CFO Leadership (5)

7 Ways To Get the Most Value From Vena's Excelerate =SUM(it) 2022

Virtual has become the new normal. The hybrid/remote work environment has affected how we work—and it’s changed how we learn, connect and grow with one another. But transitioning from physical to virtual doesn’t have to mean fewer opportunities for growth.......

April 14, 2022 |

Excelerate =SUM(it) 2022: Meet Our 3 Guest Keynote Speakers

“Learn continually. There’s always “one more thing” to learn.” —Steve Jobs If you ask any seasoned business leader about the key to success in their roles, they’ll likely emphasize the importance of learning—and with good reason. According to Steve Jobs—......

April 6, 2022 |

Women in Corporate Finance: Be Visible

This is the fifth and final part of a blog series based on an ebook we published in 2020 entitled, “Women in Corporate Finance: Five Guiding Principles From Leaders in the Field.” At the time, Vena spoke to five women who have broken the glass ceiling in t......

This is the fifth and final part of a blog series based on an ebook we published in 2020 entitled, “Women in Corporate Finance: Five Guiding Principles From Leaders in the Field.” At the time, Vena spoke to five women who have broken the glass ceiling in their own corporate finance careers. We asked them what it took to get to where they were, and what advice they had for the women following in their footsteps. Throughout March, for Women’s History Month, we’ll be revisiting their words in light of everything that’s happened since, to see what’s changed and what hasn’t in the two years that have passed. In this post, to close out Women’s History Month, we speak to Jennifer Korbely, Controller with BurgerBusters, Inc. For this, the last blog post in our series on women in corporate finance, let’s look ahead. Is the future truly female, as Hillary Clinton once predicted? Given the challenges women have faced since Clinton spoke those words—challenges we’ve explored in our previous four posts—making that future a reality may be more of an uphill battle than we ever realized before. Research by McKinsey & Company found that women’s jobs were 1.8 times more vulnerable to the pandemic than men’s. In fact, from the start of the crisis to June 2021, 64 million women globally had lost their jobs. And all of that could have lasting repercussions. Data from the World Economic Forum shows that the estimated amount of time it will take to close the gender gap has increased thanks to the pandemic—from 99.5 years to 135.6. In the world of finance, specifically, research by Deloitte projects that women will fill 28% of leadership roles in finance by 2030—up from 24% now. That may seem like a win until you realize, in 2019, that same 2030 projection was 31%. Not only that, but the “gap further continues between women in senior leadership roles and in the C-suite, currently standing at 9% but likely to widen to 14% by 2030,” the report states. So what will it take to shatter the glass ceiling and bring more fully realized gender parity to the corporate finance workplace? Back in 2020, if you listened to the women we interviewed, there wasn’t just one right way. It took hard-working, ambitious women who understood what they needed to succeed and weren’t afraid to ask for it. But it also took advocates—leaders that understand what women bring to the table—as well as role models and mentors. “Current female leaders need to make sure to voice their experiences, to help inspire others,” Jennifer Korbely, Controller for BurgerBusters, Inc. and the last corporate finance leader we spoke to, said in 2020. Today, we can’t help but wonder if that’s more important than ever. Principle #5: Be Visible For Those Who Come Behind Female leaders should share their stories, give more interviews and take up mentorship roles, Jennifer said when we spoke to her two years ago. By being visible, she added, you act as a role model, helping the next generation learn that their goals are possible even when self-doubt or other challenges get in the way. And Jennifer is no stranger to adversity. She’s navigated a career in corporate finance with dyslexia, working her way up to her role as Controller at BurgerBusters Inc., a Virginia Beach, VA franchise operations. But in 2020, after 10 years in the workforce, Jennifer told Vena she’d never felt any different as a woman compared to her male counterparts. She was also afforded all of the same opportunities as men. “I don't really think of myself as a woman in finance as much as just a good controller. I’ve been fortunate enough not to have had any bad experiences based on my gender,” she shared. While part of her own experience may be influenced by the fact that she didn’t have any children when we spoke to her—she saw colleagues with kids struggling more with work-life balance— she also saw it as a sign that things were changing. But that didn’t mean more change wasn’t needed too. The Need for Top-Level Change Where Jennifer saw the need for more change was at the top leadership level. “I would say definitely at the entry level there's a strong female presence,” she said at the time. “Then as you work up the chain, it does seem to become more predominantly male.” It’s an observation we see played out in the data time and time again. And that was as true then as it is now. In 2017, the Financial Times studied 50 of the world’s biggest banks, insurers, asset managers and professional services firms to see how they were doing in terms of gender parity. “The data revealed that the share of women plunges dramatically as employees move up through the ranks at their institutions,” they found. Another study in 2016 by Catalyst found that “almost two-thirds of women reported a lack of senior or visibly successful female role models as a major obstacle to their career advancement.” In 2021, meanwhile, a study by McKinsey & Company and LeanIn.Org looking at the finance industry specifically, revealed that there are actually more women (52%) at entry levels than men. Despite that, 64% of financial services C-suite executives are still white men. So what will it take to turn those numbers around? Visibility, Jennifer suggested two years ago, was one answer. Young women considering a career in corporate finance, or those working their way up the ranks, need role models. That starts with female leaders speaking out and sharing their experiences. And it continues by building a collaborative environment in the workplace where women and men at all levels can share their experiences and knowledge, helping each other and the team as a whole. All of which, she added, was already beginning to happen when we spoke to her. “I do feel like in time we'll see more females taking more leadership roles,” she said. Then the pandemic hit. Now, women have even more to contend with, as they leave or consider leaving the workforce in record numbers and struggle to find the flexibility they need to manage the requirements of both home and work. Still, Jennifer’s advice from back then is still valid to women starting out in finance today—even if it may be more difficult now to achieve. Because, like then, women still need to create a foundation they can build on—and they need to put that in place as early as they can. “Your early jobs are where you're going to learn the most,” she said. “So try not to cut corners. Go above and beyond—whether it's advancing your education or getting certified outside of work for a CPA license or any kind of betterment of yourself.” Supporting Women in Finance But what else can be done? This series of blog posts has examined advice from women, for women. It’s talked about all of the obstacles women face and advice for overcoming them: the old boys’ club culture, talented women overlooked for C-level roles, fewer female role models to look up to and continued bias against women of color and those who identify as trans or nonbinary. And we’ve looked at how the pandemic has only added to those burdens, with an increased threat of burnout and the added emotional labor they’re shouldering to support the well-being of colleagues and family members. What we’ve only touched on, though, is that women shouldn’t have to face any of that alone. If you don’t put the responsibility of overcoming the gender gap on women and women alone, there is a lot more that can be done. In an analysis of their research on women in finance, McKinsey & Company and LeanIn.Org suggest it’s imperative the companies those women work for do their part in fixing the gender divide as well. And they offer several suggestions on how businesses can do that: Create a flexible and supportive culture where women feel respected and as if their needs are met, and where flexible work arrangements are offered and expectations around remote work clear. Build and reward caring people leaders, like those that women often become as they take care of their teams and nurture career development and DEI. Those are critical skills in the workplace and should be recognized come performance review and promotion time. Actively monitor and solve for burnout, which women today are combating in higher levels than men, by setting boundaries and providing mental health resources. By taking some of the responsibility for building up their female talent and supporting the women on their teams, businesses can show how much they respect and appreciate those (and all) women. And we think that’s a critical step in closing the gender divide—both in corporate finance and beyond. Learn more about Vena’s Network for Women+ and how we support women+ in the workplace.

