Chief Financial Officer (CFO) is the senior executive responsible for financial strategy, reporting, and operations. Reports to CEO, often to the board's audit committee. Responsibilities: financial planning and analysis, accounting, treasury (cash, debt, banking), tax, audit, risk management, investor relations, M&A. Public-company CFOs personally certify financial statements under SOX and face criminal liability for fraud. Compensation: SMB CFOs earn $200K-$500K; large public company CFOs earn $5M-$15M total compensation. Career path typically progresses from accounting/finance roles through Controller, VP Finance, then CFO. Many CFOs come from Big Four audit or investment banking backgrounds.
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Accounts Payable
Accounts Payable (A/P) is money a company owes to suppliers for goods or services received but not yet…
Accounts Receivable
Accounts Receivable (A/R) is money owed to a company by customers for goods or services delivered on credit.…
Accrual Accounting
Accrual accounting recognizes revenues when earned (regardless of cash receipt) and expenses when incurred (regardless of cash payment)…
Accrued Expense
An accrued expense is a cost recognized in the income statement before cash is paid — recorded as…
Amortization
Amortization is the systematic allocation of intangible asset cost over its useful life — analogous to depreciation but…
Audit
An audit is an independent examination of a company's financial records, internal controls, and statements — typically conducted…
CFO
August 22, 2026 · Aditya Gupta
Accounting
Related terms
Accounts Payable
Accounts Payable (A/P) is money a company owes to suppliers for goods or services received but not yet…
Accounts Receivable
Accounts Receivable (A/R) is money owed to a company by customers for goods or services delivered on credit.…
Accrual Accounting
Accrual accounting recognizes revenues when earned (regardless of cash receipt) and expenses when incurred (regardless of cash payment)…
Accrued Expense
An accrued expense is a cost recognized in the income statement before cash is paid — recorded as…
Amortization
Amortization is the systematic allocation of intangible asset cost over its useful life — analogous to depreciation but…
Audit
An audit is an independent examination of a company's financial records, internal controls, and statements — typically conducted…
