For our capital markets to function effectively, investors must trust the information disclosed by public companies. Audits performed by public company auditors are the foundation of trust in the American economy, providing confidence to investors in the reliability of financial information. The Center for Audit Quality is committed to providing investors with insights and analysis on our capital markets, financial and other corporate reporting, and more to support the investment decision-making process.
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Investors need consistent, comparable, and independently verified information to make investment decisions. Investors can depend on public company audit firms to bring credibility and trust to financial and non-financial corporate disclosures because of firms’ independence, rigor, and extensive subject matter expertise. America's auditors are the world’s gold standard for audit quality, and trust from audits help drive the American economy by keeping companies honest and tackling tomorrow’s challenges. Learn more about how auditor assurance supports investors to help fuel the economy.
Discover the Audit Effect
At the same time, investors are increasingly asking for information that falls outside of the traditional financial statement. Explore the role of the auditor in non-GAAP and other company-reported information.
of S&P 500 companies report some sort of ESG information
An independent audit that provides reasonable assurance that these financial statements are free of material misstatements, whether due to error or fraud, increases the reliability of that information and enhances investor and market confidence. Expertise together with independence of the public company auditor makes up the essential components for the value of the audit and audit quality.
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The building blocks of reliable, comparable and relevant ESG information begin with a foundation of quality reporting by company management. Public company auditors, in their public interest role, are uniquely qualified to enhance the reliability of company-prepared ESG information.
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Investors have a growing interest in understanding the impact of cybersecurity risks on the global economy. Public company auditors have a role to play in evaluating the potential impact of cybersecurity incidents to financial statements.
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Investors are seeking more information about how public companies handle their culture governance. As information about diversity and culture increasingly enters the financial statement, public company auditors can help enhance the reliability of this information.
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