Construction CFO vs. generalist CFO.
Plenty of fractional CFOs will take a construction client. We take construction only. Here is what that difference does to your numbers.
A generalist fractional CFO is a finance executive for hire, usually industry-agnostic. They are strong on budgets, board decks, and fundraising. But most have never built a WIP schedule, and when tax season comes they hand you back to a CPA, because advising is the job, not preparing and filing the return.
We are built the other way around. Construction is the only industry we serve, and we are led by an Enrolled Agent, so job costing, WIP, retainage, bonding, cash forecasting, tax planning, and the actual return all sit under one roof. You are not paying us to learn your business on your dime.
Pricing is the other tell. Generalist fractional CFOs tend to quote custom monthly retainers that climb with scope. Our tiers are published and priced by the day, so you see the number before the first call.
| Generalist fractional CFO | Blackthorne Wicker | |
|---|---|---|
| Industry focus | All industries | Construction only |
| Prepares & files your taxes | Usually not; refers to a CPA | In-house, Enrolled-Agent-led |
| Prepares your financials | Sometimes; often oversight only | Yes, in-house |
| Job costing & WIP schedules | Learns on your time, if at all | Built for it |
| Bonding & surety financials | Rarely | Core of the work |
| Cash-flow forecasting | Yes | Yes |
| Exit & M&A planning | Sometimes | Yes |
| Cost / year | $60,000–$150,000, typical | $21,900–$109,500 |
| Best fit | Often larger or venture-backed | $2M–$15M contractors |
The generalist figure is a typical fractional or outsourced CFO retainer (roughly $5,000 to $12,500 a month), not a specific firm quote. Ours is published on the pricing page.
FAQ
No. Most are generalists who advise across industries and hand tax work to a CPA. We serve construction only, and because we are led by an Enrolled Agent, we prepare and file the taxes and build the financials ourselves. For a $2M to $15M contractor, that specialization is the difference between advice and results.
Usually not. A typical fractional CFO advises on strategy and leaves the return to your CPA. We do both. Your taxes are prepared and filed in-house by an Enrolled Agent, and defended before the IRS if it ever comes to that.
Because the mechanics that decide whether a contractor makes money, job costing, WIP schedules, overbillings, retainage, and bonding capacity, are specific to construction and are where generalists are weakest. We do nothing else, so those are the whole job for us, not a learning curve.
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