Tom King spent 30 years at Progressive Insurance, working in various line management, accounting and financial roles. He was general manager of the business unit that sold the first-ever car insurance policy purchased by a motorist over the Internet and head of investor relations when Progressive became the first company in the world to disclose financial statements on a monthly basis. Before joining Progressive, he worked on the audit staff of Arthur Andersen & Co. in New York.
King’s research focuses on disclosure policy and earnings guidance. Specifically, he studies what happens when corporate executives provide financial forecasts to investors. He is also interested in how accounting systems reduce uncertainty for various stakeholders. He is author of the books MORE THAN A NUMBERS GAME: A BRIEF HISTORY OF ACCOUNTING and THE NUMERATE LEADER: HOW TO PULL GAME-CHANGING INSIGHTS FROM STATISTICAL DATA.
Married with three grown children, King lives in Chagrin Falls, Ohio. He enjoys crime novels, art history, and the Cleveland Metroparks. He graduated with honors from Harvard College and Harvard Business School and was the recipient of Weatherhead’s Scholar Practitioner Award within his Doctor of Management cohort. He holds CPA and CMA certifications. Accounting education, he believes, should rest on a liberal arts foundation.
Curriculum Vita
DM, Case Western Reserve University, 2016
MBA, Harvard Business School, 1987
MAcc, New York University, 1983
AB, Harvard College, 1982
Initially Appointed: 2007
Research
Earnings guidance, reporting frequency, effects of earnings volatility on accounting analyses, corporate governance, and use of non-GAAP performance measures.
Recent Courses and Syllabi
Course evaluation ratings (login required)
- King, T.
(2021).
The Numerate Leader: How to Pull Game-Changing Insights from Statistical Data
Hoboken, NJ; John Wiley & Sons:
- Grove, H., Clouse, M., King, T. A.
(2020).
Passive Investors: Implications for Corporate Governance
(vol. 4, issue 2, pp. 8-17).
Corporate Governance and Organizational Behavior Review.
- King, T.
(2019).
Evolving Investor Relations
(vol. 100, issue 8, pp. 38-45).
Strategic Finance.
- King, T.
(2018).
The Observer Effect and U.S. Accounting Rules
(vol. 2, issue 2, pp. 30-38).
Engaged Management ReView.
- King, T.
(2018).
How frequently should listed companies report results?
(vol. 30, issue 2, pp. 176-79).
Research in Accounting Regulation.
- King, T.
(2018).
Index Investors and the Return of Stewardship Accounting
(vol. 30, issue 1, ).
Research in Accounting Regulation.
- King, T.
(2017).
Learning from Ecology: Financial Reporting as a ‘Commons’
Research in Accounting Regulation.
- King, T.
(2017).
The Problem with Non-GAAP Earnings
Strategic Finance.
- King, T.
(2015).
A Survey of Investor Relations and Earnings Guidance
Financial Executives Research Foundation.
- King, T.
(2014).
A Qualitative Study of Earnings Guidance
Financial Executives Research Foundation.
- King, T. A.
(2013).
Earnings Guidance is Alive and Well
(vol. 29, issue 2, pp. 19-21).
Financial Executive.
- King, T. A.
(2007).
Derivative Wars
(vol. 23, issue 5, pp. 46-49).
Financial Executive.
- King, T. A.
(2006).
More than a Numbers Game: A Brief History of Accounting
Hoboken, NJ:
John Wiley & Sons.
- Stewart, G. B., King, T.
(2004).
Making Financial Goals and Reporting Policies Serve Corporate Strategy: The Case of Progressive Insurance
(vol. 16, issue 4, pp. 17-27).
Journal of Applied Corporate Finance.
- King, T. (Author Only), Jonas, G. (Presenter & Author)
Jill McKinnon Seminar Series,
"The Role of Earnings Guidance in Subsequent Earnings Management Behavior",
Macquarie University,
Sydney, Australia.
(2018).
- American Accounting Association. 2014 - Present
- Financial Executives International. 2002 - Present
- Institute of Management Accountants. 1982 - Present
