GOOD MORNING, CFO
--
Wednesday, August 27, 2025
Forget pumpkin spice, today’s flavor is Fed drama with a side of AI letdowns and a rough labor market.
In this issue:
Trump’s Fed power play
AI loses its shine
Hiring chills
HEADLINES & DEADLINES
-
Trump vs the Fed President Trump is pushing to change how the 12 regional Fed presidents are appointed, aiming for more direct White House influence. Critics say it would gut Fed independence and politicize monetary policy. Expect more turbulence ahead of the September 17 rate meeting.
-
Lisa Cook fights back Fed Governor Lisa Cook is preparing a lawsuit to block her removal after Trump accused her of mortgage fraud. An injunction could keep her vote alive for the September decision, which may swing policy.
-
Markets wobble The dollar made a modest rebound but investors remain skittish. Two-year Treasuries fell to a four-month low, showing traders are pricing in aggressive rate cuts. CFOs eyeing refinancing may want to move quickly.
TECHNOLOGY
-
AI’s rough month OpenAI’s GPT-5 landed with a thud, delivering only incremental gains. MIT and Stanford researchers say most enterprise pilots still fail, and McKinsey reports 80 percent of companies see no bottom-line impact from generative AI. The hype is colliding with CFO reality: budgets need proof, not promises.
The only newsletter a CFO needs to start the day right.
(Made for CFOs who don’t have time to read five newsletters.)
Make sure to subscribe on Beehiiv to get it in your inbox every morning.
☕ Here’s what smart CFOs are reading before their first call today…
TALENT & LABOR
--
Hiring slows down A Conference Board survey shows only 36 percent of CHROs plan to increase hiring over the next six months, down from 41 percent last year. Meanwhile, 20 percent expect cuts, nearly double from a year ago. Unemployment remains low at 4.2 percent, but job seekers now spend an average of 24 weeks landing a role. CFOs should prepare for a weaker labor pipeline and adjust payroll forecasts.
CFO SPOTLIGHT
-
Niki Heim on leading through uncertainty LogicSource CFO Niki Heim says constant turbulence since 2020 has forced her to stop overthinking and trust her first instincts. Her advice to aspiring CFOs: adapt quickly, make the call, and refine as you go.
FAST FACTS
-
0.3 percent: dollar gain vs yen on Tuesday
95 percent: enterprise AI pilots that fail (MIT study)
36 percent: CHROs planning to increase hiring in the next six months
24 weeks: average time to land a new job in 2025
MORNING HACKS
-
Run an AI ROI audit: compare projected AI savings with actual P&L impact, then flag any projects that fail to meet baseline returns.
Refresh hiring models: simulate payroll costs under 3 scenarios (slow hiring, flat hiring, and reductions) to prep for year-end.
👋 Still sitting in a corporate CFO chair?
Why Learn how to exit the grind and build a profitable fractional practice with “CFO to Fractional CFO.” Twenty dollars, straight to the point, everything you need to cash out and level up.