The demand for fractional CFOs continues to rise. Requests for interim leaders are up 310% over 2020, according to talent platform Business Talent Group—and half (51%) of its C-suite requests last year were for CFOs. Demand for interim CFOs rose 46% between 2023 and 2024 alone, BTG found.

Consulting firm Sutker Moran, which provides companies with CFO services, has likewise seen demand increase.

“We’ve seen significant growth from a client base, from a people base, from a revenue standpoint, since the pandemic, and we don’t see that stopping,” Scott Moran, the firm’s president, told CFO Brew.

The rise in fractional CFOs can be a boon for midsized businesses that need CFO expertise but can’t afford to put a full-time CFO on the payroll. But it also represents a career opportunity for prospective CFOs, or for finance leaders who enjoy flexible and varied work.

Fractional CFOs can do a lot for midsized companies: Much of the demand for fractional or interim CFOs comes from smaller or midsized companies. Moran estimates that more than half of Sutker Moran’s clients are in the $35 million to $100 million range.

Click here for more on the value of fractional CFOs.—Courtney Vien

As the weather ever-so-slightly heats up, inflation cools.

Inflation came in lower than expected in April, rising 2.3% on an annual basis, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. FactSet economists anticipated CPI would climb slightly before settling at 2.4% for April, CNN reported. Instead, the annual inflation rate of 2.3% marks the lowest rate since February 2021.

The unexpectedly bright reading is good news for the Federal Reserve as it continues its fight to rein in inflation to its goal of 2%.

Don’t get too excited, though. Economists think this inflation reading, which is the first to capture uncertainty caused by tariff announcements, is likely the last of its kind for some time.

“This may be the low point (for CPI) in 2025,” Ben Ayers, a Nationwide senior economist, said in a note to investors, per CNN. “As tariff costs increasingly flow into consumer prices, we expect a jump in the CPI this summer, pushing the annual reading back above 3%. Correspondingly, economic growth should be soft over the rest of the year as higher prices and economic concerns weigh on spending activity.”

As Trump flip-flopped on tariff policies, most recently with a 90-day pause on tariffs between the US and China, many companies front-loaded inventory in an attempt to get ahead of potential price increases, meaning consumers haven’t necessarily had to carry the burden of tariffs just yet.

Keep reading here.—NP

The Trump administration is reconsidering a Biden-era rule that would’ve extended overtime pay to millions of workers.

In an April 24 filing, the Department of Labor (DOL) asked the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals to temporarily suspend its appeals in two cases challenging the rule, which was finalized in April 2024.

The DOL said it was moving to hold off on these appeals pending the agency’s reconsideration of the rule challenged in these cases.

What the overtime rule would’ve done. The Biden-era rule raised the salary threshold for white-collar (i.e., executive, administrative, and professional) employees to qualify for overtime from $35,568 to $58,656. The change was expected to extend overtime pay to an additional 4 million workers.

While the federal government expected to fully implement the new rule by Jan. 1, 2025, a federal judge in Texas blocked it from taking effect this past November. The judge ruled that the DOL overstepped its authority in issuing a rule that prioritized salary over job duties in determining the overtime threshold for these workers, and returned the threshold to $35,568.

To keep reading HR Brew’s story on overtime pay, click here.—Courtney Vinopal

Automation is no longer optional, but implementing it isn’t always smooth. Join us on May 28 to hear real-world lessons from finance leaders who’ve been through the trenches and come out wiser. Skip the sales pitch—this is what they wish they’d known from the start. Register here.

CFO Brew spoke with industry thought leaders and asked them an important question: How can organizations find, keep, and reskill accounting talent? In this article, you’ll hear their answers for yourself in clips from their panel discussions during our IRL event.