looking forward

"Looking forward" and "going forward" are annoying expressions that mean "in the future". They have been in universal use for years in corporate America and came about for legal reasons. Companies are held liable by the Securities and Exchange Commission for any statements or predictions made about the future. They can be sued by investors if they make a statement about the future and it does not come true. The word "future" was therefore completely erased from the corporate vocabulary and replaced by "looking forward" and "going forward". These annoying terms are used constantly to qualify almost every statement made in order to avoid legal liability. In corporate America today, the word "future" NEVER comes out of the mouth of any corporate officer or anyone who makes official statements to the public (if he or she expects to keep their job).