Gain a partner-level, outsourced or fractional CFO to help navigate growth, maximize profitability and secure your future — without the full-time executive cost.
Growth has a way of exposing the limits of a finance function. The reporting that worked at $5 million in revenue rarely holds up at $50 million — and the decisions in front of you get bigger as the margin for error gets smaller. If any of the following sound familiar, you are ready for a different level of financial leadership:
A fractional CFO is a true executive partner, integrated with your internal leadership team on a part-time, ongoing basis. You gain a seat-at-the-table adviser who understands your business model, sits in on leadership and board meetings, pressure-tests your assumptions, and owns the high-level financial strategy for a fraction of the time and cost of a full-time hire.
In Michigan, we most often see this model used by manufacturers, real estate and construction firms, and technology companies that have outgrown their current financial reporting but are not ready to add a six-figure executive seat.
Outsourced CFO services give you access to the full function of the CFO’s office on a flexible, as-needed basis. They include strategy and forecasting at the top, supported by technical accounting, advanced reporting and systems expertise underneath. Instead of relying on one individual, you draw on a full team that focuses on tasks such as:
You scale the engagement up during a transaction, an audit or a system conversion, and scale it back when the heavy lifting is done.
The terms differ slightly in practice, but they deliver the same outcome: access to elite financial expertise that was once available only to the largest corporations. Our role is to help you determine which structure fits your business today and to adjust it as your needs change.
For many owners, business and personal financial goals are closely connected. We help align both through long-term forecasting, tax-efficient structuring, capital planning and succession strategies, while serving as a trusted adviser for critical business decisions.
If you already have a finance team, we complement it with specialized expertise in technical accounting, audit readiness, internal controls, ASC 805 opening balance sheet and net working capital consulting, and ERP implementation services. We help solve complex financial challenges while strengthening your team’s capabilities.
Speed matters in private equity. We provide end-to-end transaction support, including due diligence, QofE reporting, purchase accounting and post-close integration. For newly acquired businesses, we install scalable financial leadership and reporting systems that drive value creation from Day 1.
| Strategic Planning & Forecasting Budgeting, forecasting and benchmarking, along with scenario models that turn goals into numbers you can manage to. |
Cash Flow Management & Optimization Cash forecasting, working capital improvement and treasury discipline that protect your runway. |
| Profitability Analysis & Improvement Product, customer and job-level margin analysis and cost accounting that show where you actually make money. |
Debt and Equity Financing Guidance Capital structure planning, lender and investor packages, and other supporting documentation. |
| Financial Reporting & Internal Controls U.S. GAAP financial statement preparation and reporting, technical accounting support, internal controls design and audit readiness. |
M&A, Transaction & Due Diligence Support Quality of Earnings (QofE), buy- and sell-side diligence, purchase accounting and post-close integration. |
| Board and Stakeholder Reporting Clear, decision-ready reporting packages for boards, lenders, investors and family shareholders. |
Performance Dashboard and KPI Development Business intelligence dashboards and KPIs that give leadership real-time visibility. |
A partner-level team member is involved from the first conversation through every reporting cycle — not just at the pitch.
Our team offers you unparalleled expertise and technical depth with hands-on personal attention from senior leaders committed to a “client at the core” philosophy. With approximately 900 professionals across 15 offices and nearly 50 years spent interpreting and applying tax and accounting guidance, we can put specialists behind your outsourced or fractional CFO — state and local tax, international structuring, business valuations, transaction services, technical GAAP, finance transformation and more.
Our teams bring industry backgrounds as well as public accounting credentials, and we maintain deep specialization in complex sectors, including private equity-backed companies, real estate, manufacturing, technology and more.
We have been part of the Michigan business ecosystem since 2016, with offices in downtown Detroit and Troy and roughly 80 professionals across the region — making Michigan one of our largest markets. We know the industries that drive this economy: manufacturing and distribution, real estate and construction, professional services, technology, and closely held and family owned businesses. Your CFO team is close enough to sit at your conference table and deep enough to bring national resources with them.
"Our Cohen & Co advisory and tax teams have been excellent partners in helping us grow our business. Every team member is a pleasure to work with." — Infectious Disease Connect
Costs vary based on your needs, including the level of strategic support and complexity of your business. Outsourced and fractional CFO services provide flexible, cost-effective access to experienced financial leadership, with transparent pricing tailored to your engagement. You pay for the level of leadership you need, when you need it.
A controller looks backward with precision: accurate books, a clean monthly close and reliable historical reporting — the "what happened." A CFO looks forward: strategy, forecasting, capital structure, profitability and transaction readiness — the "why" and "what's next." Many Michigan companies need both, and they do not always arrive at the same time. We frequently start with outsourced controller or managed accounting support to stabilize the foundation, then layer in fractional or outsourced CFO leadership as strategic questions grow more complex.
These services are built for middle-market companies that have graduated beyond basic bookkeeping but are not yet ready to carry a full-time CFO. Often complexity matters more than revenue: private equity ownership, multiple entities or locations, a transaction on the horizon, lender covenants or a finance leader who is about to depart. If any of those describe you, it’s worth having a conversation.
The companies that grow and are profitable are those with the clearest view of what the numbers mean and what to do next. An outsourced or fractional CFO from Cohen & Co gives you that clarity. We offer a team that will spend time getting to know your business, that has the technical depth to handle whatever comes next, and that has a structure that flexes with your needs rather than locking you into a full-time executive seat.
Ready to talk about your finance function?
Our Michigan Offices |
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| Detroit 1505 Woodward Avenue, Floor 2 Detroit, MI 48226 |
Troy 1301 W. Long Lake Road, Suite 200 Troy, MI 48098 |