Assurance

What nonprofit leaders need to know about assurance services: Is an audit, review or compilation best for your organization?

If you’re leading a nonprofit, you already know how critical financial transparency is to sustaining trust. Donors, grant makers, board members, and even the public want reassurance that funds are being managed responsibly. One of the best ways to demonstrate transparency is through assurance services, which help to: Provide credibility to financial statements Satisfy grant … Read more

How to detect earnings “spin”

by H2R CPA Team A company’s management team is often interested in painting the rosiest possible picture of a company’s financial performance. But aggressive earnings management, or “spin,” can mislead investors and lenders. Here are some ways U.S. Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) can be manipulated to obscure the truth.​Creative accounting vs. cooking the booksEarnings … Read more

Fraud: A Universal Problem

by Joseph M. Delisi, CPA With audit season upon us, it is important to remember that auditors are required to address “risk of fraud” during the audit process for both businesses and nonprofit organizations. The most common type of fraud is asset misappropriation, occurring in 85% of cases, according to a Global Fraud Study by … Read more

Establishing Materiality in an Audit

by H2R CPA Team​​When accountants conduct an audit or review, they can’t test every transaction. Instead, they set a “materiality” threshold. This benchmark is used to obtain reasonable assurance in an audit — or limited assurance in a review — of detecting misstatements that could be large enough, individually or in the aggregate, to be … Read more