Frequently Asked Questions
Answers to the most common questions about bookkeeping, fractional CFO services, pricing, and how we work with business owners and families.
Services & Pricing
How much does a bookkeeper cost?
Bookkeeping costs vary based on transaction volume, entity count, and complexity. Our Clarity tier starts at $750–$1,250/month for foundational bookkeeping and monthly reporting. Momentum is $2,000–$3,500/month for controller-level oversight. Vision is $5,000–$8,000+/month for full fractional CFO partnership. All fees are assessed during a free initial assessment based on your specific needs.
What is a fractional CFO and how much does it cost?
A fractional CFO provides strategic financial leadership on a part-time basis—giving you CFO-level insight without the full-time salary (which typically runs $200,000–$400,000+ annually). Our fractional CFO services start at $2,000/month within our Momentum tier and scale to $8,000+/month for full CFO partnership in our Vision tier. You get budgeting, forecasting, KPI dashboards, investor readiness, and strategic decision support.
What is the difference between a bookkeeper, controller, and CFO?
A bookkeeper handles day-to-day transaction recording, reconciliations, and financial data entry. A controller oversees the bookkeeping function, ensures accuracy through quality review, manages the monthly close, and produces management-ready financial statements. A CFO provides strategic financial leadership—forecasting, scenario planning, capital strategy, and decision support. Most growing businesses need all three functions, which is why our service tiers are designed to layer them progressively.
When should I hire a fractional CFO?
Consider a fractional CFO when: you're scaling past $5M in revenue and decisions are getting more complex; you need cash flow forecasting and scenario planning; you're preparing for a capital raise, acquisition, or exit; your financial reporting isn't keeping up with leadership needs; or you need strategic guidance on pricing, hiring, and expansion but can't justify a full-time CFO salary.
What services does The Aligned Ledger NOT provide?
We do not provide tax preparation or filing, payroll processing, bill pay or payment signing, attest services (audits/reviews), legal or investment advice, or wealth management. We coordinate seamlessly with your existing CPA, attorney, and wealth advisors. This firm is not a CPA firm.
How It Works
How long does onboarding take?
Most clients reach their first clean monthly close within 30–60 days. The first two weeks cover kickoff and systems access, weeks 2–4 focus on cleanup and stabilization, and by weeks 4–6 you receive your first complete monthly close with management-ready statements.
What do I need to provide to get started?
To get started, we need QuickBooks Online admin-level access, last 12 months of bank and credit card statements (or read-only access), prior-period financials and tax returns, contact info for your CPA or attorney, and a 30-minute kickoff call to align on priorities and communication preferences.
Do you work with businesses outside of Dallas–Fort Worth?
Yes. While we're based in Dallas–Fort Worth, Texas, we serve clients across the entire state of Texas and nationwide. Our services are delivered remotely using modern tools like QuickBooks Online, so location is never a barrier. We work with businesses and families in Plano, Frisco, McKinney, Richardson, Irving, Arlington, Fort Worth, Austin, Houston, San Antonio, and beyond.
What tools and software do you use?
We work primarily in QuickBooks Online (QBO) for bookkeeping and reporting. We also use modern collaboration tools for communication, document sharing, and project management. If you use Xero or another platform, we can discuss compatibility during your initial assessment.
Bookkeeping & Financial Operations
What is outsourced bookkeeping?
Outsourced bookkeeping means partnering with an external firm (like The Aligned Ledger) to handle your financial record-keeping rather than hiring an in-house bookkeeper. Benefits include lower cost than a full-time hire, access to a team with diverse expertise, scalability as your business grows, and consistent quality without the risks of employee turnover.
What is the monthly close process?
The monthly close is the process of finalizing all financial transactions for a given month, reconciling accounts, recording adjustments, and producing accurate financial statements (P&L, balance sheet, cash flow). A well-run close gives you decision-grade financial data within 10–15 days of month-end—so you can make informed decisions rather than guessing.
What is multi-entity bookkeeping?
Multi-entity bookkeeping involves coordinated financial management across multiple business entities—operating companies, investment entities, holding structures, real estate LLCs, and personal household finances. It requires entity-level accuracy plus consolidated reporting that shows the complete picture across all holdings. This is common for family offices, real estate investors, and entrepreneurs with multiple ventures.
What are the signs I need a bookkeeper?
Key signs include: your books are always behind or catching up; you dread tax season because nothing is organized; you can't confidently answer 'Is my business profitable this month?'; bank reconciliations aren't being done regularly; you're mixing personal and business expenses; or you're spending more than 5 hours per week on financial tasks that could be delegated.
Family Office & Wealth Management Support
What is family office bookkeeping?
Family office bookkeeping provides coordinated financial management for high-net-worth families with multiple entities, investments, and complex financial structures. It includes entity-level bookkeeping, consolidated net worth reporting, household vs. business expense tracking, cash flow planning across all sources, and coordination with wealth advisors, CPAs, and attorneys.
What is a personal CFO?
A personal CFO provides strategic financial oversight for individuals and families managing significant wealth. Unlike a wealth advisor who manages investments, a personal CFO focuses on the operational side: consolidated reporting, cash flow management, entity oversight, advisor coordination, and ensuring all the pieces of your financial life work together cohesively.
Evaluating The Aligned Ledger
How do you coordinate with my outside CPA, attorney, and bank?
Directly. We become the single point of contact for your financial back office and communicate with your outside advisors on your behalf — sharing month-end packages with your CPA, supplying entity-level data to your attorney during structuring conversations, and answering banker questions about cash position or covenant compliance. You stop being the messenger.
What is your typical client size?
Our wedge is owner-operated DFW businesses between $1M and $50M in revenue, plus single-family offices with multi-entity balance sheets. Below $500K we're usually not the right fit — you're better served by a part-time bookkeeper. Above $50M with full in-house finance teams, we typically support specific functions rather than the whole back office.
Can you handle our specific weird situation? (Multi-entity, multi-state, niche industry)
Most likely yes. Our active client base spans construction, real estate (rentals, flips, syndications), professional services, healthcare ancillary, SaaS, family offices, and multi-state operators. The fastest way to know is the free Financial Alignment Call — describe your situation and we'll tell you honestly whether we're the right fit or recommend someone better suited.
What technology stack do you use?
Primarily QuickBooks Online for bookkeeping, with a curated set of modern tools for document collection, secure communication, dashboards, and forecasting. We don't push a specific app stack on you — we work with what you have where it makes sense and recommend changes only when the current setup is actively limiting your reporting.
How often will we communicate?
Cadence depends on tier. Clarity is one scheduled monthly advisory call plus async questions throughout the month. Momentum is a bi-weekly working session. Vision is a standing weekly CFO cadence with on-demand availability for time-sensitive decisions. Same named team every time — not a rotating queue.
How do you keep our data secure?
All client documents move through a secure cloud workspace with role-based access — never email attachments. We use multi-factor authentication on every system, encrypted document transfer, and least-privilege access to your books. Background checks are completed on every team member who touches client data.
What does the first 90 days actually look like?
We've written it out in detail — see our 'First 90 Days With The Aligned Ledger' page for the week-by-week breakdown of who you'll meet, what's delivered when, and what changes by day 30, 60, and 90.
How quickly will I hear back if I reach out?
Within one business day, and usually faster. If you book a call directly to our calendar via the assessment page, you'll get an immediate confirmation with available times. Form submissions get a personal reply, not an autoresponder.
Still have questions?
Schedule a free 30-minute Financial Alignment Call and we'll answer any questions specific to your situation.
This firm is not a CPA firm. Information provided is general in nature and is not legal, tax, or investment advice.