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Blog Details for "Audit Trail"
Audit TrailAudit TrailAudit Trail is the official blog of Approva- tracking the latest news, opinions and trends in governance, risk and compliance. Audit Trail provides visitors with informed views on issues that matter to finance, compliance and audit professionals. Articles
Daily News: Ratings Agencies Under Fire
2007-09-04 22:24:00 Things are heating up in the ongoing wake of the subprime market woes. This week it?s the credit rating agencies under fire, with the WSJ reporting that that both Congress and the President’s Working Group on Financial Markets are looking into how those rating agencies came to give ?overly favorable ratings to mortgage-backed financial ... More About: News , Daily , Daily News , Fire , Ratings
Man Pleads Guilty in Glass-Eating Scheme
2007-08-29 23:45:00 It’s amazing the lengths that people will go through to get a few extra bucks in their pocket — and no, we’re not talking about Kenneth Lay and his cohort over at Enron. Rather, in the spirit of Weird Wednesday, we bring you news of the couple who repeatedly toasted their rapidly growing bank account ... More About: Glass , Eating , Guilty , Lead , Chem
Daily News: Compliance ? A C-level Issue
2007-08-29 21:13:00 Okay, this isn’t scientific. But check out THIS and THIS and THIS. Compliance is a C-level issue ? and the right background lends itself to new opportunities. No, we?re not making a point about a bigger paycheck. (We?re not that craven). Rather, it is interesting that this week alone is stuffed with news, national and ... More About: News , Daily , Daily News , Issue
User Provisioning Series (Part One)
2007-08-22 18:19:00 Building policies to govern user provisioning can be expensive and challenging. For core business systems, user provisioning teams need to enlist the help of subject matter experts (SME) to create policy. It?s hard to get an SME?s time, especially for something they may not view as core to their role, like helping the ... More About: Series , User , Part , Provision , Serie
Your Mission, If You Choose to Accept It?
2007-08-22 17:20:00 Sitting in your cubicle running tax audits for your long list of corporate clients getting you down? Well relief is here in the form of a new online accounting game courtesy of Softrax Corp. The game, dutifully titled the “Revenue Recognition Challenge,” puts you in the CFO driver’s seat of a fictitious company called “Worldwide ... More About: Mission , Choose , Accept , Missi
Daily News: Trust, but Verify
2007-08-22 16:51:00 What?s that old saw about the guilty dog barking first? Today?s news features an interesting piece from Conde Nast?s Portfolio Econoimcs Blog on which companies are most likely to tout their ethics credentials in their annual reports. According to research from academics at Notre Dame, the companies most likely to draw attention to their ... More About: News , Daily , Daily News , Trust
Daily News: Accounting Pays, Plus A Look At US vs. UK Firms
2007-08-21 23:57:00 It?s no news to us that the Accounting Industry pays well, but it still can be a shock when you find out HOW well. Recent news from Financial Week sheds some light on the salaries of the accounting biz?s top dogs? and needless to say it?s top dollar. PCAOB chairman Mark Olson makes about three ... More About: News , Daily , Daily News , Pays
Daily News: Dell Restating Earnings, More Internal Control Needed
2007-08-20 18:22:00 Happy Monday, everybody. Some good reading this morning from WebCPA, which offers the skinny on an investigation by Dell ?s audit committee into the company?s accounting and financial issues. The findings: significant errors and irregularities causing the company to restate earnings for FY 2003 through the first quarter of 2007. The move ... More About: News , Daily , Daily News , Earnings
Daily News: Up and Down, Up and Down, and a Little More SOX Fifth
2007-08-17 19:05:00 French Caldwell says, ?It?s not over yet,? and more in this review of SOX costs. Costs are down (hurray!) but OOPs (out-of-pockets) are up (Boo!) Caldwell points the finger at a lack of automation. Read on people, read on. And, if you didn?t get enough info regarding five years of SOX from us, which would ... More About: News , Daily , Daily News , Litt
Daily News: No SOX, No GRC, Just H-E-D-G-E
2007-08-16 15:59:00 NONE of us woke up in the mood to talk about the markets. Yes, the markets. Not much SOX news today ? and we covered GRC yesterday. And, the mortgage reverbs in the market are like a giant elephant in the room. So, we offer you this a link to the Accounting Observer AND this ... More About: News , Daily , Daily News
Daily News: Who Stole Our Cheese?
