NEWS RELEASE 11/03/11
Financial Accounting Foundation to Host Roundtables and Webcast on Plan to
Improve Private Company Financial Reporting
Norwalk, CT, November 3,
2011—The Financial Accounting Foundation (FAF) will sponsor three
public roundtables early next year and a live webcast later this month to enable
interested parties to express their views and learn more about the FAF´s
proposal to improve accounting standard setting for private companies, the FAF
announced today.
The webcast, set for November 18, and the three
roundtables, scheduled for next January and February in Atlanta, Dallas, and
Palo Alto, will focus on the FAF´s recently issued Plan
to Establish the Private Company Standards Improvement
Council.
"The upcoming webcast represents an important
opportunity for private company stakeholders to learn more about all the
elements of the Foundation´s plan," said John J. Brennan, chairman of the FAF
Board of Trustees. "The roundtables in January and February will enable
interested parties to share their feedback and engage in an in-depth dialogue
with FAF Trustees on specific recommendations in the plan," he added.
The FAF plan is intended to focus greater attention on private company
issues during the standard-setting process. Under the proposal, a new Private
Company Standards Improvement Council (PCSIC) would identify, propose,
deliberate, and formally vote on specific exceptions or modifications to U.S.
Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (U.S. GAAP) for private companies.
Throughout the deliberative process, the PCSIC would work closely with the
Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB), which would ratify proposed changes
and integrate them into U.S. GAAP.
The live, hour-long webcast (which
will offer up to one hour of CPE credit) is scheduled for Friday, November 18,
from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. EST. Entitled IN FOCUS: The FAF Plan to Improve Private
Company Financial Reporting, the event will feature Mr. Brennan and Terri
Polley, president and CEO of the FAF, who will provide an overview of the plan
and discuss the importance of stakeholder feedback on its specific provisions.
Participants in the live broadcast will have the opportunity to submit questions
during the event. A complete CPE
course description and registration
information are available at www.accountingfoundation.org.
The
roundtables will offer interested parties across the country the opportunity for
an in-depth, face-to-face discussion of the private company plan with FAF
Trustees, and senior FAF and FASB leadership. Participants will include a
variety of stakeholders, including private company officers and financial
statement preparers, CPA practitioners, and users of private company financial
statements. Roundtables are scheduled for January 18 in Atlanta, Georgia;
January 26 in Dallas, Texas; and February 7 in Palo Alto, California. Specific
sites and times for the events will be announced in the next few
weeks.
Any individual or organization representing private company
stakeholders interested in participating in the roundtables should complete and
submit an online application
form on or before December 16. Those wishing to participate in
the roundtables must submit their written comments on the FAF plan by January 6,
2012. Written comments may be sent to Private Company Plan, Financial Accounting
Foundation, 401 Merritt 7, Norwalk, Connecticut 06856. Comments also may be
submitted online at: PrivateCompanyPlan@f-a-f.org.
Anyone
interested in observing the roundtables should preregister for
specific sessions. Due to seating limitations, no more than two observers from
the same organization will be able to attend. The sessions will be recorded for
playback from FAF´s
webcast archive.
The Plan and
additional information is available at www.accountingfoundation.org.
Continuing
Professional Education credit earned for the webcast will be determined based on
the length of participation in the program, polling questions as described in
the CPE
eligibility document, and completion of a course survey. Credit is
provided only to participants in the live broadcast of this course. Each
participant must be registered separately and meet both polling and duration
requirements as per the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy
(NASBA).
About the Financial Accounting Foundation
The FAF is responsible for the oversight, administration, and
finances of both the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) and its
counterpart for state and local government, the Governmental Accounting
Standards Board (GASB). The Foundation is also responsible for selecting the
members of both Boards and their respective Advisory Councils.