During the school year, NBOA conducts a series of webinars on Thursdays. Our goal is to bring you the latest information that is most relevant to your job in the independent school business office, in an easy and accessible format.
All webinars take place at 4:00 PM ET and are FREE to NBOA Members and $50 for non-member schools. To learn more about these presentations, please see our Webinar FAQs.
Attention: Please make sure your computer meets the technical requirements to attend our webinars. If you have questions, please contact Erin Lizzo.
March 11, 2010
Peeling Back the Onion: Best Practices in Selecting and Monitoring an Endowment Manager
Ahmed Farruk, ORION Investment Advisors and David Archer, Charles Schwab
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With recent market volatility and increasingly complex investment strategies, selecting the right firm to manage the endowment is critical. This webinar will explore the process of selecting and monitoring your endowment’s money managers; offer guidance on establishing risk management guidelines; explain techniques to improve transparency in the due diligence process; and provide tips on how to uncover and recognize red flags that could indicate problems for the endowment. Most importantly, participants will learn the right questions to ask of endowment managers.
Participants will learn about best practices in selecting an endowment manager.
Ahmed Farruk is a consultant with ORION Investment Advisors, working closely with fiduciaries to develop investment policy statements, analyze asset-allocation strategies, assemble multi-manager portfolio structures, and monitor overall portfolio performance. He is active in many nonprofit organizations and has been a speaker at various industry events, including the American Institute of CPAs, the American Society of Association Executives, and the Association Forum of Chicagoland. Ahmed holds the professional designation of Accredited Investment Fiduciary from the Center for Fiduciary Studies. He earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Virginia.
David Archer has been National Director of Sales for Managed Accounts and Alternative Investments at Schwab Advisor Services since 2006. Prior to joining Charles Schwab, he spent 9 years as Vice President of the Managed Accounts Consulting Group at Prudential Financial and was the Senior Analyst for PaineWebber's Managed Accounts Services. He is a member of the Board of Directors of the Investment Management Consultants Association (IMCA). David earned the Certified Investment Management Analyst (CIMA) credential from IMCA, as well as the Accredited Investment Fiduciary Analyst (AIFA) designation from the Center for Fiduciary Studies. David has a BA from the University of Michigan and an MBA from San Francisco State University.
Program Level: Overview
Estimated CPE Hours: 1.0
Field of Study: Finance
Delivery Method: Group Internet-Based
Prerequisites: None
Advanced Preparation: None
January 14
Where Do We Go From Here? The New 403(b) Regulations
Evan Giller, Giller & Calhoun, and Gary Mauger, New Pinnacle Consulting
While the focus of many business officers has been compliance with the plan document rules, the new 403(b) regulations also require considerable attention to overall plan compliance. This webinar will review a number of issues related to the new regulations, including how to effectively enforce the rules governing loans and hardship distributions; the correct treatment of funding vehicles that have been discontinued under the plan; how to change or suspend plan contributions; how to terminate a plan; and how to prepare for the required plan audit.
Learning Objective: Participants will learn how to resolve issues related to the new 403(b) regulations.
January 28
Working Together to Prepare for 403(b) Plan Reporting and Audit Requirements
Carmie Howell, TIAA-CREF
Beginning with the 2009 plan year, large 403(b) plans (defined as having 100 or more eligible participants) subject to ERISA are required to have an annual audit. Schools with a calendar year plan should be preparing for the first audit. This webinar will review reporting requirements for 403(b) ERISA plans, how to prepare for the plan audit, and the information and assistance available from TIAA-CREF. Topics to be covered include year-end requirements for plan sponsors; an overview of TIAA-CREF’s year-end report package; sample reports; Statement on Auditing Standards (SAS) 70; and limited scope versus full-scope audits.
Learning Objective: Participants who use TIAA-CREF as a 403(b) provider will learn about the resources available from TIAA-CREF and how to prepare for a 403(b) plan audit.
February 10 (Special Webinar)
SSS Roundtable: Questions and Concerns about the New Comp*Assist Online
Mike Flanagan, CEO of NAIS Services Division, and Mark Mitchell, VP of School Information Services
If you're using SSS for financial aid, then you're encountering many changes, including a new document collection service, a new call center, a new online application for parents, and perhaps most significantly, a new online interface for schools. If you have questions or concerns about the new service, join the managers of the SSS team to hear about what's working, what's not, and what's next. This round table discussion will include ample opportunity for Q&A, and offer guidance and advice on how to best adapt to the new online system. Specific topics will include:
Document Processing: Best Practices for Fast Handling
Methodology and Calculation Questions: Use of Professional Judgment Settings
Getting the Information you Need: Worklists, Reports, and Extracts
This is NOT a hands-on training for advanced system use—Mike and Mark will talk about common mistakes and how to avoid them—but do bring your specific questions, as they'll have answers.
Learning Objective: Participants will learn about SSS's new financial aid program available to independent schools.
February 11
Keeping Up with Compliance: The Updated FMLA Regulations
Sara Goldsmith Schwartz, Schwartz Hannum PC
On October 28, 2009, President Obama signed into law the National Defense Authorization Act of 2010, which expands the qualifying exigency and military caregiver leaves under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA). The recent changes in the law, combined with special rules for schools, make understanding and complying with the FMLA a challenge for the savviest of business officers. This webinar will explain the policy and implementation changes required by the National Defense Authorization Act; review the types of leave available under the FMLA; explain how the FMLA applies to faculty during school breaks; and offer compliance strategies and practical implementation steps.
Learning Objective: To learn about the updated FMLA regulations and how to comply.
March 11
Peeling Back the Onion: Best Practices in Selecting and Monitoring an Endowment Manager
Ahmed Farruk, ORION Investment Advisors and David Archer, Charles Schwab
With recent market volatility and increasingly complex investment strategies, selecting the right firm to manage the endowment is critical. This webinar will explore the process of selecting and monitoring your endowment’s money managers; offer guidance on establishing risk management guidelines; explain techniques to improve transparency in the due diligence process; and provide tips on how to uncover and recognize red flags that could indicate problems for the endowment. Most importantly, participants will learn the right questions to ask of endowment managers.
Learning Objective: Participants will learn about best practices in selecting an endowment manager.
NASBA Information
NBOA 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 addressed to the National Registry of CPE Sponsors, 150 Fourth Avenue North, Suite 700, Nashville,TN, 37219-2417. Web site: www.nasba.org