BlackpeakCFO™ Fractional Controller & CFO
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Terms of Service

Last updated: March 1, 2026

Plain English: These are the rules for using our website and hiring us. We're a fractional controller and CFO firm — not your lawyer, not your tax preparer, not your auditor. We do great financial work, stand behind it with a 30-day guarantee, and expect to be paid on time. If something goes wrong, we fix it. Read the details below, or email legal@blackpeakcfo.com with questions.

1. Acceptance of Terms

By accessing or using the Blackpeak CFO™ website ("Site") at controller-services.authvault.tech or engaging our services, you agree to be bound by these Terms of Service ("Terms"). If you do not agree to these Terms, do not use our Site or services.

These Terms constitute a legally binding agreement between you ("Client," "you") and Blackpeak CFO™, operated by Stuart Wilson ("we," "us," "our"). For active service engagements, a separate Engagement Letter will govern the specific scope, deliverables, and fees of your engagement. In the event of a conflict between these Terms and your Engagement Letter, the Engagement Letter prevails.

2. Our Services

Plain English: We do fractional controller and CFO work — management accounts, bookkeeping oversight, financial reporting, cash flow forecasting, and strategic finance. We're not a CPA firm. We don't file your taxes or perform audits. We work with your CPA, not instead of them.

Blackpeak CFO™ provides fractional controller and CFO services, including but not limited to:

  • Monthly management accounts and financial reporting
  • Bookkeeping oversight, reconciliation, and cleanup
  • Budget vs. actual variance analysis
  • 13-week cash flow forecasting
  • KPI dashboards and business intelligence
  • Board-ready reporting packs
  • Multi-entity consolidation
  • FP&A, scenario modeling, and strategic planning
  • M&A due diligence support and financial modeling
  • Lender and investor reporting
  • International compliance support (US GAAP, IFRS, FRS 102)

All services are delivered remotely. We serve clients in all 50 states from our base in Texas.

3. Professional Disclaimer

Plain English: This is important. We are management accountants and financial controllers — not attorneys, not CPAs, not auditors. Our work supports your decision-making, but it is not a substitute for professional legal advice, an independent audit, or the filing of tax returns. Always consult your own qualified professionals for those things.

Not legal advice. Nothing on this website or in our deliverables constitutes legal advice. We are not attorneys and do not provide legal counsel. Consult a qualified attorney for legal matters.

Not tax filing or preparation. While we prepare management accounts, financial statements, and supporting schedules that facilitate tax preparation, we do not file tax returns. Your CPA or enrolled agent is responsible for all tax filings. We coordinate directly with your CPA to provide them with clean, organized financial data.

Not an audit. Our services do not constitute an audit, review, or compilation engagement as defined by AICPA professional standards (SSARS or SAS). Our management accounts and financial reports are prepared for internal management use and are not intended to be relied upon by third parties as audited or reviewed financial statements.

Not investment advice. Any financial analysis, modeling, or scenario planning we provide is for informational and management decision-making purposes only. It does not constitute investment advice as defined by the SEC or state securities regulators.

Professional qualifications. Stuart Wilson holds the ACMA and CGMA designations from the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA) and is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA). These are management accounting qualifications. We maintain professional indemnity insurance appropriate for the services we provide.

4. Engagement Terms

Active service engagements are governed by a separate Engagement Letter that specifies:

  • Scope of services and specific deliverables
  • Reporting frequency and deadlines
  • Fees, payment terms, and billing cycle
  • Access requirements (accounting software, bank feeds, etc.)
  • Points of contact and communication channels
  • Term and termination provisions

No services will commence until both parties have signed an Engagement Letter. The consultation and assessment phase is provided at no charge.

5. Fees & Payment

Plain English: Our prices are listed on our website. You pay monthly. Invoices are due within 15 days. We accept ACH, wire transfers, and credit cards. Annual billing gets you a discount.

Fees for our services are set out in your Engagement Letter and on our Pricing page. Unless otherwise agreed:

  • Invoices are issued on the 1st of each month for that month's services
  • Payment is due within 15 days of invoice date
  • Accepted payment methods: ACH transfer, wire transfer, credit card
  • Late payments may incur a fee of 1.5% per month on outstanding balances
  • Annual billing is available at a discounted rate, payable in advance

We reserve the right to suspend services if payment is more than 30 days overdue, after providing written notice.

6. 30-Day Money-Back Guarantee

Plain English: If you're not happy after month one, you get a full refund. No questions, no arguments, no hard feelings.

We offer a 30-day money-back guarantee on all new engagements. If you are not satisfied with our services within the first 30 days of your engagement, you may request a full refund of fees paid for that first month. To request a refund:

  • Email support@blackpeakcfo.com within 30 days of your engagement start date
  • We will process your refund within 10 business days
  • No reason required — though we appreciate feedback so we can improve

The guarantee applies to the first month's fee only. It does not apply to one-time cleanup or project-based engagements unless specifically stated in your Engagement Letter.

