HOME/SERVICES/
Fractional & Part-Time CFO Services
Fractional CFO

You need a CFO. You do not need a CFO salary.

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. The same expertise, sized to what your organization actually consumes.

Size an engagement
See what we own
GOALS AND TYPICAL OUTCOMES AT A GLANCE
COMMITMENT
Part-time on a regular, standing schedule.
TYPICAL TRIGGER
Growth past basic bookkeeping, or a CFO need you cannot yet justify.
WHO STEPS IN
A Big-4-trained CPA, matched to your industry.
HOW IT SCALES
Hours move with the business. No renegotiation for a busy quarter.
A cloud-based technology stack lets us serve life sciences, technology, manufacturing, banking, general business, and nonprofits on the same model.
WHEN THIS IS THE RIGHT CALL

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

Fractional is the most common way clients start with us, and the easiest to resize once we know each other.

01
You are a mid-sized organization that needs CFO-level work but cannot justify a full-time CFO on payroll.
02
You are focused on a specific project that requires specialized financial expertise, such as preparing a sale or merger, or raising debt funding.
03
You are a start-up that has advanced beyond basic accounting and needs a senior financial advisor on a part-time, regular basis.
04
Your finance function works, but nobody in it is qualified to sit across from your board or your bank.
What do our Fractional CFO services include?

A standing seat at the table, not an advisor you call in a crisis.

The scope is a CFO scope. The schedule is what changes.

01

Strategic financial counsel

Working closely with your CEO, management team, and board of directors on the strategic business issues that decide the next stage.

02

Oversight of accounting

Owning the accounting function, or supervising the team that runs it, so the numbers are right before anyone acts on them.

03

External relationships

Credibility with employees, creditors, suppliers, banks, auditors, and investors, which makes it easier to attract better people and secure better terms.

04

Growth and funding readiness

Innovative solutions to financial challenges, sharper accounting strategy, and the readiness to move when a round or a transaction appears.

INTERIM OR FRACTIONAL

Two words the market uses loosely. Here is what we mean by each.

Getting the shape right matters more than the title. The wrong one costs you either money or coverage.

Fractional CFO

A strategic financial partner who works part-time on a regular basis. A cost-effective way to access senior expertise you cannot justify full-time.

Interim CFO

Typically a full-time financial consulting position, retained for the transition period between one CFO leaving and the search and hiring of the next.

WHO LEADS IT

Part-time hours. Not part-time judgment.

Every CFO spent their career as a CPA inside a Big 4 accounting firm. You get that level of judgment on the schedule your organization can carry, and the same person year after year rather than a rotating bench.

MEET THE LEADERSHIP TEAM →
A fractional CFO may be exactly what takes the business to the next level, without the full-time financial commitment.
Charles River CFO · on the fractional model
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.