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AI-Enabled Finance
AI-Enabled Finance

AI for the close, where it fits. The judgment is Big 4.

We have the capability to run a client's close on a platform purpose-built for the work. It is an option, not a default: we use it where it fits a client's books, and every close on it is reviewed and signed off by a named Practice Leader before it ever reaches you. You are not buying automation. You are buying back the hours it frees up, spent on your business by someone who used to audit companies like yours.

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GOALS AND TYPICAL OUTCOMES AT A GLANCE
THE PLATFORM
We offer a purpose-built AI close platform, selected after testing seven leading products, to accelerate and enhance the financial close for clients where it fits.
THE REVIEW LAYER
Every deliverable is reviewed and approved by a named, Big 4-trained professional before it reaches you.
TIME TO FIRST CLOSE
Days from kickoff, not the months a new hire or offshore team takes to ramp.
WHERE YOUR DATA SITS
Your own ledger, always. Nothing proprietary, nothing to migrate.
The platform produces. The judgment is still entirely human, and still entirely Big 4.
WHEN THIS IS THE RIGHT CALL

You are probably a candidate if one of these is true right now.

The goal is a faster close you can still trust, not a faster close nobody checked.

01
Your close lands two or three weeks after month-end, well after the decisions it should have informed.
02
You are choosing between a hire, an offshore team, and something faster, and want to see the real trade-offs.
03
You want the speed AI promises without losing a named person accountable for the numbers.
04
You are evaluating AI-enabled finance tools and keep finding chatbots with an accounting UI bolted on.
05
You want to scale the finance function without adding full-time finance headcount.
What do our AI-Enabled Finance services include?

Six ways this is different from a chatbot with a ledger plugin.

Big 4 discipline, without Big 4 rigidity.

01

Machines produce, Big 4 people judge

Categorization, reconciliation, and statement prep run on the platform. Owning the judgment stays with your CFO.

02

Nothing reaches you unsigned

Every statement you receive has been reviewed and approved by a named CRCFO professional.

03

Days, not weeks

A close that lands three weeks after month-end is a history lesson. On the platform, the close lands while the decisions are still open.

04

Consistent standards, close after close

Practice standards encoded once and applied identically, then tuned to your revenue recognition, your cutoff, your chart of accounts.

05

Your ledger stays yours

Your books live in your own ledger. Leave anytime with a complete, intact ledger.

06

Purpose-built, not a chatbot in a suit

A platform built specifically for the close, with Big 4-trained reviewers on top of it. Two independent layers of quality control.

WHO LEADS IT

James Crane, CPA. Leading our AI-enabled practice.

James leads our AI-enabled finance work alongside our Entrepreneurial and Global Tax Practice. Where the platform fits a client's close, he pairs it with Big 4-trained review.

MEET THE LEADERSHIP TEAM →
You are not buying automation. You are buying the hours it frees up, spent on your business by someone who used to audit companies like yours.
Charles River CFO · AI-Enabled Finance
COMMON QUESTIONS

Straight answers, before you ask.

What does an interim CFO do?

An interim CFO works with your CEO, management team and board on the real decisions, with the same authority and scope your permanent CFO would carry. That means strategic counsel to the CEO, oversight of accounting and the supporting functions, reassurance for the board, investors, banks and auditors during a leadership change, and a clean handover to the permanent hire.

When should I bring in an interim CFO?

When you unexpectedly lose your CFO and want the seat filled while you run a search, when a sale, merger or debt raise needs specialized financial expertise, when you are planning for a break in CFO staffing due to parental or medical leave, or when your board, investors or lenders need to see a steady hand on finance between leaders.

How much does an interim CFO cost?

There is no one-size-fits-all answer. An interim engagement is typically full-time for the length of the transition, so the cost depends on the scope and how long the seat needs covering. The best way to determine the right level of investment is to discuss your situation with us in a complimentary consultation.

What is a fractional CFO?

A fractional CFO gives you senior financial leadership on a regular, part-time basis, without the cost or the commitment of a full-time hire.

Who is a fractional CFO right for?

Mid-sized organizations that need CFO-level work but cannot justify a full-time CFO on payroll, start-ups that have advanced beyond basic accounting and need a senior financial advisor part-time, and companies whose finance function works but has nobody qualified to sit across from the board or the bank.

How much does a fractional CFO cost?

There is no one-size-fits-all answer. The cost depends on the level of expertise, scope and amount of support you need, and hours move with the business, with no renegotiation for a busy quarter. The best way to determine the right level of investment is to discuss your situation with us in a complimentary consultation.

What does outsourced accounting include?

Accounts payable, accounts receivable and payroll, closing the general ledger each month, financial statements and the related reporting, plus tax planning and reporting handled alongside the accounting.

Can you work with the accounting team we already have?

Yes. We can handle the whole finance and accounting function, or augment the accounting department you already have.

How much does outsourced accounting cost?

It is ongoing and sized to what you use. You pay only for what you need, and the expertise is there when the work spikes. The best way to determine the right level of investment is to discuss your situation with us in a complimentary consultation.

What does financial consulting cover?

Mergers and acquisitions, IPO preparation and fundraising, audit preparation and SEC reporting, government grant and contract accounting, and transfer pricing analysis and the other specialized work that arrives without warning.

How long does a financial consulting engagement last?

It is project-based, for the length of the initiative: an audit, a transaction, a raise or a reporting obligation.

How much does financial consulting cost?

There is no one-size-fits-all answer. The work is project-based, so the cost follows the scope of the initiative. The best way to determine the right level of investment is to discuss your situation with us in a complimentary consultation.

What is AI-enabled finance at Charles River CFO?

It is a capability we offer where it fits a client's books. Not every client's close runs on it. Where it does, the close runs on a purpose-built AI close platform, and every deliverable is reviewed and approved by a named, Big 4-trained professional before it reaches you.

Do we have to move our books to a new system?

No. Your books stay in your own ledger, always. Nothing proprietary, nothing to migrate.

How much does AI-enabled finance cost?

There is no one-size-fits-all answer. The cost depends on the scope of the close and reporting you need. The best way to determine the right level of investment is to discuss your situation with us in a complimentary consultation.

What does tax consulting cover?

A complete review of your business entity structure and tax classification, U.S., state and local income and sales tax obligations and available credits, international tax and transfer pricing, and the deductions and credits that have been overlooked in past years.

Who leads the tax work?

James Crane, CPA, who leads our Entrepreneurial and Global Tax Practice and has saved clients more than $50M in R&D tax credits.

How much does tax consulting cost?

Engagements can be a project, annual, or total tax outsourcing, so the cost follows the shape you choose. The best way to determine the right level of investment is to discuss your situation with us in a complimentary consultation.

What is a financial assessment?

A focused, initial review of your finance and accounting operations, benchmarked against best practice. You receive a written assessment with prioritized, actionable recommendations.

How long does a financial assessment take?

It is a fixed-scope engagement, typically two to four weeks.

How much does a financial assessment cost?

There is no one-size-fits-all answer. The cost depends on the level of expertise, scope and amount of support your organization actually needs, and the assessment itself is a fixed-scope engagement. The best way to determine the right level of investment is to discuss your situation with us in a complimentary consultation.

Not the right shape? There are six other ways in.

ASK US WHICH ONE FITS

One call, no charge, and a straight answer on whether we are the right fit.

You will speak with the CFO for your market. If the answer is no, we will tell you that too.