The financial aspect of a business is arguably the most essential for every entity. This is not only required for the perusal of the different stakeholders in the company, but it is also the core indicator of whether the business is making profits or losses, and what measures can be taken based on these indicators.
Normally, businesses that have gone public require having their financial records filed for a number of reasons. The Securities and Exchange Commission requires these documents in order to properly propose the securities laws and in order to effectively regulate the securities market industry.
Why File Reports?
The major roles of the Securities Exchange Commission include:
- The protection of investors. You will be required to file the reports so that the interests of the investors in your business can be protected. The SEC achieves this by analyzing the reports and establishing whether the public company is in the best interests of the investors.
- The SEC is responsible for the maintenance of a fair and orderly market. This task can only be achieved when full reports from all the companies that have been listed are received. This is highly important for the business too since it boost investor confidence in the operations of the business.
- Facilitate the formation of capital. Your newly listed company will require capital in order to keep running. The filing of the relevant reports is important as it ensures that any requested capital input has been evaluated before this can be done. In addition to this, this is a process that ensures that the company directors that have been appointed to run the business on behalf of the shareholders carry out their tasks in an accountable and transparent manner. This is very essential for every business unit.
The quarterly reports are also used to ensure that the company is fully compliant with all the rules and regulations that have been enforced. The commission of accounting fraud is an offense that may lead to the business being sued by different parties. The quarterly reports will also ensure that all the information that has been provided is accurate and that there is no insider trading going on to the detriment of the business.
The quarterly reports of the business will also have the narrative account that outlines the operation of the business for the period in which the report has been filed. Further, the reports will outline the future goals of that business and how it hoped to achieve them and their approach to their new ventures. Therefore, you should expect to file the quarterly and annual reports for the following reasons:
- In order to comply with the securities markets rules and regulations.
- So that the investors can have a clear picture of how their investment is financially, and for new investors to make sound investment choices.
- To promote financial and operational transparency and accountability for the benefit of the different stakeholders.
- To allow for public scrutiny into the affairs of the business.