Airlines Navigate Jet Fuel Price Volatility
Jet fuel prices have surged to $4.30 a gallon, a 72% jump since February, as the US‑Israel conflict with Iran disrupts the Strait of Hormuz. The spike has added $340 million in fuel expenses for United Airlines and driven a 17% YoY increase for Alaska, inflating operating losses across the major carriers. In response, United trimmed its 2026 earnings outlook, Alaska suspended guidance, and Delta is curbing capacity growth while raising fares. Executives are emphasizing network adjustments and price hikes to protect margins.
Before and After One CPA Firm’s PE ‘Flip’
Schellman, a top‑100 CPA firm, first took private‑equity backing from Lightyear Capital in 2021 and in March 2026 completed a rare "flip" to Goldman Sachs Alternatives, with Lightyear remaining a minority holder. The first PE round drove institutionalization, new CRM/ERP...
CFOs’ Budgets Quickly Become Outdated Amid Macro Turmoil
CFOs are grappling with rapidly outdated budgets as geopolitical shocks—such as the US‑Israel conflict and blockades in the Strait of Hormuz—inject unprecedented volatility into cost structures. Rydoo’s CFO Aidana Zhakupbekova says traditional quarterly forecasts no longer suffice, prompting larger buffers...
New Driscoll’s CFO Has the Pedigree to Drive International Expansion
After 26 years at Coca‑Cola, Wadih Khayat joins Driscoll’s as CFO to spearhead its international expansion. Khayat brings experience overseeing finance for Coca‑Cola’s Europe and Asia‑Pacific markets and leading global venture strategy. He will focus on agile capital allocation, digital...
Stablecoins: Proceed with Caution
Stablecoins have surged to a $302 billion market cap, more than double their 2024 size, as regulatory frameworks like the U.S. Genius Act and the EU’s MiCA bring clearer rules. Payments giants such as PayPal and Mastercard are piloting stablecoin solutions,...
The War in Iran Is Giving Accountants Economic Jitters
The Q1 2026 Global Economic Conditions Survey shows CFO confidence slipping to its lowest point since the pandemic, driven largely by the war in Iran. Geopolitical instability rose to the top risk priority for accountants, overtaking inflation and interest‑rate concerns....
Companies Are Standing Firm on Salaries
Companies are tightening fixed compensation while boosting variable pay, according to Korn Ferry’s pulse survey of 4,250 firms in 133 countries. About 72% expect bonuses at or above target in 2026, but median base salary hikes in the U.S. hover...
When a CFO Finds Fraud
Fraud incidents are climbing at U.S. public companies, and CFOs are often the first to notice irregularities. The Association of Certified Fraud Examiners advises CFOs to immediately report suspicions through established channels such as hotlines, HR, or security teams, and...
Big Bank Earnings Give Cause for Relief and Concern
Big U.S. banks reported a surprisingly resilient first‑quarter economy despite a 16% jump in March gas prices. Bank of America highlighted that fuel makes up only 3‑5% of household spending, while JPMorgan and Wells Fargo saw no immediate cutbacks in discretionary...
How Scrapping the Quarterly Reporting Requirement Will Affect Finance
The SEC is drafting a rule to eliminate the mandatory quarterly 10‑Q filing, offering companies a semiannual reporting option instead. Early reactions suggest most firms will maintain their monthly internal close cycles, so the administrative burden may not shift dramatically....
Megadeals Are Having a Mega Year (so Far)
Dealmakers kicked off 2026 with a surge in megadeals—transactions of $10 billion or more—setting an all‑time Q1 record. Twelve megadeals closed, up from just two in the prior quarter, and they drove total deal value to $438 billion, a 155% jump from...
What to Do when the CEO Moves On
CEO turnover reached a seven‑year high in the first three quarters of 2025, putting CFOs at the forefront of leadership transitions. At the 2026 AICPA CFO Conference, seasoned CFOs shared tactics for guiding boards, staff, and interim CEOs through the...
