I wonder sometimes. Some changes just baffle me.

We recently changed the independence standards because a few could never get their arms around compilations as an attest service, but not an assurance service.

Now, we are changing the compilation and review standards to allow a member to add an emphasis of a matter paragraph in a compiled statement without disclosures.

Why would anyone want to do so?  The first answer I heard was to emphasize a going concern situation.

I think that if you are not giving an opinion, then you shouldn’t provide one on any matter. If there is a going concern for a non-disclosure statement and it is not obvious on the face of the statement, then you really need to consider if releasing a report is a good idea in the first place.

To emphasize a matter is too close to having an opinion….oh and piecemeal opinion at that. I’ll have to think about this one some more.