SERF 2019 Agenda

Friday, April 26, 2019

8 to 8:30 a.m.
Registration and Networking Breakfast

8:30 to 8:50 a.m.
Welcome, Introductions, and Keynote
Karen Dewalt, Vice President, Corporate Controller and Tax, The Home Depot Store Support Center

8:55 to 9:45 a.m.
Educational Session – Abandoned and Unclaimed Property – Should you give Escheat?
Heela Popal, Partner, PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC)
Robert Joseph, Partner, PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC)

Unclaimed property compliance is an area that is commonly overlooked by many companies, and rather than raising taxes, many states are turning to unclaimed property compliance as a source of revenue in the face of budget shortfalls. With states targeting companies of all sizes, and in all industries for protracted unclaimed property audits, companies could experience a significant drain on internal resources and a negative impact to their bottom lines as a result of an audit. 

This interactive session will include a discussion of best practices in regards to risk management, compliance, and governance associated with unclaimed property. It will discuss common errors and how to avoid them, practical tips and suggestions on how to manage the risk from adversely affecting a company’s financial health, and how to remediate and report to the different state unclaimed property jurisdictions. Tools will be introduced that are available to assist in estimating potential unclaimed property exposure.

Lastly, this session will discuss companies’ need to understand and quantify risk and any potential gaps in unclaimed property compliance, and to be prepared in the event of an unforeseen audit by the states. 

9:50 to 10:40 a.m.
Educational Session – The Payments Fraud Threat is Up, Will it Ever Stop?
Magnus Carlsson, Manager of Treasury and Payments, Association of Financial Professionals (AFP)

Payments fraud is increasing and has reached record numbers in the past few years. As it comes as no surprise, the payments industry is a main target for fraudsters. The trend of ever increasing fraud attempts and actual losses is certainly disturbing. What is the reason for this?

This session will highlight the latest trends based on the all new AFP Payments Fraud and Control Survey reflecting what has happened in the past year. Completely preventing payments fraud is near impossible, but this session will also look at some protective measures that can help prevent fraudsters to pick your organization as their target.

10:40 to 11 a.m.
Networking Break

11 to 11:50 a.m.
Educational Session – Using Analytics to Reduce Payment Costs
Anand Goel, CEO and Payments Expert, Optimized Payments Consulting
Bola Afolayan, Senior Treasury Analyst, Cox Enterprises, Inc.

As an organization’s card payments grown, so do the costs, complexity, risk, and amount of data. An organization might get daily or monthly statements from the processor that can range from a few pages to over a hundred each month.

By taking all your payments data and creating payment analytics, you can easily translate years of raw payment data into interactive easy-to-use dashboards that let you quickly identify cost savings and inform your payments strategy.

Analytics can be used to:

  • reduce interchange and processing fees.
  • proactively identify problems/trends and apply corrective measures before they become issues
  • monitor primary cost drivers.
  • understand costs that can be controlled and managed.
  • understand and communicate to management and field Key Performance Indicators.

Cox Communications will share their experience with implementing analytics and the benefits they have realized.

11:50 a.m. to 12:50 p.m.
Networking Lunch

12:50 to 1:40 p.m.
Educational Session – Form 1099 and 1042-S Information Reporting Updates
Elis Prendergast, Senior Tax Manager, KPMG, LLP

There are lots of changes in Form 1099 and 1042-S information reporting requirements – earlier deadlines, the push to mandate even more electronic filing, the elimination of certain automatic extensions, etc. Come learn about practical tips to manage these and other changes on the horizon.

1:45 to 2:35 p.m.
Educational Session – Five Keys to Form W8-BENE: Accounts Payable Perspective
Karen Page, CAPA, Subject Matter Expert and Practitioner

The frequently changing form W8-BENE can be a real obstacle when preparing to pay a foreign vendor. This session will present researched facts on five key questions around the use of this important form, and invites attendees to share their own research.

2:35 to 2:55 p.m.
Networking Break

2:55 to 3:45 p.m.
Educational Session – 21st Century Vendor Registration and Profile Management: Today’s More Stringent Requirements for Security, Compliance, and Verification
Phil Binkow, CEO, Financial Operations Networks

Legacy procedures for vendor onboarding and profile management at many, if not most, organizations may place the organization at risk of non-compliance, fraud, and security breaches. This session identifies problematic legacy procedures and offers suggestions for replacing them with procedures and processes that accommodate today’s requirements to ensure your organization stays protected and in compliance. 

3:50 to 4:40 p.m.
Educational Session – Formula to Accounts Payable Automation Success
Mark Brousseau, Analyst and Researcher in Business Process Automation, Brousseau & Associates
Peter Lopes, Executive Account Solutions, Canon Information & Imaging Solutions

The business case for accounts payable automation is proven and compelling. but in order to achieve the full benefits of accounts payable automation, organizations need a successful automation plan. Based on real-life experiences, this session will provide a step-by-step guide for preparing for accounts payable automation – and achieving maximum return on investment. 

Join this session to learn more about:

  • why accounts payable automation is the top priority of organizations.
  • the pitfalls of a poor system implementation.
  • the ten (10) proven steps to a successful automation rollout.
  • a case study of real-life example of an organization and used the discussed strategies.

4:40 to 5 p.m.
Closing Remarks, Door Prizes, and Networking

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Attendees who successfully complete requirements will be eligible to receive up to 7.0 NASBA CPE credits. The Institute of Financial Operations 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.