Under Obama, Tech Future Is Green

During his victory speech in Chicago early Wednesday, President Barack Obama maintained that while the nation may appear to be divided into red and blue, the future needs to be green in order for the country to live up to “its legacy as the global leader in technology and discovery and innovation...

By Taylor Provost • Nov. 7, 2012

Is Britain the Next Greece?

The great economist John Maynard Keynes is a much-misunderstood man. More than that, Keynes himself didn’t understand how international economies work, and he took far too optimistic a view about the ambitions of those in government. The result? Highly indebted countries are pursuing to their det...

By Andrew Sawers • Nov. 7, 2012

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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

Currency Risks Merit Close Monitoring

Manufacturers and other businesses importing from or selling to countries in Europe and elsewhere all face the risk of fluctuating currency rates. Most agree that the best mitigation for this risk is to lock in contracts and work with foreign-exchange experts rather than try to become one.John Br...

By Caroline McDonald • Nov. 7, 2012

Sandy-Struck Companies Can Seek FEMA Buyouts

Homeowners with homes devastated by superstorm Sandy can take advantage of a decades-old Federal Emergency Management Agency grant program that buys damaged property in flood-ravaged areas. And although corporate executives and business owners may not know it, their companies may be eligible, too...

By Caroline McDonald • Nov. 6, 2012

The Election Will Not Remove Uncertainty

Sometime Tuesday night or Wednesday morning, all the uncertainty will go away, won’t it? CFOs, businesses, and individuals won’t have to worry about whether they’ll be paying more or less in taxes. Obamacare will be settled, one way or the other. A new Administration (or an old one with a new lea...

By David Rosenbaum • Nov. 6, 2012

Five Jobs for the Cloud-Provider CFO

If you’re the CFO of a hardware, software, or IT-services firm, you’re watching your customers and the market react to the growing proliferation of cloud-based services. If you’re a new entrant in the space, you’re faced with a unique opportunity to unseat traditional leaders. If you’re a legacy ...

By Ken Ewell and Dhaval Moogimane • Nov. 5, 2012

Although Toll Rises, Sandy’s “Manageable” for Insurers

Even though Eqecat, a widely cited risk-modeling company, yesterday doubled its postlandfall insured loss estimates for superstorm Sandy from $5 billion–$10 billion to $10 billion–$20 billion, those losses can be handled by the insurance industry, according to an insurance-industry expert.Factors...

By Caroline McDonald • Nov. 2, 2012

Three CFOs Tell How They Found New Revenue

MIAMI — When Kathleen Wolf became Atari International’s CFO in 2011, she joined a company focused on building and selling high-end condos, mainly in Florida and Puerto Rico. About 60% of Atari’s construction business was condo development.As the housing market — and the economy — famously swooned...

By David Rosenbaum • Oct. 31, 2012

Fiscal Cliff Nears, as Does Possible Recession

MIAMI — When the new year dawns, the giant sucking sound emanating from the United States will be the $1 trillion draining from the U.S. economy as a result of federal government spending cuts and tax increases. Although that’s currently a bad dream for CFOs, Congress’s inaction as the “fiscal cl...

By Vincent Ryan • Oct. 30, 2012

The Executive-Succession Train Wreck

MIAMI — Jim Johnston has been a C-suite adviser and an interim CFO for 25 years, and he agreed to present on succession planning at this week’s CFO Playbook for Private Companies conference here. But he’s not comfortable with the term succession planning.“It implies that you have an organized app...

By David McCann • Oct. 30, 2012

China’s Instability Offers Opportunities

MIAMI — Don’t give up on China, despite its short-term political and economic difficulties. So said Ted Fishman, author of China, Inc., How the Rise of the Next Superpower Challenges America and the World and former Chicago Mercantile Exchange trader, at the CFO Playbook for Private Companies con...

By Vincent Ryan • Oct. 29, 2012

CFOs Brace for Monster Storm

MIAMI — At noon, waves were already surging over the seawalls at the southern tip of Manhattan and near Quincy, Massachusetts. Meteorologists were predicting that the flood tide for Hurricane Sandy would exceed those of Hurricane Irene levels and could reach 11 feet. “Don’t be fooled; don’t look ...

By David McCann • Oct. 29, 2012

Hurricane Sandy Creates Property, Supply Chain Concerns

With roads, rails, and air traffic shut down on the East Coast, and water and wind levels rising, most precautions have already been taken by local governments and businesses. But it’s not too late for corporate executives to make last-minute preparations to protect property, supply-chain, and em...

