What is internal audit? Learn its definition, types, processes, legal frameworks, and its vital role in compliance and risk for finance professionals.

Internal control in banking: definition, types, COSO/SOX frameworks, regulatory obligations, and common risks for compliance officers and auditors.

Let’s perform a COSO/ Green Book Compliance Assessment! Guidance with a downloadable template. By Dave Marshall, Infotech Global / Corporate Compliance Seminars dmarshall @infotech-global.com / davem@cseminars.com , 1-708-205-2366 This free, comprehensive reference guide provides a practical, structured walkthrough of the COSO Internal Control – Integrated Framework (2013), that can also be applied to the Green Book (the US GAO’s “Standards for Internal Control in the Federa

Join the AI Boot Camp for Auditors & Finance Professionals Las Vegas • February 26–27, 2026 — Earn 16 CPE Credits The audit and finance world is being upended by artificial intelligence. If you think “we’ll deal with it later,” you’re already late. AI isn’t just another tech fad — it’s rewriting job descriptions, reshaping workflows, and redefining professionalism across audit, accounting, finance, and compliance. That’s exactly why you need to be in Las Vegas on February 26–

Discover 7 compliance audit best practices that help chief audit executives boost efficiency and lower regulatory risks. Learn actionable strategies now.

Datacenters are not abstract technology concepts. They are high-value operational assets  that carry financial, regulatory, cybersecurity, and business-continuity risk. If your audit program treats the datacenter as “just IT,” you are already behind. To fix that, we’re publishing a Datacenter Audit Procedure spreadsheet  designed for auditors who need structure, completeness, and defensible coverage —not generic checklists. This post explains how to use the spreadsheet, what

Master the internal audit process guide with these actionable steps to prepare, execute, and verify audits that drive compliance and risk management.

Continuing professional education helps auditors and compliance officers stay certified, meet regulatory standards, and keep pace with evolving industry demands.

Why “passing the audit” is not the same as protecting taxpayer money Local school districts manage hundreds of millions of dollars  across payroll, procurement, grants, construction, and student programs. Yet most districts rely on a compliance audit  to reassure the board and the public that things are “under control.” I have experienced this at the school district where I am a volunteer on the Audit Committee. It is a management responsibility to have risk assessments in pl

There’s a lot of hype around “AI-generated audit content.” Most of it skips the uncomfortable truth: AI does not replace professional judgment, accountability, or governance.  It replaces labor. That distinction matters. The image of the “AI burger” is a useful mental model for how AI should  be used in audit, compliance, and risk functions. Each layer has a clear owner, a clear purpose, and clear controls. When those layers blur, quality collapses and risk explodes. Here’s h

If you’ve been using AI-generated images for more than a year or two, you know the truth: early results were… rough. Flat compositions. Weird hands. Random text artifacts. Visuals that screamed “stock image knockoff”  rather than something you’d actually publish in an annual report or professional blog. That’s changed. Dramatically. The image above— Still Life with Audit Checklists and a Ponytail Palm —is a good example of how far ChatGPT’s image generation has come in a sing

How I Used ChatGPT Professionally Here’s where ChatGPT earned its keep: 1. Audit & Compliance Analysis I used ChatGPT as a second brain to: Map PCAOB, AICPA, NAIC, and OSFI requirements side-by-side Pressure-test audit conclusions (“What would an inspector challenge here?”) Translate regulatory language into auditor-usable checklists It didn’t replace judgment. It exposed weak judgment. 2. CPE Content Development ChatGPT became my: First-draft engine for slide outlines Editor

Every organization claims to be “risk-based.” Few actually are. Most risk registers are bloated, unfocused, and full of noise—because they treat every risk as if it matters equally. That’s where the 80-15-5 Rule  comes in. It ’s a practical, reality-tested way to focus leadership, internal audit, compliance, and risk teams on what actually drives exposure. What Is the 80-15-5 Rule? The rule breaks risks into three brutally honest buckets: 1. The Top 80% — Routine, Low-Impact,

What Auditors and Compliance Professionals Must Know Fraud doesn’t happen by accident, it’s essential to understand why  fraud occurs — and the conditions that must exist. If you know the elements, you can plan to prevent / detect / respond to them. Here are five core elements to look out for — when you see all five in place (or trending into place), you’re in high-risk territory. 1. Incentive / Pressure This is the “why” of fraud – what motivates someone to cross the line. I

Generative AI offers incredible potential for audit and finance professionals, but its output is only as good as the instructions the AI tool receives. Vague requests lead to generic, unusable answers. To get reliable, workpaper-ready results, you need a structured approach to each prompt. This is where the Instruction–Input–Output (I–I–O) framework comes in for using in your auditing and finance workplace. The I–I–O framework is a simple yet powerful model for designing effe

When the PCAOB adopted QC 1000—its sweeping new standard for a firm’s system of quality control—on May 13, 2024, it set an ambitious...

An Evaluation of New Research on PCAOB Enforcement The PCAOB was created by SOX in 2002 with a simple yet powerful mandate: protect...

The accounting profession is entering a new chapter. The Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB) has announced that Chair Erica...

Senator Scott, As a fellow South Carolinian, a proud graduate of the University of South Carolina, and someone who had his first audit...

The PCAOB regulated accounting profession is undergoing a major transformation as the PCAOB Quality Control 1000 (QC 1000)  standards...