If a independent certified public accountant is requested to audit a company's books, he will issue a opinion as to the condition of the financial statements There are several degrees of opinion from clean to adverse A clean opinion doesn't mean that every number is correct, only that the financials fairly represent the position of the company An adverse opinion means the financials don't represent the position of the company A disclaimer means the auditor can't (for any number of reasons) express an opinion on the statements