Audit & Assurance
Practical thinking on statutory audit, audit quality and what actually happens during an engagement, written by the partners who run them.
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Stock Counts: What the Auditor Is Actually Doing There
Your auditor attends the count to test your count, not to count your stock. Knowing the difference changes how you prepare and what the day costs you.
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Materiality, and Why Your Auditor Ignores Some Errors
Auditors find errors and then decline to adjust them. Materiality is the reason, and understanding how it is set tells you a lot about your own audit.
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What a Modified Audit Opinion Actually Means
Qualified, adverse and disclaimer are three different outcomes with three different causes. And some of the scariest wording is not a modification at all.
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Why Your Auditor Cannot Get You Audit Ready
The firm that audits you cannot also prepare you for that audit. Here is what the independence rules actually say, and who you should be asking instead.
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ISQM 1 and What Audit Quality Actually Means
Audit quality is invisible from outside until it fails. What ISQM 1 requires, and the questions that reveal whether your auditor takes it seriously.
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Group Audits: Why the Consolidation Is Always the Last Thing Ready
How group audits actually work, what a component auditor is asked to do, and why groups miss deadlines even when every subsidiary finishes on time.
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Audit Ready: The Twelve Things to Have Before Fieldwork Starts
A practical checklist of what to have ready before your auditor arrives, why each item saves more time than it costs, and the habit behind all of it.
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Why Audit Fees Vary So Much, and What Drives Yours
Two similar companies can be quoted fees that differ threefold. What actually drives an audit fee, which parts of it you control, and how to compare quotes.
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Changing Auditor Without Disrupting Your Year End
How changing auditor actually works: professional clearance, opening balances, timing, and the questions worth asking before you commit to a move.
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What Actually Happens During Your First Audit
A timeline of a first statutory audit, from the planning meeting to sign-off, and the points where first-time audited companies usually lose time.
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CASS 15 Is Live: What a Safeguarding Audit Actually Involves
The FCA's supplementary safeguarding regime came into force on 7 May 2026. Who is in scope, what the annual audit tests, and when your first report is due.
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Review Engagement vs Audit: Which One Does Your Business Actually Need?
A review gives limited assurance at a fraction of the cost of an audit. What the difference means in practice, and when a review is the proportionate choice.
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Your Auditor and AI
The FRC has issued guidance on audit firms using generative AI. What it means if you go through an audit, and why accountability stays with your partner.
Other topics: Regulation & Reporting, Fractional CFO, Advisory & Due Diligence, Sustainability & ESG
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