inSecurities

Security Traders Association President and CEO Jim Toes joins Chris and Kurt to unpack key themes from the STA’s 89th Annual Market Structure Conference in Washington, D.C., including crypto regulation, best execution, “gamification,” payment for order flow and other market plumbing issues. Learn more about the STA here: https://securitytraders.org/. 

On this episode of the inSecurities podcast, Kurt sits down with Knut Rostad, co-founder and president of the Institute for the Fiduciary Standard, to talk about the fiduciary standard registered investment advisors owe their clients, how the SEC interprets that standard in 2022, the challenges and opportunities for advisors created by the SEC’s interpretation and Regulation Best Interest, and what the future of the fiduciary standard might look like. Knut also shares details about panel discussions and content available through the Institute’s Fiduciary September program. Learn more here:  https://thefiduciaryinstitute.org/2022-2/. 

On this episode of the inSecurities podcast, Chris and Kurt chat with Micah Hauptman, who recently returned to the Consumer Federation of America as Director of Investor Protection, having previously served as counsel to SEC Commissioner Caroline Crenshaw. Micah talks about noteworthy accomplishments during his time at the Commission and breaks down several investor protection rules and policies CFA supports, including initiatives relating to ESG investing and complex products. 

Chris and Kurt recently attended PLI’s annual SEC Speaks conference in Washington, D.C. During the program, high-ranking SEC officials offered their views on the SEC’s top regulatory and enforcement priorities. On this episode of the inSecurities podcast, Chris and Kurt discuss their takeaways from The SEC Speaks in 2022. On the agenda: crypto regulation and enforcement, SEC rulemaking, auditing and accounting updates, and developments within the SEC’s Division of Enforcement.

Chris and Kurt discuss their initial thoughts live from PLI's The SEC Speaks in 2022 program. There’s still time to register, so click over to www.PLI.edu and sign up for the virtual attendance option, or stay tuned for a special episode next week when our co-hosts will discuss more of what they saw and heard at SEC Speaks!

On this episode of the inSecurities podcast, Chris & Kurt catch up with George Wilson, Director of PLI’s SEC Institute, to discuss recent developments at the SEC and possible changes on the horizon for FASB and PCAOB standards. Plus, to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, George tests Chris & Kurt with some SOX trivia.

Accounting Summer School continues as Chris and Kurt chat with Howard Scheck, a Partner at StoneTurn Group LLP and a former Chief Accountant in the SEC’s Division of Enforcement. They discuss Howard’s career as a JD/CPA, his experience in the Division of Enforcement, and his take on today’s trends in accounting and audit enforcement.

While Chris and Kurt enjoy some time away during their summer, "Accounting Summer School" continues with a rebroadcast of our episode from November 2020: A GAAP in Your Financial Reporting. On this episode of InSecurities, Chris and Kurt take a deep dive into the complex issues regarding accounting fraud and issuer disclosures. Our co-hosts discuss the basic tenets of accounting, the securities laws applicable and often charged in accounting fraud matters, and recent cases that demonstrate the SEC’s focus and messaging regarding accounting fraud and the people who commit it.

For more than 100 years, the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) has led the profession through triumphs and challenges in a dynamic financial reporting and auditing environment. In recent years the AICPA has collaborated with the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA) to continue to lead accountants globally with a focus on staying current for their members and the markets as a whole. Tom Hood, Executive Vice President for Business Growth and Engagement at the Association of International Certified Professional Accountants, joins inSecurities to talk about the history of the AICPA, today’s focus on integrity and quality, and a look to the future regarding ESG, blockchain technology, and the evolution of the accounting profession as a whole. For more information on topics discussed in this episode, see the links below: https://www.aicpa.org/home https://www.aicpa-cima.com/ https://www.cimaglobal.com/ https://www.thiswaytocpa.com/ https://www.evolutionofcpa.org/

Marking 20 years since the passing of the landmark Sarbanes - Oxley Act of 2002, Chris and Kurt talk about SOX’s origin story; its perceived influence on accounting, auditing, and the law; and the lasting implications of SOX in today’s markets. They are joined by Professor James J. Park of the UCLA School of Law, who returns to the podcast after discussing SEC Enforcement trends in Episode 30, as he shares his take on SOX and talks about his upcoming book The Valuation Treadmill: How Securities Fraud Threatens the Integrity of Public Companies. (Pre-order The Valuation Treadmill today!)