Category: Count Down
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Blockchain and Bitcoins – Notes From the Sidelines
"Know when to hold ‘em, know when to fold ‘em.” — Don Schiltz, “The Gambler,”…
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The PCAOB Proposes a New Five-Year Plan – Excitement Levels are Muted
"Mann Tracht, und Gott Lacht” –Yiddish adage “Man plans — and God laughs.” Heavenly company…
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“Is Today’s Audit Sustainable?” – Talking With the Academics
How appealing is our national capital in the dog days of summer? To count a couple…
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Should the Big Four Be Broken Up? The Discussion Sharpens
This coming Monday, April 30, London’s Centre for the Study of Financial Innovation is hosting an…
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The Investors in Theranos – “We Don’t Need No Stinking Auditors”
What does the Theranos debacle teach about whether or not investors really value the opinions…
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Should the Big Four Be Split Up? Join Me in the Media Discussion
Please join me in the debate, which it's my pleasure to help take up a level.…
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William McDonough: Ave Atque Vale
William McDonough — president of the New York Federal Reserve Bank (1993 – 2003) and first…
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While Steinhoff Teeters – Did Anyone Care What the Auditors Said?
Myths and fables are replete with urgent early warnings – only occasionally effective. The young shepherd…
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Will the Bank of England Change Auditors — Again? And Why?
"I know a bank where the wild time blows.” Oberon to Puck, “A…
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“Auditor Independence: Does the Gate-Keeper Function Retain Its Value?”
Advancing the dialog, one symposium at a time – I am on my way to a…
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“The Chickenshit Club,” Jesse Eisinger (Simon & Schuster 2017)
Jesse Eisinger having conclusively nailed the award for best book title of the year, for his…
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Expanded Audit Reports: Good, Bad or Ugly?
Spoiler alert from down in the weeds of accountancy regulation: readers reluctant to go there should…
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Open Letter to EY’s Mark Weinberger: Do the Right Thing – Resign
I’ve just sent this letter to Mark Weinberger, the global Chairman and CEO of EY –…
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Crowe Horwath – On The Rocks in China
In the original version of “between a rock and a hard place” — as Homer tells…
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“Count Down” – The Second Edition Is Published
The second edition of my book — “Count Down: The Past, Present and Uncertain Future of…
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Ukraine’s Bank Regulator Whacks PwC – As For The Broader Messages?
The 103rd anniversary on June 28 of the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand in Sarajevo, with the…
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Corzine and Cohen Seek Return to the Game: Who Wants to Play Along?
Scams and con games display humanity in all its frailties – they thrive at the intersection…
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“Bonehead” – “Wrongway” – “Moonlight” : Defining Moments and Their Lessons
“When I do good, nobody remembers; when I do bad, nobody forgets.” This space will…
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If The Big Four Went “Ex-Advisory” – Déjà Vu? Or Worse?
Will this be the year that history repeats — when the Advisory practice of one or…
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Rock Ridge Re-Visited: History Repeats — This Time As Tragedy
“You gotta remember that these are just simple farmers. People of the land – the common…
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A Fresh Year, Fresh Problems, And A Fresh Look at the Big Four’s “Tipping Points”
Financial malfeasance has started this New Year with a bang. Two bangs, actually: on January 17,…
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Guest Op-Ed: Should FSOC Designate the Big Four As “Systemically Important”? How Not – And Yet Then What?
The question above, about the definition and scope of large bank regulation, may seem a bit…
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Non-GAAP Metrics – What Does “Generally Accepted” Really Mean?
The world of financial reporting is obsessing of late on the fixation of public companies, analysts…
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The EY/Ventas Affair – In the End, Who Really Got Bonked?
“When I married an accountant, I always thought his eyes would go first.” — Same…
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“Rise of the Robots” – Part Three — Cognitive Technology Threatens Us All
A reader’s skeptical comment on the second of this series — here Part I and Part…
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“Rise of the Robots” – Part Two — And They’ll Audit Better, Smarter, Cheaper
“The ‘smarter’ machines get, the more and more jobs they’ll replace. Including mine. And yours.” —…
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“Rise of the Robots” – It’s Time for Accountants to Be Afraid
“They’re coming – for your job.” That’s the ominous message for everyone benighted…