We at CFO Brew discovered that the axiom, “cheaters never win,” isn’t always quite true. Since launching our “Cheat sheet roundup” series in May, the monthly column has become one of our most popular features.

To cap off a busy 2023, we’ve decided to look back through all the LinkedIn cheat sheets we found and pull out some of our favorites. And in keeping with this year’s main themes, we have cheat sheets on becoming CFO, navigating AI, the difference between accounting and finance, and the omnipresent Excel.

Our usual disclaimer to the wise: You should always look for additional resources and expertise when doing complicated finance work, because it can be very difficult to accurately sum up sophisticated concepts. Enjoy!

• Howard Katzenberg’s “10 skills accountants must build to become CFOs”: It may not be every accountant’s goal to become a CFO, but for those with an eye on the top finance spot, Katzenberg drills down into the essential skills necessary to make the leap into the C-suite. Katzenberg, a former CFO and founder of Glean.ai, a vendor spend management software company, lays out 10 skills for accountants to develop on their way to CFO, including analytical thinking, cost management, tech savvy, and customer relations, among others.
  
  He then explains how and why each of the 10 skills is necessary. For example, when it comes to developing tech savvy, he recommends “get[ting] comfortable using tools that help analyze business data easily to inform business strategies.”

For more of our cheat sheet tips, click here.—DA

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It’s been a busy year for regulators, with the SEC and the PCAOB enacting significant changes and pressing the gas on enforcement efforts. From ESG to tax to fraud, regulators are reshaping the regulatory environment.

To jog your memory, here’s a look back at some of the biggest regulatory changes in 2023.

Putting it on the expense account. In July, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) passed a new standard requiring that US public companies publicly account for large expenses by business division on both a quarterly and annual basis.

Climate rules. The SEC didn’t release its long-awaited climate rule this year, but it’s been a busy year in ESG regs nonetheless. The Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) standard went into effect in the EU on January 1, and some US companies doing business in the EU were required to comply. In June, the International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB) released the IFRS S1 and IFRS S2 standards, which will go into effect for annual reporting periods starting on or after January 1.

For more of the year’s regulatory moves, click here.—DA/CV

Today’s top finance reads.

Stat: 2.7%. That’s how much the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) predicts global GDP will grow in 2024. That’s a decline in growth from 2023, which the OECD projected to be 2.9%. (OECD)

Quote: “I’m concerned about those people who think it’s going to be a reward, who have no understanding of the risks, who will lose it all, and who will be terribly disappointed, which is why I believe that should be regulated.”—European Central Bank president Christine Lagarde on reports that her son lost big on crypto investments. That’s why the No. 1 rule in the CFO Brew newsroom is, “Listen to your mother.” (Business Insider)

Read: Four ways that finance pros can manage uncertainty in 2024. (Financial Management)

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