Message to our supporters.

• Author: Boyadjis, George

You told us what to research, and we listened! Sarbanes-Oxley Section 404 Implementation costs, compensation, sourcing, risk management and internal control, extensible Business Reporting Language (XBRL), income tax disclosures ... these are only a few of the issues that Financial Executives Research Foundation (FERF) addressed in the 41 publications and articles delivered to you this year alone.

For nearly 63 years, FERF, the research affiliate of Financial Executives International (FEI), has strived to advance the profession and practices of financial management through independent research and education. Through projects initiated by FEI members, FERF objectively investigates the evolving role of financial executives, the practices of financial management, and the techniques to improve management effectiveness. By drawing from the knowledge and expertise of 15,000 FEI members, FERF's work facilitates members learning from their peers and provides a unique contribution to the advancement of the profession.

Through our publications and professional development programs, FERF provides timely analysis of the accounting, auditing and corporate governance issues facing FEl's private company members and public company members on issues of local, national and global significance. Because we draw on the experiences of FEI members, our work provides timely, practical education on how to deal with the challenges facing our profession.

For the 2006-2007 fiscal year FERF identified four key goals. First and foremost, we set our primary focus on continuing to produce unique, high-value, FEI member-driven research. This is the second year that all U.S. FEI members were provided free access to our reports and alerts. This program continues to be a success. Some key examples include: Sarbanes-Oxley Section 404 Cost Survey, Financial Executive Compensation Survey, A Top-Down Approach to Risk Management and Internal Control, Review of SEC Comment Letters and Technology Issues for Financial Executives. These, as well as, all our publications are aligned with topics of interest as identified by FEI technical committees and FEI chapters.

Next, FERF set our sights on delivering enhanced value to FEI chapters. This was achieved through consistent and proactive outreach to communicate the value that FERF can provide to chapters and their local members. Our Chapter Challenge program continues to deliver professional development based on our research, which...