
Get clear, actionable steps for right of return accounting. Learn how to estimate returns, manage refund liabilities, and keep your financials accurate.
Your return policy is a promise to your customers, but it's also a statement on your balance sheet. Every time you make a sale, you're not just gaining potential revenue; you're also creating a potential liability. If a customer can return an item, you have an obligation to refund their money. This is the core concept behind right of return accounting. It’s a crucial practice that ensures your financial statements are not misleading. Instead of recognizing 100% of sales revenue upfront, you must account for the portion you anticipate refunding. This disciplined approach is fundamental to ASC 606 compliance and is essential for maintaining accurate, trustworthy financial records.
If you sell products, you likely have a return policy. It’s a standard part of doing business and a great way to build customer trust. But that simple promise—"Don't love it? Send it back"—creates a significant ripple effect in your accounting. A "right of return" is the formal term for this customer privilege, and it directly impacts how and when you can recognize revenue.
Under accounting standards like ASC 606, you can't just record the full amount of a sale as revenue the moment it happens. Why? Because some of that money might not actually be yours to keep. The possibility of a return introduces uncertainty, or what accountants call "variable consideration." Your job is to reasonably estimate how many products will come back and adjust your revenue accordingly. This isn't just about balancing the books; it's about presenting a true and fair view of your company's performance. Getting it right is essential for accurate financial statements, passing audits, and making informed business decisions. At HubiFi, we help businesses automate this process, turning complex data into clear, compliant financial reports.
At its core, a right of return is an agreement that allows a customer to return a product for a refund, store credit, or an exchange. This applies whether your return policy is explicitly stated on your website or simply implied by standard industry practice. It affects nearly every business that sells physical goods, from e-commerce brands and retailers to distributors and manufacturers. If your customers can send products back, you need to account for it. This policy fundamentally changes how you approach revenue recognition. Instead of recognizing 100% of the sale price immediately, you must account for the portion you anticipate returning to the customer.
The most direct impact of a return policy is on your top-line revenue. You can only recognize revenue for the portion of sales you expect to keep. The amount you anticipate refunding is deferred, meaning it doesn't hit your income statement as revenue until the return period expires or you can make a more accurate estimate. This directly affects your reported sales figures and profitability metrics. It also has a cascading effect on other areas of the business, from calculating sales commissions and managing inventory to forecasting future cash flow. Properly accounting for returns ensures your financial reports reflect the economic reality of your sales, not just the initial transaction amount.
When you account for a right of return, you’re essentially splitting the sale into two parts: the portion you expect to keep and the portion you expect to get back. This requires creating two specific accounts on your balance sheet. First is the refund liability, which is the total dollar amount you expect to refund to customers for returned products. Second is the return asset, which is the value of the inventory you expect to recover from those returns. Both of these figures are based on estimates. You can't know with 100% certainty what customers will do, so you have to make an educated guess and update it regularly/05%3A_Revenue/5.03%3A_Applications/5.3.03%3A_Sales_With_Right_of_Return) as new data becomes available.
When a customer buys a product, it feels like a straightforward transaction. You made a sale, so you can book the revenue, right? Not so fast. The customer’s right to return that product adds a layer of complexity to your accounting, directly impacting how and when you can recognize revenue. Under ASC 606, the possibility of a return means the transaction value isn't fixed. This uncertainty requires a more nuanced approach to ensure your financial statements are accurate and compliant. Let's break down exactly how returns fit into the revenue recognition puzzle.
The good news is that ASC 606 doesn't force you to wait until the return period is over to recognize revenue. You can recognize it at the point of sale, but with one major condition: you must be able to make a reliable estimate of future returns. This rule prevents companies from overstating their performance by booking revenue that is likely to be reversed later. If you can’t reasonably predict how many products will come back, you have to defer revenue recognition until the return period expires or you have enough data to make a solid estimate.
A customer’s right to return a product introduces what’s known as variable consideration. Think of it this way: the final amount of money you’ll receive from a sale is uncertain because some of it might be refunded. ASC 606 requires you to account for this uncertainty. You can only recognize the portion of revenue you expect to be entitled to after factoring in estimated returns. This means you’re not just tracking returns as they happen; you’re proactively estimating and accounting for their financial impact from the moment the sale is made. This approach gives a more realistic picture of your company's earnings.
