The CFO'S Perspective

Charlotte Morin

Charlotte Morin

Charlotte is the business manager for CFO Selections, handling accounting, communications, and IT. She brings a unique combination of skills in accounting, writing, organization, process development, and technology to the CFO Selections team.

Recent Posts by Charlotte Morin:

Email: An Essential Business Tool, and a Direct Conduit for Thieves

We’ve all heard about “phishing” – malicious emails. As Microsoft notes below, they’re hugely popular among cyber thieves. They also happen to be hugely lucrative (which is why they’re so popular!).  

Topics: Security Risk Management Cybersecurity

A True Story About Accounting Cybersecurity and “Acme’s” Narrow Escape

Since we work with many companies across industries, we have an opportunity to get an inside view of hundreds of accounting departments along with other operational areas, including IT.  We see that with our clients, as with many other businesses, it can be really challenging to find time to improve the security of computing systems – there always seems to be something more urgent.

Topics: Security Success Story Cybersecurity

Financial Scam Checklist During COVID-19 (for business or working from home)

Your most Important Tip: If you receive an email asking you to wire money or send gift cards, assume it is a fraud – every time. CALL the sender to confirm, at a number you know is correct.

We are seeing, and hearing about, an increasing number of online scams and other negative internet-based activity related to COVID-19 and the mass exodus from company offices to home offices.  

As thousands of information workers recreate office processes and routines to work in an online-only world, the scammers, spammers, information manipulators, and meeting hijackers have been busy as well.

Topics: Fraud Security Risk Management COVID-19

What I Did on my Summer Vacation

Most of my vacations are pretty typical – camp on the Sound, cruise to Alaska, plane trip to kid-friendly destination, road trip to friends. 

... but not this year.

This year, I fulfilled a long-time dream and went to Africa.  I did the multi-day safari, fed the giraffes at the Giraffe Center in Nairobi, and enjoyed local cuisine and cultures. But mostly… I did financial spreadsheets.  And IT infrastructure planning. And computer teaching.  In other words, pretty much the same things I do all the time, except in hotter weather.

Topics: This is Us

What if Tomorrow is Not Like Today? Part II: Preparing for Disasters at Work

Most of us believe we are prepared for the everyday kind of disaster at work:  We carry extra cash, safety pins, and a cell phone.  We keep a granola bar (or five) in our desk.  In Seattle, we never, ever, let the coffee pot run out. But while all these things are good (especially the coffee pot), most of us never think about what we would do if a true disaster struck during the time we are at work -- the place/s where we spend more waking hours than anywhere else.   

Let's take the case of an earthquake, since that's our most likely Puget Sound area disaster, and the basic things to prepare for if one occurs during our workday apply to many other scenarios as well.  

Topics: Planning Financial Projections Forecasting

Predicting the Future - What if Tomorrow is Not Like Today? Part I

Recent sad news about the wildfires disaster in California which has destroyed homes, businesses and caused so many deaths is a reminder for us again to consider the future.

…up to 40% of businesses hit by natural or human-caused disasters never re-open.”

According to FEMA, the Federal Emergency Management Association, up to 40% of businesses hit by natural or human-caused disasters never re-open.  They close because their normal processes are overwhelmed by loss:  loss of data, inventory, space, personnel, or all of the above.

Topics: Financial Projections Forecasting