Ask the CFO Podcast 

Most business owners have a CPA for the business, a lawyer for the business, maybe even a fractional CFO for the business. Far fewer have anyone coordinating their personal financial life: their taxes, their estate plan, their liquidity strategy, the decisions that determine what they actually walk away with.

That gap is exactly where Blake Peterson spends his time. As a Senior Wealth Advisor at Carson Wealth and a Certified Exit Planning Advisor, Blake works with business owners and families who have outgrown simple financial solutions and need coordinated, proactive guidance. He describes his role as a financial quarterback, pulling together a client's CPA, attorney, and lenders so every piece of advice is working toward the same outcome instead of pulling in different directions.

In this session of Ask the CFO, Lowell Mora will be joined by Blake Peterson to talk about why the business decision and the personal financial decision are never really separate, and what happens when owners wait too long to treat them that way.

The conversation will explore:

• Why building wealth inside the business isn't the same as protecting it outside the business
• What a coordinated advisory team (CPA, attorney, lender, wealth advisor) actually looks like in practice, and what falls through the cracks without one
• How personal financial decisions, taxes, estate planning, liquidity, connect directly to business transition planning
• Why waiting until a sale or transition event is already underway is often too late to make the highest-impact moves

Blake Peterson, CEPA, is a Senior Wealth Advisor at Carson Wealth, Co-Founder of the Exit Advisors Coalition, and a Certified Exit Planning Advisor. He's based in Omaha, where he also serves on the board of Breakthrough T1D and is Past Chair of Keep Nebraska Beautiful.

Connect with Blake: LinkedIn | bpeterson@carsonwealth.com | (402) 829-1798

Most people growing toward the CFO seat have questions they can't take to anyone at work. How to handle an owner who won't listen, whether you're ready for the next role, what to do when the numbers say one thing and the room says another. You can read about all of it, but a useful answer depends on your situation, and it helps to hear from someone who has sat in the chair.

In this session of Ask the CFO, there is no guest. I'll share lessons from the work and open the floor so you can get to know me as a mentor, bring your questions or concerns, and hear how I think through a problem. I'll draw on real stories from 30 years in finance, most of them inside family-owned businesses.

Come with a question, or just come to listen. Both are welcome.

You can expect:

• A chance to ask me about the CFO path, working with owners, or a decision you're facing
• Honest answers from my experience, including what I got wrong
• Practical, creative ways to approach problems that may look like they only have one answer
• The questions other finance professionals and business owners bring, which are often your own
• A feel for what it's like to work with me, before you decide if it's a fit

This session is also a first look at the Unwritten CFO, a live group I'm launching in January for people growing toward the CFO seat.

Most advice for aspiring CFOs is generic. Get the certification, learn the systems, find a mentor. Useful, but it leaves out the things that decide how the job actually goes, and most people pick those up slowly, one hard lesson at a time.

In this session of Ask the CFO, I'll share the advice I find most useful for people growing toward the CFO seat. There is no guest. I'll teach from real situations across 30 years in finance, most of them inside family-owned businesses, and explain why each piece of advice matters, not just what to do.

Some of it is technical and some of it is about people. All of it comes from the work, and I'll keep it practical, not theoretical. You'll leave with ideas you can use in your own seat.

Bring your questions or concerns. I'll leave time to take them, and they usually shape where the conversation goes. You can ask about something I covered, something I didn't, or a situation you're in right now. Keep the details general, no names needed.

If you're growing toward the CFO seat, this is also a good look at what the Unwritten CFO will be like. I'm launching it as a live group in January, and founding enrollment is open through December 31. [Join link: INSERT LINK]

About Me

I'm a fractional CFO and the founder of Impact CFO. I started as an auditor at Arthur Andersen, spent about five years inside very large public manufacturers, and then chose family-owned businesses on purpose, where I've worked for 30 years. That includes helping take two third-generation family-owned businesses to successful external exits. I host Ask the CFO, a live series where business leaders work through real decisions.

Connect with me: LinkedIn | Impact CFO | Ask the CFO