Estimating returns isn't a set-it-and-forget-it task. Market trends shift, product quality changes, and customer behavior evolves. Because of this, you must regularly review and update your return estimates. Each time you adjust your forecast, you’ll also need to update the corresponding refund liability and the value of the asset you expect to recover. This dynamic process is one of the core challenges of revenue recognition, but it’s essential for staying compliant and maintaining accurate financial records. It ensures your books reflect the most current and reasonable expectation of your net revenue.
When you start looking at return accounting, it can feel like you’re trying to predict the future. And in a way, you are. But it’s less about a crystal ball and more about a solid, structured approach. Getting this right is crucial for accurate financial reporting and making smart business decisions. Instead of just reacting to returns as they happen, accounting standards require you to anticipate them. This proactive stance ensures your revenue isn't overstated and your financial statements reflect what's really going on in your business. It’s the difference between being caught off guard by a wave of returns and having a plan in place to handle them smoothly, both operationally and financially.
Think of it like building a house. You can't just throw up walls; you need a strong foundation. In return accounting, that foundation rests on three core components: managing your refund liability, valuing your return assets, and considering any potential impairment. Each block builds on the other to create a complete and accurate picture of your company’s financial health. Understanding these three elements will help you move from simply processing refunds to strategically managing their financial impact. It’s a shift that gives you more control and clearer insights into your operations. By mastering these building blocks, you're not just complying with rules; you're gaining a deeper understanding of your sales cycle and customer behavior.
First up is the refund liability. In simple terms, this is the total amount of money you expect to refund to customers for products they haven't returned yet. Think of it as a promise you’ve made to your customers. You can’t recognize revenue for sales you anticipate will be returned, so you set aside this estimated amount as a liability on your balance sheet. This is a key principle of ASC 606, as it ensures you only report the revenue you truly expect to keep. This isn’t a wild guess; it’s a calculated estimate based on your company’s historical return rates, seasonality, and any other relevant data you have.
On the flip side of the refund liability is the return asset. When a customer returns a product, you’re not just giving back cash; you’re also getting inventory back. This inventory has value, and that value is recorded as a return asset. This represents the cost of the goods you expect to receive from customers. It’s important to track this separately from your refund liability because it gives a clearer picture of your financial position. You have an obligation to pay (the liability), but you also have an asset coming back to you (the inventory). This distinction is critical for transparent and accurate financial reporting.
Now for a dose of reality: not all returned products come back in perfect, ready-to-sell condition. Some might be damaged, opened, or outdated by the time you get them back. This potential loss in value is called impairment. When you calculate your return asset, you also need to estimate how much of that returned inventory might be impaired. This ensures you aren't overstating the value of your assets. As you gather more data over time, you’ll need to review and adjust your estimates. Regularly analyzing return data helps you refine your forecasts and keep your financial statements accurate.
Recording sales with a right of return isn't a one-and-done entry. It’s a process that ensures your financial statements accurately reflect what you truly earn. When customers can return products, you can't recognize all the sales revenue immediately because some of it might come back to you in the form of returned goods. Getting this right is essential for maintaining accurate books and staying compliant with accounting standards like ASC 606.
The process involves a few key steps, from the moment you make the sale to how you handle the physical return and adjust your forecasts over time. Think of it as a cycle: you make an educated guess, record the sale based on that guess, handle the reality of returns as they happen, and then refine your guess for the future. Let's walk through exactly how to manage these transactions so your financial reporting remains precise and reliable.
When you sell a product that a customer can return, you can't count the entire sale as revenue right away. Instead, you need to start with an estimate. Based on your historical data or other relevant information, you'll predict the value of goods you expect customers to return. You should only report revenue for the amount you confidently expect to keep. For example, if you make $100,000 in sales in a month and you estimate a 3% return rate, you would recognize $97,000 in revenue and account for the remaining $3,000 separately. This approach ensures your revenue recognition is not overstated.
After determining your estimated returns, you need to create a provision for them on your books. This involves two key accounts. First, you’ll recognize a "Refund Liability," which represents the total amount you expect to refund to customers. Think of it as a placeholder for the cash you'll likely have to pay back. Second, you’ll recognize a "Return Asset," which is the value of the inventory you expect to receive back from those returns. This asset reflects the goods that will be added back to your stock. Setting up these accounts correctly is a core requirement for ASC 606 compliance and gives a clearer picture of your financial position.