By Caroline McDonald • Oct. 29, 2012

How to Run a Family Business When You’re Not in the Family

MIAMI — When moderator Jim Johnston asked the assembled finance executives at today’s CFO Playbook for Private Companies conference here how many worked for businesses that had been owned by the same family for at least two generations, more than half raised their hand.That’s not surprising. The ...

By David Rosenbaum • Oct. 29, 2012

How Wal-Mart Plans to Build a Greener Chinese Supply Chain

Retail giant Wal-Mart announced new commitments Thursday which the company says will increase the sustainability of its supply chain in China, the U.S. and around the world.The world’s largest retailer — which operates a chain of big-box stores around the globe known for deep discounts – is placi...

By Kristine A. Wong • Oct. 26, 2012

72 Hours of Technology Hell

New technology brings with it new possibilities. It also brings pain and disappointment.The latest installment in this life lesson involved my recent iPhone upgrade.  After the announcement that a new, improved iPhone was ready, I jumped on the site and placed my order. Shortly thereafter I recei...

By Susan Cramm • Oct. 26, 2012

Looming Fiscal Cliff Speeds Mergers

With capital gains and dividend tax rates set to rise in 2013 barring congressional action, dealmakers are rushing to close merger and acquisition transactions by year-end. Acquirers, especially those in industries that are rapidly consolidating, say the impending changes to the tax code — the en...

By Vincent Ryan • Oct. 24, 2012

U.K. Pundits’ Views on Election, Economy

Not only is the U.S. Presidential election too close to call, it’s far from clear what impact either candidate would have upon taking office. Whoever wins will face the same economic challenges: “a fiscal cliff, a regulatory mountain, and a jobs depression,” says Gerard Lyons, chief economist wit...

By Andrew Sawers • Oct. 24, 2012

Middle-Market Business: The Goldilocks Spot

“Pizza,” says Steve Larek, CFO of Home Run Inn, a family-owned restaurant-and-frozen-pizza operation born in Chicago in 1923, “is middle-of-the-road, middle market, Middle America, middle class.”And when the 2007 Great Recession hit, Home Run Inn — like Middle America — was staggered. The number ...

By David Rosenbaum • Oct. 24, 2012

Yahoo CEO Slams “Splintered” Brands

During his first day on the job Monday, spanking-new Yahoo CFO Ken Goldman, formerly CFO of security vendor Fortinet and customer-relationship giant Siebel Systems, touted Yahoo’s “massive loyal audience and very promising products and properties in virtually every major category” during the comp...

By Taylor Provost • Oct. 23, 2012

Small Business Wanted More from Second Debate

No matter who you think won Tuesday’s Presidential debate, the feeling today seems to be that this time it was a fair fight.Small business, however, was not as central to the second debate as it was to the first, when it was mentioned by name 26 times as opposed to Tuesday night’s 21. “We wish we...

By David Rosenbaum • Oct. 17, 2012

The NFL’s Reputational Value Crisis

On a Tuesday morning in late September, a legion of NFL football fans was collectively aggrieved. The night before, Seattle Seahawk quarterback Russell Wilson threw a 24-yard potential touchdown pass to wide receiver Golden Tate on the final play of the game. As Tate went up for the ball, he was ...

By Nir Kossovsky • Oct. 15, 2012

JP Morgan Preps for Fiscal Cliff

Megabank JP Morgan Chase is trying to forecast the possible knock-on effects of the United States’s “fiscal cliff,” when, beginning in January, federal legislation could trigger higher taxes and automatic federal spending cuts to many government programs.During the question-and-answer with analys...

By Vincent Ryan • Oct. 12, 2012

CEOs Twist Employees’ Arms over Politics

Just what the hell is going on?You may have heard that it’s unwise to discuss sex, religion, or politics in public with anyone other than close friends. If anything, those topics should be avoided even more carefully at work, where strong emotions can interfere with productivity.Apparently, the c...

By David McCann • Oct. 11, 2012

Five Ways a Small Business Can Get Fortune 500 Deals

Large companies have an obvious advantage negotiating with vendors.   After all, if your purchases represent a significant percentage of the supplier’s bottom line, it’s easier to get a good deal.  Big companies also typically have large procurement organizations, with sourcing specialists for ea...

By Scott Drobes • Oct. 10, 2012