Ultimate List of CFO Blogs and Resources – 2023 Edition

As a Chief Financial Officer (CFO), you are the pinnacle of the corporate financial food chain. The lion of the jungle. But does this mean your journey ends there? Definitely not. There are always new things to be learning and experiences to help you guide your company through the waves of the business cycle. We have compiled a list of resources to help you on your journey as a CFO.

• Blogs
• Podcasts
• Whitepapers and Guides
• Tools and Calculators
• Webinars
• Sample Reports

Our Favorite CFO Blogs

• The Venture CFO BlogLink: http://theventurecfo.com/blog

  Are you looking for blog posts for CFOs by CFOs? Then you have come to the right place. Dave Olsen is the founder of Venture CFO. He has served as the CFO for many companies ranging from new start-ups to established companies with several million in revenue. His blog talks about his experiences as a CFO and gives perspective from both start-up and mature companies.

• The insightsoftware BlogLink: https://insightsoftware.com/blog/

  Throwing our own hat in the ring as we’ve gotten great feedback from reader’s over the past year regarding some of our new content! Some of our most popular CFO backed posts:

  • Best CFO KPIs and Dashboards for the 2023 CFO
  • The Remote CFO’s Guide to Closing the Books from Home
  • Crisis Planning for the Short and Long Term: Advice from Leading CFOs
• Generation CFOLink: https://generationcfo.com/

  Generation CFO is not interested in the traditional operational structure of corporations. They believe in the digital finance transformation, and their posts focus on embracing change. Many of the articles feature interviews from executives of large technology companies that are exploring new frontiers.

  Recommended Post: https://generationcfo.com/turning-compliance-into-a-competitive-advantage/

  When you are navigating through the corporate world, compliance often gets a bad rap. It is viewed as a burden that costs companies money. But, what if you could turn compliance into a competitive advantage? Don’t silo each new regulation that gets rolled out, bring them all together in an integrated approach. This strategy will help cut costs and give you a competitive edge against your rivals.

• Deloitte CFO Articles & InsightsLink: https://www2.deloitte.com/us/en/pages/finance/topics/cfo.html

  Anyone in finance should know about Deloitte. They are one of the “Big Four” accounting firms. As such, it should come as no surprise that they have a blog tailored to CFOs. They provide their perspective and insight into what changes and challenges CFOs will be facing or embracing in the future.

• Samuel’s CFO BlogLink: https://dergelcfo.com/blog/

  Samuel Dergel is a CFO expert. That might seem like a strange thing to say, but he is in the business of helping companies acquire exceptional CFOs. As such, he probably knows the role of a CFO better than, well, most CFOs. His blog provides a wealth of information regarding what a modern CFO looks like and shares the success stories of modern CFOs.

• vcfo BlogLink: https://www.vcfo.com/blog/

  The vcfo blog focuses heavily on the financial impacts of current events that are shaping the global marketplace and discusses what how CFOs can navigate these changes. They also offer free webinars put on by industry veterans to help keep you ahead of your peers.

  Recommended Post: https://www.vcfo.com/blog/employee-stock-option-plan/

  As a CFO, have you ever wondered how to motivate employees, attract talent, or retain talent for that matter? Typically, you would think that these kinds of questions should be dealt with by the HR department. However, the use of an employee stock option plan (ESO) falls directly under the jurisdiction of the finance department. This blog post by vcfo runs you through all the ins and outs of having an ESO.

• CFO Leadership CouncilLink: https://cfoleadershipcouncil.com/blog/

  The CFO Leadership Council was founded in 2006 as a gathering place for financial executives to network in a comfortable environment. As such, their blog posts come from a variety of different sources, including insights directly from industry leaders like Oracle and Bank of America.

  Recommended Post: https://cfoleadershipcouncil.com/2020/08/19/faces-of-cfolc-meet-angela-tise/

  The CFO Leadership Council did a series of articles on meeting their members! This one features Angela Tise, who is the National Membership Chair and a Regional Director. Her interview is of particular interest as she shares her insights on how COVID has impacted her work, and what she thinks the future has in store.

