Construction CFO vs. CPA.
They sound similar and they are not. A CPA looks backward and files. A construction CFO looks forward and steers. Most contractors need both, doing different jobs.
A CPA is a licensed accountant who prepares financial statements and files taxes. That work is real and necessary, but it looks backward. It tells you what already happened, not what is coming. A general CPA also serves every kind of business, so most were never trained on the mechanics a contractor lives on.
A construction CFO works forward. We build the job costing and WIP schedules that show which jobs make money before they close, forecast cash, grow bonding capacity, and plan the eventual sale. Construction is the only industry we serve, so those mechanics are the whole job, not a side account.
So do you need both? For most contractors, no. We prepare and file your taxes, prepare your financials, forecast your cash, and steer the business, all of it built around construction. We work instead of a general CPA, not alongside one. The one thing that has to carry a CPA signature is an audited financial statement, and when a bond or bank requires one, we bring in a licensed CPA to perform it, so you stay with a single team.
| General CPA | Blackthorne Wicker | |
|---|---|---|
| Job costing & WIP schedules | Rarely; not their focus | Core of the work |
| Which jobs make money | Historical, after the fact | Real-time, before jobs close |
| Tax preparation & filing | Yes | Prepared and filed in-house, year-round |
| Bonding & surety financials | Sometimes | Built for it |
| Cash-flow forecasting | No | Yes |
| Exit & business-value planning | Rarely | Yes |
| Industry focus | All businesses | Construction only |
FAQ
For most contractors, yes. We prepare and file your taxes, prepare your financial statements, forecast your cash, and advise you on the business, all of it built around construction. We work instead of a general CPA, not alongside one. The one thing that has to carry a CPA signature is an audited financial statement, and when a bonding company or bank requires one, we bring in a licensed CPA to perform it. You still deal only with us.
Blackthorne Wicker is led by an Enrolled Agent, a tax practitioner federally licensed by the IRS to prepare returns and represent clients before it. We prepare and file your taxes and prepare your financials in-house. We do not sign audited financial statements ourselves, since that carries a CPA signature; when one is required, we bring in a licensed CPA to sign it. Either way, you work with one team, us.
Most CPAs serve every industry and weren't trained on job costing, WIP schedules, retainage, or surety-ready financials. Those construction-specific mechanics are exactly where contractors lose money, and they are the whole job for us.
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