In yesterday’s Accounting News Roundup e-newsletter, you might have noticed an ad for a free webinar on June 23, “Be Ready: Q2 Disclosures in Light of COVID.” (If you do not subscribe to ANR, you can do so here, thx.) Because the COVID-19 pandemic is affecting pretty much everything in life—yes, even public company financial disclosures.
Unlike in Q1, public companies now have had three whole months to figure out how they will adequately address COVID-19 in their Q2 disclosures. And while the coronavirus crisis is still creating complex and challenging accounting and disclosure questions for Q2 reporting, the SEC is expecting public companies to not skip a beat because investors need to be kept happy, right?
SEC Chief Accountant Sagar Teotia said last month:
“As many public companies now prepare for their next reporting cycle, we emphasize that the participants in the financial reporting system continue to play an important role in the functioning of our markets and in our collective national effort to mitigate the COVID-19 pandemic. We look forward to our financial reporting system continuing to provide a steady flow of timely, decision-useful information to investors and our public capital markets.”
The webinar, which will take place at 2 p.m. EDT on June 23 and is being presented by our friends at the SEC Professionals Group and Workiva, will provide an overview of all the SEC’s reporting guidance related to COVID-19 thus far.
Alyson Clabaugh from Intelligize and George Wilson from the SEC Institute, a division of Practising Law Institute, will review the guidance and provide examples companies should consider this reporting period. This will include a review of potential impairment considerations, risk factors, MD&A, and critical accounting estimates.
There will also be a Q&A session toward the end of the hour-long session.
Register for this free webinar here.
