Posts Tagged ‘financial reporting’
Discrepancies in Corporate Disclosure
Several weeks ago we had an update here about the SEC’s idea to relax quarterly reporting rules, perhaps in favor of letting companies disclose more via their earnings release. Today let’s explore two practical challenges with that notion: companies can omit unwelcome numbers in their earnings releases, and change what those numbers are by the…
Read MoreUpdate on Semiannual Reporting: Zilch
Corporate disclosure mavens, we have an issue that needs attention: Nobody is talking about the SEC’s recent call for comments about moving to a semiannual corporate reporting regime. As you might recall, the SEC published its call for comment in December — 31 pages of questions, asking investors, corporations, and all other interested parties whether…
Read MoreHertz, Estimates, and Internal Controls
Who says a government shutdown means no news for internal control and compliance? On New Year’s Eve the Securities and Exchange Commission served up another juicy enforcement action, hitting Hertz Corp. with a $16 million penalty for sloppy accounting practices that led to a financial restatement in 2015. The case is worth a look because…
Read MoreSEC Asks Disclosure Reform Questions
The Securities and Exchange Commission is asking for opinions about the quarterly reporting system again, the latest volley in what could be a contentious debate in 2019 about corporate disclosure. The request for comment, published Tuesday, runs 31 pages long. It asks whether some disclosures in the Form 10-Q quarterly report could be abolished if…
Read MoreNon-GAAP Reporting, Popular as Ever
Non-GAAP financial metrics are back in the news today thanks to a fresh report from Audit Analytics, which finds that almost all large companies now report at least one such metric in their financial statements, and that the number of non-GAAP metrics the average filer reports has tripled in the last 20 years. Audit Analytics…
Read MoreThoughts on Semiannual Reporting
Many moons ago — OK, actually 10 days ago, but that qualifies as many moons ago these days — President Trump floated the idea of letting U.S. companies adopt to semiannual corporate reporting rather quarterly. For a day we were all verklempt, torn between the lure of less short-term focus on Wall Street and our…
Read MoreThoughts on Changes to Lease Accounting
Today we pivot back to financial reporting, and the impending new rule on accounting for lease expenses. That rule is coming into effect at the end of this year, and the more you study it, the more implications emerge — for everything from accounting and audit functions, to document management systems, and even incentive compensation.…
Read MoreSEC on Current Accounting Issues
Spring is here, and that means one thing for financial reporting: the annual financial reporting conference at Baruch College in New York, where SEC chief accountant Wes Bricker shows up and tells us what issues are on his team’s mind as they read all your SEC filings. This year was no exception. The conference happened…
Read MoreGuest Column: COSO at a Tipping Point?
Nearly 30 years ago as young bank auditor, I learned about a private sector initiative known as “The Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission,” or more simply, “COSO.” It was the mid-1980s. The savings & loan crisis was raging. COSO was, and continues to be, a joint effort of five private sector organizations…
Read MoreAbout Those Tax Reform Bonuses…
Today we step away from corporate compliance for a short detour into financial reporting, tax policy, and corporate governance. All those companies announcing bonuses, raises, and new employee benefits as a result of tax reform may not be as honest about their motives as their breathless press releases say. I did a quick analysis of…
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