Hotel:

Address: 505 North Michigan Avenue, Chicago, IL 60611

Telephone: 312.944.4100
Reservations: 800.327.0200

Room Rate: $169.00/$169.00 per night + tax for single or double occupancy.

To reserve a room contact the Hotel InterContinental's reservations department at (800) 327-0200. Be sure to mention that you are attending the ASWA/AWSCPA Joint National Conference to receive the discounted room rate. The room block will be held until October 8, 2004. Once the JNC room block is sold out, rooms will be on a space and rate available basis only, so don't delay!

Due to overwhelming attendee response The Inter-Continental Hotel has limited availability on several of our conference nights. If you are unsuccessful in making a reservation at the InterContinental for all of the nights that you require, please call A Room With A View for "hotel overflow" assistance at 1-800-780-4343. They will secure the lowest available rate within walking distance to The Inter-Continental Hotel. This is a FREE SERVICE for all ASWA/AWSCPA JNC attendees.

The InterContinental Chicago is one of the city's most luxurious hotels and landmarks - located in the heart on Chicago's famed "Magnificent Mile". The hotel was originally built in 1929 as the Medinah Athletic Club, an exclusive men's club for members of the Shrine Organization. This unique hotel combines historic charm with contemporary elegance and modern efficiency. Referenced in architectural tours of Chicago, the hotel displays a stunning blend of architecture and art from all over the world.

InterContinental Hotels, renowned for its international portfolio of historic restorations, purchased the property in 1988 and immediately began renovations. It was the original athletic club's 1930 yearbook, the SCIMITAR, which guided much of the original work which was used to replicate the restore entire rooms - right down to the detailing in the draperies, carpets, and murals, throughout the entire hotels.

InterContinental Hotels recently engineered another multi-million dollar, sweeping renovation completed in 2001, featuring the four-story lobby with grand staircase and cast bronze ornamentation, 807 newly refurbished guest rooms and suites, and over 40,000 square feet of choice conference and banquet facilities, all resulting in a brilliant merger of old-world elegance with 21st-century craftsmanship.

Guest Room Amenities

• Attractive guest rooms, carefully detailed for the business traveler
  
• Coffee maker and complimentary coffee and tea
  
• Alarm clock/radio
  
• Hairdryer
  
• Iron and ironing boards
  
• Dual-line phones with computer capability and voicemail
  
• Mini Bar with refreshments
  
• Daily newspaper delivery
  
• Color television with remote control
  
• Cable channels and in-room movies
  
• Non smoking rooms available
  

Hotel Services

• Fitness Center and Pool
  
• Laundry and valet service
  
• Safe-deposit boxes available
  
• Evening room service
  
• Currency exchange
  
• Business center
  
• Indoor valet parking
  

• Responsible for monitoring developments in accounting and taxation.
  
• Responsible for the quality and profitability of your company or firm.
  
• Supervising and/or training accounting and finance staff.
  
• Interested in developing a network of outstanding professionals.
  
• Ready to promote your company or product in today's marketplace.
  
• A beginner or veteran, with or without a degree, in private or public accounting, financial or academia.
  

What Will You Learn at the ASWA/AWSCPA Joint National Conference?

• The latest technical developments in accounting, auditing, tax, management, leadership, government and industry, including E-commerce, and budgeting and accounting software applications.
  
• Motivational strategies that work.
  
• Methods for effective management of people and the marketplace.
  
• Effective means of identifying and responding to economic problems.
  
• Valuable leadership techniques.
  
• Means for achieving effective communication.
  
• Professional contacts in a variety of industries.
  

Here's an overview of what you need to know about newly effective FASB guidance and projects underway: financial instruments; business combinations; convergence with international standards; revenue recognition, equity-based compensation; and fair value measurement.

Competencies are the key skills, attributes, and behaviors that contribute to successful employee performance. Once you know the competencies a particular job requires, you can create a job description, questions for interviewing candidates, a training plan and a performance evaluation. This session will help you identify and document those job competencies and translate them into action plans. Participants will be introduced to practical tools that will improve the efficient operations of your firm or company.

EITF Update
Amy Ripepi, CPA, Managing Director, Financial Reporting Advisors

Following an overview of the EITF's role and process as a standards setter, we will discuss recent issues that affect a broad cross-section of industries. Some of the topics we will cover include: revenue recognition, business combinations, discontinued operations, impairments and consolidations. We will also briefly review pending EITF issues that could affect 2004 year-end financial statements.