7. Cancellation

Either party may cancel an engagement with 30 days' written notice. Upon cancellation:

  • We will complete any work in progress for the current billing period
  • We will deliver all completed work product to you
  • We will provide a transition summary to facilitate handoff to your next provider
  • Outstanding fees for services already rendered remain due and payable
  • No cancellation fees or penalties apply — we don't believe in lock-in contracts

8. Your Obligations

To enable us to deliver our services effectively, you agree to:

  • Provide timely access to your accounting software, bank feeds, and relevant financial documents
  • Respond to reasonable information requests within 5 business days
  • Ensure that the financial information you provide is complete and accurate to the best of your knowledge
  • Maintain appropriate internal controls over your financial operations
  • Notify us promptly of any material changes to your business operations, structure, or financial position

Delays in providing access or information may impact our ability to meet agreed deadlines. We will communicate proactively if delays affect deliverables.

9. Intellectual Property

Your data: All financial data, business information, and records you provide to us remain your property. We claim no ownership over your data.

Our deliverables: Work product created specifically for you (management accounts, reports, models) becomes your property upon payment. You have full rights to use, distribute, and modify deliverables as you see fit.

Our tools and methods: Our proprietary templates, methodologies, AI automation processes, reporting frameworks, and internal tools remain our intellectual property. We grant you no license to use, reproduce, or distribute our tools, templates, or methods outside the scope of your engagement.

Website content: All content on this website — including text, graphics, logos, images, sample reports, and code — is the property of Blackpeak CFO™ and is protected by U.S. copyright law. You may not reproduce, distribute, or create derivative works from our website content without written permission.

10. Confidentiality

Plain English: We keep your financial information confidential. Always. This is a professional obligation, not just a policy. We don't share your data with other clients, competitors, or anyone who doesn't need it to serve you.

We treat all client information as confidential. Specifically:

  • We will not disclose your financial data, business information, or engagement details to any third party without your written consent, except as required by law or professional standards
  • We maintain confidentiality obligations consistent with AICPA and CIMA professional ethics codes
  • All team members and contractors are bound by confidentiality agreements
  • Confidentiality obligations survive the termination of any engagement

You acknowledge that we may use anonymized, aggregated data (from which no individual client can be identified) for benchmarking, research, or marketing purposes.

11. Limitation of Liability

To the maximum extent permitted by law:

  • Our total liability for any claim arising from our services shall not exceed the total fees paid by you to us in the 12 months preceding the claim
  • We shall not be liable for any indirect, incidental, consequential, special, or punitive damages, including but not limited to lost profits, lost revenue, or business interruption
  • We are not responsible for the actions, decisions, or omissions of your CPA, attorney, auditor, or any other professional advisor
  • We are not liable for errors or omissions in information provided to us by you or your agents

We maintain professional indemnity insurance to cover claims arising from our professional services.

12. Indemnification

You agree to indemnify and hold harmless Blackpeak CFO™ and its principal from any claims, damages, losses, or expenses (including reasonable attorney's fees) arising from:

  • Your breach of these Terms
  • Your use of our deliverables in a manner inconsistent with their stated purpose
  • Inaccurate or incomplete information provided by you
  • Any third-party claims related to your business operations

13. Disputes & Governing Law

Plain English: If we have a disagreement, let's talk it out first. If that doesn't work, we use binding arbitration in Texas. No class actions — disputes are handled individually.

Governing law: These Terms shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of Texas, without regard to its conflict of law provisions.

Informal resolution: Before initiating formal proceedings, both parties agree to attempt resolution through good-faith negotiation for a period of 30 days.

Binding arbitration: Any dispute not resolved informally shall be settled by binding arbitration administered by the American Arbitration Association (AAA) under its Commercial Arbitration Rules. The arbitration shall take place in Dallas, Texas, or by video conference if mutually agreed.

Class action waiver: You agree that any dispute resolution proceedings will be conducted on an individual basis and not as part of a class, consolidated, or representative action.

Small claims exception: Either party may bring qualifying claims in small claims court.

14. Electronic Communications

By using our Site or services, you consent to receiving electronic communications from us (email, notifications via our client portal). These electronic communications satisfy any legal requirement that communications be in writing.

For marketing communications, you may opt out at any time by clicking the unsubscribe link in any email or emailing support@blackpeakcfo.com. Service-related communications (invoices, deliverables, engagement updates) are not considered marketing and cannot be opted out of during an active engagement.

15. Website Use

When using our Site, you agree not to:

  • Use the Site for any unlawful purpose
  • Attempt to gain unauthorized access to our systems or data
  • Interfere with or disrupt the Site's functionality
  • Scrape, copy, or reproduce the Site's content without permission
  • Submit false or misleading information through our forms
  • Use automated tools to access the Site (except standard search engine crawlers)

We reserve the right to restrict access to the Site at our discretion.

16. Third-Party Links

Our Site may contain links to third-party websites or services (e.g., Cal.com for scheduling, CPA directories). These links are provided for convenience only. We do not endorse, control, or assume responsibility for the content, privacy practices, or terms of any third-party sites. Your use of third-party sites is at your own risk.

17. Changes to These Terms

We may update these Terms from time to time. When we make material changes, we will update the "Last updated" date at the top of this page and, for active clients, provide notice via email at least 30 days before changes take effect. Your continued use of the Site or services after changes are posted constitutes acceptance of the updated Terms.

18. Severability

If any provision of these Terms is found to be invalid or unenforceable by a court of competent jurisdiction, the remaining provisions shall remain in full force and effect. The invalid provision shall be modified to the minimum extent necessary to make it valid and enforceable.

19. Contact Us

Questions about these Terms? Reach out: