Discover powerful strategy tools designed to elevate your reporting practices, ensuring every disclosure is transparent, accurate and aligned with best-in-class standards. Harness these expert resources to build trust, drive informed decision-making, and showcase your organization’s commitment to integrity and clarity.

1. Fixed Asset Review Report

Utilize our Fixed Asset Review Report to conduct a thorough internal audit of your company’s fixed asset management processes. This sample was designed for the retail industry but can be customized to fit any industry and used to systematically review and analyze current policies, procedures and practices related to fixed assets, identifying gaps and inefficiencies that could lead to financial inaccuracies or compliance issues. Through detailed observations and recommendations, the document provides actionable insights for improving asset tagging, physical inventory counts, capitalization policies, invoice approval processes, and project classifications between capital and operating expenditures.

2. External Financial Reporting Audit Work Program

Evaluate the operating effectiveness of the internal controls associated with your organization’s external financial reporting process with this audit program sample. Sample steps include obtaining and reviewing the risk and control documentation created during the Sarbanes–Oxley Section 404 project to gain an understanding of the processes; obtaining and reviewing prior internal audit reports, external auditor management letters and any design issues identified during the Sarbanes–Oxley Section 404 project; ensuring that the financial reporting director/manager checklist has been completed and signed off; and ensuring that the external quarterly disclosure checklist has been completed.

3. Reporting by the UK’s Largest Private Companies

In January 2024, the Financial Reporting Council (FRC) issued its latest thematic review covering the quality of reporting in the United Kingdom’s largest private companies. The review focuses on the areas of most importance to stakeholders and those areas where they expect to see the highest risk of noncompliance. The FRC believes improvements can be achieved if a step back is taken to consider the entire report, not just from a shareholder perspective but from the perspective of investors, creditors, customers, employees and other stakeholders. In this article, Audit Analytics further examines areas of improvement in reporting by the U.K.’s largest private companies. 

4. Risk Management Strategies: Using an RCM and Other Tools for Reporting and Disclosure

Maintaining transparency and accuracy in financial and operational reporting is critical to any company's compliance efforts. Two essential components of any company's compliance system are disclosure and reporting, especially regarding the financial and operational data companies report to regulatory bodies such as the SEC. Identifying and disclosing reportable items to satisfy compliance requirements can be complex, time-consuming and prone to errors if not handled efficiently. This is where a robust internal control framework can make the difference between satisfying reporting requirements and failing to meet those requirements.

5. Twenty-Year Review of Audit & Non-Audit Fee Trends Report

Audit Analytics recently released its Twenty-Year Review of Audit and Non-Audit Fee Trends report. Using data from the Audit Analytics SEC Audit Fees database, this report provides a detailed analysis and comparison of trends in audit and non-audit fees disclosed by SEC-registered companies between 2002 and 2021. Analyzing both the audit and non-audit fees paid to external auditors is of interest because it provides insights into both audit risk and auditor independence.

6. SOX 404 Disclosures: An Eighteen-Year Review

Audit Analytics recently released a new report, SOX 404 Disclosures: An Eighteen-Year Review. This annual report takes a closer look at trends in internal controls over financial (ICFR) reporting disclosures, spanning from fiscal years 2004 to 2021. Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 requires companies to review their ICFR and disclose whether they are “effective” or “ineffective.” Effective internal controls are essential in ensuring that financial statements are accurate and complete. Ineffective internal controls pose a risk for stakeholders, as vital information disseminated by the company may be incorrect. 

7. Internal Disclosure Certification Process Policy

This tool contains two sample policies that establish standards and procedures for the internal disclosure certification process, which is designed to improve comfort for the executives responsible for signing the external disclosure certification required by the Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX) Act. In these samples, procedures are established for the design and evaluation of disclosure controls to ensure the fair presentation and disclosure of financial results. For each section within Management’s Discussion and Analysis (MD&A), the notes, and all parts preceding and following these sections, the preparer will prepare a checklist of procedures designed to ensure the accuracy of the disclosure. 

8. Disclosure Committee Charter

This sample document provides two samples as guidelines for creating a disclosure committee charter. The committee charter is usually prepared in the first year of a disclosure committee contract. The United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) adopted new rules 13a-14 and 15d-14 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, effective as of August 29, 2002, which implement Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (the Exchange Act Rules). This is the general foundation upon which the charter is developed. The charter also establishes the disclosure committee’s reporting position within the organization and defines the scope of committee activities.

Browse our Reporting/Disclosure topic page to see all of the related tools and publications we have published.