Driving Success Through Ethics, Integrity and Values
Wendy Fritz, Wendy Fritz Consulting, LLC

Everyday we’re bombarded by the media with stories of greed, dishonesty, and failed ethics. This session will discuss “Character Driven Leadership,” a way to sustain and enhance your business over time. Discover how character and integrity in leadership help define an employer brand and why they are so important to the health and longevity of an organization.

This session will discuss the AICPA Work/Life and Women's Initiatives Executive Committee's recent projects including Summit 2003: Career and Life in the Balance; Work/Life: Striking a Balance; Promoting Your Talent; Woman to Watch; Public Accounting Firm and Professional Survey Results

The discussion covers the following topics: understanding the new sales tax system, learning what creates a filing requirement for sales tax in other states and understanding the ramifications of Congress negating "Quill".

Auditing – A Risk-Based Approach with an Emphasis on Fraud
Mark Dauberman, CPA

Most practitioners do more work than is necessary in audits, do not reduce risk as much as they think they do and do not earn a reasonable return on audits compared to other services they provide. Learn how to change audits to comply with all current pronouncements while reducing risk, improving efficiency and increasing profitability!

Nonprofit Governance – Part 1 – Your Role as a Board Member (Corporate or Not for Profit Board)
Nancy Sylvester, MA, PRP, CPP-T, Parliamentarian

What are the roles and responsibilities of serving on a corporate board or not for profit board? Understand your role in board governance and get some tips on some parliamentary tools to help you streamline your board meetings and other meetings.

Participants will learn ten tips to maximize their performance management efforts, including devoting feedback time to the entire staff; concentrating on behaviors – both positive and negative; and offering coaching to employees. Participants will be able to implement these ideas immediately to improve their evaluation and management procedures.

This presentation will provide an overview of the considerations that should be taken into account when choosing a legal entity for your business. It will address the corporate and tax consequences of operating as a corporation, partnership or limited liability company, and includes practical advice on how to set up a legal entity as well as how to make entity classification elections under the "check-the-box" rules.

Revenue Recognition and Liabilities & Equity
Sydney Garmong, Technical Communications Executive, Crowe Chizek & Company, LLC and Linda Poeschel, Engagement Manager, Crowe Chizek & Company, LLC

Revenue recognition is one of the most important and the most difficult areas that accountants face. Revenue is usually the largest single item in financial statements and studies indicate that revenue recognition is the single largest category of financial statement restatements. Currently, there are more than 140 pieces of authoritative literature that relate to revenue recognition. The FASB has a project to address this area and expects to release a proposed statement in the 4th quarter of this year. In this session, participants will explore the conceptual differences in the literature with examples depicting the forthcoming standard.

Liabilities & equity is a long-standing standard-setting project. Statement 150, issued by the FASB in May 2003, was a limited scope project to address some issues related to the classification of liabilities and equity. As a result, some companies had to reclassify amounts from equity to liabilities. The FASB has a project to address more issues in this area including a variety of combinations of shares/debt/assets with options/forwards. In this session, participants will walk through examples and explore how the forthcoming proposal may impact companies.

The Impact of Sarbanes Oxley on Privately Held Companies
Moderator: Vivian Moller, CPA, Vice President/Controller, Hoffman York, Inc.
Panel: Denise Probert Bloom, CPA, Assistant Professor, Viterbo University and Patricia Hutter, Attorney, Davis & Kuelthau

Do you think Sarbanes-Oxley doesn't apply to you if you work for a privately held company? Think again. Nearly all businesses need to comply with a number of the provisions. Also, other provisions of the Act may be trickling down to non-public entities. Join in for this interactive panel discussion on the potential impact of SOX on your organization.

Nonprofit Governance – Part 2 Leadership is Part of Your Role as a Board Member
Nancy Sylvester, MA, PRP, CPP-T, Parliamentarian

Understanding how a board works is the first step to effective boardsmanship. This session will review “boardsmanship” and “leadership” and their connection. Other topics we'll cover include a quick overview of board responsibilities; streamlining your board meetings; how all members of the board can lead your board to success; what makes an effective and efficient board; and how to be an effective board member in service to your organization.

Officers, shareholders and others involved in the management and operation of a corporation risk personal liability for withholding taxes if the company does not pay its payroll taxes. Many of these people believe that the corporate entity protects them from the IRS. In fact, the IRS may garnish their wages, clean out their bank accounts and seize their cars, homes and other property if the corporation fails to pay. This session will cover these personal liability risks.

Leslie F. Seidman is a member of the board of the Financial Accounting Standards Board. Ms. Seidman will discuss recent changes in the financial reporting environment and the role of the FASB. Ms. Seidman will share her observations about why accounting standards are important in the U.S. and abroad, how practitioners can affect the process, and the outlook for the future.

