Accounting and Auditing Institute for Employee Benefit Plans

Addressing Industry Challenges: Sharing Best Practices and Building Community

Round out the conference with a discussion on industry challenges. A panel of your peers will share best practices in key areas of the profession, including:

• The future of auditing
• Recruitment and retention initiatives
• Addressing burnout and wellness.

Economic Update

Start your conference with an assessment of the economy so you can better plan for the future. This opening session will provide a post-election economic analysis covering:

• Economic indicators
• Short- and long-term growth prospects
• Jobs
• The global economy.

Legal, Legislative and Compliance Update

With a new administration in place, this session will provide insights on:

• Post-election impact on benefits
• Potential retirement legislation
• Potential health care legislation
• Anticipated regulatory activity.

Accounting and Auditing: Key Updates and Insights for 2025

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

• 2025 updates to the AICPA Audit and Accounting Guide for Employee Benefits Plans (EBP Guide)
• Quality management standards
• Peer review hot buttons
• Risk assessment
• Form 5500 changes.

DOL Update

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

• Regulatory agenda updates
• Enforcement priorities and activities
• Current (and ongoing) projects
• Important issues, including filing and reporting updates.

Building the Audit Team

In an ever-changing environment, it is crucial to keep abreast of forces at play that impact the profession. A panel of professionals will lead a discussion addressing:

• What audit teams will look like
• Aligning skill sets
• Other skills needed on the team
• Maximizing efficiencies
• Interacting with the client
• How and where to find talent
• Role of technology in creating efficiencies
• What is considered material.

Mastering Project Management: Essential Skills for Success

This session is designed to explore the core project management principles, including:

• Project scope
• Timeline
• Resources
• Communication
• Deliverables
• Differentiation between job management and project management.

Understanding the Tax Implications of Investments

With any new administration comes a possibility for changes in reporting and disclosures. This session will address the following:

• UBIT reporting
• Alternative investment compliance
• 990-T reporting
• T-1 and other reporting and disclosure impacts
• LM-10/LM-30
• Complex K-1s.

Beyond the Payroll Audit—Impact on Financial Statements

This session will explore payroll auditing’s impact on financial statements and the importance of all players. Topics include:

• Understanding the fund office perspective
• Understanding the audit perspective
• Evaluating the quality of the payroll auditor and audit process
• Examples of sufficient documentation
• Work-paper and report examples.

Why Does Audit Planning Matter?

Audit planning meetings are designed to set the foundation for an efficient and effective audit for all involved—clients and audit firm personnel. To ensure that resources are focused on the most critical areas, this mock planning meeting will explore:

• How to initiate and execute a planning meeting
• Aligning parties/client interaction
• Scheduling and juggling the schedule
• Establishing objectives
• Identifying risks
• Preparing for what could go wrong.

Recognizing and Mitigating the Latest Fraud Schemes

We have reached a crossroads when it comes to internal controls and security, and it is important to recognize that work still needs to be done despite the many functions that have been outsourced or replaced by technology. This session will focus on the foundational elements required to safeguard your plans from evolving threats. Gain practical insights into:

• Understanding the plan
• Documentation practices
• Cybersecurity and on-site security best practices
• Internal controls
• Penetration testing
• Third-party controls
• Combating “old fraud” with new methods.

Guided Open Forum

This session will feature a panel of professionals who will address topics submitted by the audience throughout the first two days of the conference, plus a few additional topics of current significance. Take advantage of this great opportunity to share stories with other practitioners and hear about others’ successes and failures.

Working With the Fund Office: What Fund Staff and Accountants Want From Auditors

As part of a guided discussion, this session will share how fund staff and accountants can effectively collaborate with auditors to ensure a smooth audit process. Topics include:

• Communications:
• Coordinating information and responses
• Addressing nonresponse delays
• Answering inquiries
• Trustee communications
• Why timing and completeness are important
• How to create efficiencies.

Leveraging AI in Accounting

Explore how artificial intelligence (AI) is reshaping the accounting profession. Gain practical knowledge about integrating AI into accounting workflows, enhancing accuracy and efficiency, and preparing for emerging trends. The session will combine theoretical insights with real-world examples to demonstrate AI’s impact on key accounting processes, including financial reporting, auditing, communications and decision making.