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According to the latest Korn Ferry survey, despite a volatile economic environment, most U.S. companies still plan to increase base salaries for the majority of their employees in 2027. The overall average base salary budget increase is 3.3%, with a median of 3%. The survey also covers topics such as incentive bonuses, the impact of artificial intelligence, and talent development.
Jeffrey Scott Keehn, former CFO of the Dallas Child and Family Guidance Center, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Ed Kinkeade to five years in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, and ordered to repay $2.1 million after admitting to stealing over $2.1 million from the organization. Keehn committed fraud between September 2016 and January 2023 by forging signatures and splitting check amounts, using QuickBooks to conceal his actions. The government has seized approximately $800,000 of his assets.
Williams-Sonoma said in its second-quarter earnings report released on Wednesday that it will share part of the benefits from approximately $200 million in tariff refunds. Of this amount, $47.5 million will be used to compensate suppliers, and $10 million will go to employee 401(k) accounts. CEO Laura Alber called this move "the right thing to do."
For most financial leaders, AI's early promise—doing more with less—has largely been fulfilled. But entering 2026, the conversation has shifted to how to accurately measure AI's return on investment (ROI) and what to do once efficiency gains arrive. AvidXchange's 2026 Finance Trends Survey shows that 42% of financial leaders cite 'faster work or handling more volume in the same time' as the top return, 39% mention improved accuracy and fewer errors, and 35% attribute it to better decision-making. More importantly, 44% of companies reinvest AI gains into new technology or automation, while another 44% use them to strengthen data security and compliance. The survey also finds that 79% of respondents are confident in achieving maximum AI ROI. The article proposes three key actions for measuring and amplifying ROI: defining AI goals, setting metrics before deployment, and investing in employee adoption. Efficiency is just the starting point; strategic value is the end goal.
Since 2015, Navan has simplified corporate travel, but during global expansion, it realized that booking was just the starting point. By partnering with Adyen, Navan embedded multi-currency card issuing into its own platform, unifying financial infrastructure, reducing regional complexity, enhancing spend visibility, and turning expense management into a value engine. The partnership results include over 1 billion euros in transaction volume, more than 3,800 enterprise clients, and a 99.9% success rate.
The cost of building subscription billing in-house goes far beyond initial development; ongoing investments in maintenance, compliance, and payment logic are often underestimated. CFOs need to factor in opportunity costs and assess whether building truly provides flexibility. Recurly data shows that network-level data can improve payment recovery rates by 10-20 percentage points, and the usage of pause features has grown by 337%. Decisions should be based on long-term total cost of ownership, not short-term price.
Federal Reserve Chair Kevin Warsh said on Friday that to bring inflation back to the 2% target, the Fed may still need to 'act,' adding that current financial conditions are not 'restrictive.' This stance boosted market bets on a September rate hike, but EY Chief Economist Gregory Daco believes traders are overreacting and expects the Fed to hold steady for the rest of the year.
New developments have emerged in consumer class-action lawsuits against retailers such as Amazon and Target over tariff refunds. Plaintiff attorneys filed an amended motion on Tuesday, requesting the U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation to transfer and centralize the cases in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, where they would be consolidated with four similar existing cases. Currently, related lawsuits are spread across federal district courts in eight states, involving 15 major retailers.
Rivian's Chief Financial Officer Claire McDonough will leave the company and join GE Vernova, assuming the role of CFO starting January 1, 2027. She will serve as a strategic advisor from November 1, with current CFO Kenneth Parks planning to retire in April 2027. At Rivian, Vice President of Finance Derek Mulvey will step in as interim CFO.
The US economy has not experienced a prolonged recession in nearly five years, with the wealth concentration and consumption resilience of the baby boomer generation considered important reasons. This article is based on a speech at the 2026 summit of the Illinois CPA Society, analyzing the relationship between demographic structure and economic cycles.