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Tread With Care When Investing in the Retail Sector PDF

April 24, 2012 by Pierre-Marie Lagnaud

The retail industry may seem like a good place to invest, with sales increasing steadily since their prior recession lows. However, the complexity brought on unique industry factors provides a risky and challenging environment for inexperienced investors.

Priorities Today, Priorities Tomorrow - Monitoring ERM PDF

March 29, 2012 by Alex Unterkoefler, Michael Flagiello and Daniel Jones

February’s survey question asked CFOs to indicate their company’s priorities for managing Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) challenges today and within the next two years. To view the results from this survey, please see our full article here.

The Gap Between Ideal and Actual Closing Periods PDF

March 28, 2012 by Alex Unterkoefler, Michael Flagiello and Daniel Jones

For the 70% of CFOs that struggle to close the gap between ideal and actual, the biggest culprit remains an extremely heavy reliance on manual processes and spread sheets, followed by a lack of functionality in core data systems.

Comment Letter - FASB Topic 605 PDF

March 13, 2012 by WeiserMazars LLP

Attached is our response to FASB's Proposed Accounting Standards Update: Revenue Recognition (Topic 605), Revenue from Contracts with Customers.

New Foreign Asset Report Standards Starting to Kick In PDF

March 7, 2012 by Jill Misener

Under the new IRS Form 8938, individual tax-payers will be required to report certain foreign accounts and assets. Beginning with the 2011 income tax return, the penalty for failing to file can range from $10,000 to $60,000.

Is My Organization Addicted to Excel? PDF

February 23, 2012 by Michael Flagiello and David Hurst

Many organizations underfund financial technology infrastructure development. They rely heavily on inefficient software, especially Microsoft Excel, creating opportunities for improvement. So how much Excel is too much?

Comment Letter - FASB Topic 973 PDF

February 16, 2012 by WeiserMazars LLP

Attached is our response to FASB's Proposed Accounting Standards Update: Real Estate - Investment Property Entities (Topic 973).

Comment Letter - FASB Topic 946 PDF

February 16, 2012 by WeiserMazars LLP

Here you will find our response to FASB's Proposed Accounting Standards Update: Financial Services - Investment Companies (Topic 946), Amendments to the Scope, Measurement, and Disclosure Requirements.

FASB impact on investment property entities PDF

February 6, 2012 by Michael Lamantia and Brian Nam

In October 2011, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) issued an investment property entity (IPE) update that requires IPEs to report their real estate investments at fair value. Read more about the details of this change here.

A Perfect Paradox - The Implementation of Outsourcing PDF

January 16, 2012 by Alex Unterkoefler, Daniel Jones and Michael Flagiello

When asked if they are considering outsourcing or shared services as a near future strategy, our survey's CFOs reported that 50% of them will not outsource and 50% will. Read more about the reasons behind this perfect paradox here.

What Do Boards and CFOs Really Need From Each Other in 2012? PDF

January 11, 2012 by Michael Flagiello and Alex Unterkoefler

The volatility of the 2012 economy requires greater innovation from CFOs. However, these CFOs lack the resources needed to effectively analyze their businesses. Read for more on how boards and CFOs can work together to benefit entire companies.

Where Does Your Company Rank with Regards to Finance Department Effectiveness? PDF

October 14, 2011 by Michael Flagiello

WeiserMazars surveyed the leaders of top insurance firms to gain insight into industry practices regarding operational efficiency, regulatory preparedness, and the position of finance within the overall organization.