Publisher Description

You may not believe that there's a fun and easy way to comply with Sarbanes –Oxley, but once you have Sarbanes-Oxley For Dummies, Second Edition in front of you, you're sure to change your mind. This friendly guide gets you quickly up to speed with the latest SOX legislation and shows you safe and effective ways to reduce compliance costs. In plain English, this completely reliable handbook walks you through the new and revised SOX laws, introduces compliance strategies for changed and unchanged guidelines, and gives you an effective framework for implementation You'll find out how to create an efficient audit committee, purchase and use SOX software solutions, and make practical, cost-effective decisions in your initial compliance year and beyond. You'll also find proven strategies for staying public or going private and learn how to deal with all those SOX forms. Discover how to: Establish SOX standards for IT professionalsMinimize compliance costs in every area of your companySurvive a section 404 auditAvoid litigation under SOXAnticipate future rules and trendsCreate a post-SOX paper trailBolster your company's standing and reputationWork with SOX in a small businessMeet new SOX standardsBuild a board that can't be boughtComply with all SOX management mandates Complete with invaluable tips on how to form an effective audit committee, Sarbanes-Oxley For Dummies is the resource you need to keep your SOX clean.

Back Cover

Includes SOX forms and privatization guidelines The fun and easy way to comply with the law and maintain your credibility Need to be Sarbanes-Oxley savvy? This plain-English guide walks you through the new and revised laws -- as well as compliance strategies for changed and unchanged guidelines -- and gives you an effective framework for implementation. You'll create an efficient audit committee, purchase and use SOX software solutions, and make practical, cost-effective decisions in your initial compliance year and beyond. Discover how to: Establish SOX standards for IT professionals Minimize compliance costs in every area of your company Survive a Section 404 audit Avoid litigation under SOX Anticipate future rules and trends

Flap

Includes SOX forms and privatization guidelines The fun and easy way to comply with the law and maintain your credibility Need to be Sarbanes-Oxley savvy? This plain-English guide walks you through the new and revised laws -- as well as compliance strategies for changed and unchanged guidelines -- and gives you an effective framework for implementation. You'll create an efficient audit committee, purchase and use SOX software solutions, and make practical, cost-effective decisions in your initial compliance year and beyond. Discover how to: Establish SOX standards for IT professionals Minimize compliance costs in every area of your company Survive a Section 404 audit Avoid litigation under SOX Anticipate future rules and trends

Author Biography

Jill Gilbert Welytok, JD, CPA, LLM, practices in the areas of corporate, nonprofit law, and intellectual property. She is the founder of Absolute Technology Law Group, LLC . She went to law school at DePaul University in Chicago, where she was on the Law Review, and she picked up a Masters Degree in Computer Science from Marquette University in Wisconsin, where she now lives. Ms. Welytok also has an LLM in Taxation from DePaul. She was formerly a tax consultant with the predecessor firm to Ernst & Young. She frequently speaks on nonprofit, corporate governance, and taxation issues and will probably come speak to your company or organization if you invite her. You may e-mail her with questions you have about Sarbanes-Oxley or anything else in this book at . You can find updates to this book and ongoing information about SOX developments at the author's Web site, located at

Table of Contents

Introduction 1 Part I: The Scene Before and After SOX 7 Chapter 1: The SOX Saga 9 Chapter 2: SOX in Sixty Seconds 27 Chapter 3: SOX and Securities Regulations 43 Chapter 4: SOX and Factual Financial Statements 67 Chapter 5: What's New for Non-Accelerated Filers 83 Part II: SOX in the City: Meeting New Standards 89 Chapter 6: A New Audit Ambience 91 Chapter 7: A Board to Audit the Auditors 105 Chapter 8: The Almighty Audit Committee 119 Chapter 9: Building Boards That Can't Be Bought 131 Chapter 10: SOX: Under New Management 143 Chapter 11: More Management Mandates 159 Part III: Scaling Down Section 404 169 Chapter 12: Clearing Up Confusion about Control 171 Chapter 13: Surviving a Section 404 Audit 183 Chapter 14: Taking the Terror Out of Testing 191 Part IV: SOX for Techies 207 Chapter 15: Getting Technical with SOX 209 Chapter 16: Surveying SOX Software 219 Chapter 17: Working with Some Actual SOX Software 233 Part V: To SOX-finity and Beyond 249 Chapter 18: Lawsuits under SOX 251 Chapter 19: The Surprising Scope of SOX 267 Part VI: The Part of Tens 273 Chapter 20: Ten Ways to Avoid Getting Sued or Criminally Prosecuted Under SOX 275 Chapter 21: Ten Tips for an Effective Audit Committee 281 Chapter 22: Ten Smart Management Moves 289 Chapter 23: Ten Things You Can't Ask an Auditor to Do After SOX 295 Chapter 24: Top Ten Places to Get Smart about SOX 301 Part VII: Appendixes 307 Appendix A: Selected Sections, Auditing Standard No 5 309 Appendix B: Sample Certifications 313 Appendix C: Sample Audit Committee Charter 319 Appendix D: Sample Code of Ethics 329 Appendix E: Sample SAS 70 Report 337 Index 339

Review

.,."an informative read..." ("Accounting Technician," May 2006)
..."an informative read..." ("Accounting Technician," May 2006)

Long Description

Up-to-date information on the Sarbanes-Oxley Act legislation Sarbanes-Oxley For Dummies, Second Edition includes 25 percent new content, with coverage of not only the new and revised laws, but also compliance strategies for changed and unchanged guidelines, including expanded coverage of the most challenging aspects of SOX, objective guidance for deciding if staying public or going private is right for a company, privatization guidelines for companies that choose to privatize, and tips on managing financial impacts and benefits in the initial compliance year and beyond. It also provides an implementation framework for firms struggling for compliance and explains key provisions in the legislation. In addition, this straight-to-the-point guide presents a summary of best practices, smart business policies, and invaluable compliance checklists. Jill Gilbert Welytok JD, CPA, (Milwaukee, WI) is an attorney and head of her firm's SOX division. She is the author of Nonprofit Law and Governance For Dummies (978-0-470-08789-3).

Review Quote

..."an informative read..." ("Accounting Technician," May 2006)

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