2007-08-15 23:49:00 Wisconsin is sharing more than its cheese. Okay, bad lead in (perhaps) but this Wisconsin Technology Network is the best thing since sliced cheese. It is anything but cheesy. We mean the article really makes the grate. (Help! We can?t stop!) Adopting a serious tone: Read on for reasons why compliance is benefiting CIOs. Here ... More About: News , Daily , Daily News , Cheese
1-800-DIVORCE?
2007-08-15 20:35:00 Being in the business of SOX we sometimes lose sight of the fact that scandals don?t just involve shady corporate executives looking for their next ?get rich quick? scheme. Although let?s be honest, we do love a good backdating scandal involving criminal charges being brought against a former CEO of a major public company don?t ... More About: Divorce , Divo
Daily News: 404 Put Into Plain English, Microsoft Shows Some Love For BizRi
2007-08-14 22:54:00 Faithful readers know that the small business community hasn?t been wildly enthusiastic about looming deadlines for SOX 404 compliance. We hope this lightens their collective mood a little ? news from the SEC and PCAOB that small biz owners can soon expect ?plain English? guidance from them on 404 compliance. We?re practically giddy ... More About: News , Daily , Microsoft , Love , Daily News
Former Congressman Oxley Celebrates SOX?s Birthday with Approva
2007-07-30 19:05:00 Former Congressman Michael Oxley celebrates the fifth anniversary of Sarbanes-Oxley by accepting a cake from Approva executive, Julie Bacon. Tags: Michael Oxley, anniversary, birthday, SOX, Sarbanes-Oxley More About: Birthday , Rates , Brat , Rate
Daily News: Happy Birthday SOX!
2007-07-30 18:24:00 Talk about adding insult to injury. News today from the AP (via AccountantsWorld News) about another blow to former Enron workers ? it seems that a computer glitch at the fund administrators? has led to overpayments for more than 7,000 workers, and underpayments to nearly 13,000. Enron told a federal judge that they?ve ... More About: Daily , Daily News , Happy , Birthday
Looking Back: SOX Year Four
2007-07-27 16:01:00 Last year, CFO compared SarBox to a human child. We don’t think that happens much. The basic premise was that SOX had grown to be a friendly four-year old and the business community was resigned to its existence. In particularly, this quote sure stood out, amongst all the continued ballyhooing re: SOX costs. ?… the ... More About: Back , Look , Year , Looking Back
Phil Livingston: SOX, A Look Ahead
2007-07-27 15:50:00 Audit Trail recently had another chance to catch up with Phil Livingston, vice chairman of the board of directors of Approva, to find out his perspective on what can be expected in the future with SOX. Audit Trail: In the last year we?ve seen significant clarifications with regard to Sarbanes-Oxley. Do you see more changes coming? Phil ... More About: Look , Ving , Ahead
Daily News: No One Says It Better Than The Chairman Himself
2007-07-27 15:38:00 Chairman Cox at the recent SEC meeting. Enjoy. And, Lew Rockwell has Ron Paul?s back. Read on. Tags: Christopher Cox, SEC, Lew Rockwell, Ron Paul More About: News , Daily , Daily News , Chairman , Chai
Where Are They Now: Hollinger
2007-07-25 18:10:00 Say Conrad Black and nearly everyone will know something. Especially Hollinger shareholders. The firm has lost nearly 563 million in value over the past years, beleaguered by scandals, setbacks and legal actions. Today, the firm is mired in 20 legal actions with more expected. The big cheese, Conrad Black, is facing many, many years in lock up, although he wasn’t found guilty of tax fraud and racketeering, but rather obstruction of justice and mail fraud. Despite the convictions, and the slew of articles effectively convicting him, Black still has vocal defenders. Notably, Seth Lipsky, editor of the NY Sun. He wrote, “Conrad Black is one of the greatest newspaper men of his, or any, time – and in my career…..He was found guilty - albeit partly on the testimony that an admitted swindler gave in exchange for a lighter sentence - of mail fraud and obstruction of justice. From what I know of the circumstances, I would have voted to acquit.” Whatever the current think... More About: Where
The 9 Weirdest Tax Write Offs
2007-07-25 17:36:00 We could NOT have made these tax deductions up. Honestly, us law-abiding folks giggled at some of these. Read on… Anyone who claims than American innovation is on the wane should look at these creative deductions our neighbors have tried to push through the IRS. A dog as a dependant, illegal monies paid to a “consultant” who dutifully torched the owner’s place of business, TV and cable as a “business expense,” and the list goes on. Tags: Tax Deductions, IRS More About: Write
