Timing counts: Reporting subsequent events

Major events or transactions — such as a natural disaster, a cyberattack, a regulatory change or the loss of a large business contract — may happen after the reporting period ends but before financial statements are finalized. The decision of whether to report these so-called “subsequent events” is one of the gray areas in financial […]

Eyes on related parties

Business transactions with related parties — such as friends, relatives, parent companies, subsidiaries and affiliated entities — may sometimes happen at above- or below-market rates. This can be misleading to people who rely on your company’s financial statements, because undisclosed related-party transactions may skew the company’s true financial results. The hunt for related parties Given […]

Going private

Recently, the news media has given a lot of attention to initial public offerings using special purpose acquisition companies (SPACs). But there’s another major transaction that’s gaining momentum amid the economic chaos caused by the COVID-19 pandemic: privatizations. Going private (also known as delisting) has many benefits, including: Reduced accounting, regulatory and governance costs, Fewer […]

New audit committee survey reveals trends on risks, ESG reporting and more

In late January, a survey entitled “Audit Committee Practices Report: Common Threads Across Audit Committees” was published by Deloitte and the Center for Audit Quality, an affiliate of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants. The survey analyzed 246 responses, including 86% of respondents who served on audit committees of public companies. Here are some […]

Are you ready for the new disclosure requirements for government assistance?

Starting in fiscal year 2022, all entities — except nonprofit organizations in the scope of Topic 958, Not-for-Profit Entities, and employee benefit plans — must provide detailed disclosures about government assistance. Here are the details of the new rules. Defining government assistance The term “government assistance” may refer to perks and other incentives policymakers provide to […]

4 levels of audit opinions

The first page of audited financial statements is the auditor’s report. This is an important part of the financials that shouldn’t be overlooked. It contains the audit opinion, which indicates whether the financial statements are fairly presented in all material respects, compliant with Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) and free from material misstatement. In general, […]

Take your financial statements to the next level

Spring is the time of year that calendar-year-end businesses issue financial statements and prepare tax returns. This year, take your financial data beyond compliance. Here’s how financial statements can be used to be proactive, not reactive, to changes in the marketplace. Perform a benchmarking study Financial statements can be used to evaluate the company’s current […]