GOOD MORNING, CFO
Wednesday, September 10, 2025
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HEADLINES & DEADLINES
Talent gap in accounting
New accountants think they’re ready, but managers disagree. A survey shows staff rated their skills at 7.4/10, managers gave them 5/10. Biggest gaps: critical thinking, initiative, and problem-solving. Feedback is also misaligned—managers think they give it, staff say they don’t see it.
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Crypto in the crosshairs
SEC and CFTC chiefs plan to align frameworks, aiming to close gaps that could stifle innovation. Expect crypto to dominate their September roundtable; covering 24/7 markets, perpetual contracts, and DeFi. Trump’s CFTC nominee has deep crypto ties.
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Cyber risk isn’t gone
Cyber claims fell 53% in H1 2025, but ransomware got pricier, with severity up 20%. Companies that avoided heavy losses had strong backups and recovery plans in place.
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Economic chill
Small business optimism is up on sales, but hiring plans fell 4 pts (NFIB).
CPA executives are more pessimistic: only 37% optimistic about the year ahead, down from 50% in Q1. Tariffs remain the main drag.
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Corporate shuffle
Dell CFO Yvonne McGill resigned after 2 years.
Yum! Brands promoted Ranjith Roy to CFO.
Spectrum Brands fired its CFO in cost-cutting.
Nestlé CEO was ousted after a second probe; CFO confirmed details.
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AI & compliance
Firms are rushing into AI, but risk frameworks aren’t keeping up. CFOs face new questions around data governance, privacy, and quantifying compliance risks.
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Consumer squeeze
Thrift store visits are up nearly 40% since 2019, a sharper rise than retail overall. Price-sensitive shoppers are signaling broader economic uncertainty.
FAST FACTS
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$40B: forecasted AI-driven fraud losses by 2027
9%: expected employer healthcare cost increase in 2026
911,000: payrolls marked down in record preliminary revision
37%: finance execs optimistic about year-ahead performance
MORNING HACKS
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Run talent audits: pair training with structured feedback loops to close the skills gap.
Test AI compliance readiness: map where privacy and governance gaps could stall adoption.
Build tariff resilience: scenario-test pricing, cost cuts, and supply chain changes.
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