March 31, 2022 |

Women in Corporate Finance: Find Advocates for the Qualities You Bring

This is the fourth part of a blog series based on an ebook we published in 2020 entitled, “Women in Corporate Finance: Five Guiding Principles From Leaders in the Field.” At the time, Vena spoke to five women who have broken the glass ceiling in their own ......

This is the fourth part of a blog series based on an ebook we published in 2020 entitled, “Women in Corporate Finance: Five Guiding Principles From Leaders in the Field.” At the time, Vena spoke to five women who have broken the glass ceiling in their own corporate finance careers. We asked them what it took to get to where they were, and what advice they had for the women following in their footsteps. Throughout March, for Women’s History Month, we’ll be revisiting their words in light of everything that’s happened since, to see what’s changed and what hasn’t in the two years that have passed. In this post, we speak to Laura Szreider, Head of FP&A at Intelligent Processing Solutions Limited. Women don’t always bring the same qualities to the workplace as men. They don’t always benefit from the same advantages either. We saw as much in the last blog post in this series. According to the Women in the Workplace 2021 report by Lean In and McKinsey & Company, women managers do more to support their team and promote employee well-being. They help them navigate work-life balance, deal with burnout and manage their workloads. And they’re also more likely to take on mentorship roles, support career development and advocate for diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI). In fact, the Lean In and McKinsey & Company research shows that 38% of women at senior levels mentor or sponsor a woman of color—compared to just 26% of senior-level men. All of that work has real effects in the workplace. It leaves employees wanting to be there, less likely to leave and less prone to burnout. Since turnover can cost employers 33% of an employee’s annual salary—and holding on to employees is even more difficult than ever during the Great Resignation—those are significant skills to have in the modern workforce. And, as we saw in the last post, it’s only some of what women bring. Despite that, though, those skills are often overlooked when performance review time comes around. Of the companies polled in the Women in the Workplace 2021 survey, 87% saw supporting employee well-being as a critical function, yet only 25% of those companies actually recognized it in any substantial way when it came to formal evaluations like performance reviews. When it came to DEI, 70% saw it as critical, but just 24% recognized it formally. “I definitely think emotional labor is being taken for granted,” one woman who was surveyed responded. And since performance reviews are often used to negotiate promotions and raises, women are once again left at a disadvantage. So how do they make their mark in a way that will put them on the trajectory to career growth? Principle #4: Find Advocates “A lot of emotional energy goes in for a woman who wants to progress, in thinking about how she positions herself all of the time,” Laura Szreider, Head of FP&A at the UK-based Intelligent Processing Solutions Limited (iPSL), said when we talked to her in 2020. Women are often measured by “a different yardstick” than men, Laura said then. And there’s plenty to support Laura’s words. While the confidence gap between men and women has long been considered one factor behind the lack of workplace parity, research shows that’s not necessarily the case, finding that it’s women’s reluctance to self-promote that’s actually slowing them down—and for good reason. Namely, self-promotion doesn’t get them very far either—in fact, it’s often looked at negatively in women. “While assertive self-advocacy lines up nicely with the long-standing stereotype of the ambitious male go-getter, some studies show that when women demonstrate identical behaviors, they elicit negative reactions for failing to show stereotypical ‘feminine traits,’” Jo Miller, author of Woman of Influence: 9 Steps to Build Your Brand, Establish Your Legacy, & Thrive, wrote in 2021. Research has found that appearing self-confident “did not translate into influence equally for men and women.” For women—unlike men—influence was more tied to how warm and caring they appeared than how self-confident. “Where their male colleagues are allowed to focus on their own objectives, women who are expected to care for others are shouldering an unfair load,” the researcher concluded in the Harvard Business Review. Which brings us back to where we started. Because, as we’ve already seen, women are taking on more of that “emotional labor” than ever—but that isn’t translating into the same formal recognition and career advancement. It’s no wonder, then, that Laura said women have to constantly grapple with how they’re putting themselves forward—to appear confident, but not too confident, and assertive, but not too assertive. “I think women have to think much harder about how they communicate,” she said. Where the Right Advocates Fit In Since workplaces are often naturally geared towards men’s communication styles, Laura said two years ago, women are often spending their “emotional energy” thinking and rethinking how they approach every situation. “It's always that balance about being soft, but not too soft; hard, but not too hard,” she maintained. Finding the right advocates and leaders that recognize the unique qualities you bring is one way women can get ahead, Laura suggested then. Having someone in your corner can help women focus on doing their jobs well instead of stressing over how that’s communicated or whether the strengths they’re bringing are being overlooked. In almost two decades in corporate finance, Laura herself has learned to look for leaders who won’t just back her up, but also encourage her to be open about her goals and how she plans to achieve them. “I think women quite often can be afraid to say what they want,” she said in 2020. “Actually saying, ‘I see myself on the boards, I see myself in the senior management role,’ feels like a really big deal. It feels like almost putting yourself somewhere where you shouldn't be. It feels presumptuous.” But doing so, and finding the teams that align with those goals and support them, can help women get exactly where they want to go. Which leads us to the advice Laura gave to young women coming up in the corporate finance workforce today. Jump into the unknown, she said. Push your comfort zone. Put yourself into situations that are deliberately scary. “You build resilience and self-confidence. You start realizing that actually, I can handle this thing just as well as the next person,” Laura told us. “So, therefore, I can handle the next thing just as well as the next person too.” Believing you can accomplish your goals, after all, is a good first step to finding others who think so too. Learn how to challenge the “She-Cession” with the help of workforce planning. In our final blog post in this series, we’ll talk to Jennifer Korbely, Controller with BurgerBusters, Inc., about staying visible.

