Preparing for deepfake fraud; Workers’ salaries set to soar; New path to CPA licensure proposed; New York's business sector strikes back

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Executives expect more deepfake attacks on financial and accounting data in the next 12 months

As per new data from 德勤 , great cybersecurity technology may not be enough for organizations whose leaders don’t prepare their employees for fraud initiated by deepfakes. Through training, skepticism and risk management, finance leaders and their fellow executives are preparing for deepfakes and its risks to businesses’ most precious commodity — financial data.

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How Capital Rx’s Antonio Garcia Cueto starts his day

In the latest edition of The 6 a.m. CFO series , Capital Rx 's CFO Antonio Garcia Cueto provides a candid look into both his morning and personal life.

• What is one way you have learned to manage work-induced stress??I’m a runner. I enjoy running, and I find that running helps with stress. I run a lot — all sorts of races and marathons.
• The most noteworthy items in your workspace:?Pictures of my wife and kids and my running medals — I have over 20.
• Do you have a pet sitting in your office right now? No, I wish I did, but I haven’t been able to convince my wife that we need a pet. At least not yet!
• Favorite phone app that is unrelated to work:?ESPN. I love sports.

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A new competency-driven CPA licensure path proposed

AICPA and NASBA are working to address the accounting shortage and controversial 150-credit hour requirement by creating a new possible set of requirements to earn a CPA license.

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Despite political turmoil, the Empire State’s business sector strikes back

New York State may be starting to consistently improve business conditions despite its political leadership facing multiple legal investigations and ethical dilemmas.

Both Governor Kathy Hochul of the New York State Executive Chamber , and the City of New York 's Mayor Eric Adams have aides under Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) investigation. Despite the overwhelming negative impact the two have had on the state in recent months, New York has surprisingly been economically improving, according to new data from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York .

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Compensation budgets expected to rise again

For a third year in a row, workers’ salaries are set to grow at a pace rarely seen in decades.

Despite a recent downtrend in hiring and a slight increase in unemployment, U.S. companies’ base-salary budgets are projected to rise sharply in 2025 for a third straight year, according to a new report from The Conference Board .

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First Horizon's CFO shares lessons learned

Hope Dmuchowski , CFO of First Horizon Bank , shares the lessons that helped shape her path to finance chief and guided her approach to leadership. Dmuchowski expands on these six lessons and what they mean to her career.

1. Seek mentorship to learn and lead
2. Your attitude is a choice
3. Be the most prepared person in the room
4. Embrace challenges as pathways to growth
5. Don’t underestimate the power of kindness
6. Never stop learning

Read the full story here.

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This edition of Preferred Shares was created by reporter Adam Zaki .