• CFO Strategic Partners (CFOSP) BlogLink: https://www.cfosp.com/blog/

  The CFO Strategic Partners (CFOSP) blog contains a wealth of information and is worth visiting on a regular basis. Their blog is of particular interest as it keeps up to date with current events that every CFO should be paying attention to, regardless of business size. Another nice aspect of the blog is that it frequently publishes the results of surveys conducted by the CFOSP. This makes the blog almost seem like a curated news feed for financial executives. This blog is worthy of being saved to your browser’s favorites tab.

• The CFO CentreLink: https://www.thecfocentre.ca/

  The CFO centre blog contains a wealth of information that is meant to help CFO’s when they are faced with challenges at work. Many of the blog posts will focus on a topic and walk you through a thought exercise to help find a solution to your problem.

  Recommended Post: https://www.thecfocentre.ca/2020/07/15/business-risk-analysis-part-ii/

  As a CFO, it is your job to address the financial risk of your business. However, this can be a fairly time consuming and daunting task. This blog post talks about the benefits of having an external CFO conduct risk analysis on your business for you. By having a part time CFO whose sole job is risk analysis, you are able to leverage their experience to make better financial decisions, while focusing your efforts on other tasks.

• The Creative’s CFOLink: https://www.thecreativescfo.com/blog/

  The Creative’s CFO blog help break things down for new CFOs. They provide a series of professional blog posts that identify key challenges that new CFOs will face as they begin their executive journey. A must read for CFOs helping small companies scale up quickly.

  Recommended post: https://www.thecreativescfo.com/blog/the-50-30-20-method-for-business

  Are you familiar with the 50-30-20 method for personal finance? In this model, your monthly income is split into the following categories: 50 percent for needs, 30 percent for wants, 20 percent for debts and savings. Did you know that this method can be adjusted for businesses as well? This blog post will run you through the methodology of the 50-30-20 rule for businesses, in which your profits are split the following way: 50 percent for paying yourself, 30 percent for taxes, and 20 percent to reinvest in the business.

• KPMG BlogLink: https://home.kpmg/xx/en/blogs/home.html

  KPMG is another one of the “Big Four” accounting firms. As one of the largest professional service providers in the world, they have a vast amount of knowledge, experience, and resources that they can draw upon. Their blog is written by KPMG leaders and subject matter experts from around the world. Their insights into current events and changes in global landscapes will keep you ahead of the competition.

CFO Podcasts for on the Go

• Motley Fool Money
  The Motley Fool, named in homage to the court jester character in Shakespearean literature, keeps the spirit of the character alive in today’s investment world. They aim to explore the truth and question conventional wisdom in top business news and investment headlines. Their podcast, Motley Fool Money, hosted by Chris Hill and a panel of investment analysts, breaks down the stock market implications for investors every Friday. Keep an ear on industry leaders and movement.

  Link: https://www.fool.com/podcasts/motley-fool-money/

• BBC’s Business Daily
  Listen in on the drama of money and work from BBC’s business daily podcast. The program covers international topics that are relevant in today’s financial world. These short 18-minute episodes will keep you well-informed on important global issues.

  Link: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p002vsxs/episodes/downloads

• Mckinsey’s – Inside the Strategy Room
  Brush up and reflect on what other companies are doing to stay relevant in today’s corporate finance world. If anyone is going to know what corporate strategies are being implemented, it is the management consulting firm Mckinsey & Company. Their podcast, Inside the Strategy Room, dives into strategies used by corporations to stay competitive. Don’t miss out on the section for corporate finance and the CFO.

  Link: https://www.mckinsey.com/business-functions/strategy-and-corporate-finance/our-insights/inside-the-strategy-room-podcast#

• Harvard Business Review IdeaCast
  Keep up with leading thinkers in business and management with the Harvard Business Review IdeaCast. Hosted by senior editors, Alison Beard and Curt Nickisch, this podcast brings expert insight into some of the most challenging problems facing CFOs. With more than 700 episodes, you have more than enough to keep yourself occupied.