March 29, 2022 |

Women in Corporate Finance: Recognize an Unconscious Bias

This is the third part of a blog series based on an ebook we published in 2020 entitled, “Women in Corporate Finance: Five Guiding Principles From Leaders in the Field.” At the time, Vena spoke to five women who have broken the glass ceiling in their own c......

This is the third part of a blog series based on an ebook we published in 2020 entitled, “Women in Corporate Finance: Five Guiding Principles From Leaders in the Field.” At the time, Vena spoke to five women who have broken the glass ceiling in their own corporate finance careers. We asked them what it took to get to where they were, and what advice they had for the women following in their footsteps. Throughout March, for Women’s History Month, we’ll be revisiting their words in light of everything that’s happened since, to see what’s changed and what hasn’t in the two years that have passed. In this post, we speak to Maggie Carey, Senior Vice President, Finance & Budget of the 9/11 Memorial & Museum. There are a couple of things everyone should understand about women in power. First off, there are too few of them. But second: The women who do get to the top make a difference while they’re there. “Men in senior leadership outnumber women 2 to 1—but employees are equally likely to say that women and men leaders have supported their career development,” explained the Women in the Workplace 2021 report by Lean In and McKinsey & Company. “This means women are shouldering roughly double the load of mentorship and sponsorship.” And that’s not all. According to research by S&P Global, firms with female CFOs have also proven more profitable. They drive more value appreciation, better defend profitability moats and deliver excess risk-adjusted returns for their firms. When looking at the 24 months post-appointment, female CEOs saw an average 20% increase in stock price momentum, while female CFOs saw a 6% increase in profitability and 8% larger stock returns. Despite all of that, though, women are still being overlooked for leadership positions. “Being more selective with female appointees means that the board of directors may pass over a more qualified female in favor of a less qualified male,” the S&P Global study reported. “If this is the case, it follows that the remaining pool of female contenders for C-suite positions remains richer with talent.” All of which encapsulates the words Maggie Carey—Senior Vice President of Finance & Budget at New York City’s 9/11 Memorial & Museum—shared with us in 2020. “A lot of times, a woman's gender is seen before her work,” she said then. Which brings us to our third principle, the one Maggie lives by: Understand the unconscious bias. Principle #3: Understand the Unconscious Bias “Unconscious bias can play a large role in determining who is hired, promoted, or left behind,” the Women in the Workplace 2019 report by Lean In and McKinsey & Company attested. According to Maggie, that bias can also affect how women are treated day-to-day. When we spoke to her in 2020, she suggested that the right conversations—in the media and beyond—can begin to reveal and unravel that bias for all women. Finding leaders who see past gender helps as well. And those types of leadership skills can be learned—at the management level, unconscious bias training has demonstrated real results. Yet out of the 323 companies who gave answers for the Women in the Workplace 2019 report, only six had a full range of best practices in place meant to support inclusive and unbiased hiring and promotions. And one in four women still thought their gender had played a role in missing out on a raise, promotion or other chance to get ahead. “Social science research shows that we tend to overestimate men’s performance and underestimate women’s,” the report stated, suggesting the use of unconscious bias training can help fix this problem. “There is … compelling evidence that this training works. In companies with smaller gender disparities in representation, half of employees received unconscious bias training in the past year, compared to only a quarter of employees in companies that aren’t making progress closing these gaps.” Celebrating a Diversity of Experiences “Diversity of thought and experience is critically important in all industries,” Maggie said two years ago. Yet in the workplace, diverse thoughts and experiences don’t always get recognized. And that’s just as true now than it was back in 2020. Today, working mothers are finding their experience especially overlooked, and are feeling more than ever that their careers are at risk and their performance is being judged. After all, they, more than their male counterparts, are taking on the role of primary caregiver for kids learning remotely from home and family members getting sick—duties that are often playing tug of war with their duties at work and putting their male counterparts at an advantage when promotions come around. In 2020, estimates showed that working age women would take on 173 additional unpaid hours for childcare, compared to 70 additional hours for men. At the same time, according to research by Catalyst, 41% of mothers felt they had to hide their caregiving struggles in the workplace, for fear it would affect them negatively. But it’s not just the work at home that’s getting in the way of career advancement. The work they do in the workplace to support employee well-being and career development, as well as diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI)—something also taken on in greater amounts by women—is often undervalued as well. “When managers support employee well-being and companies prioritize DEI, employees are happier, less burned out, and less likely to consider leaving their jobs,” the Women in the Workplace 2021 report explained. “In spite of all this, relatively few companies formally recognize employees who go above and beyond in these areas—and this needs to change.” Finding the right teams and the right leader—male or female—can help women get the recognition they need, Maggie said. “I've been very fortunate to hold some really interesting and amazing positions over the years,” she shared. In one role, in particular, she was the only female voice among a team of men—yet it was one of the most supportive environments she’s ever been in. “I attribute that to just having a really incredible boss at the time, being part of a really incredible team that never made me feel like I was the only woman sitting at that table.” New World, Old Biases “Don't let anyone in any situation make you feel less than for any reason at all,” Maggie said in 2020. Yet in 2021, that feeling of “less than” was still hard for many women to avoid. The pay gap still existed, with women only making 82 cents for every dollar made by a man. At the same time, the women’s labor force participation was at a 33-year low, putting women at even more of a disadvantage on the pay front, as they faced going back to work after a period of unemployment. But if you listen to Maggie, it’s exactly the experiences that women offer that should be celebrated. So how do you show that to others? “Definitely ask questions, ask to be a part of conversations and find mentors that will really guide you and help you develop and grow,” she said. Learn more about what you can do to help challenge gender inequality in the workplace. In our next blog post, find out what Laura Szreider, Head of FP&A for iPSL, has to say about finding advocates for the qualities women bring to the workplace.

March 24, 2022 |

The Finance Expert’s Guide to Banks and Credit Unions: What Makes Financial Services Tick

So you’re joining the world of banks and credit unions? If you’re a finance professional new to the industry, chances are you probably already have some ideas on how to build opportunities in your new business. From digital transformation to FP&A, CPM ......

