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The SEC’s enforcement actions against public companies dropped 30 percent this year.

Not a small dip. The lowest first-year enforcement total for any new administration since 2013.

Cornerstone Research says 93 percent of enforcement actions in fiscal 2025 happened before former SEC Chair Gary Gensler stepped down.

Once the new leadership took over, only four cases were initiated. Four.

CFOs now face a strange contradiction:

• Less enforcement

• More uncertainty

• Higher compliance risk

• A murkier regulatory tone

The real debate:

Are lighter enforcement numbers a relief… or the calm before a regulatory snap-back once leadership stabilizes?

How are you reading the tea leaves for your 2026 filings?

The two biggest names in home improvement both lowered expectations.

Lowe’s CFO Brandon Sink said it plainly:

Consumers are cautious, the macro environment looks foggy, and the housing market timing is unclear.

Home Depot said the same thing last week.

This follows:

• consumer sentiment hitting a three-year low

• restaurants warning of weaker spending

• rising layoffs in multiple categories

New question for finance leaders:

Is consumer softness an early 2026 recession signal, or just a seasonal dip?

And more importantly, are you adjusting forecasts or still hoping Q4 saves the year?

Despite political hostility toward ESG and shareholder pressure cooling off, a new Deloitte survey shows a different reality:

Sustainability remains a top business priority for the fourth straight year.

Key stats:

• 45 percent of C-suite execs rank sustainability in their top three challenges

• 83 percent increased sustainability investment this year

• AI for sustainability is already mainstream

• Two-thirds use AI to cut operating emissions

This contradicts the loudest headlines.

Is ESG dying? Not inside finance.

It is shifting from external pressure to internal value creation.

Are you seeing sustainability as compliance… or as operational efficiency?

The University of Michigan’s latest reading shows a steep drop in consumer outlook:

• personal finance expectations down

• buying conditions for large purchases down more than 10 percent

• sentiment near the lowest levels in years

Pair this with Home Depot’s and Lowe’s warnings and the signal becomes clearer:

The average customer is tightening the wallet.

CFO takeaway:

Are you preparing for slower discretionary spend in Q1, or modeling a rebound?

The Detroit Riverfront Conservancy is tightening internal controls after its CFO embezzled more than 40 million dollars.

William A. Smith is now serving a 19-year sentence.

The case is a masterclass in what can go wrong when:

• oversight weakens

• board governance drifts

• treasury controls degrade

Every CFO should be asking: Would your board detect a fraud this large… or would it slip through?

After five years in the role, Citi CFO Mark Mason will transition out by March.

He will become executive vice chair and exit by 2026. Gonzalo Luchetti, head of U.S. personal banking, will take the CFO seat.

Big bank CFO transitions always signal strategic repositioning.

Open question: Is Citi preparing for structural changes across consumer banking?

Here are the fast movers worth watching:

• Ex-Fabric CFO convicted in 35M crypto fraud Wire fraud charges tied to a failed crypto investment. Governance matters.

• US manufacturing slows (Reuters) High prices continue to curb demand.

• Fed will not receive October CPI before rate decision (CNBC) More uncertainty heading into December.

• Target invests 1B to revive sagging sales Big retail is betting on a turnaround.

• Fed officials split over pace of cuts Rate policy remains a tug-of-war.

If you want to go from “reporting numbers” to actually fixing companies, there’s no better mentor.

👉Start here: 24 cash-flow strategies most accountants never heard of. (free)

👉Then book your free strategy call to learn advisory skills CFOs actually get paid for.