When a customer actually returns an item, it’s time to update your books to reflect the transaction. First, you’ll decrease the Refund Liability account by the amount of the refund, since you've now fulfilled that obligation. You'll also reduce your cash or accounts payable to show the money has been returned to the customer. At the same time, you’ll increase your Inventory account by the cost of the returned product, as it's now back in your possession and can potentially be resold. This entry effectively reverses the liability and asset you set up earlier for that specific item, keeping your accounts in balance.
Your initial return estimate is just that—an estimate. It’s crucial to regularly review and update it to ensure your financial statements remain accurate. At the end of each accounting period, compare your actual returns to your initial predictions. If you notice a significant difference, you’ll need to adjust your Refund Liability and Return Asset accounts accordingly. For instance, if returns are higher than expected, you'll need to increase your liability. This ongoing process of refinement helps you create more accurate forecasts and makes your financial reporting more reliable. Many businesses find that automating data integration makes this adjustment process much smoother.
Estimating future returns can feel like trying to predict the weather—a little uncertain and subject to change. But for accurate revenue recognition under ASC 606, it’s a non-negotiable. The goal isn’t to be a psychic, but to make a reasonable, data-backed forecast of what you expect customers to send back. This estimate directly impacts your refund liability and the value of your return asset, so getting it right is key to keeping your financials clean and compliant.
Fortunately, you don’t have to rely on a gut feeling. There are several solid methods you can use to build a reliable estimate. By combining historical data with market insights and an understanding of your customers, you can create a forecast that stands up to scrutiny. Think of it as building a complete picture using different puzzle pieces. Each method offers a unique angle, and using them together will give you the most accurate and defensible estimate for your business. Let’s walk through the four main approaches you can use.
Your own history is often the best teacher. Start by digging into your past sales and return data to find patterns. Look at return rates over specific periods—did they spike during the holidays or after a big promotion? You can also segment this data by product line, sales channel, or even customer demographic to get more granular. For instance, you might find that one product has a much higher return rate than others, which is a crucial piece of information for your forecast.
As the Business LibreTexts guide on sales with right of return notes, companies should use information like past sales data and industry trends to make good guesses. The key is to not just set it and forget it. Your business changes, and so do customer habits. Make it a regular practice to review and update your estimates each reporting period to ensure they reflect your current reality.
What if you’re a new business or launching a completely new product line with no historical data to lean on? This is where looking outward becomes incredibly helpful. Market-based approaches involve benchmarking your expected returns against industry averages or what similar companies are experiencing. You can find this information in industry reports, trade publications, and market research. This method provides a solid starting point when you don’t have your own data.
This is also where technology can give you a major advantage. Using the right software tools can help you gather and analyze market data more efficiently, saving you time and improving the accuracy of your estimates. When your systems are integrated, you can pull in external data and compare it against your internal numbers seamlessly. This helps you stay compliant while making more informed strategic decisions.
If you have a high volume of transactions, you can take your forecasting a step further with statistical models. This might sound intimidating, but it’s really about using math to identify complex patterns in your data that you might otherwise miss. Methods like regression analysis can help you understand how different variables, like seasonality or promotional activities, impact your return rates. Time-series forecasting can use your past data to predict future trends.
You don’t need to be a data scientist to do this. Modern accounting and analytics platforms can run these calculations for you. By automating your system and analyzing refund data for trends, you can move from simple averages to more dynamic, predictive forecasting. This not only improves the accuracy of your financial statements but also gives you powerful insights into your business operations.
Numbers tell you what is happening, but understanding your customers tells you why. Digging into customer behavior provides the qualitative context behind your return rates. Are customers returning a particular shirt because the fit is consistently off? Are they buying multiple sizes online with the intention of returning the ones that don't work? As Retail Dive points out, the challenges of online shopping—like not being able to try things on—are a huge driver of returns.
Look at the reasons customers select when they initiate a return. Read product reviews and customer service logs. This information is gold. It not only helps you refine your return estimates but can also guide product improvements and marketing adjustments that might reduce your return rate over time.
Estimating returns isn't a one-and-done task. It’s an ongoing process that requires attention and refinement. Getting it right means more than just compliant books; it gives you a clearer picture of your company’s financial health and helps you make smarter strategic decisions. Effective management hinges on having the right processes in place to gather data, analyze it, and adjust your approach over time. Think of it as a cycle of continuous improvement that strengthens your financial foundation. Here are four key practices to help you manage your return estimates with confidence.