So you’re joining the world of banks and credit unions? If you’re a finance professional new to the industry, chances are you probably already have some ideas on how to build opportunities in your new business. From digital transformation to FP&A, CPM and scenario planning, banks and credit unions offer a lot of potential to financial professionals. While a risk-averse business by nature, new chances for innovation have emerged for the right finance leaders. But before you can jump in, there’s still a learning curve. Banks and credit unions can get lost in a deluge of data across core banking, GL, ERP, ALM, FTP and HRIS systems. That data needs to be integrated, reconciled and analyzed to showcase key figures such as NIM, ROA and ROE in various reports and plans for management, the SEC, IFRS and any other regulatory standards boards. But first up: What does any of that even mean? Keep reading for a primer on the statements, systems, rates, regulatory needs, planning and reporting methodologies and tools that are all a day-to-day part of working on a bank or credit union finance team. By the end of it, we hope you’ll be up to date on all of the big-money questions you have entering this new world. The Financial Statements Used in Banking Many of the financial statements used in banking are the same that corporations also use when reporting on revenues, expenses, assets, liabilities, equity and more. So there’s a good chance you’re already familiar with some of them, even if they may draw on slightly different data. Others are completely unique to the banking sector. The following are some of the line items you can expect to find on a bank’s financial statements. Actuals Actuals are transactions that have occurred and are measured as the revenues coming in and costs going out. Actuals are not the budgeted or estimated amounts, but the actual revenues and costs being recorded at any given point in time. Net Interest Margin Net Interest Margin (NIM) is a measurement that helps banks understand if they are operating profitably by comparing the interest payments coming in and the interest payments going out. A positive NIM indicates profitability whereas a negative NIM is a red flag for investors because it shows the bank is paying more interest on products such as savings accounts than they are making in interest from products such as loans. Assets Under Management Assets Under Management (AUM) refers to the market value of assets managed by a bank or financial services firm on behalf of its clients. Depending on the financial institution, AUM may include bank deposits, investment products and other assets owned by their clients. Since bank fees may be related to Assets Under Management—such as when they are collected as a percentage of investment performance gains—AUM can be an important indicator of financial strength and profitability. Return on Assets Return on Assets (ROA)—calculated by dividing your total assets by net income—indicates how efficiently a bank is generating profits from existing assets. A bank with a higher ROA has made more using less. Return on Equity Return on Equity (ROE)—net income divided by shareholders’ equity—indicates how efficiently a bank is generating profits from existing equity (assets minus liabilities). This measure is similar to Return on Assets (ROA) except that ROE includes debts in the equation. Annualized Interest Rate An annualized interest rate estimates the rate of return on interest for the year based on a periodic rate, such as a monthly or quarterly rate. For example, if you receive a periodic monthly interest payment of 0.125% on your savings account and multiply that rate by 12, you get the annualized rate of 1.5%. Interest Revenue Banks make Interest Revenue by charging interest on borrowed funds, such as loans or mortgages. Interest Expenses Banks pay Interest Expenses to borrow money from depositors, such as when they pay you an interest rate on your savings account. Interest-Earning Assets Interest-Earning Assets are assets that produce income for banks—for example, loans, mortgages and lines of credit. Interest-Bearing Liabilities Interest-Bearing Liabilities are debts that cost money for banks to hold—for example, savings or checking accounts. Olympia Federal Savings and Vena Find out how Olympia Federal Savings cut their budget consolidation times in half with the help of Vena for Banks and Credit Unions. The Systems Banks Rely On Like many businesses today, banks and credit unions rely on a range of systems in order to run smoothly—each providing a source of financial and non-financial data that help finance teams strategize the best way forward (as long as they have a way to integrate that data). Again, some are unique to the banking and financial services industry, while others are the same systems you may have encountered elsewhere. Here are a few you may come across. Core Banking System The Core Banking System is the underlying backend technology that processes all "core" banking activities and transactions, such as new account creation, deposits, withdrawals, interest calculations and so on. General Ledger A General Ledger (GL) keeps track of all bank transactions and categorizes them into accounts, such as assets, liabilities, income, etc. Financial statements are created from the information in the general ledger. Asset Liability Management System Asset Liability Management (ALM) Systems calculate cashflows for individual interest-bearing loans and deposits. By properly managing cashflows, a bank can become more resilient to market changes. ALM frameworks, objectives, risk levels and regulatory constraints can vary between banks. Human Resource Information System A Human Resource Information System (HRIS) keeps track of human capital within the bank, including employee information, applicant tracking, payroll and benefits administration. Enterprise Resource Planning System An Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) System integrates data from a wide range of banking processes to improve cross-functional collaboration between departments, including planning, purchasing, marketing, customer service and human resources. Getting To Know Bank Rates A bank’s profitability is greatly influenced by a variety of rates that set the price for their key source of income—interest. The following are some of the rates that can greatly impact bank loans and their interest rates. Fund Transfer Pricing Rates Fund Transfer Pricing (FTP) is a methodology of assigning fund transfer charges to assets and funding credit to liabilities. FTP rates help determine how each source of funding contributes to the overall profitability of a bank. Banks often use specialized FTP software applications to calculate FTP rates. Interest Rate An Interest Rate is the amount a bank charges for borrowing funds, expressed as a percentage of the principal. A borrower is charged an interest rate based on their level of risk, usually derived from a credit score. Higher-risk borrowers pay higher interest rates. Prime Rate Prime Rate, also known as Prime Lending Rate and Prime Interest Rate, is the lowest interest rate that commercial banks can charge their lowest-risk (usually) corporate customers on loans. Interest rates for other loans, such as personal loans and mortgages, are based on the prime rate and adjusted based on risk. Base Rate Base Rate, also known as the Base Interest Rate or Bank Rate, is the interest rate that a central bank, such as the Federal Reserve, charges commercial banks for loans. If the central bank increases its base rate, commercial banks will increase their interest rates to make up for the increased cost of borrowing. Yield Curve A Yield Curve is a line graph that plots yields to maturity or interest rates across different contract lengths for similar debts and risk levels. The curve shows the relation between the interest rate and the time to maturity. A normal yield curve is upward sloping and shows that longer-term debts are associated with higher yields. Federal Funds Rate The Federal Funds Rate is the target interest rate used by commercial banks to borrow and lend excess reserves to each other overnight, as set by the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC), a part of the Federal Reserve System. The Federal Funds Rate can impact short-term consumer loans as well as the stock market and is, therefore, an important influencer of U.S. markets. Accrued Interest Payable Accrued Interest Payable is the amount of interest that accumulates on a loan and gets added to the balance on the account. Accrued interest = (Daily Interest Rate) x (Days Interest Has Accrued) x (Account Balance). Basis Points A Basis Point is the smallest unit of measure for interest rate changes and other percentages in finance. One basis point is one-hundredth of 1%. It’s also known as: bp, bps, bips, beeps and points. ATB Financial and Vena Learn how Vena helped ATB Financial transform its entire budgeting and forecasting process in just three months. Planning and Reporting for the Banking Industry Finance professionals in the bank and credit union space rely on a mix of planning and reporting methodologies and tools that help them make informed decisions throughout every stage of the planning cycle. Some of these include the following: Product Margin Planning Product Margin Planning estimates the profit margins for different product categories at the bank, such as investment products and loan products. Run-On/Run-Off Planning Run-On/Run-Off planning is the planning of: The Run On: The increases in asset balances (through new business origination). The Run Off: The decreases in asset balances (through prepayments, loan maturities, etc.). Variance Reporting Banks use Variance Reporting to compare budgets against actuals. The difference between the budget and actual result is the variance. Interest Rate Shock Impact Analysis Interest Rate Shock Impact Analysis is used to predict how a bank’s interest income, portfolio value and net asset value would react to sudden interest rate changes. Banking Regulatory Requirements Today’s banks are faced with strict regulatory requirements and need to comply with a variety of standards for all types of planning, budgeting and forecasting data sources. Understanding the regulations you need to comply with is critical if you’re joining a financial team in the banking industry. Here are some you should know: Securities and Exchange Commission The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is a federal regulatory agency designed to protect investors against fraudulent practices and other manipulative practices while maintaining the proper functioning of the securities markets. Call Reporting All commercial banks must file Consolidated Reports of Condition and Income ("Call Reporting") to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) at the end of each quarter to help bank regulatory agencies assess the condition, performance and risk profile of individual institutions as well as the broader industry. Conclusion Phew! There’s a lot to cover, but with an understanding of the unique workings of banks and credit unions, combined with your own financial know-how, we hope you feel ready to join the world of financial services and start putting your mark on it. We’ll be here encouraging you on as you do. Vena for Banks and Credit Unions Learn more about Vena for Banks and Credit Unions, a Complete Planning platform designed for the financial services industry.

