Continued Professional Education - Key Audit Matters - April 23, 2018

To help keep track of my attempt to keep up with my Continued Professional Education (CPE) I will either paste the link to the site or  write some notes on the topic or the article, so here goes:

Key Audit Matters (KAM)

In the past, some firms of accountants would discuss Key Audit Matters either at the planning stage of the audit and at the end of the audit with some updates being provided on the topic during the audit either in the context of things moving as expected based on:

• Past knowledge of the client: what was important to their business, suppliers, vendors (Porter's 5 Forces -  https://www.bing.com/search?q=porter%27s+five+forces&form=EDGTCT&qs=SC&cvid=df6d7bf411a24563a5e5cfdb89b3289a&refig=a014fdd666d34e2e8ecfe23347f7b1f6&cc=US&setlang=en-US ) their people: retiring or incoming persons; key and or material from the point of view of salaries, benefits and other considerations and the possible impact on the company,
• Updates in the industry in which the client operates: what has happened in that industry or what may happen within three months of the end of the financial year. These conditions can have an impact on estimates, values, expectations and  the need for cash or the need to obtain additional sources of funding.
• Updates on the world economy: What has emerged from a technological point or what agreements have been signed globally, such as the Paris Climate Agreement which may take a number of years to implement and for which there may be updates. Linking the impact of these agreements to the possible impact on the company or the country may add value to the audit.
• Changes in local operating conditions: the emergence of  or decrease in the number and size of competitors, 

Some of the KAM's may have been positioned in other terms such as Risk and over the years terms may have changed, so that what may have been termed a potential error may have become a Risk and may not be a KAM.

However according to  the article which may be accessed via the link, details on KAM are included in the Audit Report and has increased the information which is to be provided to the shareholders, investors, the users of the financial statements and such.  What is noteworthy in addition to the KAM is that compensation of auditors may be subject to change based on the use of their technical knowledge now and going forward.

However, here is an extract from the article which was written by Phillip Smith: "At a time when investors, regulators, even preparers and auditors, complain that financial reports have become too long, it seems ironic that auditors are now required to provided much longer, more detailed reports. Since December 2016, and in the case of the UK some time before this, auditors who are governed by International Standards on Auditing (ISAs) have had to produce extended audit reports for their listed clients. The move has marked a shift away from the binary, two-page audit report to one that provides unprecedented levels of transparency of the work carried out by the auditor."

Here is access to the article via the link:

http://www.accaglobal.com/caribbean/en/member/member/accounting-business/2018/04/insights/audit-reports.html

A visit to the St. James Library - Project Management A Strategic Planning Approach

I visited the St. James Library late in the afternoon, to return a book which had been located and to restart my formal reading.

My first choice of books to borrow was a children's cook book with beautiful pictures of children working on various snacks, breads and cookies. ( Yes, lots of learning there)

My second choice after much wandering around the upper floor which had a Young Adult Reading section and returning to the ground floor was a Project Management "A Strategic Planning Approach" (PM) book by Paul D Gardiner  which was published by Palgrave Macmillan in 2005. Here is a link to Amazon which would allow you to view the book: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Project-Management-Strategic-Planning-Approach/dp/0333982223

While the PM book has ten (10) chapters which carry information which can assist in our lives be it our "donor self", our learning and growing self, my reason for borrowing the book was  because I  believed that I could  read the "stories" or the case studies as the formal learning persons would term the stories in the time allotted and I would accomplish some development, that is if I could not read and absorb the whole book.

So here is a list of the titles of the stories or Project Management In Action  which were placed from the back of the book, that is the last chapter to the front or the first chapter:

• The $26 million "Oops!"
• Albion Sugar Company
• DataSys knowledge transfer programme
• Taj Mahal  Cycle Taxi  Improvement Project (This is the first story which I saw which made the book look interesting)
• Maritime Helicopter Procurement Process
• Easy Finance Ltd
• Roadkill the movie
• A PC banking project (https://www.amazon.co.uk/Project-Management-Strategic-Planning-Approach/dp/0333982223)
• The making of a city technology college

So read and enjoy

Originally posted on Facebook - Sept 12, 2017

Scenario Planning II- September 12, 2017
Modification to Scenario Planning I where Jennifer is the recipient of a Cash Pot Ticket for a different amount and intends to use the funds over a period of time.