Your sales data is just one piece of the puzzle. To create truly accurate return estimates, you need a complete view of your business operations. This means bringing together information from different departments and systems. When your sales platform, inventory management system, and customer service software all talk to each other, you can spot patterns you’d otherwise miss. For example, you might find that products with negative reviews or support tickets have a higher return rate. By consolidating these inputs, you gain the visibility you need to create sharper, more dynamic forecasts. A system that integrates disparate data is essential for building a responsive and accurate estimation model.
Predictive analytics sounds complex, but the concept is simple: using your past data to make educated guesses about the future. Instead of just looking at overall historical return rates, you can use machine learning models to get much more specific. These tools can analyze thousands of data points—like seasonality, customer location, promotional campaigns, and product category—to predict return likelihood with impressive accuracy. Many businesses have seen significant improvements in their forecast reliability by applying these techniques to sales and inventory projections. This allows you to move from a reactive to a proactive approach, adjusting your estimates based on what’s likely to happen, not just what already has.
Your business is always changing, and your return estimates should, too. A "set it and forget it" approach will quickly lead to inaccurate financials. That’s why establishing a regular review process is so important. On a consistent basis—whether monthly or quarterly—take the time to compare your estimated returns to your actual returns. Dig into any significant differences. Was a particular marketing campaign the cause? Did a new product have unexpected issues? A regular review of financial reports ensures your estimates stay aligned with your business objectives and become more precise over time as you refine your methodology based on real-world results.
Strong internal controls are the guardrails that keep your financial reporting on track. They are the specific policies and procedures you put in place to ensure accuracy and prevent errors. For return accounting, this could mean requiring a second approval for processing large refunds, performing monthly reconciliations of your refund liability and return asset accounts, or clearly documenting the data and assumptions used in your estimates. These controls are fundamental to maintaining accounting accuracy and are crucial for passing audits. They create a system of checks and balances that gives you—and your stakeholders—confidence in your financial statements.
Even with a solid grasp of the rules, putting return accounting into practice can feel like a constant balancing act. You’re trying to keep your financial statements accurate, your operations smooth, and your customers happy—all while dealing with the inherent uncertainty of returns. Many businesses run into the same roadblocks, from messy data to inconsistent processes. The good news is that these challenges are not just common; they’re solvable.
The key is to identify where your process is breaking down and apply a targeted solution. Often, the root cause is a lack of centralized data or an over-reliance on manual work, which can lead to a domino effect of errors. For example, a simple miscalculation in your return estimates can ripple through your financial reports, affecting everything from profit margins to investor confidence. By addressing these issues head-on with better systems and clearer policies, you can turn a major headache into a well-oiled part of your financial operations. Let’s walk through some of the most frequent hurdles and how you can clear them.
Guessing how many products customers will return is one of the trickiest parts of the job. Under ASC 606, you can only recognize revenue for sales you reasonably expect to keep. If your estimates are off, you risk overstating or understating your revenue, which can lead to compliance issues and skewed financial reporting. This becomes especially difficult for businesses with seasonal products, new launches, or changing customer trends, where historical data might not tell the whole story.
Solution: The best way to improve your forecasts is to ground them in solid data. Instead of relying on gut feelings, use a system that analyzes historical return rates, sales data, and even external market trends. An automated platform can process this information in real-time, helping you refine your estimates continuously and reduce the risk of significant financial restatements down the line.
When your sales, inventory, and financial data live in separate systems, you’re forced to piece everything together manually. This is not only time-consuming but also a recipe for errors. A recent survey found that over half of CFOs say revenue recognition challenges lead to manual interventions and delays. When your team is busy exporting spreadsheets and reconciling numbers by hand, they have less time for strategic analysis, and the risk of a critical mistake increases with every manual entry.
Solution: Centralize your data with a platform that handles complex integrations with your existing ERP, CRM, and accounting software. When all your information flows into one place automatically, you eliminate manual data entry and create a single source of truth. This gives you a clear, up-to-date view of your financial position and frees up your team to focus on higher-value work.
ASC 606 is a complex standard, not a simple checklist. Its principles-based nature means that applying the rules consistently across different product lines, sales channels, and regions can be a major challenge. Without a standardized approach, one department might account for returns differently than another, leading to internal confusion and unreliable financial data. This inconsistency makes it difficult to get a true picture of your company’s performance and can create significant problems during an audit.