Variable Interest Entities and FIN 46-FASB’s Consolidation Standard for Special Purpose Entities
Linda Bergen, CPA, Vice President, Citibank NA
Not only do financial institutions need to be concerned with FIN 46, but trust structures and franchises may also be subject to the provisions of this standard. Participants will learn how to identify a variable interest entity, who should consolidate the VIE, who's the primary beneficiary and what a variable interest is.

Business Combinations
Michele Meadows, Director, Transaction Services – Accounting Advisory, KPMG
This session covers an overview of the FASB statements and interpretations that relate to the purchase method or consolidation procedures, and method of accounting for goodwill and other intangible assets. Highlights include allocating purchase cost and computing goodwill; testing goodwill and other intangible assets for impairment; estimating fair value; and consolidating variable interest entities and push down accounting.

Many of us dream of starting our own businesses, but do we have what it takes to be successful? This program explores the characteristics of successful entrepreneurs and provides guidelines for starting a business and developing a business plan. Whether you are currently in business or think you may start one some day, this session will provide meaningful tools and insights. It also prepares non-entrepreneurs for the unthinkable – unemployment.

This session promises to help you develop your management skills! Participants will be introduced to the concept of collaboration, identify prominent characteristics of effective teams, and participate in a problem solving group exercise. This qualifies for the EFWA Leadership Training Series component.

Help your clients choose a retirement plan for their employees. What are the advantages to having a retirement plan? What options are available for your clients to consider? Starting a small business retirement plan can be easier than most business people think. Businesses may choose to offer IRAs, defined contribution plans or defined benefit plans. The full array of tax-favored retirement vehicles for small business owners will be discussed.

How familiar are you with the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB)? This session will provide an overview of the goals, expectations, jurisdiction and strategies of this new oversight organization. Learn which new projects and pronouncements are currently being considered.

This session will be an overview of the employee benefit plan industry including recent regulatory developments and related audit and accounting issues. The Department of Labor (DOL) recently completed an assessment of the quality of employee benefit plan audits for the 2000 plan year. This session will review the results of the DOL study and provide guidance on how to design employee benefit plan audits to address the deficient audit areas identified in the DOL report. The session will also provide participants with information on the AICPA Employee Benefit Plan Audit Quality Center including the membership requirements and benefits of becoming a member of the Center.

This session will focus on how CPAs and other financial professionals can make a difference in the lives of underprivileged and at risk children through programs like Accounting for Kids Day. Discussion will also take place on the new 360 degree financial literacy program that the AICPA is adopting.

Long-term care expenses can substantially erode a family's financial security. To ensure the conservation and preservation of a family's financial assets, a long-term care analysis should be an integral part of the planning process. Qualified long-term care insurance offers advantages to clients who wish to protect assets against escalating costs of long-term care. This workshop will explore the unique tax treatment of purchasing qualified long-term care insurance in a variety of situations from personally owned coverage to employer-sponsored coverage.

Find an inspired solution for your clients. Learn how to increase cash flow for building owners through accelerated depreciation of building components. Cost segregation maximizes a building’s tax benefits for accelerated depreciation by identifying, classifying and segregating the property. This session will define what cost segregation is, and take participants through the process by way of case studies and sample analysis. It will look at all the aspects of cost segregation: Qualifying property, cost segregation engineer services, tangible personal property tests, and recent tax incentives and rulings.

Tax incentives provided by the Tax Reform Act of 1986 and its predecessors have been important tools for construction, preservation and economic development in the United States since 1976. Tax credit programs have generated jobs, increased retail sales and created new earnings for businesses and new homes for families. This session will focus on the following four tax credit programs: Research and Development; New Markets; Historic; and Affordable Housing.

As accountants, most of us are familiar with financial statements prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP). Sometimes however, we are required to produce statements to meet other specifications. Contracts, shareholder agreements, grantors, regulatory agencies and others often require financial statements prepared on Other Comprehensive Basis of Accounting (OCBOA). Learn when, why and most importantly, how to (and how not to) prepare OCBOA financial statements.

Numerous studies and anecdotal evidence have shown the important role that mentoring plays in professional success. Whether you're interested in becoming a mentor, being mentored or setting up a mentoring program, the AICPA Work/Life and Women's Initiatives Executive Committee can help you to understand the benefits, roles and relationships, and qualifications for successful mentoring. Learn how to find and contact a mentor, set up a mentoring partnership and create a mentoring agreement. Participants will leave this session with tips and tools to use in your office.