Assumptions:

1 Jennifer, a former Chartered Accountant is the recipient of a Cash Pot ticket which, when cashed yields approximately $25,000.



2 Jennifer has been developing an agricultural practice on the side, which she intends to continue with in the future.


At this time, she has sprouted turmeric, ginger, tomato, and some other seeds. She will make some of these available to Rich/Dave/Mike (anyone of 3) and they will share the income in the future.

Currently she treats the agricultural practice as Business Development.

3 Jennifer resides in an area which is subject to inclement weather and other disturbances.

4 Out of her monthly drawdowns, Jennifer intends to contribute to the place where she will continue to practice and hold her agricultural supplies

5 Jennifer intends to use the cash received in #1, over a twenty four (24) month period starting from the date on which the ticket is cashed, of Sept 16, 2017.

6 On day 1 of the receipt of cash and in each subsequent month on a similar date, Jennifer will take a drawdown for personal use which she will use to meet food needs and any other needs as identified in the assumptions. One can use a value of $600 as the monthly drawdown for Personal use. If you like, you can treat this scenario as a Math sum.

7 Jennifer will take ten (10) months allocation of Business Development Funds on day 1 of the receipt of cash with the next drawdown on a date to be determined.

8 The minimum amount which the bank will be accepting with respect to fixed deposit placements is TT$5,000 and for short terms of three (3) months, six (6) months or nine (9) months.

9 Jennifer intends to hold $800 as emergency funds.

10 Jennifer has incurred debt to a third party and intends to repay the debt over time.

As a commitment to repaying her debt, on Sept 17, 2017 she pays "Rick" (an associate of RIch/Dave/Mike) $5,000 with a request to handle the payment for her.

She also provides him with about 20 mini lime/lemon trees, about five (5) avocado trees which have sprouted roots, with the intention that she hands him more sprouted seeds as they develop.

Required:
1 Develop a Cash Flow, Financial Plan and any other Plan which you see as necessary for Jennifer which will take her through the use of her $20,000 receipt as identified in #1.

2 Identify any practices which you see Jennifer adopting to develop skills and practice her learnings during the twenty four month period.

3 State your assumptions.


Background:
I meet persons with different skills, ideas and experience and very often we apply and conceptualize things differently.


For some persons, they may get stuck with the small values which are described above and may experience difficulty moving into providing a response.


Some persons may question the expectations and may not see some of the opportunities which are available.


Some persons may excel at this type of scenario and some may use words to respond and yet others may write their responses.


Feel free to comment on this, practice a working or an essay and let me know what moved you.

Originally posted on Facebook - Sept 25, 2017

To those who read my posts frequently, here is an update on the scenario where I received a winning Cash Pot Ticket for $TT20,000 and intended to use some of the cash over 24 months in a Business Development:

1 The Business Development is intended to increase the size of operation of what is currently a hobby or what used to occupy a minute part of my life financially and or in terms of hours and knowledge.

The Business Development area which I have selected is Gardening - Container & Leasehold land, however in this situation I am covering Container Gardening for a period of time.

2 Expectations with respect to Container Gardening:


The cost of the containers may be written off over a number of years or planting periods due to:
a) Durability and expected use of containers over a number of periods
b) Development of knowledge of different plants;
c) tbd - to be determined
d) tba - to be assessed

3 Soil

Soil, like the containers may last for a number of periods, however additional nutrients may need to be added periodically, hence the cost of the soil may be written off to expenses for the first 3 years as follows:

Year 1 Top Soil: Purch - 50% Exp, 50% Deferred Expense
Year 1 Promix: Purch - 75% Exp, 25% Deferred Expense

Year 2 Top Soil: Purch - 50% Exp, 50% Deferred Expense
Year 2 Promix: Purch - 75% Exp, 25% Deferred Expense
Yr 2- Yr 1's Top Soil - 10% Exp, 40% Deferred Expense
Yr 2 - Yr 1's Promix - 10% Exp, 15% Deferred Expense

Year 3 Top Soil: Purch - 50% Exp, 50% Deferred Expense
Year 3 Promix: Purch - 75% Exp, 25% Deferred Expense
Yr3 - Yr 2 Top Soil - 10% Exp, 40% Deferred Expense
Year 2 Promix - 10% Exp, 15% Deferred Expense
Yr 3- Yr 1's Top Soil- 10% Exp, 30% Deferred Expense
Yr 3 - Yr 1's Promix - 5% Exp, 10% Deferred Expense

Purch - Purchase
Soil mix, brand & periods of purchase are subject to choice.

