At the turn of the 21st century, corporate scandals at major companies like Enron, Tyco International, and WorldCom cost investors billions of dollars and shook public confidence in the securities market. In 2002, in direct response to these scandals, Congress passed the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, a sweeping set of new standards for the operation of all U.S. public company boards, management, and public accounting firms. Among its many reforms was the...