GOOD MORNING, CFO Friday, August 15, 2025 The only newsletter a CFO needs to start the day right.
(Made for CFOs who do not have time to read five newsletters)
☕ Here is what smart CFOs read before their first Zoom of the day...
In this issue: tariff shock, AI that actually ships value, and a cloud tax migraine
INFLATION WATCH
Tariffs are finally showing up in your costs
Producer prices popped as higher tariff costs work their way through supply chains. One Fed official says the pass-through will take a few quarters, which is economist for your COGS will feel spicy through year-end. CFO to-dos: refresh indexation clauses, model staggered price increases, add a tariff line to customer comms, and pressure test freight and packaging assumptions.
FINANCE TECH
AI shaved a week off the monthly close
A new MIT and Stanford study finds firms using AI in accounting cut the monthly close by roughly 7.5 days with better task allocation and cleaner reporting. That is not a pilot, that is a P&L. Quick win menu: automated flux analysis, AI draft footnotes with human review, GL anomaly detection before the close, and a real policy on prompt hygiene and approvals.
ENTERPRISE SPEND
Cisco’s AI buildout crosses 2B in orders
New CFO Mark Patterson says the theme is financial discipline while Cisco positions as AI plumbing for the data center. Translation for buyers: capacity is tight, lead times matter, and vendor lock-in loves you back. Watchouts: multi-year take-or-pay on compute, stranded gear risk as architectures shift, and whether your AI budget lives under IT or lands in your operating plan.
TAX AND COMPLIANCE
Cloud tax rules are multiplying
States are racing to tax cloud consumption as remote work pushes spend higher. Expect more nexus surprises, shifting SaaS taxability, and audit letters that arrive right after your close. Playbook: map cloud vendors by state, align procurement SKUs to tax codes, centralize exemption certificates, and roll a monthly use-tax check instead of an annual fire drill.
TALENT AND COMP
Stop treating pay like a cost center
Volatile cycles made a mess of comp strategy. The smarter move now is skills-based bands and performance premiums where they move the needle, especially for AI-adjacent roles that command a noticeable uplift. Metric to track: regretted attrition cost versus targeted retention investment.
LEADING INDICATOR
Cardboard is down, and that is a signal
Corrugated box shipments just hit their weakest Q2 since 2015. Fewer boxes often precede softer retail and e-comm volumes. Action: tighten inventory buys, revisit promo calendars, and recheck DC labor plans before peak.
QUICK HITS
Mortgage rates dipped to the lowest level since late 2024. Treat it as a window, not a trend.
Washington gossip says a potential government stake in Intel is being explored to accelerate domestic chip capacity. Industrial policy keeps rewriting the capex math.
LA28 will allow corporate venue names during the Games to help close a multibillion budget. Sponsorships just got a new ROI narrative for your CMO.
Waymo applied to test supervised driverless rides in New York City and Tesla is hiring data drivers. Regulatory timelines will decide who bills first.
CFO TOOLBOX
Weekend audit of your AI stack
List every AI use case in finance and who approves it.
Tag each to a control, a KPI, and a data source of record.
Kill one low-ROI experiment and fund one proven automation.
Write a two-paragraph disclosure you would be comfortable explaining to your auditor.
FAST FACTS
7.5 days faster: average monthly close improvement in AI-enabled firms
2 to 3 quarters: estimated timeline for tariff pass-through to fully hit inflation data
2B plus: Cisco AI infrastructure orders that signal continued data center spend
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