Solution: Establish and document a clear, company-wide return accounting policy. Then, use a system that enforces these rules automatically. By embedding your policies directly into your financial software, you ensure every transaction is treated the same way, no matter who processes it. This creates consistency and provides a clear audit trail, making it easier to demonstrate ASC 606 compliance.
Beyond the day-to-day accounting entries, managing the overall financial impact of returns is a strategic challenge. You need to hold enough cash to cover potential refunds (your refund liability) while also accurately valuing the inventory you expect to get back (your return asset). The dynamic nature of accounting standards adds another layer of complexity, making it tough for businesses of all sizes to stay ahead. Without clear visibility, you might make poor decisions about inventory, marketing spend, or product development.
Solution: Gain real-time visibility into your return data with automated reporting and analytics. When you can see how returns are trending at any moment, you can make proactive, data-driven decisions. This allows you to adjust your return estimates quickly, manage your cash flow more effectively, and identify patterns that could signal a problem with a product or marketing campaign.
Handling returns effectively is about more than just keeping customers happy—it’s a core part of your financial health. When you treat return management as a strategic function, you protect your revenue, maintain accurate financial statements, and build long-term customer trust. A haphazard approach can lead to inaccurate revenue recognition, compliance headaches, and a skewed understanding of your business performance. Getting it right means creating a system that is clear for your customers, efficient for your team, and financially sound for your books.
Putting a few key practices in place can make all the difference. It starts with a transparent return policy that sets clear expectations from the moment of purchase. From there, you need a robust documentation process to track every return and refund accurately. This data is essential for managing the financial risks associated with returns, from potential fraud to asset impairment. Finally, staying on top of compliance standards like ASC 606 ensures your financial reporting is always accurate and audit-ready. Let’s walk through how to implement these practices in your business.
Your return policy is the foundation of your entire returns management process. A well-defined policy helps set customer expectations and streamlines operations, making life easier for everyone involved. Be direct and specific about what customers can expect. Outline the return window, the condition the product must be in, and what kind of refund they will receive (e.g., store credit, full refund). Make this policy easy to find on your website—don’t hide it in the fine print. A clear, accessible policy not only reduces customer service inquiries but also builds trust by showing you stand behind your products and value transparency.
Once your policy is set, you need a system to track every return that comes through the door. This isn’t just about record-keeping; it’s about gathering valuable data. Your documentation should capture the reason for the return, the date, the product condition, and the refund amount. Regularly reviewing this information helps you spot trends, like a product with a high defect rate or a confusing description. As we’ve covered in our guide to refund accounting, analyzing this data is crucial for refining your return estimates and making smarter business decisions. An automated system can help you maintain consistency and accuracy.
Returns introduce several financial risks that you need to actively manage. Companies face challenges related to everything from timing and estimation to regulatory compliance and fraud. If your return estimates are off, you could be overstating your revenue. Returned goods might be damaged, leading to asset impairment that needs to be written down. You also need to be vigilant about fraudulent returns, which can eat into your profits. By regularly analyzing return data for unusual patterns and setting clear internal controls, you can identify and address these risks before they become significant problems for your bottom line.
Return accounting is directly tied to revenue recognition standards like ASC 606. Failing to comply can cause major issues, including delayed financial closes and audit failures. Many companies find that their revenue recognition challenges lead to time-consuming manual work, which increases the risk of errors. Ensuring your return estimates and refund liabilities are calculated correctly is essential for accurate financial reporting. Using systems that integrate your sales and accounting data can automate these calculations, helping your team meet deadlines and maintain a smooth reporting cadence while staying fully compliant.
Manually tracking returns, liabilities, and assets is a recipe for headaches and costly errors. When you’re dealing with a high volume of sales, spreadsheets just can’t keep up with the complexity of ASC 606 compliance and the need for accurate financial reporting. This is where technology steps in. Using the right software not only automates tedious tasks but also gives you the data-driven insights needed to manage returns effectively and make smarter business decisions. By leaning on technology, you can turn a complicated accounting challenge into a streamlined, efficient process that supports your company’s growth.