March 22, 2022 |

5 Things Finance Teams Can Be Doing About Inflation Right Now

They say the only things you can depend on in life are death and taxes. But there’s something else we can always count on to rear its head as well: inflation. Since World War II, inflation—measured by the Consumer Price Index (CPI)—has reached 5% or highe......

They say the only things you can depend on in life are death and taxes. But there’s something else we can always count on to rear its head as well: inflation. Since World War II, inflation—measured by the Consumer Price Index (CPI)—has reached 5% or higher a total of six times. Now we’re into a seventh, as inflation hit its biggest 12-month increase since 1982, rising to 7.5% in January 2022. And with increased inflation, rising interest rates are sure to follow. A product of supply chain issues, labor shortfalls and material shortages—combined with increased consumer demands as people try to return to normal as pandemic restrictions lift—this inflationary period brings new misgivings with it. And finance teams—still recovering from a pandemic—are back to wondering what they’ll need to do to lead their businesses through more uncertainty ahead. To discuss exactly that, Vena’s CFO Darrell Cox and Vice President of FP&A Tom Seegmiller met with Paul Gill, Partner of Valuations and Modeling, Financial Advisory Services at BDO, to chat about inflation and what it will mean for finance teams and their business bottom line. You can listen to their entire discussion in our recent CFO Confidential: Unpacking Inflation livestream—now available on demand to members of Vena’s Plan to Grow platform. Here’s some of the advice the panel offered finance teams: 1. Watch the Markets Closely To understand how to react, you need the best and most current data to act on—which means keeping an eye on the markets in real time. Because while understanding past inflationary periods certainly doesn’t hurt, using them as a predictor of what’s going to happen now isn’t always effective. The current supply chain issues, for instance, are more in line with post-World War II inflation than that of the 1970s. But retiring baby boomers are adding to the shortage of workers and the war in Ukraine is affecting the price of gas and other goods. Immigration, meanwhile, offers the possibility of new demand and an increased workforce. All of which factor into the effects inflation can have, Paul Gill said in our CFO Confidential panel. “If we look to the ’70s and the ’80s, when there was a lot of inflation, it really negatively impacted corporate earnings. Earnings went down and demand got destroyed. Stock prices also went down,” Paul said. “As long as corporate earnings keep outpacing inflation, or even staying on track with it, it's a different situation than we had in the ’70s and ’80s.” Of course, conditions can change at any time—which is why it’s critical to keep a close eye out. “The biggest risk is if inflation goes out of control—if it goes out of control [and] destroys demand, corporate earnings come down,” Paul added. 2. Re-Evaluate Your Prices Watching only gets you so far, though—sometimes you need to take action. And while some businesses may be able to absorb any changes caused by inflation, for many businesses—especially those with low margins—there will be no choice but to raise prices. “You can actually go bankrupt pretty quickly if you don't increase prices,” Paul said during the CFO Confidential panel. That doesn’t necessarily mean raising prices across the board, though. Instead, he suggests a more focused approach that involves finding the best places to increase prices where it will have the least impact on demand. “You have to understand the price elasticity of all of the different customers that you have. Just break it down,” he said. “Look at it and say, ‘Okay, if I increase prices by 20 to 30% here, will it really impact the demand?’” 3. Don’t Forget To Cut Costs Too Raising prices isn’t the only way to combat inflation and rising interest rates. Cost reductions can help as well. In fact, it’s something finance professionals should be considering all of the time anyway, Paul said—but especially with supply chain issues affecting the price of goods. “Because there are so many supply chain issues across the board, almost in every business, I think now is a good time to really revisit what [costs] looks like and look for alternatives,” he said. “That could make a big difference right now just because of the delta between alternatives. There are certain alternatives that are three or four times more expensive while others might be only 10% more expensive. So now's a good time to really revisit the supply chain as well.” 4. Constantly Be Ready To Adapt With all of the uncertainty at play in the market right now, agility is key. And thanks to the pandemic, financial teams have learned to be more agile than ever, Vena Vice President of FP&A Tom Seegmiller pointed out. Many of the lessons learned over the past two years can be applied to current market conditions too. “It’s not so different from the early days of COVID,” he said. “Don’t get too anchored in. Be ready for anything. Current data can be so useless at any point in time. Look at micro- and macro-economic inputs and be ready to adapt and reforecast at any time, to avoid and mitigate risks and capitalize on opportunities.” 5. Always Focus on Your Customer Finally, but most critically, don’t lose sight of your customers or the competitive advantage that you offer them. While price increases may be necessary to stay ahead of inflation, for example, you should always keep in mind your customers’ needs when you’re making them. In fact, this may be an opportunity to open up a dialogue with your end customer to understand their issues and sensitivity to inflation and price increases themselves, Paul suggested. Whatever’s happening, he told the CFO Confidential audience, you want to ask “Well, how could this potentially impact my customer? How could this impact the person on the other end, who's driving my business,” he said. “And then just go sit down with them and talk to them. Conclusion There’s little financial professionals can do to affect inflation and interest rates in the short, medium or long term. But there are actions you can take to insulate your business from the effects bigger market changes might have and to continue growing despite uncertain market conditions. Which brings us to our last piece of advice. “Focus on those things within your control,” Tom told the audience of the CFO Confidential panel. After all, that’s all you really can do. Eventually, like those before it have, this inflationary period will end. You just want to be sure you’re making the best decisions for your business until it does. To watch the full episode of CFO Confidential: Unpacking Inflation, become a Plan To Grow member and join the community.

