Sabane Oxley Act Community Forum http://www.sarbanes-oxley-forum.com/

The Sarbanes-Oxley Act was signed into law on 30th July 2002, and introduced highly significant legislative changes to financial practice and corporate governance regulation. It introduced stringent new rules with the stated objective: "to protect investors by improving the accuracy and reliability of corporate disclosures made pursuant to the securities laws".
It also introduced a number of deadlines, the prime ones being:
- Most public companies must meet the financial reporting and certification mandates for any end of year financial statements filed after November 15th 2004 (amended from June 15th).
- smaller companies and foreign companies must meet these mandates for any statements filed after 15th July 2005 (amended from April 15th). The act is actually named after its main architects, Senator Paul Sarbanes and Representative Michael Oxley, and of course followed a series of very high profile scandals, such as Enron. It is also intended to "deter and punish corporate and accounting fraud and corruption, ensure justice for wrongdoers, and protect the interests of workers and shareholders" (Quote: President Bush). The Sarbanes-Oxley Act itself is organized into eleven titles, although sections 302, 404, 401, 409, 802 and 906 are the most significant with respect to compliance (Sarbanes Oxley section 404 seems to cause most concern) and internal control. In addition, the Act also created a public company accounting board. Perhaps one of the most remarkable aspects of this legislation however relates to its profile. It is very much in the public and media arena. The focus is certainly intense in this respect, creating yet another clear motivation for compliance. There is simply no escaping it! USEFUL RESOURCE:
A copy of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act itself can be obtained in PDF format from HERE

http://www.soxtoolkit.com/

The Sarbanes-Oxley Compliance Kit includes the following:

THE SARBANES-OXLEY GUIDE

This is a detailed summary of all the act itself.. in plain English! It covers all the important sections, and even includes a set of definitions. It should provide substantial assistance in understanding the main features and requirements.

Further Information on the Sarbanes-Oxley Guide (including Sample Pages)

A MANAGEMENT PRESENTATION: CORPORATE CERTIFICATION OF FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

This is a detailed presentation covering the key aspects of the legislation, specifically sections 302, 404 and 906(a). It is supplied in PowerPoint format for that you can edit and adapt it for internal use.

More Information on the Presentation (including Sample Pages)

CORPORATE GOVERNANCE COMPLIANCE ISSUES

This extensive document explains the key issues that management should be considering when seeking to achieve compliance with the stringent Sarbanes-Oxley requirements.

More Information (including Sample Pages)

CORPORATE GOVERNANCE COMPLIANCE CHECKLIST

This checklist is provided to enable each organization to check its level of compliance against the governance requirements described above.

More Information on the Compliance Checklist (including Sample Pages)

THE SARBANES-OXLEY AUDIT CHECKLIST

This self-assessment Audit Committee Checklist is designed to simplify the checking of your own Audit Committee to insure full compliance with the requirements of the act.

More Information (including Sample Pages)

SARBANES-OXLEY AUDIT COMMITTEE GUIDE

One of the most significant aspects of the act pertains to the demands placed upon the Audit Committee of the company in question. This guide sets out the main requirements of the act in respect to this, and provides an insight into the key activities that an Audit Committee member should be familiar with. Also includes a draft Audit Committee Charter.

More Audit Committee Information (including Sample Pages)

ADDITIONAL MATERIAL

The Sarbanes-Oxley Compliance Toolkit contains a variety of other items designed to assist the compliance process:

Sarbanes-Oxley Internal Controls

This working paper offers guidelines and advice regarding the establishment of internal controls and responsibilities.

How to Use the Compliance Toolkit

This document explains how the Sarbannes-Oxley Compliance Toolkit is structured and describes the key features of the various parts of the kit.

More Information (including Sample Pages)

PURCHASE THE SARBANES-OXLEY COMPLIANCE KIT

We are pleased to be able to offer all these items within the definitive Sarbanes-Oxley Compliance Kit. To purchase and download directly to your PC for a special price of just $199, simply visit our Purchase Page.