CFOs.

By CFO.com staff

How to Position Cash Portfolios for the Debt Ceiling Showdown

Once again, it’s time for CFOs and corporate cash investors to start focusing on another debt ceiling showdown in Congress. In a January 19 letter, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen declared the United States had reached its statutory debt limit of $31.381 trillion. As Congress failed to authorize ...

By Lance Pan • March 2, 2023

Number of Finance FTEs Benchmarks AR Efficiency: Metric of the Month

Accounts receivable (AR) is one of the most critical and high-volume processes that organizations carry out. Delays in this process mean less working capital and liquidity, making AR one area where improving efficiency can pay off exponentially.  One good way to measure the efficiency of your AR ...

By Perry D. Wiggins • March 1, 2023

Consumer Confidence Falls 3 Points, But Spending Remains Resilient

The buying behaviors of consumers are complex and historically tough to predict. In The General Theory, economist John Maynard Keynes offered a number of subjective motives, for example, that could impact individuals' spending habits, including, “to satisfy pure miserliness.” Other than concrete ...

By Vincent Ryan • March 1, 2023

88% of Finance Leaders Believe They’re Held Back From Driving Innovation

With the pandemic-induced economies putting many financial executives in a position of doing whatever is necessary to allow their company to survive, many have begun to expand outside of their traditional financial-related tasks and towards more leadership-centric tasks. Through this transition, ...

By Adam Zaki • March 1, 2023

4 CFO Strategies for Success in Uncertain Times

Many experts agree the global economic outlook for 2023 is a mixed bag of less inflation but also very slow, if any, growth. And while some experts say the U.S. might narrowly miss a recession, other regions like Europe may not be so lucky. What does this cautious outlook mean for organizations s...

By Dayton Kellenberger • Feb. 23, 2023

Earnings Multiples for PE-Backed Firms Fall for 7th Straight Quarter

Like listed companies, companies owned by private equity firms have fluctuations in their enterprise valuations. But the data isn’t publicly disclosed. Lincoln International, an investment banking adviser, attempts to fill that information void with its Private Market Index.  In the...

By Vincent Ryan • Feb. 22, 2023

LendingClub Adjusts to the Fed’s Fast Pace

Because consumer balance sheets are starting to topple from $986 billion of outstanding credit card debt, online lending platforms for refinancing credit card debt see growth ahead. But not right away.An interesting thing about financial markets is that other interest rates don’t rise at the same...

By Vincent Ryan • Feb. 21, 2023

Who’s On First, What’s On Second: How Can Companies Score on ESG Reporting?

Some commentators have said companies need an environmental, social, and governance (ESG) controller or chief sustainability reporting officer to contend with an increasingly scrupulous environment in which regulators and other stakeholders are demanding heightened transparency and accelerated pr...

By Maura Hodge and Rob Fisher • Feb. 16, 2023

6.4% Inflation Raises Probability of 3 More Rate Hikes

At a Dubai conference on Tuesday, International Monetary Fund Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva said she saw a chance of “finally getting on top of the problem of cost of living being a major disruptor for millions and millions of people.” The IMF sees global inflation falling to...

By Vincent Ryan • Feb. 15, 2023

3 M&A Challenges in 2023: Capital, Technology, and Culture

A merger and acquisition (M&A) transaction is an intricate process that most growth-minded companies have in their tool belt as a potential expansion path. On top of managing the production and progress of lawyers, accountants, consultants, and investment bankers, executives must not forget t...

By Adam Zaki • Feb. 13, 2023

Who Wants to Be CFO for an NFL Team?

Super Bowl LVII is only a few days away, pitting the Philadelphia Eagles and the Kansas City Chiefs against each other. Each franchise has a storied history, as well as recent championship success. The Eagles won the big game in 2018 and the Chiefs in 2020. Furthermore, from a financial perspecti...