March 17, 2022 |

The Finance Expert’s Guide to SaaS: Getting Caught up on a Fast-Paced Business

MRR. ARR. CAC. Unicorns, pipelines and ACS 606. There’s a lot of new terminology that comes with joining a Software-as-a-Service team. Not surprisingly, the industry known colloquially as ‘SaaS’ has a language all its own. After all, SaaS businesses are k......

MRR. ARR. CAC. Unicorns, pipelines and ACS 606. There’s a lot of new terminology that comes with joining a Software-as-a-Service team. Not surprisingly, the industry known colloquially as ‘SaaS’ has a language all its own. After all, SaaS businesses are known to be fast paced and fast growing. And with a ton of pressure to grow fast, Software-as-a-Service companies have developed their own set of metrics and rules of thumb to drive success quickly. All of which comes with its own lingo, and means there’s a lot to catch up on—from the language to the key financials and KPIs. But there’s not a lot of time for a lengthy learning curve if you want to start adding value right away. If you’re coming into SaaS for the first time, it might seem daunting. You want to start bringing your own financial prowess to the table as soon as possible and put your own financial planning best practices into place. And because they’re so fast growing, SaaS companies benefit from strong strategic planning and reporting, which makes your role even more critical. But it also means you need a quick way to prime yourself. Don’t worry—we’ve got you covered! Here’s a primer on everything you can expect when you join a SaaS finance team for the first time. Thomas International and Vena Learn how Thomas International built out their FP&A success with the help of Vena. Start with the Basics First things first: What’s so special about a SaaS business? And what makes one tick? While not all of them are unique to SaaS, here are a few basic terms you may hear thrown around the Zoom call your first day on the job. Bonus points if you use one yourself when you start discussing SaaS companies and the recurring revenue model they rely on: Subscription Software Revenue Unlike the one-time fee you might pay for most of the products you buy, SaaS is based around Subscription Software Revenue. Collected as recurring revenue, it’s paid over time based on a long-term contract. That makes it predictable and ongoing, lasting until the subscription term ends (at which time, it may be renewed) or a customer cancels their subscription. Subscriber Count Subscriber count tracks the number of SaaS customers on recurring-revenue plans. Pipeline A sales pipeline helps SaaS companies visualize the journey they take prospective buyers through on their way from initial brand awareness to final sale and further on, to retention. Unicorn A unicorn is a company with a valuation of $1 billion or more. What Are the Key Financials of a SaaS Business? Subscription-based businesses collecting recurring revenue have some unique ways of slicing and dicing revenue numbers for their various reporting needs. To make your mark in the world of SaaS finance, you should understand those revenue numbers. Monthly Recurring Revenue Monthly Recurring Revenue (MRR) is the value of all SaaS subscriptions stated as a monthly recurring amount. Companies will generally use either MRR or Annual Recurring Revenue (below) depending on a range of factors, including contract length, investor interest and whether they take a short- or long-term view. Annual Recurring Revenue Annual Recurring Revenue (ARR) is the value of SaaS subscriptions stated as a yearly recurring amount—even though the subscription price may be set at a monthly, quarterly or annual price. For example, the value of all monthly subscription rates multiplied by 12 would be one way to calculate ARR. ARR and MRR at a Glance New ARR / New MRR: New ARR/MRR is the total amount of ARR/MRR sold to new customers in a specified period of time. Expansion ARR / Expansion MRR: Expansion ARR/MRR calculates the recurring revenue that can be attributed exclusively to upsells and upgrades to existing customers. ARR / MRR Churn: Your churn rate looks at the revenue (displayed as either a percentage or value) you’ve lost due to churning customers over a specific period of time. Net ARR / Net MRR: Net ARR/Net MRR adds your New ARR/MRR to your Expansion ARR/MRR and subtracts any revenue lost from churn or downgrades. Committed ARR / Committed MRR: Committed ARR/MRR (or CARR/CMRR) factors any known bookings or cancellations into your ARR/MRR equation—factoring known new subscriptions and known subscription churn into the ARR/MRR equation by adding them to your actual numbers. How Do SaaS Businesses Measure Success? To maintain and grow subscribers, SaaS companies use a number of KPIs to measure the success and efficiency of their business. These are often key business drivers that factor into bottom-up planning activities and help project operational and financial objectives. These include: Customer Acquisition Cost Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC) is the cost of acquiring a customer, including sales, marketing, etc. It’s usually calculated as such: Sales Costs + Marketing Costs / Number of New Customers. Lifetime Value/Customer Lifetime Value Lifetime Value (LTV) (otherwise known as Customer LTV) is the average revenue earned from individual customer relationships, spanning from the moment a customer signs to the moment they churn. LTV-to-CAC Ratio The LTV-to-CAC ratio compares the customer lifetime value (LTV) to the cost of customer acquisition (CAC) in order to better understand the cost of growth. If the LTV:CAC ratio is too low, it’s costing too much to acquire a customer. If it’s too high, not enough is being spent to accelerate growth. CAC Payback Period The CAC