Accountants tend to wince whenever introduced to anyone named Edgar. It conjures up images of sleepless nights, approaching SEC filing deadlines and software debates about the best approach. Sadly, the name is almost never synonymous with crazy but harmless Uncle Edgar from the strange side of the family. Instead, Edgar means EDGAR, and that’s usually all an accountant needs to hear before breaking into a slight sweat.

Fortunately, Embark is here to assure you that there’s no longer any need to get night sweats over SEC filings. These days, the marketplace now offers firms a variety of efficient and effective software solutions that can turn SEC filings from throbbing migraines to a mild annoyances. Given their importance in any and all industries, as they provide current and potential investors the insight to make fully informed decisions, SEC filings aren’t going anywhere so accounting firms need to find systems that suit them well.

Workiva WDesk

The Wdesk platform from Workiva is a marvel for firms that rely on convenient, productive communication across multiple departments and procedures. By leveraging cloud-based technologies, Wdesk provides an efficient and transparent software suite that can be extraordinarily useful when data is being supplied and relied upon by different teams located at different workplaces and times. Documents and data created by Wdesk can be controlled to limit user access and properly direct workflow.

Donnelley Financial Solutions

The ActiveDisclosure platform is quite similar to Workiva’s Wdesk in a number of ways. Also relying on cloud-based technologies to maximize convenience and reach, ActiveDisclosure is an effective solution to a firm’s SEC filing demands. Applicable deadlines are constantly monitored and workflow-guided to meet those demands with automated ease. ActiveDisclosure truly shines for teams that have extensive turnover in the ranks, allowing administrators to add and delete users in a simple, straightforward manner.

Merrill Corp

As one of the oldest and largest providers in the space, Merrill is one of the market leaders in affording firms control and accuracy in their SEC filings. The Merrill Bridge platform integrates within Microsoft Office to lend a significant degree of familiarity and convenience to the filing process. This end-to-end solution makes creating, editing and managing documents very simple, while the accompanying publishing platform, Merrill Bridge, gives firms a significant amount of freedom and flexibility when publishing their filing documents.

M2 Compliance

M2 is a turn-key solution for SEC filing demands that prides itself on utilizing the most recent technology to make the process as simple and straightforward as possible. For firms that prefer to partner with a third-party provider to handle filings, M2 is a convenient, reliable solution that can be one of the more cost-efficient choices when firms lack the internal resources, knowledge base or skill set to effectively generate SEC filings on an in-house basis. M2 is also available 24/7 to handle any questions, comments or concerns that might arise, no matter the date or time.

S2 Filings

S2 strives to be an effective mix of the complete platforms offered by Workiva and Donnelley, along with the convenience of M2. Although it is not a turn-key third party, S2’s platform is lean and mean, giving firms a cost-effective solution for in-house SEC filing document creation. Like M2 Compliance, its support staff is available 24/7 and can play an active role in the process if needed. With a pedigree that dates back 20 years, S2 is an ideal SEC filing solution for firms looking to reduce costs while having outstanding support along the way.

Although the flexibility, convenience and efficient productivity offered by the Workiva Wdesk platform is tough to beat, any of these choices can be an effective solution for SEC filing demands as long as it fits well with a firm’s needs. Since every firm has a different structure and process, Embark suggests doing some additional research to find what might work best for your particular office. No matter which SEC filing software you choose, there’s no longer a need to be scared of ol’ Uncle EDGAR. If you need help deciding which solution to choose or have any other SEC filing questions, don't hesitate to reach out to the Embark team!