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Interim CFO Services
Interim CFO

Your CFO left. The board meeting did not move.

An unexpected departure, a planned leave, or a long search cycle creates a business interruption you cannot afford. We step into the seat at full capacity, with no ramp-up period, and hold it until your permanent CFO arrives.

Cover the seat
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GOALS AND TYPICAL OUTCOMES AT A GLANCE
COMMITMENT
Typically full-time, for the length of the transition.
TYPICAL TRIGGER
A departure, a leave, or an executive search in progress.
WHO STEPS IN
A Big-4-trained CPA who has held the seat before.
HANDOVER
Documented processes and current books for the incoming CFO.
We have carried this seat through audits, leadership transitions, and acquisitions without a reporting gap.
WHEN THIS IS THE RIGHT CALL

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

If none of them quite fit, one call will tell you whether interim is the wrong shape and something else is the right one.

01
You unexpectedly lost your CFO and want the position filled while you run an executive search for a permanent hire.
02
You are focused on a specific project that needs specialized financial expertise, such as preparing a sale or merger, or raising debt funding.
03
You are planning for a break in CFO staffing due to parental or medical leave.
04
Your board, investors, or lenders need to see a steady hand on finance while the organization is between leaders.
What do our Interim CFO services include?

An interim CFO works with your CEO, management team, and board on the real decisions.

Not a caretaker. The same authority and scope your permanent CFO would carry.

01

Strategic counsel to the CEO

Working directly with your CEO, management team, and board on the strategic business issues that cannot pause for a search.

02

The accounting function

Oversight of accounting and the supporting functions, so the close, the controls, and the reporting stay on schedule.

03

External relationships

Reassurance for the board, investors, creditors, suppliers, banks, and auditors during a leadership change.

04

A clean handover

Current books, documented processes, and a stable team, so the incoming permanent CFO starts without a cleanup.

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.

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.

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.

WHO LEADS IT

The person in the seat has held the seat before.

Every Practice Leader trained as a CPA inside a Big 4 accounting firm before joining us. When an interim CFO walks into your first board meeting, they are not learning the job on your time.

MEET THE LEADERSHIP TEAM →
The books were up to date, the processes were documented, and the team was stable. There was no scramble, no reporting gaps, and no surprises for investors or the board.
Kevin Sarney, CPA, MBA · Life Sciences CFO, on an interim engagement through a CFO transition
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.