Fair Value Measurements of Financial Instruments: Audit Considerations

Overview

View financial instruments on multiple dimensions.

This CPE course will assist you in developing tests of controls and substantive tests for financial instruments with an emphasis on viewing financial instruments on multiple dimensions. You will examine how the differences in those dimensions affect financial reporting and review examples of control objectives, related controls, and illustrative tests of controls for financial instruments. This course also covers:

• General auditing considerations
• Internal controls related to financial instruments
• Risk-based auditing
• Valuation of financial instruments
• Concluding and reporting

Highlights

Key Topics

• Definition of financial instruments
• Planning considerations when auditing financial instruments
• Testing of financial instruments in audit
• Risk-based auditing and valuation of financial instruments

Prerequisites

None

Objectives

Learning Outcomes

• Identify the significant risks and relevant assertions in assessing the risk of material misstatement of financial instruments included in the financial statements.
• Identify the key concepts of professional skepticism to the audit of financial instruments.
• Indicate whether it is appropriate to engage or rely on an employed valuation specialist during a financial statement audit that includes financial instruments.
• Identify key elements in understanding the entity that will assist in evaluating the appropriateness of the entity's segregation of duties and the effectiveness of management's valuation approach.
• Identify activities that can be performed by the internal audit function related to the valuation of and control procedures for financial instruments.
• Identify considerations management should apply when relying on third-party pricing specialists and other valuation specialists.
• Recall the audit requirements for assessing the appropriateness of impairment loses related to financial instruments and reasonableness of management's reported fair value measurement.