GOOD MORNING, CFO
Tuesday, September 16, 2025
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TURBO HEADLINES
Carbon offsets lose shine: Engineered solutions flop, fake credits exposed, nature-based removal (trees, mangroves, rock weathering) takes center stage.
Vue swaps CFO: Cinema operator appoints new finance chief as it expands across Europe post-restructuring.
Consumer confidence dips: Fears grow over frozen job market and spreading layoffs.
Inflation accelerates: CPI up 2.9%, fastest pace this year, tariffs blamed for higher prices.
CFOs’ layoff pitfalls: Gartner warns against cookie-cutter cost cuts and FIFO rules.
Finance still “Department of No”: Only 18% of CFO partners say finance teams meet strategic needs.
OpenAI CFO brags revenue boom: Claims company will more than triple sales this year.
Klarna IPO debuts: Wall Street warms again to listings after tariff-induced slump.
HEADLINES & INSIGHTS
OpenAI pulls in veteran finance exec
OpenAI has appointed Mike Liberatore (formerly CFO at xAI) as its new Business Finance Officer. He’ll help scale compute infrastructure and manage financial strategy alongside CFO Sarah Friar.
Job growth revised sharply downward
New BLS benchmark data shows about 911,000 fewer jobs were added between April 2024 and March 2025 than initially reported. That revision cuts monthly job gains from ~147,000 to ~71,000. Labor market may be weaker than thought.
Twin headwinds in housing and labor
The U.S. is facing pressure from both a cooling job market and housing affordability issues. Unemployment and jobless claims are rising, while mortgage payments remain steep and housing supply remains tight.
Retail spending holds up (for now)
Despite labor market softness and inflation, retail sales in August rose modestly, especially when excluding gas and autos. Stronger performance among higher-income households helped buffer the broader sentiment.
FAST FACTS
911,000: jobs removed in BLS benchmark revision (Apr 2024–Mar 2025)
22,000: jobs added in August
4.3%: unemployment rate
MORNING HACKS
Recalibrate hiring and revenue forecasts using revised labor data, not previous estimates.
Model impact on margins from higher housing costs or weaker consumer mobility.
Stay nimble on rate-cut expectations, with weaker labor data, Fed moves could come faster.
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