By CFO Editorial Staff • Feb. 10, 2023

A 2% Buyback Tax Could Dampen Share Repurchases

Howard Silverblatt, the longtime senior index analyst for S&P Dow Jones Indices, had it right when he said that because the U.S. buyback tax had bipartisan support, there was a good possibility the 1% tax was “only the opening move.”Indeed, President Joe Biden announced in the State of the Un...

By Vincent Ryan • Feb. 8, 2023

Great Depression vs. Great Recession: How They Compare

The Federal Reserve’s response to both events was one of the factors that resulted in two significantly different outcomes.

By Ted Jackson • Feb. 7, 2023

5 Tips to Get Your Sustainability Story to the Stakeholders Who Matter

Every year, companies spend tens of thousands of both dollars and hours collecting and verifying hundreds of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) data points to produce thoughtful and beautiful sustainability reports. Writers and copy editors burn the midnight oil to create the ideal narra...

By Leigh Ann Johnston • Jan. 30, 2023

CFO Outlook 2023

What will 2023 hold? Even amid economic uncertainty, CFOs can continue to lead the way through a consistent approach to leadership, strategic thinking, execution, and an understanding of technological opportunity.

By CFO Editorial Staff • Jan. 30, 2023

75% of CFOs Embrace Double Digit Spending Increases

With the unpredictability of markets reaching new highs, strong leadership skills from CFOs are increasingly needed amid 2023 strategy plans. Alongside strong leadership needs and high ambitions for growth is a desire to spend more in order to achieve that growth. Recent findings from the CFO All...

By Adam Zaki • Jan. 26, 2023

2023 Recession Could Last 3 Quarters

If something’s going to be painful, it's easier to bear if it's of short duration, at least in some contexts. Economic recessions generally follow that rule, but not always. A short, deep recession can leave a lot of scars, as the pandemic one did. Long and relatively deep recessions are the wors...

By Vincent Ryan • Jan. 25, 2023

64% of CFOs Predict Net Profit Growth in 2023

The overall economy — and the issues it creates — are arguably the largest challenge for CFOs this year. Yet confidence to achieve growth is prevalent among financial executives, according to recent survey data from Grant Thornton. A majority of CFOs (64%) of the 246 surveyed said they predict ne...

By Adam Zaki • Jan. 25, 2023

3 CFO Trends to Watch in 2023

As we begin 2023, we may hope to leave some disruptions behind us. Yet inflationary pressures, interest rates, and a potential economic downturn threaten as lingering and new forms of disruption. We can predict only one thing: that for the foreseeable future disruption is the new normal.  ...

By Wendy Stewart • Jan. 24, 2023

Raising Venture Capital in a Tight Economy: 5 Tips

Venture capitalists put $68.4 billion to work in early-stage investing in 2022, but the dollars are not flowing nearly as smoothly as they did in 2021. Just $10.7 billion was invested in early-stage transactions in the fourth quarter, less than half of the amount raised in the first quarter of...

By Vincent Ryan • Jan. 19, 2023

79% of Companies Face Challenges When Purchasing New Tech: Weekly Stat

As CFOs continue to grapple with the challenges fintech and SaaS products have brought into their workflows, new research indicates finance teams not only have different challenges surrounding implementation, but also in purchasing the technology itself. Findings from software developer ZIP’s Tre...

By Adam Zaki • Jan. 18, 2023

63% of Organizations Preparing for an M&A Deal This Year

Financial executives are putting their 2023 plans into action, comprised of a variety of different strategies. One that should make a comeback? Despite a recent slump in M&A, new Deloitte research suggests a majority of financial teams are planning on conducting some form of acquisition over ...

By Adam Zaki • Jan. 18, 2023

Value Drivers Series

"CFOs are the people that should be the custodians of value in a company.” Thus begins Reed Phillips' and Charles Slack's hypothesis, in this six-part series, that CFOs are the optimal leaders to set a path for creating future value. 

By Reed Phillips and Charles Slack • Jan. 17, 2023