Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX) – Top Down Risk Assessment Part 1

In the early years of Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX), organizations went to significant detail documenting and testing financial processes. The Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB) stressed in Auditing Standard 5 (AS5) the need to focus testing on those accounts that could materially impact the financial statements. AS5 prescribes that the auditor should use a top-down approach to the audit of Internal Control Over Financial Reporting (ICFR).

Although AS5 provides guidance on performing a top-down Risk Assessment (RA), many organizations still struggle with the concept. This course will focus on the requirement for a top-down RA and processes your organization can utilize to effectively apply the approach.  We will cover critical concepts of AS5 risk factors when identifying significant accounts as well as the importance of evaluating entity level controls.

Information within this course comes from readily available public domain documents and is utilized by the trainer as a supplement for relaying the course content.

Note: The concepts outlined in this course are up to date and relevant in regards to the Sarbanes-Oxley legislation. Although there have not been any changes in the legislative concepts of the law since it’s release in 2002, some aspects of executing the work have evolved. This speaker is preparing a series of courses titled “Sarbanes-Oxley 20 years later”. Those courses can be found individually on the platform and would be beneficial for anyone involved with compliance.

NOTE: The Instructor has created 5 new segments on Sarbanes-Oxley Update – 20 Years Later:

Sarbanes-Oxley Update – 20 Years Later: Accounting Risk Assessment Considerations
Sarbanes-Oxley Update – 20 Years Later: Sourcing Emerging Risks Part 1
Sarbanes-Oxley Update – 20 Years Later: Evaluating Testing Processes
Sarbanes-Oxley Update – 20 Years Later: Sourcing Emerging Risks Part 2
Sarbanes-Oxley Update – 20 Years Later: Examining Fraud Risks