FASB Is Analyzing Data Center Accounting Trends
The Financial Accounting Standards Board announced a new research project to monitor accounting trends in data‑center investments and private‑credit lending. The initiative follows heightened scrutiny of how tech giants finance massive AI‑driven data‑center builds, including extended asset lives and front‑loaded...
M&A’s Human-Value Gap
A March report from professional services firm RGP highlights a "Human Value Gap" in mergers and acquisitions, revealing that while 81% of surveyed CFOs deem culture, talent and knowledge critical, only 18% believe their firms protect these assets effectively. The...
VC-Backed CFOs Expect AI Spending to Double This Year
A Silicon Valley Bank survey of 230 CFOs at VC‑backed firms shows AI tool spending surged from a $2,000 median in 2024 to $20,000 in 2025 and is projected to reach $50,000 this year, more than double the prior year....
A Tech CFO’s Next Act: Bringing AI to Farmers
Kevan Krysler, former KPMG partner and CFO of Everpure, has joined ag‑tech startup Carbon Robotics as CFO. The company, backed by Nvidia NVentures, reported $100 million in revenue for the fiscal year ending Jan 31 2026 and has raised over $185 million in venture...
How Intuit Plans to Ride Out the ‘SaaS-Pocalypse’
Intuit’s CTO Alex Balazs says the company is reshaping its model to survive the so‑called “SaaS‑pocalypse.” By embedding QuickBooks and TurboTax services into Anthropic’s Claude Cowork and OpenAI marketplaces, Intuit aims to become a backend for AI‑driven agents. The firm...
How to Survive the Transition to PE Ownership
The transition to private‑equity ownership forces CFOs to reset expectations, timelines, and the company’s value narrative. Finance leaders like Keith Durden and Connor Augustyn stress adopting an entrepreneurial mindset, building robust KPI reporting, and aligning closely with the PE investment...
Geopolitical Risks Increasingly Dominate CFOs’ List of Concerns
A McKinsey CFO Pulse survey of 152 finance leaders conducted late 2025 shows geopolitical instability and trade policy shifts are now the top growth risks. 37% of respondents cite geopolitical conflict, while 32% point to trade policy changes as major...
Docusign CFO Lays Out the Company’s Plans for a Resurgence
DocuSign’s revenue surged from $974 million in FY2020 to $2.1 billion in FY2022, then slowed to 19% growth in FY2023 and 10% in FY2024, prompting three workforce reductions of 6‑10% each. CFO Blake Grayson, a former Amazon finance executive, says the company’s...
Grant Thornton CEO on Investing in Accounting’s Next Gen
Grant Thornton, backed by a 2024 private‑equity deal with New Mountain Capital, announced a $1 billion commitment to technology and artificial intelligence over the next few years. The firm is also boosting its UK graduate recruitment by 30% despite a broader...
Chipotle CFO Strives for Transparency
Chipotle’s chief financial officer Adam Rymer, who stepped into the role in October 2024, spent his first full year navigating a turbulent 2025 marked by tariffs, lingering consumer‑spending concerns and broader market uncertainty. Drawing on a 15‑year tenure at the...
Tackling Data Breach Risks Requires Perpetual Planning
Data breach fallout can linger, damaging reputation and sparking class‑action lawsuits. Finance and cyber experts warn that an annual security review is no longer sufficient; continuous assessment is required. Hydrolix illustrates this approach with weekly cyber discussions, quarterly board reporting,...
Why AI Skills Are Becoming a Must-Have in Accounting Roles
AI proficiency has shifted from a nice-to-have to a baseline requirement for finance and accounting professionals. A Datarails analysis of 5,000 U.S. job postings shows AI or machine‑learning mentions rising to 30% for accounting roles, up from 18% a year...
Goodbye, Earnings Call Tech Mishaps?
Q4, a veteran investor‑relations software firm, has launched digital conferencing capabilities to eliminate the technical glitches that still plague earnings calls. The new platform consolidates call lines, audio, transcripts and analytics into a single dashboard, targeting a sub‑1% error rate....