More often than not, CPA firms rely on a few partners to generate business for the rest of the firm using the tried and true banker/lawyer/lunch approach. But in today’s rapidly changing world of opportunities, especially as rainmakers retire, the approach not only sub-optimizes growth, but also poses a real threat to the ongoing revenue of the practice. This session explores alternatives in acquiring and growing your client base. We’ll discuss the firm-wide processes necessary to institutionalize practice growth. We’ll also discuss the new opportunities that are emerging and new ways of identifying and landing clients. You’ll learn the “research call” approach and why it works. Most importantly, bring your most difficult practice growth challenge to the table, and we’ll give you our best ideas on how to solve it.

This discussion provides professionals and business owners with multiple, legal, tax savings ideas in order to reduce or eliminate taxes for highly compensated individuals. Planning isn't easy for today's business owners and high net worth individuals seeking to maximize and retain the fruits of their labor. Tax planning requires experts. Topics addressed will include understanding the role of the myriad of insurance products, legal issues in retirement and estate planning, and business succession. Using these techniques, any practitioner can help their client achieve their financial goals.

In our rapidly changing business and economic environment, it is critical to be aware of the recent activities of the Securities & Exchange Commission (SEC) and changes in disclosure requirements. As many of us prepare for year-end reporting, learn about the current focus of the SEC from CCH's SEC Content Expert.

Businesses are continuously evolving and in order to succeed, they need professionals who can lead staff and management through transition periods such as mergers, acquisitions and downsizing. Managers must be able to motivate their employees even during the most challenging of times. During this session we will discuss helping your team understand changes taking place within your company, how to deal with different types of changes and how to facilitate change.

Learn about the direct relationship between your behavior and your ability to achieve success and accomplish goals. This program is designed to challenge attendees to re-think their personal and business relationships and modify behaviors.

In the last several years, there has been a significant amount of new legislation affecting individual and business taxes. At this seminar, participants will have the opportunity to learn about and brush up on many of the new rules, with an analysis of the winners and losers. Topics include lower tax rates, child tax credits, education credits, Traditional and Roth IRAs, sale of personal residence, depreciation of business property (especially automobiles), adoption credits, dividends on common stock, capital gains, student interest, deductions for teachers, home office deductions and many more. This session promises to reflect any up to the minute tax law changes.

Everyone knows about Sarbanes Oxley, but do you know and understand how the law is affecting the big companies? This panel session will look at the cost and the changes that public companies have gone through to prepare and put into practice the new laws and deadlines associated with Sarbanes Oxley. The panel will discuss the issues their companies faced and how they resolved them or are resolving them today. Bring your questions and experiences.

You should attend this presentation if you are interested in enhancing your communication skills. Attendees will develop strategies for dealing with change in the work environment and at home. This qualifies for the EFWA Leadership Training Series component

Court cases occur when the taxpayer takes a position against the IRS. Tax Court and/or the US Circuit of Appeals steps in to resolve the conflict. Tax positions are sometimes “in the eye of the beholder.” Tax preparers need to understand the court system, levels of assurance for each standard and the authority to support their position. Circular 230 is in the process of being amended to include "best practices."

Before the IRS issues final regulations, the Administrative Procedures Act (APA) governs the rule making of the Treasury and IRS. Tax practitioners can be involved during the public response time. Come to this session to learn about current rulings and cases.

Pioneering executive Susan Bulkeley Butler (the first woman partner at Accenture, the $13 billion international management consulting and technology services organization) will share the secrets that propelled her from a small-town girl (from Abingdon, Illinois; population 4,000) to one of America's highest-paid women executives. She'll help participants develop their skills to Become the CEO of You, Inc.

Butler, whose motto is “Make things happen for you, don't just let things happen to you” will get participants to think about developing their own personal strategy, building a personal board of directors, writing a tactical plan for the coming year and assessing their progress through quarterly reviews and an annual report.

HSA's MSA's, MERP's, what solutions do these plans offer to businesses? A discussion of the advantages, disadvantages, differences and commonalities of these various health plan options.

Come to this session to explore the art of delegation to effectively handle management responsibilities. This presentation will help participants develop their management skills. This qualifies for the EFWA Leadership Training Series component.

Come to this session to explore the art of delegation to effectively handle management responsibilities. This presentation will help participants develop their management skills. This qualifies for the EFWA Leadership Training Series component.

There are several reasons why the experts agree that starting an accounting service is the best of the best home-based businesses ideas: you can choose to work part-time or full-time; there’s a fantastic demand for this service; and, you can earn a great supplemental or primary income! As an attendee, you will learn how to save many wasted hours and thousands of dollars as we share with you techniques that work. You will also learn such things as how to make the money you deserve; how to become a Professional Small Business Accountant & Bookkeeper; how to make $30-$60 per hour full or part time; how to easily get more clients than you can handle; how to charge your clients a fair but equitable fee; how to get started for next to nothing and much, much more.

