INSIGHTS
What Executives Really Need From Financial Reporting
by Larson Gross
ARTICLE | July 6, 2026
Moving from reporting history to strategy and decision making.
| Timely, accurate financial reporting is a necessity to a well-run business and the first step toward a full understanding of financial performance, but as an executive or manager of an organization, you may find yourself asking more questions of your reports and how to take action based on signals within them. There are a few critical steps you can empower your team to do to move financial reporting from history to action. |
Shift the Purpose of Financial Reporting
The first step is simply reframing the purpose of financial reporting.
The goal of this is to move beyond “reporting results” and more toward “supporting decisions.” Do the reports generated and presented connect to actual strategy of the business? This can also include risk areas (in the form of stress testing and scenario analysis), cash flow, lending capacity and future growth. Consider what questions you will likely ask to better manage the business and align your reporting to answer them.
Ask Better Questions About the Numbers
Additionally, take those common questions a step further. As a decision maker, of course you’ll want to know “What happened?”, but you’ll likely be curious about what changed and why, what happens if this becomes a trend, and what levers do we have at our disposal to adjust to this change?
Now you have data and potential questions you want the data to answer. The next step is turning the data into insights that drive action. Adding clear and concise commentary will support easier understanding of the information.
- What is meaningful and what is just noise?
- Are there identifiable business drivers behind the numbers that add context and color to the reports?
Answering these questions transforms financial reporting from a historical record into a practical management tool.
Look Forward, Not Just Back
Historical reports have a purpose, but building out proactive, forward-looking reports brings financial reporting into a more mature and useful tool and allows for decisions to be made earlier in advance. This final step also supports scenario analysis, trade offs and outcomes, and a more complete understanding of how actions could impact results.
Partner With Advisors Who Add Perspective
Now the fun part – how do you move your organization from compliance reporting to proactive financial management? Advisors can help interpret your financial information, build models and tools to evaluate decisions, and walk alongside you in the process of becoming more familiar with using numbers to drive decisions.
Brittney Hill
Senior Manager, Larson Gross Advisors
Brittney Hill is a Certified Public Accountant with a bachelor’s degree from Central Washington University and an MBA from Colorado State University. She joined Larson Gross in 2025, bringing extensive experience in corporate accounting, financial planning and analysis, and data visualization, with a primary focus in the agriculture industry. Drawing on her executive experience, Brittney enjoys translating financial data into meaningful insights that empower clients to make informed decisions and better understand their business from a financial perspective. She values collaboration and is passionate about building successful, long-term client relationships.
Brittney has spent most of her professional career in the beautiful Yakima Valley. Outside of work, she and her husband enjoy cheering on their three children at various youth sports activities and soaking up as much Eastern Washington sunshine as possible.