Accounting and Auditing Institute for Employee Benefit Plans

Understanding where the economy is and what might be coming down the road is key to your success in managing pension and health and welfare assets, managing your work and workers, and planning for the future. The current economic environment is complicated at best both in the U.S. markets and globally. This session will give you insights on key economic indicators and potential scenarios as government and regulators respond to economic activity.

A representative of the United States Department of Labor (DOL) has been invited to address topics, including:

• Enforcement priorities
• Regulatory agenda/new and ongoing projects
• Filing and reporting updates
• Other important issues and initiatives.

This session will review the latest accounting and auditing topics, such as:

• How to present financial statements
• Related parties/parties in interest
• Lease standard.

This session is designed to provide a comprehensive review of the key areas involved in benefit plan auditing, including:

• Auditing standards and SOC-1
• Remittance reporting
• Specialty audits
• Working with outside claims auditors.

This session will dive into the complexity of the new payroll auditing guidance with attention to the following:

• Fiduciary responsibility
• Policies
• Communicating with firms that report payroll audits
• How firms have been implementing the new guidance: documentation, timeliness and employer selection.

Traditional valuation methods are not always appropriate for alternative and other hard-to-value assets. This session will address the following:

• Fair value reporting issues
• UBIT reporting
• Tax implications
• Due diligence and continual monitoring
• Foreign reporting
• What to ask.

This session will provide an in-depth review of the lease standard with a focus on the following:

• Financial statements
• Calculating present value
• Definitions
• What is material
• Disclosures and footnotes.

Employee benefit plans are not immune from becoming victims of a cybersecurity breach. This session will help you develop strategies to avoid a breach and plans to implement should you become a victim, including:

• DOL guidance
• Penetration testing
• Employee training
• Internal controls
• What to do in the event of a breach
• Insurance coverage
• Communication
• Best practices.

This session will help you understand fraud in the employee benefits industry, including:

• How to find it
• Where to look
• Internal controls that minimize fraud
• Prevention tools
• Mitigation strategies
• Real-life examples.

This session will help working professionals develop the skills they need to become the next generation of leaders. Insights on the following will be discussed:

• How to interact with the board of trustees and other plan professionals
• How to add value beyond the audit
• Using professional judgement
• Navigating organizational culture
• Working across generations.

As a leader in your organization, it is beneficial to stay up to date on the state of the profession. This session will provide an opportunity to discuss the following key issues:

• Coaching
• Professional judgement
• Driving organizational culture
• Staffing—How do we continue to attract new talent?
• Working across generations
• DEI
• Mental health in the workplace.

Round out the conference with a discussion on best practices in key areas of your profession including:

• Importance of document retention
• Technology and use of big data
• Migrating data
• Allocating shared services
• Remote work environments.

This session will focus on learning how to support members and workers when they are dealing with a mental health crisis. Topics include:

• A needed focus on behavioral health in the workplace
• Supporting the mental health of members and their families
• Recognizing signs and symptoms that may lead to suicide
• Building resilience and coping skills
• What to do if someone you know is suicidal

This session will feature a panel of professionals who will address topics submitted by the audience throughout the conference, plus a few additional topics of significance. It’s an opportunity to share stories and ideas as well as learn of successes and failures that highlight the importance of knowing your toolbelt—understanding the tools that are available, and how and when to utilize them.