Payback Period (also known as the Months to Recover CAC) is the amount of time it takes to recover the cost of acquiring a customer. Average Cost of Service Average cost of service takes into account the total sum of all the expenses a SaaS company takes on to support customers over a period of time—including customer support, account management and even technical support costs such as hosting and R&D amortization—and then divides it by the number of customers to get the average. Average Revenue Per Unit Average revenue per unit (ARPU) measures your average revenue per user (or unit) over a specific amount of time. That allows you to see your growth potential on a per-customer level—something that’s important if you want to model your revenue generation capacities for both the long- and short-terms and identify trends in specific customer segments. Gross Revenue Retention Rate Your Gross Revenue Retention Rate (or Gross Renewal Rate) calculates the amount of recurring revenue (expressed as a percentage) that you’ve retained from existing customers during a specified period of time—factoring in cancellations and downgrades, but not expansion revenue. Customer Retention Since holding onto your existing customers is much easier than acquiring new ones, customer retention is an important way of determining the health of a SaaS business. It refers to the number of customers your company retains over a given period of time and can be calculated by dividing the number of currently active users with the number of active users you had at the start of a specified time period. Watching customer retention closely can help you better understand customer lifetime value and tell you when your marketing or customer strategies may need tweaking. Customer Satisfaction Score The Customer Satisfaction Score (CSAT) helps SaaS companies assess how satisfied customers are with a product or service, often measured with a quick survey question, such as “How would you rate your experience with us?”. Sprout Social and Vena Find out how Sprout Social broke down their data silos and cut their monthly reporting time with the help of Vena for SaaS. What Systems Does SaaS Rely On? To understand the full picture, SaaS teams need to combine and consider leading and lagging indicators from source systems across the entire company. While many of those aren’t unique to SaaS, some of the core systems this specific industry rely on include the following. Enterprise Resource Planning System An Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system integrates data from a wide range of business processes to improve day-to-day activities such as project management, accounting and supply chain management, as well as cross-functional collaboration between departments, including finance, sales, marketing, customer success, human resources and so on. General Ledger A General Ledger (GL) keeps track of all company transactions and categorizes them into accounts, such as assets, liabilities, income, etc. Financial statements are created from the information in the general ledger. Customer Relationship Management System A Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system keeps track of customer and prospect data, such as contact information, sales history and marketing interactions, to create a 360-degree view of the customer. Human Resource Information System A human resource information system (HRIS) keeps track of human capital, including employee information, applicant tracking, payroll, benefits administration and so on. Planning, Forecasting and Reporting for SaaS If you’re planning, forecasting or reporting for a Software-as-a-Service business, you’ll likely be drawing on data from all of the systems above, to identify growth opportunities and provide insights into the business. An understanding of the following processes will help. Gross Margin Planning Gross margin planning involves forecasting revenues and costs to assess the future outlook of revenue retention and funds available for scaling growth. Revenue Recognition Determining when revenues are officially earned can be complex for subscription-based businesses, since recurring revenue has the potential to be canceled, upgraded or downgraded throughout the contracted period. Subscription revenue recognition—as outlined in the Generally Accepted Accounting Principle (GAAP)—accounts for this, splitting up revenue based on the performance obligations of the SaaS provider in the following way: Deferred Revenue: Revenue is deferred when cash has been received but service obligations have not yet been fulfilled. If you charge $1,200 for a yearly subscription of your SaaS product, for instance, but only receive $100 per month, just that $100 can be recognized as income on a month-to-month basis—even if you’ve been paid upfront. Accrued/Unbilled Revenue: Revenue is accrued when service obligations have been fulfilled but services have not been billed for yet. If you charge at the end of the month, for example, that unbilled revenue is considered a receivable or asset until your customer is billed. ASC 606 ASC 606 is the revenue recognition standard SaaS companies must comply with, developed by the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) and International Accounting Standards Board (IASB). Conclusion Once you’ve got the lingo down and understand everything that makes it unique, Software-as-a-Service is an exciting, fast-paced place to be (we would know!). And to help them thrive in a competitive business, SaaS companies are ripe for the type of strategic wisdom the best financial professionals bring to the job. We’re confident you’ve got that covered! Vena for SaaS Simplify your reporting and financial planning with tools designed specifically for Software-as-a-Service.

