There are several different tools and mathematical formulas that can be utilized to determine the strength of a company’s financial statements. One of the most intriguing and useful tools to detect accounting irregularities is the mathematical formula Benford’s Law – … Continue reading
Category Archives: Quality of Reporting
SOX 404 Disclosures: A Fifteen Year Review
The Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 was passed by Congress to better protect investors. Section 404 of this act (SOX 404) requires companies to review their internal controls over financial reporting (ICFR) and declare whether they are “effective” or “ineffective”. In … Continue reading
2018 Financial Restatements Review
The annual Audit Analytics report on financial restatement trends is now available. This report provides a detailed analysis and comparison of trends in financial restatements over an eighteen-year period. When looking at restatements, we categorize them by two levels: reissuance restatements and revision restatements. Reissuance restatements, sometimes … Continue reading
Pros and Cons of Using Non-GAAP Metrics for Executive Compensation, Including ESG Considerations
This article was first available to subscribers of Accounting Quality Insights by Audit Analytics on Bloomberg, Eikon, FactSet, and S&P Global. There has been considerable debate about companies that use non-GAAP metrics for executive compensation and whether these firms are … Continue reading
Could SEC Charges Have Been Predicted for GT Advanced Technologies?
Note: This article was first available to subscribers of Accounting Quality Insights by Audit Analytics on Bloomberg, Eikon, FactSet, and S&P Global. Key Points: SEC fined former CEO of GT Advanced Technologies (GTAT) over $140,000 in connection with making false … Continue reading
Academic Literature Review: Accounting Reporting Complexity and Non-GAAP Earnings Disclosure
The overall complexity of financial disclosures affects the ability of anyone reading the financial statements, including stockholders, regulators, and investors, to analyze and assess the information presented. One way to measure complexity of disclosures is by determining accounting reporting complexity … Continue reading
Going Concerns – An Eighteen Year Review
In our latest report, 2017 Going Concerns: An Eighteen Year Review, we examine the trends and statistics of going concern audit opinions filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission since 2000. This report analyzes going concern totals and percentages of … Continue reading