Learn from the Chair of the American Institute of CPAs about the acceleration of trends shaping the future of work and how the AICPA is helping the profession adapt to emerging needs and embrace opportunities.

Learning Objectives:

• Recognize changing needs in the CPA Profession
• Identify resources that support emerging needs and changing marketplaces

Julie Bell Lindsay, Executive Director of the Center for Audit Quality, will discuss perspectives on the auditing profession in a period of transformation. Auditing is transforming as the role of the auditor expands into new areas like ESG, cyber risk management, and non-GAAP. In addition, auditing is transforming as a new generation of talent enters the profession and new technological advances are made. This session will also discuss the auditing profession's efforts in maintaining audit quality given the challenges and risks presented by COVID-19.  

Learning Objectives:

• Gain an understanding of the role of auditors in a transforming environment.
• Learn about the efforts of the audit profession to maintain audit quality during COVID-19.

Join the Workiva team members in a text chat to learn more about how Workiva can help you adapt in today’s environment and simplify digital transformation. They will also be able to address any questions that you may have. (Not eligible for CPE).

Discover the SEC's current activities and future plans related to public company financial reporting and obtain accounting and auditing policy updates from OCA leadership. Hear the SEC staff's perspectives on specific financial reporting considerations during COVID-19. 

Learning Objectives:

• Learn about the SEC staff's specific areas of focus in the current reporting environment.
• Gain an understanding of the SEC staff's current and future regulatory initiatives.

Learning Objectives:

• Identify current accounting issues being addressed by SEC
• Identify current reporting issues being addressed by SEC

Join Julie Bell Lindsay and the entire PCOAB Board in an interactive dialogue about the Board's efforts to ensure audit quality and transparency in the current environment. Hear about the Board's current and future regulatory and standard-setting initiatives.  

Learning Objectives:

• Gain an understanding of the PCAOB's regulatory initiatives.
• Hear the views of PCAOB Chair and Board members regarding audit quality and transparency

AICPA President and CEO Barry Melancon, CPA, CGMA, will discuss how the profession is helping drive economic recovery and addressing disruption to remain resilient in a complex and transformative world. Topics will include the innovation of core services, new and emerging technologies, reskilling and the evolution of CPA licensure.

Learning Objectives:

• Understand how the profession impacts the economic recovery.
• Understand how addressing disruption impacts the profession's resilience.

Hear an update from a panel of SEC Enforcement Accountants on the recent Financial Fraud and Issuer Disclosure enforcement actions and activities within the SEC's Division of Enforcement.

Learning Objectives:

• Gain an understanding of recent SEC Enforcement activity.
• Understand the SEC Division of Enforcement's focus areas within the accounting and auditing space.

Get your dancing shoes on and think of your favorite songs. Join us while we rock out with the talented and fun Flying Ivories! 

In this session, Dr. Marci Rossell separates fact from fiction on the potential impact businesses can expect from coronavirus (COVID-19). Marci outlines the current state of the economy, explaining government relief packages, including the CARES Act, and the aid needed for natural disasters. Explaining the source as a healthcare problem, rather than an economic issue, she analyzes past events (think SARS and MERS epidemics) to predict the economic effects, such as postponed spending, job loss, and a decreased value of retirement savings.

She highlights that this outbreak is symptomatic of a larger trend: that businesses today face a variety of seismic surprises. Cyberterrorism, environmental disasters, swings in the regulatory regime, and, yes, epidemics like COVID-19 can all impact interest rates, yield curve, and profitability of financial institutions.

Learning Objectives:

• Understand the potential impact businesses can expect from coronavirus (COVID-19)
• Assess how past events can predict the economic effects.

On July 1, 2020, Richard R. Jones began his seven-year term as chair of the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB). During this session, Mr. Jones will discuss his priorities, including how the Board is helping stakeholders address financial reporting challenges created by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Learning Objectives:

• Understand the priorities of FASB, and their impact on current economic conditions.
• Determine how the FASB Board is helping stakeholders address financial reporting challenges created by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Obtain an update on the major projects on the FASB's agenda. Learn about implementation activities related to new standards. Discover which key projects are on the horizon.

Learning Objectives:

• Obtain an update on the major projects on the FASB's agenda.
• Learn about implementation activities related to new standards.
• Discover which key projects are on the horizon.

The speech will discuss recent developments in the work of the International Accounting Standards Board and priorities for the future.

Learning Objectives:

• Understand recent developments in IFRS Standards
• Get insight into future plans of the International Accounting Standards Board

An overview of recent activities in the Division of Corporation Finance that impact accounting and reporting for the 2020 year end filings including disclosure trends, rule changes, and other current issues.

Learning Objectives:

• Understand the accounting and reporting impact of activities in the SEC Division of Corporation Finance
• Understand the impact on year end filings of disclosure trends and rule changes

This session will provide additional insight about the amendments to the financial disclosure requirements in Regulation S-X for acquisitions and dispositions of businesses, including real estate operations, which were adopted by the Securities and Exchange Commission on May 20, 2020 and are effective for calendar year end companies on January 1, 2021.

Learning Objectives:

• Understand amendments to the financial disclosure requirements in Regulation S-X for acquisitions and dispositions of businesses.
• Understand amendments to the financial disclosure requirements in Regulation S-X for acquisitions and dispositions of real estate operations..

Business conditions have changed in many ways across 2020, resulting in changes in forecast methods, bases of comparison, and the approaches to determining the resultant measurement in the financial statements.   Methods that rely on recent performance being an indicator of future performance in particular are challenging for preparers, valuation specialists, and auditors when recent performance during the business interruptions may not be a relevant indicator of future conditions applicable to a forecast or impairment consideration.  