  Link: https://hbr.org/2018/01/podcast-ideacast

• NPR – Planet Money
  Since its launch during the 2008 financial crisis, Planet Money, a podcast from National Public Radio, has won many awards. It aims to make sense of complicated forces that move the economy by diving into and examining supply chains, technology behaviors, and resource distributions up close to uncover the underlying trends.

  Link: https://www.npr.org/sections/money/

• CFO Thought Leader Podcast
  The work-from-home mentality had been picking up momentum for the last couple years, but there was still a large number of companies that were unwilling to embrace the change. As we have seen, this anti-work-from-home mindset quickly changed with the onset of a pandemic. Steven Springsteel, the CFO of Betterworks, has a great podcast about how his company transitioned to working from home, and how they got their clients on board with the idea. Definitely worth the listen.

  Link: https://cfothoughtleader.com/cfopodcasts/category/cfopodcasts/

• An Additional List
  If the list of podcasts above wasn’t enough to satisfy your listening, Feedspot has curated a list of the 10 CFO Podcasts you should be listening to in 2020. We like to think that our list is better, but we will let you be the judge!

  Link: https://blog.feedspot.com/cfo_podcasts/

CFO Whitepapers and Guides

• Guide to CFO 3.0 and Digital Transformation Beyond Financial Management
  As the world has modernized, so has the role of a CFO. The digital transformation has provided us with numerous tools that give us insight into what the future may hold. Don’t be stuck in the mindset of CFO 1.0 and 2.0, but be the leader of the pack as CFO 3.0.
  • CFO 1.0 – The historian. Constantly looking in the rear-view mirror for solutions to current problems.
  • CFO 2.0 – The real-time analyst. Done are the days of looking at past performance; you now have automated tools that help you analyze current data to make informed decisions.
  • CFO 3.0 – The visionary. Leveraging data, AI, and predictive analysis to look ahead and chart your course for the company.

  This blog post by Sage provides a white paper, “A guide to CFO 3.0 and digital transformation beyond financial management.”

  Link: https://www.sage.com/en-ca/blog/a-guide-to-cfo-3-0-and-digital-transformation-beyond-financial-management/

• Working Capital Management During Times of Economic Turbulence
  Businesses rarely fail because they are unprofitable. More often than not, failure is due to poor cash flow or inadequate working capital.

  Link: https://insightsoftware.com/resources/working-capital-management-during-times-of-economic-turbulence/

• New CFO Guide to Success
  It might be a little intimidating when you first step into the large shoes of being a CFO, but don’t worry—every CFO had a day one. To give you a bit of extra support, Garter has produced a “CFO First 100 Days Guide.” This guide is the springboard that sets you up for success in your new position.

  Link: https://www.gartner.com/en/finance/trends/new-cfo-guide-to-success

• McKinsey Special Collection: The Role of the CFOFor those of you who actively follow McKinsey, you will know that they regularly publish articles tailored for management and C-level executives. McKinsey has recognized that the role of a modern CFO has drastically changed over the last 50 years. As such, they have gone through and hand-picked articles from the Strategy and Corporate Finance Practice section just for this.

  Link: McKinsey Special Collection: The Role of the CFO

• What 157 Senior Finance Execs Say about Using Technology to Drive Hindsight, Insight, and ForesightWe surveyed 157 senior finance executives in conjunction with CFO Research to dig deeper into the shifting role of finance and discovered that many senior finance executives feel their companies are data rich, but information poor. This lays bare the truth that most CFOs are struggling to address: how to drive organizational change that embraces technology and data in a more effective way.

  Link: https://insightsoftware.com/resources/what-157-senior-finance-execs-say-about-using-technology-to-drive-hindsight-insight-and-foresight/

Tools and Calculators for the Modern CFO

• CFO University Tools
  Every CFO needs tools to do their job. CFO University has created the perfect CFO tool database. With 50+ tools and calculators, this database covers all your CFO needs in accounting, finance, treasury, and leadership. That said, these tools do come at a price. Members of CFO University can access these tools at discounted prices, ranging from free to 25 dollars, while non-members have to pay up to 50 dollars depending on the tool. That being said, these are pretty small prices to pay for the convenience and time savings.

