The Death Of The Annual Report

Posted by John Carney, Feb 05, 2008, 9:19am

We can't remember the last time we saw a glossy, informative corporate annual report. These days most seem to be just 10K wraps--SEC filings with a glossy cover--and we read the data on our computer monitors. So who killed the annual report? Sarbanes-Oxley. [READ MORE]

Annual Report, R.I.P. [The American]

0Recommend this! 11Comments
Posted in: SOX

Comments

1

Posted by , Feb 05, 2008 9:26AM

Yeah, my desk is piled high with annual reports. Maybe you don't see them because you have never put yourself on the mailing lists for these companies because you are not an investor.

Just a thought.

2

Posted by Random Banker , Feb 05, 2008 9:28AM

I'm really pumped up this morning for some reason and commenting on very thing.

That said, I used to say in college that the glossy pages in the "annual report" were there to distract the idiots. Still theres nothing nicer than printing and binding a nice double sided 10K so you flag and highlight you favorite passages. Carney, you should give it a whirl.

3

Posted by , Feb 05, 2008 9:29AM

read what hes saying here.... the glossy annual is a thing of the past. Typically its a few color pages wrapped around a dull 10K. And, you more often than not download it, so there really is no thick glossy paper involved. I think its the cost/benefit. Instantaneous info in a cheezy format wins over a glossy version delived by snail mail.

4

Posted by , Feb 05, 2008 9:44AM

you, sir, are obviously not a stock analyst

5

Posted by AJ , Feb 05, 2008 9:55AM

I hate hardcopies. I throw mine away and download the pdfs...

6

Posted by Super Hardcore Finance , Feb 05, 2008 9:59AM

I usually print the 10-K and have annual report with 10-K mailed. I love the feel of the thin paper 10-K contrasting with the glossy graphs in the annual report. Also, the color photos of the CEOs and CFOs just can't be replicated with the same quality with a color printer and a pdf. MMmmmmm

7

Posted by investorcluzo , Feb 05, 2008 10:49AM

by the time you get an annual, it's worthless. seriously, if you haven't looked at the numbers until it comes in the mail you might as well be reading last year's WSJ...that said, most of the pdf version of the 10k's online are horrendus, I hate looking at a page with 3 text lines because formating is off by a few lines.

8

Posted by Urallnutts , Feb 05, 2008 11:51AM

The glossy annual was how the CEO got a big kickback at a titty-bar from his brother who owned the printing company.

9

Posted by Ken Houghton , Feb 05, 2008 12:15PM

Bess needs to report about last night's encounter between Carney and Pethokoukis in the men's room of The Ninth Circle.

10

Posted by Anonymous , Feb 06, 2008 2:17AM

funny comment, Super Hardcore Finance. I've always wondered who looks at those color photos.

11

Posted by Mattie Langenberg , Feb 06, 2008 6:34PM

Those glossy reports aren't just going away because of SarBox. The end of the glossy AR is a perfect example of saving $ while embracing eco-friendliness. Many companies have been allowing investors to opt out of printed materials for several years now. As the audience for the paper stuff shrinks, we'll see more and more companies focus less on print and more on electronic media.

Post Your Comment