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A friend of yours works at a large corporation and listens to the stock reports regularly. Your friend asks you, “I always hear about the SEC, but I don’t really know what it does or what it regulates. Can you explain it to me?”

Explain to your friend the following:

• What are companies registered with the Securities & Exchange Commission (SEC) required to include with their financial reports?
• What are SEC financials required to adhere to?
• What additional information is required of SEC registrants that is not required of nonregistrants?
• After visiting the SEC’s Web site (www.sec.gov) and reviewing a few financial statements submitted by an SEC registrant, list the types of information you found that are required of registrants by the SEC.