  Link: https://cfo.university/tools

• Dr. Daniel Soper’s Calculators
  Looking for free financial calculators? Dr. Daniel Soper has created them for you. His easy-to-use calculators focus on cash flow ratios and stock price evaluation. While you might not need these calculators on a daily basis, his website is a good tool to keep in your back pocket.

  Link: https://www.danielsoper.com/fincalc/related.aspx?id=62

• CFO Moves
  The CFO Moves website does exactly what the name implies. It tracks the movement of CFOs between companies. Each week, a list of companies is published along with the name of the individual who will be taking over as CFO (as well as a hyperlink to their LinkedIn profile). This list is particularly useful as it can give some insight into the direction a company will take in the future based on the CFO’s track record.

  Link: https://cfomoves.com/

Webinars for CFOs

• Trusted CFO Solutions
  Trusted CFO Solutions is hosting an online Financial Services Forum in which CFOs are able to network with each other and share experiences. Each event features a keynote speaker who covers a particular topic, such as “Best Practices of a Modern Financial Services Firm: A CFO’s Journey” or “The Power of Budgeting, Planning, and Forecasting during Uncertain Times.”  Don’t worry—if you can’t make the live event, you can always watch a recording of it.

  Link: https://trustedcfosolutions.com/sage-intacct-financial-leaders-forum/

• CFO.com
  Do you need a completely CFO-centric news feed? CFO.com is just that. This website is packed full of relevant news to keep you at the forefront of current events. CFO.com also features webinars and whitepapers to help increase your knowledge base.

  Link: https://www.cfo.com/

Sample Reports

• Financial Ratios
  
  Have as many or as few financial ratios at your fingertips to evaluate your enterprise performance. Be armed with key insights to make data-driven decisions. Check out a sample report from our dynamic dashboard solution.

  Link: https://insightsoftware.com/sample-reports/financial-ratios/

• Working Capital
  
  
  
  Track and gain insight into your working capital with minimal effort using a dynamic dashboard. Be geared to adapt to new opportunities and navigate obstacles as soon as they appear. Try it for yourself with our working capital sample report.

  Link: https://insightsoftware.com/sample-reports/working-capital/

• Debt to Equity Ratio
  
  
  
  See your debt-to-equity ratio visually with insightsoftware’s performance dashboard. Get important KPI insights instantly and take your analysis to the next level.

  Link: https://insightsoftware.com/sample-reports/debt-to-equity-ratio/

• Headcount Ratio Model
  Stay on top of your employee headcount numbers and how it is affecting your financial performance. Strategize your hiring practices using real-time insights from a headcount ratio model. Enable yourself to make important decisions backed by data with this fully automated dashboard.

  Link: https://insightsoftware.com/sample-reports/headcount-ratio-model/

• Topsheet Month vs Budget
  Get a high-level review of your organizational performance, by business unit, instantly with a month vs. budget dashboard. This template is designed to provide information in an easily consumable way and help you tell the story behind the numbers.

  Link: https://insightsoftware.com/sample-reports/topsheet-month-vs-budget/

• KPI Overview Dashboard
  Don’t get buried in data while tracking KPI numbers. See how this KPI overview dashboard can be your customized solution for your organizational needs. It combines intuitive visuals with flexible tables to help you monitor the three highest value targets within your business.

  Link: https://insightsoftware.com/sample-reports/kpis-overview/

• Cap Table Report
  Get a 360-degree view of all things related to capitalization with insightsoftware’s Cap Table dashboard. This tool is essential for CFOs in an early-stage venture or a start-up company. It helps identify important items like potential funding sources, initial public offerings, mergers and acquisitions, and more.

  Link: https://insightsoftware.com/sample-reports/cap-table-report/

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