55th Annual Virginia Accounting & Auditing Conference

Fraud can cripple businesses, erode trust and cause lasting financial damage. We’ll uncover how fraud happens, who’s most at risk, and what controls can safeguard assets and reputations.

In this session, we’ll walk through a few fraud cases and assess the “how” and the “why.” How was the fraud accomplished (i.e., what were the gaps in internal controls)? Why did the fraudster do it (i.e., what was his/her motivation)?

In this interactive session, Joe will guide participants through a case study of valuing an operating business to highlight the methodologies and nuances of the business valuation process. During these turbulent and uncertain times, business valuations remain a critical component of gift, estate, income tax and business succession planning. Closely-held and family-owned businesses require increased attention, especially in light of the looming 2025 sunset provisions. Joe will discuss planning tips necessary for effective business valuations and calculations, review the differences in valuations and calculations, explore examples of the consequences of improper planning, and offer practitioner tips for providing value-added services for clients.

It feels as if no country, economy or industry around the globe has seemingly been spared in some way from the impacts stemming from: price inflation fluctuations; energy or environmental shocks; a rising and uncertain interest rate environment; pre-and-post-pandemic-era labor market changes; the perils and prospects for AI and the advancements in other technologies; or record levels of human migration. While at the same time, these impacts have impelled governmental, business, financial and personal innovation and resilience ... and fostered opportunities. Let’s explore these developments and discover what may lie ahead!

Credit: Economics - 1 & Finance - 1

Fulfill your 2025 ethics requirement in person!

This Virginia Board of Accountancy-approved ethics course provides a thorough exploration of ethical principles, challenges and best practices essential to the accounting profession. You will gain a deep understanding of the AICPA Code of Professional Conduct, including its guiding principles of integrity, objectivity and independence. The course highlights key ethical frameworks, such as managing conflicts of interest, safeguarding client confidentiality, and responding to noncompliance with laws and regulations (NOCLAR). Explore real-world scenarios and case studies that illustrate common ethical dilemmas accountants face, and obtain practical strategies for navigating these situations while upholding professional standards.

You will also learn how to apply professional skepticism, maintain independence when providing non-attest services, and manage risks associated with ethical conflicts. The course emphasizes the importance of fostering a culture of ethics within firms and explores updates to tax standards and reporting requirements. By the end of the course, you will be equipped with the knowledge and tools to address ethical challenges effectively, ensuring your practice aligns with professional expectations and public trust.

Credit: Regulatory Ethics — 2

Review topics unique to the Governmental Accounting Standards Board (GASB), governmental accounting and governmental auditing, including:

• The main difference between GASB and the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) and why they need different standard setters.
• Upcoming GASB standards and a look back on the ones recently implemented.
• Reminders and suggestions for both localities and auditors for the upcoming audit cycle.

What if the retirement plan you’re counting on isn’t actually designed with your goals in mind? After a career spent crafting custom retirement strategies for businesses and their employees — not just selling off-the-shelf investment packages — Lisa Germano is here to shake up how you think about planning for the future.

In this eye-opening session, Lisa dives into the real-world roadblocks that keep us from taking control of our retirement — both at the company and personal level — and offers practical, inspiring ways to overcome them. You’ll walk away with a fresh perspective on what your retirement plan should include, how to push for features your employer may need to add to help you, and how to create a game plan that gets everyone on board — your spouse/life partner, business partner, employees or anyone else who matters.

With the current push toward personal responsibility in retirement income planning, this session will give you the tools, insights and confidence to lead the charge — for yourself and for others.

Before any application or chatbot touches client data, a clear, defensible AI policy must be in place.?This session provides a step-by-step approach for accounting leaders who need to translate regulatory, ethical and security requirements into practical guardrails — and then select technology that fits within them. We will examine key policy elements (governance, data privacy, confidentiality, auditability) and demonstrate a simple evaluation matrix you can use to vet AI tools against those standards.?Attendees will leave with a blueprint for drafting an internal AI policy and a road map for piloting compliant, value-adding solutions.

When employment laws and workplace norms change, HR professionals are tasked with complying with developments quickly — and mistakes can have serious consequences. Explore recent changes and obtain practical advice on compliance and managing your workforce. Join us for a review of recent executive actions and other critical legal information that have a direct impact on your organization. You will leave this session able to evaluate your current policies and recognize potential HR issues before they become bigger problems.

Remote work has changed how CPA firms onboard, train and mentor employees, but without the right strategies, firms risk lower productivity, disengaged teams, and higher turnover. In this session, you'll gain practical, proven techniques to streamline onboarding, enhance training and create scalable mentorship programs that drive employee satisfaction and client retention. Through real-world insights and actionable strategies, you’ll learn how to strengthen your remote workforce, improve efficiency and foster a culture of engagement — ensuring your firm remains competitive in today’s evolving digital landscape.

