A part-time finance director can give a growing business access to senior financial expertise without the cost of a full-time hire. An outsourced finance department can also provide senior input, but usually combines it with the people handling bookkeeping, reporting and day-to-day finance work. So, which costs less? In many cases, outsourced finance offers more coverage for the money. The better comparison, however, is not simply the monthly fee. It is what the business actually receives in return.