Times, topics and presenters are subject to change.
No advance preparation or prerequisites are required for any of these courses.

In order to provide participants an exciting event with wonderful bidding and raffle opportunities, the support of our members, chapters and affiliates is needed. Donations with at least a $100 value are needed and chapters, affiliates and members are encouraged to join forces to donate some really spectacular offerings.

Ideas include electronics, gift cards from specialty retailers or fine restaurants, sporting event packages, gift baskets or weekend get-a-ways. There is no limit to the creativity! If you are able to donate an item to the event, please click here for a commitment form and return it to the JNC’s Live Auction/Raffle in care of AWSCPA by October 29, 2004. Items may be brought to the JNC or mailed to the auction and raffle site.

Continuing Professional Education (CPE) Credits
Select from more than 72 hours of CPE to earn up to 26 hours of credits at the ASWA/AWSCPA Joint National Conference. Three days of sessions are offered during the meeting with topics of interest to those in public and private accounting as well as education and government. Attendees are responsible for determining their individual state’s requirements for CPE.

ASWA and AWSCPA are 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 addressed to the National Registry of CPE Sponsors, 150 Fourth Avenue North, Nashville, TN, 37219-2417. www.nasba.org.

MassMutual Financial Group		Universal Accounting Center
Financial Executives International		Federal Home Loan Bank of San Francisco
Devry University (Keller/Becker)		Freddie Mac
Goldman, Sachs & Co.
Balance Award Sponsor :
Accountemps		Robert Half Finance & Accounting

The JNC is pleased to have the endorsement of the AICPA and its Work/Life and Women's Initiatives Executive Committee. For more information visit www.aicpa.org/worklife.

Opportunities are still available to be a sponsor of the conference or to display your products and/or services. Contact Shaughna Giracca at ASWA headquarters (703) 506-3265 or Melissa Lynd at AWSCPA headquarters (800) AWSCPA1 (297-2721) to receive an information packet or click here for an electronic copy of the informational packet.

Brochures with registration forms will be mailed to all ASWA and AWSCPA members and can be accessed via this website. Non-members who wish to receive a printed piece should contact the ASWA or AWSCPA offices at the addresses below. Click here for the on-line version of the preliminary program.

Registration Methods

Registrations will be accepted by the following methods:

	You may submit your registration form through the ASWA or AWSCPA Web sites at www.aswa.org or www.awscpa.org. On these Web sites, you will find a complete registration form that will process your completed registration via a secure server. Click here.
	ASWA Lockbox P.O. Box 826131 Philadelphia, PA 19182-6131
	Fax registration form with your Visa, MasterCard or American Express information to (703) 506-3266, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Registrations can not be processed without complete credit card information.

Payment/Confirmation
All registrations must be accompanied by a check or credit card number for the full registration fee. Checks are to be made payable in U.S. funds to “JNC.” Registrations will not be processed without full payment.

Advance registration will be confirmed in writing before the conference. Badges and program materials may be picked up at the ASWA/AWSCPA Joint National Conference registration desk at the conference.

Cancellations
Notification of cancellation must be submitted in writing to the ASWA/AWSCPA Joint National Conference headquarters. Cancellations received by Monday, October 11, 2004 will be subject to a $75 cancellation fee. Refund will be mailed post-conference. No refunds will be made for cancellations received after Monday, October 11, 2004. Substitutions are allowed at any time but must be submitted in writing. Registrants who fail to attend the ASWA/AWSCPA Joint National Conference are responsible for full payment.

Attire
Conference participants should war casual business attire, defined as dress slacks or casual dress wear. No jeans, please. Dress for the Awards Gala will be cocktail attire.

Special Note to the Disabled
ASWA and AWSCPA wish to ensure that no individual with a disability is excluded, denied services, segregated or otherwise treated differently from other individuals because of the absence of an auxiliary aid or service. If an auxiliary aid or service identified with the American with Disabilities Act is required, please contact ASWA headquarters at (703) 506-3265.

ASWA NATIONAL OFFICE
8405 Greensboro Drive, Suite 800
McLean, VA 22102
Phone: (703) 506-3265
Fax: (703) 506-3266
aswa@aswa.org

AWSCPA NATIONAL OFFICE
136 South Keowee Street
Dayton, OH 45402
Phone: 800.AWSCPA1
Fax: 937.222.5794
info@awscpa.org