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Live Webcast Replay

Audits of Employee Benefit Plans Forum with Expert Panel


Total Credits: 8 including 8 Auditing- Technical


Dates



Description

Last year, new performance requirements for an audit of financial statements of employee benefit plans subject to ERISA and changes to the form and content of the related auditor’s report were issued. Ready for the December 15, 2020 effective date?

  • Bring your questions to the experts and hear from the Department of Labor.
  • With changes to EBP and data reporting- how do you ensure your data stays accurate?
  • Manage first-time audit expectations in today’s environment.

 

Agenda:

 

DOL Direct: Workin’ in the USA (A & A credit)
Do you wonder what’s going on at EBSA's Office of the Chief Accountant? Come to this session and find out. This session will include a discussion of the work done with regards to plan audits and Form 5500 filings. Learn common reporting deficiencies and tips on how to help your clients be compliant with ERISA. Also learn why some audits of employee benefit plans are deemed deficient and what you can do to help make sure your audits are satisfactory.

Marcus J. Aron – Acting Chief, Division of Accounting Services, Employee Benefits Security Administration, Washington, DC

 

FORUM SESSIONS

Fast Facts About the New EBP Audit Standard (A & A credit)  Join this forum session to address the updated Employee Benefit Plans (EBP) reporting standards set forth by the AICPA last June. Discuss potential changes to audit procedures, what’s different with Form 5500 and updates on fair value reporting.
Ian A. MacKay, CPA, CGMA – Director-Federal Regulatory Affairs – Public Accounting, AICPA, Washington, DC

 

The No-Fail Approach to Risk Assessment (A & A credit)
This session will cover considerations for evaluating compliance with risk assessment standards for EBP audits. The discussion will include common areas of non- compliance including gaining an understanding of internal controls, insufficient risk assessments, and linking audit procedures to risk assessment with a focus on defined contribution plan audits. We will discuss how the deeper understanding gained from the risk assessment process aids the auditor in identifying areas that may be more susceptible to the risk of material misstatement and designing appropriate audit responses to those risks.
Carl R. Mayes, CPA – Associate Director – CPA Quality & Evolution, AICPA, Durham, NC
John R. Wiley, Jr., CPA, ABV, CGMA – Manager – Professional Ethics, AICPA, Durham, NC

 

Using an Actuary Report in Your Pension Audit (A & A credit)
This session will focus on gaining an understanding of the actuary report and how the actuary report plays into the defined benefit plan financial reporting and plan auditing. We will discuss plan sponsor and auditor responsibilities, overview of the actuary reports and actuarial assumptions, and reliance on a specialist.
Mae Elbohy, CPA, MBA – Manager, Plante Moran, Southfield
Amanda L. Grafilo – Senior Manager, Plante Moran, Flint

 

Fraud Detection: EBP Edition (A & A credit)
Participate in a comprehensive exploration of EBP fraud by examining several recent case studies. Items of interest include the use of unpredictability tests, how to detect red flags and the impact of fraud at the TPA level.
Mark L. Mathis, JD, LLM – Partner, FisherBroyles, Dallas, TX
Eaton Williamson, CPA, CEP, SHRM-SCP – Manager, Compensation & Equity Programs, Vectrus, Colorado Springs, CO

 

Like a Pro: First-Time Audits (A & A credit)
Whether a client was taken over from a predecessor or new by acquisition, a first-time audit is tantamount to a first impression. Let’s review the procedure for setting up an audit on a new plan and take note of additional procedures for success and discuss how to manage first-time client expectations.
Carolyn A. Johnson, CPA – Principal, UHY Advisors Inc, Farmington Hills
Paul P. Walter, CPA – Managing Partner, Walter, Boesky & Associates, PC, Southfield

 

 

Basic Course Information

Learning Objectives
  • To help increase the audit quality of employee benefit plan audits

Major Subjects
  • Please see Agenda

Course Materials

Speaker

Marcus J. Aron, CPA Related Seminars and Products

Acting Chief, Division of Accounting Services

Employee Benefits Security Administration, Washington, DC


Marcus is the senior auditor in the division of accounting services for the Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA) at the U.S. Department of Labor, has over 20 years of experience working with audits of ERISA-covered plans. He is responsible for the day-to-day implementation of the EBSA CPA Firm Inspection Program, providing technical assistance to plan filers and plan professionals, and supplying ERISA-related accounting and auditing expertise within the EBSA.