When you're evaluating software to handle return accounting, it’s about more than just basic bookkeeping. You need a tool that can manage the specific nuances of right of return. Look for platforms that offer automated journal entries for sales, returns, and adjustments to your refund liability. The software should also provide real-time tracking of your return assets and their value. Using the right software tools helps you save time, improve accuracy, and stay compliant with accounting standards. A great system will also offer customizable dashboards that give you a clear, at-a-glance view of your return metrics, helping you monitor performance without getting lost in the details.
Your return data is a goldmine of information, but only if you have the right tools to analyze it. Modern accounting platforms do more than just crunch numbers; they help you uncover trends and patterns in customer behavior. Look for software with robust analytics capabilities that allow you to dig into why returns are happening. Are certain products being returned more often? Are returns spiking during specific seasons? Answering these questions can inform everything from product development to marketing. Regularly reviewing your refund processes and analyzing refund data for trends helps improve both accuracy and operational efficiency.
Your return accounting process doesn't operate in a silo. It’s connected to your sales platform, inventory management system, and CRM. That’s why integration is non-negotiable. A solution that seamlessly connects with your existing tech stack eliminates manual data entry, reduces the risk of errors, and ensures everyone is working with the same information. When your systems are in sync, you get a complete, real-time view of your financial health. Strong integration capabilities allow for the cross-functional planning and data visibility that finance leaders need to deliver sharper, faster, and more dynamic forecasts for the business.
Closing the books each month can be a frantic race against the clock, and manual reporting for returns only adds to the pressure. Automating this process is a game-changer, significantly improving both accuracy and efficiency. With automated reporting, you can generate financial statements, compliance reports, and detailed analyses of your return data with just a few clicks. This frees up your finance team from tedious, repetitive tasks, allowing them to focus on strategic initiatives that drive the business forward. If you want to see how automation can transform your financial close, you can schedule a demo to see how a tailored solution can fit your needs.
Why can't I just account for returns as they happen? Isn't estimating them just adding extra work? It might seem simpler to just record a return when it occurs, but that approach doesn't give a true picture of your company's performance for a specific period. Accounting standards require you to match revenue with the sales activity that generated it. By estimating returns upfront, you are recognizing only the revenue you confidently expect to keep from that period's sales. This prevents you from overstating your income and then having to reverse it later, which gives investors, lenders, and your own leadership team a more accurate and stable view of your financial health.
What's the difference between a refund liability and a return asset? Think of it this way: the refund liability is the cash you expect to give back to customers, while the return asset is the physical product you expect to get back on your shelves. The liability represents your financial obligation to the customer. The asset represents the value of the inventory that will be returned to your possession. They are two sides of the same coin but are tracked separately on your balance sheet to provide a clear and complete picture of both your obligations and your assets.
What if I'm a new business with no historical data? How can I possibly estimate returns? This is a common challenge, but you're not flying completely blind. You can start by using market-based approaches. Research industry averages for businesses similar to yours or look at the return rates for comparable products. You can often find this information in market reports or trade publications. Start with a conservative estimate based on this external data. The key is to then monitor your actual returns closely from day one and be prepared to adjust your forecast frequently as your own sales data starts to build.
My company's return rate is very low. Do I still need to go through all this trouble? Even with a low return rate, it's a best practice to have a formal process in place. From a compliance standpoint, accounting standards like ASC 606 apply regardless of the volume. While the dollar amount of your refund liability might be small, documenting your estimation method and accounting for it properly demonstrates good financial governance and prepares you for an audit. It also establishes a solid accounting foundation that can scale with your business as it grows.
How often should I be updating my return estimates? You should review and adjust your return estimates at the end of each reporting period, whether that's monthly or quarterly. Business conditions are always changing—you might run a big promotion, launch a new product, or see a shift in customer behavior. A regular review cadence ensures your financial statements reflect the most current and accurate information possible. This ongoing process not only keeps you compliant but also helps you get smarter about your business by spotting trends as they emerge.
Former Root, EVP of Finance/Data at multiple FinTech startups
Jason Kyle Berwanger: An accomplished two-time entrepreneur, polyglot in finance, data & tech with 15 years of expertise. Builder, practitioner, leader—pioneering multiple ERP implementations and data solutions. Catalyst behind a 6% gross margin improvement with a sub-90-day IPO at Root insurance, powered by his vision & platform. Having held virtually every role from accountant to finance systems to finance exec, he brings a rare and noteworthy perspective in rethinking the finance tooling landscape.