Amazing Facts About The Big 4

The Big 5 (Sorry 4) accounting firms have been on the top of every finance professional's mind for some reason or the other. There are a couple of true but amazing facts about them, not known to many. Known as the Big 4 accounting firms they are:

(Arthur Anderson which made it the Big 5 is now in archives).

Of course they set the global standards for transparency in business. But who is their owner? Shhhhh ... It is a well-guarded secret. Even though present in over 120 countries, for obvious reasons each one of them is headquartered in a tax haven. If you enquire any details about these firms in a tax haven like Panama, you may end up spending the next 2 years in jail. Understand how secret the ownership is!

They have paid billions of dollars as fines in the U.S alone to the SEC. In U.K they are being subject to investigations under the Fair Trade Practices Act. They are the subject of cartoons in the western press and lampooned by the media.

They have been found innovative in:

• Booking bogus sales
• Capitalizing revenue expenses
• Insider trading & related unethical practices
• Not accounting sales returns
• Inadequate disclosure of off-balance sheet items
• Assisting the management in asset stripping
• Failing to record liabilities or suppress liabilities

Well the list on their accounting "innovation" could go on ... That is if you do not reckon shredding of documents as an expert service. It is these 'credible' professional outfits that are in India, advising the Government of India on:

• Speed and directions of reforms
• Advisor to the planning commission
• Providing expertise to the disinvestment process
• Privatization and Globalization
• Policies for inviting FDI

So if you want to innovate your accounts hire these "experts", they would do a good job for you and of course make a fortune in the bargain. If you are corporate manager, you may have personally felt bombarded, sullied, trampled over, bullied and even decried at your own office by representatives of the Big 4. Simply because they are from the Big 4. Remember, they charge you and you pay even for the time spent on abusing you!

If you are a decision maker you might have noticed subtle hints to influence your decisions. Hiring the kith and kin of the decision makers is one of their tried and trusted methods. They are experts in the art of making friends and influencing people. They are too good at Dollar Diplomacy!

Their ownership is unknown, their competency is suspect and their advice bogus. Then, why do the financial institutions, banks and the corporates in India keep them as auditors, advisors or consultants? Why are they allowed to operate in India, and hired and respected by the Government of India? WHY?

Simply because we are not aware of these firms and therefore we are silent. The need of the hour is to create public awareness.

Silver Tsunami

On February 12, 2008, America's first baby boomer, Kathleen Casey-Kirschling, received her first Social Security payment. That was just the beginning. Over the next 20 years, 80 million boomers (those born between 1946 and 1964) will begin collecting Social Security. That's an average of more than 10,000 per day. The wave of retiring boomers has been dubbed the "silver tsunami".

When World War II ended, there were 44 people paying into Social Security for every retiree. Now only three people pay in, for each person taking out, and it could be bankrupt by the year 2043. So, if Social Security doesn't benefit from boomers retiring, who does?

Courtesy: Will Ashworth

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