Ian MacKay, CPA, CGMA Related Seminars and Products

Director - Federal Regulatory Affairs and Strategic Alliances

AICPA, Washington, DC


Mr. MacKay is Director of AICPA Federal Regulatory Affairs and Strategic Alliances in the AICPA’s Washington, DC office.  He is responsible for directing the Employee Benefit Plan Audit Quality Center; monitoring Federal government activities (other than tax and governmental accounting) and communicating issues to AICPA members, providing technical assistance on federal legislation; liaising with Federal government agencies on audit and accounting matters, and monitoring and commenting on proposed regulation: and directing the AICPA’s Strategic Alliance Program.


Carl R. Mayes, CPA Related Seminars and Products

Associate Director - CPA Quality & Evolution

AICPA, Durham, NC


Carl Mayes is the AICPA’s Associate Director of CPA Quality and Evolution. He is the project lead for the Enhancing Audit Quality (EAQ) initiative and manages CPA Evolution, an effort to future-proof the requirements for CPA licensure.
Before working on the EAQ initiative, Carl served on the AICPA Peer Review team and helped create the AICPA Not-for-Profit Section. Carl is a licensed CPA in North Carolina and worked as an auditor for regional and local public accounting firms before joining the AICPA.


John R. Wiley Jr., CPA, AVB, CGMA Related Seminars and Products

Manager - Professional Ethics

AICPA, Durham, NC


John Wiley is a manager in the AICPA’s Professional Ethics Division. John is responsible for investigating allegations of noncompliance with accounting and auditing standards, primarily in the audits of employee benefit plans and commercial entities, as well as in valuation and forensic accounting engagements.
Prior to joining the AICPA in January 2008, John was an auditor for international, national, and local CPA firms. John is a licensed CPA in North Carolina and holds the ABV and CGMA credentials issued by the AICPA.


Mae Elbohy, CPA, MBA Related Seminars and Products

Assurance Manager

Plante Moran, Southfield


Mae has been providing business advisory, assurance and consulting services for over eight years. She is an assurance manager and benefit plan audit specialist at Plante Moran. Her current client base includes defined contribution,  defined benefit pension, and health and welfare plans including those with alternative investments and master trusts. Mae is a member of Plante Moran’s technical team and performs quality control reviews of employee benefit plan financial statements, developing content for technical updates and presentations.


Amanda L. Grafilo Related Seminars and Products

Senior Manager

Plante Moran, Flint


Amanda Grafilo is an assurance manager with Plante Moran in Flint, Michigan. She has over 9 years of experience auditing employee benefit plans. She specializes in audits of defined benefit pension plans including those with alternative investments and master trusts and defined contribution benefit plans including 403(b) plans. Amanda is a member of the team that develops and presents Plante Moran’s annual training sessions that provide the benefit plan audit practice technical updates. She is also a member of the team responsible for maintaining and updating our customized electronic work papers, which include proprietary programs and a significant library of financial statement disclosures.


Eaton Williamson, CPA, CEP, SHRM-SCP Related Seminars and Products

Manager, Compensation & Equity Programs

Vectrus, Colorado Springs, CO


Eaton Williamson is the Manager of Compensation and Equity Programs at Vectrus and is a licensed CPA for the state of Colorado.  She spent several years as an SEC reporting and Equity accountant and now works in human resources administering stock plans and handling executive compensation.  She specializes in data analytics including people analytics, and continually works to transform HR into a data-driven, skills based team in today’s data driven world.


Carolyn A. Johnson, CPA Related Seminars and Products

Principal

UHY Advisors Inc, Farmington Hills


Carolyn Johnson is a leading member of the Audit and Assurance Department and ERISA audit practice. She has more than fifteen years of experience providing professional services to closely held businesses and specializes in audits of privately held companies. Her expertise in audits of benefit plans helps ensure compliance with the Department of Labor requirements. Carolyn also assists with the firm’s internal inspections.