GAAP-based financial statements and the federal Form 990 are essential reporting requirements for many nonprofits. While these documents are often seen as mere compliance tools, their value extends far beyond satisfying the board of directors or the bank. They play a critical role for a wide range of users, including grantors, donors, members, government entities and rating agencies. Explore the reporting options permitted under professional standards and gain insight into structuring your financial statements and Form 990 to maximize their usefulness in fostering development.

CAMICO, the nation’s largest CPA-directed professional liability insurance program for accountants, has a deep understanding of the profession and developed this presentation to raise awareness of current CPA claim trends and “sticky situations” CPAs can find themselves in. Join a CAMICO expert in accountants’ professional liability for an enlightening discussion designed to equip CPAs with the latest and greatest risk management measures to minimize liability exposure and expand your awareness of current liability issues facing the profession. 

This session will highlight recent and frequent CAMICO advice hotline inquiries and claims trends. Hearing the curated contents of those calls and claim scenarios allows accountants to learn from advice shared with their peers. We will review the traps that often entangle CPAs and emphasize the importance of complying not only with professional standards, but also “jury expectations.” In addition, this session will provide important dos and don’ts to protect CPAs and their clients. Attendees can use the chat feature to pose risk management questions and request feedback regarding specific sticky situations.

In this session we will discuss navigating sales and use tax compliance, provide insights from sales and use audits, and highlight tax credits and opportunities in the state of Virginia.

AI models generate output only as good as the instructions they receive. This session introduces prompt engineering — the discipline of crafting clear, context-rich queries to obtain reliable answers. We will cover the anatomy of an effective prompt, techniques for reducing hallucinations, and methods for validating results before they reach a working paper or client memo. Real-world accounting scenarios will illustrate how thoughtful prompting improves efficiency and confidence without overpromising AI capabilities.

This session covers changes to the 2025 Compliance Supplement, including how it will incorporate the 2024 changes to Uniform Guidance. Also, it will review changes to the 2025 AICPA Audit Guide chapters related to single audits.

Do you rule your technology or does technology rule you? The average person checks their cell phone every 12 minutes and 47% of Americans are addicted to their phones. Awareness is the first step to change, and you can reclaim your productivity and mental health. In this session, you’ll unpack the elements of digital wellness, learn how technology affects us physically and mentally (and by extension, our organizations), and receive strategies to help you make true change.

When employment laws and workplace norms change, HR professionals are tasked with complying with developments quickly — and mistakes can have serious consequences. Explore recent changes and obtain practical advice on compliance and managing your workforce. Join us for a review of recent executive actions and other critical legal information that have a direct impact on your organization. You will leave this session able to evaluate your current policies and recognize potential HR issues before they become bigger problems.

Review topics unique to the Governmental Accounting Standards Board (GASB), governmental accounting and governmental auditing, including:

• The main difference between GASB and the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) and why they need different standard setters.
• Upcoming GASB standards and a look back on the ones recently implemented.
• Reminders and suggestions for both localities and auditors for the upcoming audit cycle.

Remote work has transformed the modern workplace, offering flexibility, opportunity and a widely expanded pool of talent, but it also brings challenges that can impact employee well-being. The blurred boundaries between work and personal life, combined with client demands and tight deadlines, can lead to burnout, fatigue, higher error rates and increased turnover. In this session, you'll gain practical strategies to recognize early signs of burnout, address key contributors to stress in remote environments, and design a workspace that promotes both productivity and well-being. Walk away with actionable tools to create a sustainable work-life balance that helps your team stay engaged, focused, and performing at their best.

The accounting profession is evolving rapidly, bringing both challenges and exciting opportunities. In this session, we’ll explore how the AICPA and VSCPA collaborate to navigate these changes — addressing advancements in technology, shifting client expectations, and ongoing legislative and regulatory developments. We’ll also provide national and state perspectives on key issues shaping the profession, including pipeline trends, firm culture and quality initiatives. Stay informed and engaged as we discuss the future of the profession and the strategies driving it forward.

Join us for an exploration of the methods accounting professionals can use to best protect your organization's data. This session explores the current landscape of cybercrime and security, and addresses the growing risks in our quickly evolving digital world.

This session provides an update on the latest developments in federal income taxes, including both passed and pending legislation.

Join us for an insightful presentation on the latest updates from the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) and the Private Company Council (PCC). We will dive into key updates and discuss their impact on financial reporting under U.S. GAAP.

It feels as if no country, economy or industry around the globe has seemingly been spared in some way from the impacts stemming from: price inflation fluctuations; energy or environmental shocks; a rising and uncertain interest rate environment; pre-and-post-pandemic-era labor market changes; the perils and prospects for AI and the advancements in other technologies; or record levels of human migration. While at the same time, these impacts have impelled governmental, business, financial and personal innovation and resilience ... and fostered opportunities. Let’s explore these developments and discover what may lie ahead!