SEC Chair Atkins Calls for Simplifying Exec Comp Reporting
SEC Chair Paul Atkins announced plans to simplify executive compensation reporting under Item 402 of Regulation S‑K, calling current disclosures costly, burdensome, and filled with non‑material data. He highlighted pay‑versus‑performance metrics and executive security perks as priority areas for reform....
Pharma CFO Plans for Telehealth Expansion
Sam Backenroth, a veteran pharma CFO with over 13 years of public‑company experience, joined Aspargo Labs in early 2025 to build out its finance and operations platform. He is steering the company through internal‑control upgrades, a 2025 audit and the...
The Secrets to Handling Rapid Revenue Growth
Horizon3.ai’s revenue is surging, prompting CFO Holly Grey to balance rapid growth with disciplined support structures. She’s scaling staffing, customer‑support mechanisms, and finance automation to keep transactions flowing and customers happy. Industry data from RapidRatings shows a 50% revenue jump...
The Stock Exchange that Asked the SEC for Quarterly Reporting Changes
The Long‑Term Stock Exchange (LTSE) has petitioned the SEC to make quarterly reporting optional, allowing companies to file on a six‑month basis if they choose. The SEC responded quickly, indicating it may issue a rule proposal soon. LTSE argues that...
Bringing SaaS to a Wellness Business
Wellhub, formerly Gympass, secured $85 million Series F financing in 2023, valuing the corporate wellness platform at $2.4 billion and earning unicorn status. The company now serves nearly 40,000 corporate clients and, after partnering with Anytime Fitness, operates the largest U.S. fitness network...
Coming Soon: An Unusual Situation at the Fed’s Top Position
The Federal Reserve’s leadership transition has hit a snag as Justice Department investigators probe former Chair Jerome Powell’s remarks about a Fed building renovation. Senator Thom Tillis is refusing to advance the confirmation of incoming Chair Kevin Warsh until the...
The CFO Behind 2025’s Biggest IPO
Medline, the nation’s largest private medical‑supplies maker, went public in December 2025, raising $6.26 billion at a valuation north of $50 billion, making it the year’s biggest IPO. The offering followed a 2021 leveraged buyout that valued the family‑owned firm at roughly...
Oil Price Spikes Hit Hardest in Low-Margin Industries
Oil prices have surged as the Strait of Hormuz closure removes roughly 20% of global supply, double the impact of the 2022 Russia‑Ukraine war. In the week of March 9, U.S. diesel jumped $0.96 per gallon to $4.86, marking the largest...
Private Equity Firms Want Special Skills in Their Portfolio Company CFOs
Private equity‑backed companies are hunting CFOs who go beyond traditional finance stewardship. Recruiters cite four non‑negotiables: acting as an operational copilot, possessing advanced AI expertise, being transaction‑ready, and showing a strong backbone. With roughly 21,000 PE‑backed firms in the U.S....
How Prudent Capital Deployment Returned Quad to Profitability
Quad Graphics, the fourth‑largest North American printer, posted a $27 million net profit in 2025, reversing a $51 million loss from the prior year. The company slashed more than $700 million of debt, bringing total borrowings down to $308 million. It redirected capital spending...
Audited Financials Aren’t Enough, Survey Finds
The Center for Audit Quality surveyed 300 U.S. institutional investors and found a strong appetite for assurance services that go beyond traditional financial statement audits. Eighty‑one percent regularly use cybersecurity risk information, while 78% consider data privacy, sustainability and governance...
Sure, It’ll Be Grand
EY’s March 12 poll of 200 senior Irish finance leaders shows overwhelming optimism for 2026, with 94% expecting growth and an average forecast of 9%. The confidence reflects Ireland’s near‑13% GDP expansion in 2025, driven largely by pharmaceutical exports. Energy...
SEC Proposal to End Mandatory Quarterly Reporting Draws Opposition
The SEC is weighing a shift from mandatory quarterly earnings reports to a biannual cadence, a move first floated by former President Donald Trump and championed by SEC Chair Paul Atkins, who aims to release a proposal by early 2026....