 

Carolyn is a licensed CPA in the state of Michigan. She took part in the “Audit Efficiencies For Your Sanity” MICPA Employee Benefit Plans Forum in 2018 and leads internal training for employee benefit plans.


Mark L. Mathis, JD, LLM Related Seminars and Products

Partner

FisherBroyles, Dallas, TX


Mark L. Mathis is a partner in FisherBroyles’ Employee Benefits practice. Mr. Mathis assists clients with a broad array of employee benefits issues that employers face in connection with the establishment, on-going administration, redesign, and termination of tax-qualified retirement plans such as traditional and cash balance and other hybrid-defined benefits plans, defined contribution plans like a 401(k) plan, welfare benefit plans, and executive compensation arrangements.
Mr. Mathis works with in-house counsel, HR staff, and outside service providers (such as actuaries, third-party administrators, and investment consultants) to provide advice on day-to-day issues and integrated solutions to fit clients’ needs. Mr. Mathis is often uniquely positioned to add value by understanding the history of clients’ benefits structures, the overall direction of clients’ benefits offerings, and clients’ tolerances for risk. He regularly deals with emerging trends and issues unique to a particular geographic region or industry, including high tech and biosciences companies, energy sector clients, air carriers, defense contractors, logistics and express delivery companies, bankrupt entities, and enterprises with collectively bargained employees.
In addition to addressing employee benefits issues in connection with major corporate events, Mr. Mathis regularly advises clients integrating benefit offering following major corporate events such as a merger. His experience with both relatively simple integrations and the most complex matters enables him to deliver a high degree of value.
Mr. Mathis is equally well suited for advising clients on novel issues by bringing to bear his knowledge of federal tax laws; the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA), including ERISA’s fiduciary provisions; and the various other laws and standards that interact with clients’ benefits offerings such as federal securities laws, financial accounting standards, and state laws. These engagements often involve particularly sensitive issues and/or a high degree of risk.
Prior to earning his LL.M. in taxation (with a Certificate in Employee Benefits Law) at Georgetown University Law Center, Mr. Mathis earned his J.D., with honors, at South Texas College of Law and his B.A. in economics at Arizona State University. Mr. Mathis regularly publishes articles of interest in the employee benefits area and often speaks on topics of interest.


Paul P. Walter, CPA Related Seminars and Products

Managing Partner

Walter, Boesky & Associates, PC, Southfield


Paul Walter is a graduate of Michigan State University and also holds a master’s degree from Wayne State University.  He is a practicing CPA since 1986, commencing with Deloitte, Haskin + Sells.  He has been managing partner of Walter, Boesky & Associates, P.C. since 1992, a full-service accounting firm specializing in audits of employee benefit plans and not-for-profit organizations.

Paul is a member of both the AICPA and MACPA.  He has been an active member of the MACPA Employee Benefits Committee for more than 20 years and is also a past chairman of the committee.  He is a frequent speaker about employee benefit plans and their audit requirements.  He has also been named in Hour Magazine’s “Best of Detroit” for his work in the Employee Benefits and Wealth Management area.  Paul is a proud father of four children and resides in Huntington Woods, MI.


Lindy Beldyga, CPA Related Seminars and Products

Senior Manager

Plante Moran, PLLC, Flint


Lindy is the employee benefits plan industry technical specialist, and serves as a member of PlanteMoran’s professional standards team for employee benefit plan and healthcare audits. She provides staff and clients with guidance and other information on new and proposed professional standards, as well as research on the application of accounting and auditing standards for issues and pre-issuance reviews of financial and other attestation reports.
Ms. Beldyga focuses on defined benefits and defined contribution plans with multiple-plan audits, including plans that hold alternative investments. The majority of her healthcare clients are multihospital health systems and community hospitals.
Lindy is a frequent speaker to clients at industry trainings, such as local Hospital Financial Management
Association (HFMA) meetings, regarding current accounting and auditing topics and upcoming standards and their impact to the financial statements. She is a member of the AICPA, the Michigan Association of CPAs, and the HFMA Eastern Michigan chapter. She received my B.S. in business administration from Northwood University.