It is assumed that an organic approach may be used for this venture, due to preferences. 

Should a person wish to use fertilisers of any type, the terms and conditions may be modified to take account of this request and expectations.

Each year the soil content, the harvest and the project may be assessed with respect to the following:

Weather conditions, damage, accidents, financial stability of the venture, exit strategy and new ventures.

More frequent assessments, such as a six week assessment may be performed and as needed going forward.

4 The estimated drawdown for this Business Development over the two year period or a twenty four (24) month period is $4,800.

Funds may be accessed for a budgetary period of up to ten (10) months in the first year.

At the end of the first ten (10) months, a decision as to the way forward is to be determined.

In the allocation of the funds received, approximately two thirds of the funds were allocated to Personal Expenses.

However there was the option to invest the funds in the short term, to provide security for the facility and to generate a return and to develop a history of good credit during the period and with respect to this project.

The above information may be used as part of:

~ An assessment of accounting knowledge and practices,
~ An assessment of agricultural practices
~ An assessment of Report Writing, Grammar, mathematics, knowledge of a business or a lifestyle practice.

Disclaimer: I am not advocating gambling nor am I stating that I have won a Cash Pot, the value was obtained from a Cash Pot Payout slip which is available to the public. Each day the payout may differ.

copyright Jennifer N Bailey September 25, 2017 email
jennifernbailey24d@gmail.com

Originally posted on Facebook - Scenario Planning 2017-10-11-001:

Jennifer is the holder of 4 winning Cash Pot Tickets of $30,000 each.


She plans to cash them in and place 30 fixed deposits of $4,000 (or less*) each at the bank.


Each month two deposits will be placed. In some months an additional two deposits will be placed.


The bank accepts deposits for periods of 1 month, 3 mths, six months and 1 year.

Taking into account that Jennifer intends to:

Pay Green Fund Levy and Business Levy (local qrtly taxes) on the income generated from the fixed deposits*, and

Pay the above taxes as late as possible while still meeting the statutory deadlines,

Hold some of the deposits so that at a point in time there is flexibility, what terms would you suggest that the deposits be placed for?

A starting plan to the above will be provided in another post.

Feel free to try the above out, as the $4000 amount can be $400 or more, depending on where you are with your savings.

Originally posted on Facebook - Nov 23, 2017 - Collecting Cash Pot Payout Slips

Every so often I collect the Cash Pot Payout slips and I try to imagine what I would do if :


I played several combinations of numbers or 

If I actually won in one of the categories for which the prize changes every day depending on the multiplier which is "generated" and the number of plays for the day.


So here is some information on one of the ideas which I have jotted down as being a good choice for a big win:

Commit to payments towards electricity, telephone and food for a year (12*700 =$8,400)

Remember these are contributions and are not intended to meet the full amount which is due...

So here is my idea of what my $500 towards the Food would be spent on:


P.S. The electricity and telephone payments are to be made monthly to develop the habit of tracking money and reducing costs as quickly as possible.

1 - 5 "packs" of soup materials; (each item in the pack weighs about 1/2 a pound and the estimated cost of a pack is about $10. Total cost is $50.

Given that there are items which may not last a month in the fridge, I would buy these items weekly. Alternatively, if there is space in the deep freeze, you can peel items like pumpkin and freeze it until you are ready to use it.

This soup is light weight and the actual cost can be increased by adding other items, such as green figs, cassava, dasheen. Examples of items in the soup pack are: split peas, potatoes, carrots, pumpkin, garlic, ginger.

Additional sides which can be added are: a sandwich to add some depth to the soup or dessert.

2 $100 - Flour, butter, etc. This is a 10kg bag of flour which can cost about $60, so there is $40 to spend on "flavourings and rising agents such as yeast and baking powder"

3 $150 - Cheese - This works out to 2 pieces of cheese @ about $15.00 each for 5 weeks.

