Chrome River CURRENTS

In our current digital age, you might think going paperless is all the rage. However, paper still seems to be cluttering a good number of workspaces. Regardless of where your company is on the paperless continuum, going paperless can make your office more efficient, isn’t that difficult, and does not cost absurd amounts of money. It can also offer your business good PR and good ROI. Here are five tips to help get you thinking and acting in a paperless mindset.

Earlier this year, Forrester Research surveyed 348 financial decision-makers around the globe regarding corporate expenses. Almost a quarter of executives tallied indicated that Travel & Entertainment (T&E) expenses were one of the top three most challenging operating expenses to control - second only to maintenance expenses.

With employee travel and entertainment (T&E) spending accounting for up to 6% of total corporate costs and continuing to increase, it's wise for companies to monitor T&E spending. Lack of careful T&E oversight can open the door to fraud, policy violations and corporate waste. Consider the below tips to keep your corporate T&E spending in check. 

Computers and other electronic devices are just as critical to your business as lights and telephones. Your office could not function without them, but they do have a downside. They require electricity, and can be a substantial contributor to your power bills. Limiting your and your employees’ use of computers and technologies is out of the question if you want a viable business, but you can cut your carbon footprint – and some of your bills – with some other strategies.

Business people often feel hesitant about writing off meal, travel and entertainment expenses incurred during business. Even though you understand the fun activities you're engaged in are strictly business, you're don't always feel confident that the Internal Revenue Service will agree with you. Just because a work-related task is enjoyable, it doesn't mean you shouldn't be able to deduct expenses on your tax return.

Traditionally, CFOs and their finance teams stayed narrowly in the arena of management. They strategically employed data-driven analytics to manage the business from the upper levels. As the ability to collect and analyze data has exponentially expanded, CFOs are increasingly in a position to aid their organizations in improving profitability and efficiency and more granular levels.

When it comes to survival of the midsize firm, you have two choices. You can be ruthless. Or you can die. Time is your biggest resource and the one most often abused. Because of the precarious spot in which midsize companies are wedged, inefficient use of time will kill you every time.

When it comes to hiring finance staff members, the traditional hiring process may not be enough to ensure you’re getting the best candidate for the job. Candidates may shine at the interviews, ace your proficiency tests and amaze with their litany of technical skills, but you won’t really know what they're all about unless you throw a real-world financial dilemma into their lap.

Expense accounts used to mean lunching at trendy bistros and dining with martinis and wine. Not anymore. Corporate workers have shifted from expensing restaurants that are high and mighty to those that are fast and cheap. The overall average cost of an expensed meal these days is around $18, with the top five expensed restaurants listed below.

In a recent comprehensive study conducted by the Independent Expert Group on Expenses, one out of every five charities answering survey questions posed by IEG stated that they "did not have an expense policy established.“ Response comments provided by IEG indicated that the Group considered "expense management part of basic internal controls and good governance" and further stated that "charities need to be encouraged to rectify this matter.”