Tara Frank Related Seminars and Products

Rehmann, Saginaw


Tara leads Rehmann’s employee benefit plan assurance practice, which includes more than 215 employee benefit plan audits. She conducts employee benefit plan assurance trainings throughout the Firm and at the state society level. She also assists with Firm quality control inspections for employee benefit plan audits.
In an advisory role, Tara performs assurance engagements, including financial statement audits, reviews and compilations for closely-held and other for-profit entities. She is a member of Rehmann’s women’s career advocacy program and women’s initiative network.
Tara leads the Michigan Association of CPAs’ employee benefit plan task force. She has conducted training courses for and been a featured speaker at numerous group events. A mentor to associates throughout the Firm, Tara sponsors Rehmann’s emerging leaders and STEP programs. Tara is a graduate of Leadership Saginaw, a personal and community leadership development program. Tara is the treasurer for the Children’s Zoo at Celebration Square and Peace Lutheran School and Church. She is a board member for the Valley Lutheran High School Foundation.


Gary M. Remer, CPA, Esq Related Seminars and Products

Member

Dawda, Mann, Mulcahy & Sadler, PLC, Bloomfield Hills


Gary M. Remer is a Member of Dawda, Mann, Mulcahy & Sadler, PLC.  He concentrates his practice in the areas of tax law, employee benefits and ERISA, estate planning, franchise and business transactions.  He is also chair of the Franchise Practice Group for the Firm.

From his beginnings as a Revenue Agent for the IRS by day and law student by night, he began being immersed into tax, business, franchising, and employee benefits.  Over the last 20 plus years he has amassed a toolbox full of knowledge and experience that allows him to counsel people on not only what the law says, but the practical implications of their courses of action.

Mr. Remer designs retirement plans that provide significant benefit accruals for business owners. He assists in correcting retirement plan operational and document deficiencies such as the exclusion of eligible participants, loan failures, untimely 401(k) deposits, and late amendments to retirement plan documents. In order to protect assets from becoming immediately taxable and reduce fiduciary liability, he submits the retirement plans to the Internal Revenue Service and/or Department of Labor for rulings.

Mr. Remer counsels both franchisors and franchisees on business purchases, sales, licensing, and finance. He understands the nuances of franchising businesses. On behalf of his clients, he obtains authorizations to sell franchises and ensures compliance with Federal and State franchise laws and regulations. Mr. Remer establishes advertising funds that are used to develop local marketing materials, provide consistency in marketing/advertising programs, and promote communications between the franchisor and franchisees. On behalf of clients who are purchasing franchises, he negotiates franchise agreements that protect their interests particularly with respect to personal guaranties, covenants not to compete, and penalties for early termination.

In addition, Mr. Remer prides himself of helping businesses and their owners from the inception through succession.  This includes structuring entities, drafting buy-sell agreements, estate planning, employment issues, transition of ownership, and business counseling.

 


Additional Info

Basic Course Information

Prerequisites None
Advanced Preparation None
Course Developer MICPA
Designed For Accounting professionals who perform audits of employee benefit plans, and those that are tasked with fiduciary responsibilities of employee benefit plans
Original Recording Date 05/14/2020
Yellow Book No
Date Added to Catalog 03/17/2020

Additional Information

Instructional Delivery Method

Group Internet Based


Complaint Resolution Policy

Please contact Anne Taylor for any complaints.  anne.taylor@acpen.com, (972-377-8199).


Official Registry Statement

Business Professionals' Network, Inc. is registered with the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA) as a sponsor of continuing professional education on the National Registry of CPE Sponsors. State boards of accountancy have final authority on the acceptance of individual courses for CPE credit. Complaints regarding registered sponsors may be submitted to the National Registry of CPE Sponsors through its website: www.nasbaregistry.org


Refund/Cancellation Policy

Please contact the ACPEN help desk 1-877-602-9877 or help@acpen.com if you wish to cancel your attendance for a previously purchased webcast and are requesting a refund or transfer.


Course Registration Requirements

Online Registration


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Total Reviews: 337

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