Accountant's Opinion

Filed Under » , ,
Dictionary Says

Definition of 'Accountant's Opinion'

A statement signed by an independent accountant outlining his or her opinion regarding the quality of information contained in a company's financial reports and records.
Investopedia Says

Investopedia explains 'Accountant's Opinion'

An accountant's opinion statement can either be qualified or unqualified. When the opinion is qualified, the accountant is questioning the accounting principles and/or scope of the information provided. An unqualified opinion is given when the accountant sees that the given information in the financial statements is sound. In other words, an unqualified opinion is desirable whereas a qualified opinion is not.

The subject of accountant independence became an important issue in the wake of the demise of such corporate giants as Enron and WorldCom in the early 2000's. Because Enron and WorldCom were large companies, they represented a substantial portion of their accounting firms' revenues. This lead to the speculation that the accountants could not provide truly independent opinions for these giant companies, who provided the accountants with extremely lucrative contracts but also might have terminated these contracts if undesirable accounting opinions were issued.

Articles Of Interest

  1.

    Finding The Right Accounting Certification

    An accounting certification may be the boost your career needs. Find out how to get the most bang for your buck.

  2. Crunch Numbers To Find The Ideal Accountant

    The phone book isn't the best place to start your search. Learn some shopping tips here.

  3. Financial Footnotes: Start Reading The Fine Print

    Find out what could be hidden in this often-overlooked part of the financial statements.

  4. Haunting Wall Street: The Halloween Terminology Of Investing

    Beware of zombies and Jekyll and Hyde companies! Read about the spooky terms circulating Wall Street.

  5. Advanced Financial Statement Analysis

    Learn what it means to do your homework on a company's performance and reporting practices before investing.

  6. A Day In The Life Of A Public Accountant

    Here's an inside look at the workdays of two experienced CPAs, to give you an idea of what it might be like to pursue a career as a public accountant.

  7. Depreciation: Straight-Line Vs. Double-Declining Methods

    Appreciate the different methods used to describe how book value is "used up".

  8. Financial Statement: Extraordinary Vs. Nonrecurring Items

    When it comes to analyzing a company, successful analysts spend considerable time differentiating between accounting items that are likely to recur going forward from those that most likely will ...

  9. Get A Career In Showbiz Accounting

    An accounting career doesn't have to be boring. If you love numbers, but want excitement as well, consider the field of showbiz accounting.

  10. What Management Accountants Do

    If you like keeping track of a company's income and expenses but also want to hold a position with significant responsibility and authority, management accounting could be the job for you.
comments powered by Disqus
Marketplace
Hot Definitions

  1. Yield Elbow

    The point on the yield curve indicating the year in which the economy's highest interest rates occur. The yield elbow is the peak of the yield curve, signifying where the highest interest rates occurred.

  2. Xenocurrency

    A currency that trades in markets outside of its domestic borders.

  3. Wanton Disregard

    A standard of severe negligence. Wanton disregard is a very serious accusation that indicates that a person behaved extremely recklessly.

  4. Ultra ETF

    A class of exchange-traded funds (ETF) that employs leverage in an effort to achieve double the return of a set benchmark.

  5. Toehold Purchase

    A purchase of less than 5% of a target company's outstanding stockmade by an acquiring company. A toehold purchase of just under 5%, while not a significant stake in a firm, allows the shareholders a "toe-holds" grip on the company and its decision making.

  6. Samurai Bond

    A yen-denominated bond issued in Tokyo by a non-Japanese company and subject to Japanese regulations.
Trading Center
http://sp.fastclick.net/ad/tr/10858-64082-15546-0?mpt=d4f1dc4152182153d0535d9f5c129883