Daily News: Famed Tech Columnist Calls for Total Repeal of SOX
2007-07-25 17:28:00 On behalf of all technologists, John Dvorak calls for a total repeal of SOX. Perhaps he should call the Paul campaign to kvetch. SOX continues to generate controversy and discussion, which is healthy. Yes, let’s air our perspectives, peeps. Dvorak, as technology geeks know, has been sharing his insights on all things tech for more than a few years. Sigh. Jim Clark agrees with Dvorak’s SOX perspective too, we assume. Not to be contrary, BUT unless there is a major shift in policy SOX isn’t going to be tossed in the trash anytime soon. So, let’s change the tenor of the discussion and talk about how technology can assist in SOX compliance so that more fierce new companies can get going — and our big guys can stay ethical. For instance, see the Steve Elliott piece on IT security. A huge investment in compliance is out there, and while execs might want it to go away, leveraging that investment across business functions while reducing recurring costs for compliance seems the wis... More About: News , Daily , Daily News , Tech , Calls
Ron Paul Lends His Views on SOX 5 Years Later
2007-07-18 20:15:00 Audit Trail recently sat down with 2008 Presidential Candidate Ron Paul , R-TX, to get his views on Sarbanes-Oxley 5 Years Later, as one of only three members of congress at the time to vote against the bill. Audit Trail: It has been five years since the passage of Sarbanes-Oxley. Has your initial position on the ... More About: Views , Ends
Guide to St. Tropez and How the Other Half Lives
2007-07-18 19:35:00 Some stories are weird and some are just plain mystifying. Obviously, CNN Money caters to the extremely wealthy, but this one is baffling because we wonder who actually needs a survival guide to St. Tropez besides P-Diddy, Beyonce and Bono? In that same vein, if you are shopping for a luxury vacation home, check this ... More About: Daily News , Guide , Lives , The Other , Half
Daily News: No Need To Look Further, We?ve Got It All Right Here
2007-07-18 18:55:00 At Audit Trail, we pride ourselves on finding the most cutting-edge financial news stories to share with our loyal readers. Today, the editorial board of Audit Trail had a major epiphany?we have the biggest news going, which is the Q&A with Ron Paul. We hope you enjoy. Tags: Ron Paul, SOX, SEC, Section 404, Sarbanes-Oxley More About: News , Daily , Daily News , Look
SOX Turns 5. A Look Back at How We Got Here
2007-07-11 17:09:00 SOX Turn s 5. A Look Back at How We Got Here More About: Media
Weird Wednesday: Lounging Through The Clouds
2007-07-11 17:00:00 Today?s Weird Wednesday news comes from Oregon, where local man Kent Couch spent last weekend in quite a contraption ? a lawn chair rigged with 105 helium balloons. The super-sleek flying machine lifted Couch through the skies of Oregon and into Idaho before he came to a mostly-gentle landing. Lest this be considered a primitive ... More About: Clouds , The Cloud
Daily News: Lawsuits Are Down, But So Is The Buck
2007-07-11 16:23:00 Today?s news is all about ripple effects. First, news from Reuters that securities class-action suits are down ? in part because of rising stock prices and decreased market volatility. Add that to harder lines by the SEC on enforcement and courts adding hurdles to class-action certification, and we?ve got ourselves a noticeable drop. The ... More About: News , Daily , Lawsuits , Daily News , Buck
Nothing Says ?Happy Anniversary SOX? Like Hard Benefits
2007-06-26 18:04:00 I may have spoken too soon last week when I noted that most of the coverage on compliance and SOX was taking place up in the clouds. On the way home from work yesterday I was surprised to find myself listening in on a CFO meeting with his internal audit team. It turns out Marketplace ... More About: Anniversary , Happy , Hard , Benefits , Like
Daily News: Bear Stearns Finds Itself in SEC Hot Seat and AS5 Hits Broadway
2007-06-26 17:00:00 News today that the SEC?s investigating restated losses for a hedge fund at Bear Stearns, after their first losses in April of 6.5%, but had to revise things in June to reflect actual April losses of almost 19%. Yikes. It seems the fund had invested pretty heavily in securities backed by subprime mortgages, and ... More About: News , Daily , Broadway , Daily News , Seat
Daily News: IPOs ? Yet Another American Pastime
More articles from this author:2007-06-25 21:04:00 In a nice counterpoint to last week?s news about companies shying away from US IPOs and the SOX compliance that comes with them, we?ve got word today of a UK-based hedge fund that?s decided to list its IPO in the good old US of A instead of Britain. Let us be the first to ... More About: News , Daily , Daily News , American , Dail 1, 2, 3, 4 |