Look at the unit price of cheese and shop around until you get a low unit cost. If there are less than 5 weeks in the month, then you may have a saving of $30. in that month.

I buy cheese on a Wed and I try to not buy extra pieces during the week. The size of the household also impacts upon the use of cheese. 3/4 of one piece of cheese can contribute towards the Sunday lunch, ( a grater with small holes helps in this situation).

4 $100 - Potato, pumpkin, beans - This is about $20 in potato, pumpkin and green beans per week and does not take into account the cost of taxi fare or use of a vehicle. If there are less than 5 weeks in the month, then you may opt to save the 5th week's $20.

Between #1,3, 4, there are savings of $60 which can be put away. At the end of the year, there will be savings of $720 for food emergency money. A Money Market account at UTC would make life easier with respect to keeping this savings separate to your other savings.

I was pleasantly surprised by a colleague who visited on an assignment and he indicated that they use their car on weekends as it was cheaper to use the train or bicycle to work.

Also, once upon a time in my life I lived by buying things according to recipes as I did not know about buying things and winging it towards cooking. Other persons did not readily understand my thinking as I felt less stressed when I had money to be flexible and they felt that they needed to have the groceries to cook according to what they wanted.

5 $100 - Mayonaise refill packs ( about 2) buy as you need it; eggs about 2 dozen again, buy as you need it.

The above represents a contribution towards the meals in the house and excludes Sunday lunches, breakfast and dinner on most days. The items in #4 tend to provide for some of the other meals.

I would add another hundred and twenty dollars $120. and buy about 3 sets of 5 tins of sardine and tuna which would be fillers towards breakfast, lunch or dinner depending on your schedule. (P.S. I got the benefit of a Price Smart card which someone paid for, hence the prices.)

If there are any cans left over at the end of the month, then these can either be used as a saving or "sold" to a colleague with the money being put in the UTC MMF account referred to #4.

I actually had some other options re contributions of $500 towards the home which were:

$250 towards milk for: tea, coffee, oats, cornmeal porridge etc.
$250 towards meat, be it minced meat or pieces of chicken.

The above are purchased weekly to allow for flexibility and discounts which become available at different times.

Enjoy the options and let me know what you think....

Btw, I know that there are many persons who are trying different options to make things different in their lives and this has been part of one of the modifications which we have made in ours...

For some persons, having their year start at another point in time actually works for them as they see their results in a different time and way to others.

Update: April 2, 2018 - I have not stuck to the plan re the food choices, however I have discovered other choices with respect to food, which I may share in another post.

Originally posted on Facebook - Dec 30, 2017

I wonder how many persons will read and believe the following post:

"I practice thinking up, what I would do, if I had xxx or yyy.

I try to think things through in a way that I may not be exposed to if I relied on where I currently am or where I may be in awhile.

I try to use concepts which I have studied and put them into practice so that my brain does not vegetate because of my day.

Also I try to make each hyperbolic (exaggerated) situation as realistic as possible because sometimes instinct tells me, say this now"...

So for all those who believe that I have won the Cash Pots, I am sorry for upsetting you,. I would enjoy playing the game however right now I am more excited about writing about something to do with the money than trying to win some...

My brain freezes each time I try to guess some numbers

Originally posted on Facebook - Financial Planning Tip April 23, 2016 - 001 Becoming Self sustaining in these times

If I were running a business, in this age where I can provide services to foreign customers I would:

Open a foreign currency account according to the currency in which I am being paid,

According to the service which is being provided and perhaps

According to the geographical location of the client.

In marketing and auditing this is known as dis-aggregating the population, with the population being the funds which I hold in the account, representing the clients!!!! 

This would provide an easy way to track my customers and provide follow up service!!! 

Imagine if I were exporting a good instead of a service, then I may not be able to charge VAT!!!

Of course I may not want the headache of getting items to the airport, too cumbersome!!!

Originally posted on Facebook -Financial Planning Tip April 23, 2016 - 002 VAT (Value Added Tax) Planning Strategies

For most businesses which are registered for VAT, April 25 is the due date for filing their return for a two month period.

At this time, the company or individual is already into the first month of their next VAT cycle!!!