Credit: Economics - 1 & Finance - 1

Increasingly, accountants and auditors are called upon to use data analytics to understand and improve results. Yet, many professionals struggle with data analytics and remain unaware of how to obtain the needed results using tools they already own. In this session, you will learn about the four primary types of data analytics and when to use each. You will also learn how to generate meaningful analytical measurements using Excel, Power BI and other tools and, more importantly, how to interpret the results.

Discuss recently issued standards and best practices for financial statement reviews, compilations and preparation engagements. Hear directly from the staff liaison to the AICPA committee that develops and issues the standards and participate in an discussion regarding the performance of high quality engagements.

Explore the current rules around taxation with a background on the buzzwords related to virtual currencies.

Why is it so hard to automate accounting? Because many accountants don’t know their options and, therefore, fail to reap the rewards of accounting automation. This session will teach you how easy and profitable accounting automation can be. Learn how to automate many traditional accounting processes, often with technology you already own. In addition to bank feeds, you will learn about automation options for processing accounts payable and receivable, approving transactions, and linking data from one platform to another. If you are serious about improving efficiency and accuracy, you should make plans to attend this session.  

This session provides an update on the latest developments in federal income taxes, including both passed and pending legislation.

Join us for an insightful presentation on the latest updates from the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) and the Private Company Council (PCC). We will dive into key updates and discuss their impact on financial reporting under U.S. GAAP.

With recent Excel updates provided through Microsoft 365/Office 365 subscriptions, Office 2021 and Office 2024, Microsoft continues to pack new features into the popular spreadsheet tool. More recent Excel versions offer enhanced data analysis tools, new functions and improved collaboration opportunities. For those who know about these new features and how apply them, exciting opportunities for improved productivity await. So, take advantage of this opportunity to learn how to use Excel’s best new features!

With the effective date of the new Quality Management Standards quickly approaching, this session will dive into some of the more common issues regarding implementation of the new standard. We'll address issues including documentation of the system, the enhanced monitoring and remediation activities, and the ongoing monitoring of the system after implementation. Since the revised standards require a more proactive approach to quality management, we will look at how firms can meet the requirements moving forward.

Discuss recently issued standards and best practices for financial statement reviews, compilations and preparation engagements. Hear directly from the staff liaison to the AICPA committee that develops and issues the standards and participate in an discussion regarding the performance of high quality engagements.

Privacy should be everywhere, yet every day seemingly brings a new story about a privacy violation. While it can be frustrating and sometimes scary to think about mishandling our personal information, it’s important to remember that we can take steps to protect our privacy. This session will teach you where your critical threats are and what information you may already have at risk. More importantly, you will learn how to manage and mitigate privacy risks. With increasing connectivity — and, by extension, risk — this session should be on your list to take as soon as possible.

This session will provide a comprehensive update on the national and state economies, focusing on key indicators such as inflation, economic growth and the labor market. The discussion will cover trends in inflation, factors driving economic growth, and the health of the labor market, including employment trends and job gains. You'll hear valuable information and predictions for the near future, that will be essential for CPAs to stay informed and make strategic decisions.

Attend this ethics webcast on a later date at no additional charge.

The rapid evolution of artificial intelligence (AI) is reshaping industries, including accounting, with profound implications for professionals and firms. This Virginia Board of Accountancy-approved ethics course on responsible AI for the accounting profession explores the integration of AI in accounting, emphasizing ethical principles like transparency, accountability, privacy, and fairness. The course offers a comprehensive overview of AI technologies, their applications in streamlining processes, and improving decision-making within the profession. It also addresses the challenges of regulatory compliance, data privacy and mitigating risks such as bias and security breaches. Through real-world case studies, you will gain insights into resolving ethical dilemmas, ensuring responsible AI usage, and fostering trust with clients and stakeholders.

By completing this course, you will develop strategies to navigate the complexities of AI governance and regulation, create robust frameworks for ethical decision-making, and adopt sustainable practices to balance innovation with responsibility. Designed for accounting professionals at all levels, this course equips learners with the tools to harness AI's potential while upholding the profession's ethical standards, ensuring compliance with legal obligations, and contributing to a more inclusive and accountable AI future.

Credit: Regulatory Ethics — 2

Attend this ethics webcast on a later date at no additional charge.

The CPA profession in Virginia, like in many other states, is governed by a complex framework of laws, regulations and ethical standards. As a CPA, you are expected to adhere to these guidelines, maintain the highest level of professional integrity, and act in the public interest.

This Virginia Board of Accountancy (VBOA)-approved ethics course is designed to provide you with a comprehensive understanding of the regulatory and ethical landscape of the accounting profession in Virginia. We will explore the key principles of professional ethics, the role of the VBOA, and the specific regulations that govern the practice of public accounting in the state.

Credit: Regulatory Ethics — 2