What’s Manufacturers’ Answer to Inflation?
Manufacturers faced an 8% rise in material costs last year and a 0.5% jump in producer prices in January, outpacing forecasts. Global input prices also surged, driven by higher labor costs, supply‑chain strains and renewed U.S. tariffs. To safeguard margins,...
How Tariff Early Movers Can Continue to Cement Their Advantage
When the Trump administration imposed tariffs, firms that quickly diversified suppliers and shifted production to near‑shore locations gained a lasting competitive edge. These early movers reduced geopolitical risk, shortened lead times, and improved working‑capital turnover, while companies that delayed faced...
California Sets Deadline for Corporate Climate Disclosure Rule
California’s Air Resources Board set August 10, 2026 as the filing deadline for the first greenhouse‑gas emissions reports required under SB 253. Companies with more than $1 billion in annual revenue that do business in the state must disclose Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions, while...
IPOs Are “Demanding” But “Exhilarating,” Says Veteran CFO
Veteran CFO Bill Zerella, who has guided three firms—including Fitbit, Vocera and ACV Auctions—through public listings, says the IPO bar is rising as private equity depth gives companies more liquidity options. He expects 2026 to be a strong year, especially...
The ‘SaaS-Pocalypse’ Doesn’t Scare This Accounting Software CFO
The so‑called “SaaS‑pocalypse” erased over $1 trillion in market value, dragging Xero’s shares down 23% YTD, yet CFO Claire Bramley says the New Zealand‑based accounting SaaS remains fundamentally strong. Xero posted 20% year‑over‑year operating‑revenue growth and a 10% rise in global subscriptions,...
How One CFO Solved His Talent Shortage
A recent Robert Half survey shows only 6 % of finance teams possess needed skills, with 53 % reporting widening gaps and hiring shortages persisting. Liberty Bank’s CFO Paul Young tackled this by launching a combined apprenticeship and job‑rotation program in 2022,...
Inside Robinhood’s Capital Allocation Framework
Robinhood’s newly appointed CFO Shiv Verma outlined a disciplined capital‑allocation framework aimed at achieving the company’s “financial super‑app” vision. He emphasized profitable growth as the North Star and described a three‑business‑line structure—brokerage, crypto, and money (banking and credit). Investments are...
Foreign Entity Rules Are Throwing a Wrench in Energy Storage Financing
The One Big Beautiful Bill Act’s Foreign Entity of Concern (FEOC) rules now tie clean‑energy tax credits to the origin of battery materials, demanding at least 60% of value from non‑prohibited countries and increasing this share each year. Compliance pushes...
CFOs Are Feeling the Tariff Whiplash
CFOs are grappling with sudden tariff volatility after the Supreme Court struck down Trump‑imposed duties, only for the administration to reimpose a 10% flat tariff that quickly rose to 15%. The back‑and‑forth has left manufacturers uncertain about sourcing, lead times,...
The Accountant-to-CFO Pipeline in Action
Lucas Zettle, after a five‑year rise at Webtrends, returned to Aldrich as CFO, leveraging long‑standing relationships built during his early career. He emphasizes that finance teams should prioritize process and clear SOPs before deploying new technology. Zettle tracks days‑to‑close and...
‘Thrilling’ SEC Rule Changes Coming, Says Corp Fin Director
The SEC’s Division of Corporation Finance, led by James Moloney, announced a sweeping set of rule revisions that will affect disclosure, crypto assets, and reporting frequency. CFOs should anticipate changes to Regulation S‑K aimed at trimming immaterial disclosures, new interpretive guidance...
CFOs Are Slowing Headcount Growth, Survey Says
Gartner’s February budget benchmarks, based on a survey of over 300 CFOs, show tech spending staying robust while HR budgets are set to flatten. Average HR budget growth drops from 2.4% in 2025 to just 0.7% in 2026, and only...