So how about investing some time in your business and start looking at the export market for items where there may be a demand for the good which you have!!!

I know that for some products you may not think that there is demand, however given that persons' tastes are changing, according to season and age (think demographics) then look at what pairings you can provide: oats and cinnamon, ginger (tea powder) a small pack of dark brown sugar, currants or pineapple in the tin and liquid full cream milk!

Offer the option to remove any one of the items and increase the quantity of another according to the customer's preference and request.

Another option that I am currently trying for flavor is cream of wheat, cinnamon and tumeric ( recipe is provided upon request :) ).

With Eid and Divali coming at later times in the year, packages of the components of sawine can be exported from now as persons may be interested in having an alternative dessert or easy drink from now, or better yet parsad!!!

Originally posted on Facebook - Financial Planning Tip April 23, 2016-003 ~ Scenario Planning.

For some persons there is a plan for today's living, there is:

The worst case scenario and there is the "absolutely worst case scenario" 

In some instances the "absolutely worst case scenario" may be living on retirement income (read T&T NIS retirement benefit) for an absolutely long time!

Well, for an optimist, living on that amount of income may not be much of a challenge as:

There may be things that they learnt that come back "naturally" into play, partly because they may work by instinct in lots of ways and

There is the creation of a flow to things that makes everything seem effortless.

For them, during the " "absolutely worst case scenario time" they may take the "bull by the horns" and try to make the "retirement life" work and resolve some of their current costs (read outflows), so that they are facing the next phase of their actual retirement in a better position!!!

Of course they may have fun along the way as they enjoy challenges and creating solutions!!!!

The trick may be to determine when you are willing to try something new and having someone tell you, ok, let's try something else!!!

Originally posted on Facebook - Planning Tip - January 30, 2017 - Understanding the differences

Sometimes we may view ourselves as Sole traders, Individuals, Partners and we may never see ourselves as part of a Company or operating in the form and structure of a company.

I would suggest that to get ourselves to an understanding of where the other side is, that as far as possible, get something such as a blank corporation tax return or a partnership tax return and examine it.

Look at the differences.. As an individual, what do I do differently? I pay rent, now where would I put that in the company's tax return if I had to report on that? What would be the information which I would need to complete a receipt if I had to track my information correctly? Can I flip my understanding, my knowledge if I had to receive rent instead of pay it?

Have a look at the forms and see if we can spot the information and all of the spaces which may be required?

I am now laughing at myself,

Originally posted on Facebook - Planning, Meetings & Delivery - Part II

Here is an update on my foray into a new line of business which was outside of my usual lines...

After completing the work a little early of the agreed date, I prepared my distribution /disbursements vouchers with the following information:

Items which were to be returned to the client - listed by category and dealing with the items according to the headings which were listed on the receipt or receiving document which was issued to the client on day 1.

A list of the files which were created with an estimate of the number of pages per file.

Additional information: This covered the disbursements which were made for which I was to receive reimbursement on the day of delivery.

So how did it go overall? The client expressed satisfaction and I think that the following areas covered his feelings:

He did not have to make two trips as we had previously agreed.

He was able to view his equipment, see that it was in good working condition.

He was also able to view the files which were created on his equipment

He received prints which he had requested a bit later in the week.

This reduced his efforts in what probably was a busy week.

How did I feel?

I was happy to be of service.

I got a time out to reflect and practice some skills.

I realized that I wanted to play with some of his documents and insert images. However that would have made his work more similar to some of my early posts on my blog where my focus was faith, works of art and the practice of faith. So I resisted the urge...

Will I try this type of work again? Yes, There can be a quick turn around, flexibility to deal with things and try things and the work was interesting....

Originally posted on Facbook - Financial Planning Tip November 23, 2015 -001 Alimony Payments~

Here is some information in relation to Alimony Payments.

This was extracted from the "Instructions on Preparing the Income Tax Returns"

"17. Alimony or Maintenance

Complete Schedule B, on Page 3.

(a) The full amount of maintenance or separation allowance paid to a spouse under a Deed of Separation or

by a Court Order including a Magistrate’s Court Order is allowable."

http://www.ird.gov.tt/Media/Default/IRDForms/2014/F-400ITR--2014.pdf