March 16, 2022 |

Women in Corporate Finance: Learning Not To Be Afraid To Ask

This is the second part of a blog series based on an ebook we published in 2020 entitled, “Women in Corporate Finance: Five Guiding Principles From Leaders in the Field.” At the time, Vena spoke to five women who have broken the glass ceiling in their own ......

This is the second part of a blog series based on an ebook we published in 2020 entitled, “Women in Corporate Finance: Five Guiding Principles From Leaders in the Field.” At the time, Vena spoke to five women who have broken the glass ceiling in their own corporate finance careers. We asked them what it took to get to where they were, and what advice they had for the women following in their footsteps. Throughout March, for Women’s History Month, we’ll be revisiting their words in light of everything that’s happened since, to see what’s changed and what hasn’t in the two years that have passed. In this post, we speak to Christine Harms, Controller, Arizona Cardinals. In our last post in this series, we looked at how far women have come in breaking through the glass ceiling of corporate finance. Spoiler alert: there’s still a long way to go. There are fewer women at the top of the corporate finance ladder than men, and fewer women of color even still. For women still making their way up the ranks, the statistics probably aren’t surprising. After all, it’s likely they’ve never worked under a female CEO. They’ve probably always had male CFOs as well. According to research by Catalyst—a global nonprofit dedicated to creating better workplaces for women—only 24% of C-suite positions are held by women. What many women probably don’t realize, though, is how far-reaching the effects of that disparity can be—and how much of a disadvantage it puts them at. With fewer women at the top, women in entry-level and mid-tier positions have less access to the role models or mentorship opportunities enjoyed by their male counterparts. And because of that, they’re less prepared to make it to the top themselves. For proof, just consider a 2019 study by researchers from Harvard Business School and the University of California, Los Angeles. It found that male employees were promoted faster and paid more under a male manager, a direct result of old boys’ club-style bonding. “This male-to-male advantage can explain a third of the gender gap in promotions,” the researchers concluded. And a 2019 survey by SurveyMonkey and LeanIn.org showed that men are less likely to take on the same type of mentorship roles with women: 60% of male managers were uncomfortable mentoring, socializing with or working alone with a woman they supervise. “The younger ladies need mentors, they need people who can lead the way—to discuss their career, teach them best practices and help them understand the big picture,” Christine Harms, Controller for the Arizona Cardinals—the NFL’s oldest football franchise—said back when we spoke to her in 2020. And that’s just as true now—if not more so. But how do they find that? In this blog series, we’re looking at the principles women leaders in the field have ascribed to as they’ve climbed the ranks of corporate finance. And our second principle, from Christine, is all about knowing how to ask for exactly what you want. Principle 2: Don’t Be Afraid To Ask Christine learned early: You have to ask for what you want. It’s something her mother instilled in her, but it’s also something she’s seen other women falter at. For that simple reason, she explained in 2020, they don’t always end up with the same training or leadership credentials as their male counterparts, who aren’t afraid to make those requests. That can set them back come promotion time. To get to the next rung of the corporate ladder, Christine said, you sometimes need to make demands. “Ask for training. Ask for opportunities to learn things. Don’t just sit there—go after everything you want.” It was good advice in 2020 and even better advice now. Yet the pandemic has only made making those demands even more difficult. A survey by Indeed showed that women had become 12.1% less comfortable asking for a raise, compared to an 8.6% decrease in comfort by men. Meanwhile, women were 8.5% less comfortable asking for a promotion, as opposed to 4.5% for men. So how do women get past that hurdle and set themselves up for the leadership opportunities they strive for? Looking to other women for support can help—even when those women aren’t necessarily mentors. And so can opening up a conversation with the leaders you do have. Opening Up a Conversation In her 20-year career in corporate finance, Christine has done more than ask for training opportunities—she also hasn’t been afraid to have open conversations at every move up, to ensure she’s getting everything she needs to thrive. Above all, that meant maintaining the balance she needed to take on progressive leadership roles while still having time for her husband and two children—something a lot of women can relate to. “I've been here [at the Cardinals] 10 years and we definitely have balance,” she said in 2020. “I get to see my kids after school, I get to fix them dinner.” While asking might get you to the top, though, giving will help others get there too. That’s why Harms is also a big advocate for helping out the people around her. Starting with sharing knowledge in the workplace and collaborating with colleagues at all levels—and continuing by taking up the mentorship mantle. And in 2022, the kind of collaboration and conversation Christine advocated for then is even more critical. Learning How To Ask COVID-19 has disproportionately affected women in the workplace. Women have experienced more job loss than men and have taken on more of the at-home responsibilities. That means it’s more important than ever that they ask for what they need. Not only for raises and promotions, but for more flexible working hours and time off to care for family when they need it. But, as we’ve seen, asking has become even harder than ever. The (somewhat) good news: Just having other women in the room, especially women who look like you, can help empower women to do so. When you’re the “Only” person of your gender or race in your department, rank or workplace, there’s no one there to show you how to ask for what you need (or back you up when you do)—or to demonstrate to others that it’s okay to make those demands. That can make opening up that conversation Christine talked about even harder. “Compared to mothers of young children who regularly work with other women, those who are Onlys are significantly more likely to be burned out and to have considered leaving their companies,” states Women in the Workplace 2021, a report by Lean In and McKinsey & Company. “They are more likely to feel judged when they take advantage of options that make it easier to balance work and life, such as working from home or working nonstandard hours. And they are less likely to feel comfortable sharing their personal challenges with colleagues, which may make it harder to get support.” Knowing What You Want It’s likely not surprising to most women, then, that more women at every level of the workplace can help create better conditions for all women in the workplace. So what advice did Christine offer these women? According to Christine, going after what you want starts with knowing exactly what that is in the first place—and knowing you love it enough to pursue it no matter what. If you have a destination in mind, and a passion for getting there, it’ll be easier to know (and hopefully ask for) what you want to achieve your goal. Her advice: “Find what you love to do and go after that. If you start to look at it and think ‘this is not really what I love,’ there are so many different areas of finance. You're going to find that perfect niche that you love to do.” But businesses can help too, by supporting the women who work for them, building on that conversation and providing mentorship opportunities. But most of all, they can listen to what women need—even when they’re not the loudest voice in the room. Find out how Christine Harms and the rest of the Arizona Cardinals’ finance team used Vena to create a more proactive planning process and add more strategic value to their business. In our next post, learn why Maggie Carey, Senior Vice President of Finance & Budget for the 9/11 Memorial & Museum, says recognizing unconscious bias is a critical step for women trying to get ahead.

March 15, 2022 |

CPM Technology Value Matrix

Vena Industry Benchmark Report 2022

Join the Community

Hear From Vena’s Partner Community

Try the Customer Portal

Why Vena

Platform

Solutions

Industries

Resources

Partners

Customers

Community

CFO Leadership

Green Finance: How Sustainable Business Practices Can Improve Your Bottom Line

7 Ways To Get the Most Value From Vena's Excelerate =SUM(it) 2022

Excelerate =SUM(it) 2022: Meet Our 3 Guest Keynote Speakers

Women in Corporate Finance: Be Visible

Women in Corporate Finance: Find Advocates for the Qualities You Bring

Women in Corporate Finance: Recognize an Unconscious Bias

The Finance Expert’s Guide to Banks and Credit Unions: What Makes Financial Services Tick

5 Things Finance Teams Can Be Doing About Inflation Right Now

The Finance Expert’s Guide to SaaS: Getting Caught up on a Fast-Paced Business

Women in Corporate Finance: Learning Not To Be Afraid To Ask

Solutions

Insights

Vena

CFO Leadership

Green Finance: How Sustainable Business Practices Can Improve Your Bottom Line

7 Ways To Get the Most Value From Vena's Excelerate =SUM(it) 2022

Excelerate =SUM(it) 2022: Meet Our 3 Guest Keynote Speakers

Women in Corporate Finance: Be Visible

Women in Corporate Finance: Find Advocates for the Qualities You Bring

Women in Corporate Finance: Recognize an Unconscious Bias

The Finance Expert’s Guide to Banks and Credit Unions: What Makes Financial Services Tick

5 Things Finance Teams Can Be Doing About Inflation Right Now

The Finance Expert’s Guide to SaaS: Getting Caught up on a Fast-Paced Business

Women in Corporate Finance: Learning Not To Be Afraid To Ask