Hear from a panel on how these challenges have been considered and addressed.

Learning Objectives:

• Gain an awareness of the general impacts of the business conditions in 2020 on forecasting and impairment considerations
• Develop an understanding of key steps in their role of preparation, governance, and auditing around forecasts and impairments in circumstances where business conditions have changed, and are expected to further change
• Apply knowledge around critical matters that impact forecasts and impairments as models are adjusted to respond to a rapidly changing business environment

This panel will discuss the ongoing accounting issues that registrants are facing that have arisen in the COVID-19 environment. As we near the end of 2020, the panel will share what we have learned in addressing the most common and pervasive accounting issues this year with a particular focus on issues involving complexity and judgment driven by the tension of the environment that will be of continued interest at year-end and ongoing for 2021. Our discussion will cover the following topics: various types of contract modifications related to contracts with customers, leases, employment arrangements and financings; exit and disposal cost obligations; restructuring activities; and issues arising from the CARES Act.

Learning Objectives:

• Identify current accounting issues driven by the COVID-19 environment.
• Understand how registrants are addressing the various issues including the areas of greatest complexity and judgment as well as understanding alternative approaches to account for certain issues.

In this session, Dr. Marci Rossell separates fact from fiction on the potential impact businesses can expect from coronavirus (COVID-19). Marci outlines the current state of the economy, explaining government relief packages, including the CARES Act, and the aid needed for natural disasters. Explaining the source as a healthcare problem, rather than an economic issue, she analyzes past events (think SARS and MERS epidemics) to predict the economic effects, such as postponed spending, job loss, and a decreased value of retirement savings.

She highlights that this outbreak is symptomatic of a larger trend: that businesses today face a variety of seismic surprises. Cyberterrorism, environmental disasters, swings in the regulatory regime, and, yes, epidemics like COVID-19 can all impact interest rates, yield curve, and profitability of financial institutions.

Speaker:  Dr. Marci Rossell, Former CNBC Chief Economist, CNBC

Learning Objectives:

• Understand the potential impact businesses can expect from coronavirus (COVID-19).
• Assess how past events can predict the economic effects.

Learning Objectives:

• Gain an understanding of current standard-setting activities at the PCAOB and resources available for newly effective standards
• Gain an understanding of current research activities at the PCAOB

Learn about PCAOB's recent inspection observations, registration issues and enforcement actions impacting audit firms and their clients.

Learning Objectives:

• Acquire a broad overview of key PCAOB inspection findings
• Understand the impact of the COVID pandemic on an audit
• Describe the PCAOB’s enforcement activities in 2020, including the impact of COVID-19, trends observed, and efforts to optimize program efficiency and effectiveness

This session addresses current accounting and reporting issues and challenges faced by registrants.  Practical ongoing implementation matters will be covered by a representative panel of registrants. 

Learning Objectives:

• Identify current accounting and reporting issues
• Compare approaches of managing issues from various representative registrants

What do investor's want from financial reporting?  This panel will explore the current state of financial reporting from the user's perspective.  We will discuss why high quality financial information is critical to investors and markets, understand how investor needs and usage of financial information is evolving and consider opportunities for future standard setting.

Learning Objectives:

• Understand why high quality financial reporting is important to investors and markets
• Gain insight into how investor needs and usage of financial information is evolving

Don’t have time to get up from your chair? Join Amy Vetter and learn how you can still move your body and stretch during this 10 minute Chair Yoga practice without having to leave your computer!

COVID-19 has had unprecedented social and economic impact.  Companies have been under extreme pressure to stay solvent, and research indicates it is often in times of economic crises that frauds are committed. Oftentimes, it can take 18 months or longer to uncover frauds. Panelists will discuss common fraud schemes based on an analysis of SEC Accounting and Auditing Enforcement Releases, and share insights on what members of the financial reporting supply chain should be aware of with respect to potential material frauds in the COVID era. 

Learning Objectives:

• Identify key financial reporting fraud issues that may be impacted by COVID-19
• Use the learnings about common fraud schemes to reassess the organization's fraud risk management programf fraud

This session will discuss and analyze key trends and developments in financial reporting related disclosure outside the primary financial statements.  This panel of experts will discuss management's discussion and analysis, non-GAAP financial measures, key performance indicators, long-term value, ESG reporting, and more.

Learning Objectives:

• Understand the requirements and best practices for disclosing non-GAAP financial measures and key performance indicators
• Identify developments in integrated reporting including ESG and long-term value

The emerging technology of blockchain, while still in its infancy, has begun to see the development of some mainstream applications. The co-chairs of the AICPA Digital Assets Working Group will discuss some these mainstream applications, including the impact of blockchain technology on financial reporting, as well as the advancements that the working group has made on addressing accounting and auditing impacts of digital assets.

Learning Objectives:

• Understand the impacts of blockchain on accounting, auditing, and financial reporting.
• Understand some of the factors that affect fair value measurement of digital assets under ASC 820
• Determine how reporting entities that apply certain specialized industry guidance should account for their involvement with digital assets

Learning Objectives:

• Gain an understanding of current standard-setting activities at the PCAOB and resources available for newly effective standards
• Gain an understanding of current research activities at the PCAOB

Learning Objectives:

• Acquire a broad overview of key PCAOB inspection findings
• Understand the impact of the COVID pandemic on an audit
• Describe the PCAOB’s enforcement activities in 2020, including the impact of COVID-19, trends observed, and efforts to optimize program efficiency and effectiveness