2024 Insurance Accounting Summit

Education for Insurance Accounting Professionals

Join us for a full day of CPE credits on current issues and topics focused on your role as an insurance accounting professional. Larson & Company has curated content from industry leaders to give you the knowledge to take your company to the highest operating level. Do not miss your chance to network with your peers and learn from leaders in the insurance industry at this day-long educational event. Check out the full agenda listed below.

Date: Tuesday, November 19

Time: 8am - 5pm

Location: Larson & Company's Salt Lake City office, 11240 S. River Heights Dr., Suite 300, South Jordan, UT 84095

Cost: $250 per attendee

Breakfast and lunch will be served.

Full Event Agenda

5 cpe credits will be available for this event

8:00 am - 8:30 am	Welcome Breakfast and Networking: Allison Johnson, CPA, Larson & Company
8:30 am -9:20 am	2024 Utah Laws and Rules Update: Susan Speirs, CPA, CGMA Utah Association of Certified Public Accountants Susan will cover legislative updates and requirements of licensure as stated in the Utah Accountancy Act and the Utah Laws & Rules. A must for any accounting professional in the state.
9:20 am - 9:30 am	Break
9:30 am - 10:20 am	Insurers’ Response to a Changing Economy: Kyle Timmermann, Parkway Advisors Kyle will give an update on the economy and provide guidance on future Fed rate decisions. The discussion will emphasize how the economy is shaping insurers' balance sheets. We will also discuss trends with insurers' investments and strategies to be more competitive.
10:20 am - 10:50 am	Networking break and activities
10:50 am - 11:40 am	Wait, Insurance Companies USE Captives? Tell Me More!: Jesse Olsen, CPCU, ARM, COO of Helio Risk It used to be that captives were just the mechanisms by which better performing customers diverted premium from the commercial market into alternative risk structures. However, many carriers have embraced the strategy to win and keep clients, with some insurers even “going captive” themselves! Jesse Olsen, a captive expert with nearly two decades of experience, will address why insurance companies start captives and give an overview of captive feasibility, implementation, and ongoing management from a carrier perspective.
11:40 am - 1:00 pm	Lunch break and activities
1:00 pm - 1:50 pm	Risk-Focused Exam Basics: Cambria Shore, CFE, MSA, Chief Financial Examiner, Utah Department of Insurance Cambria will cover tips and suggestions for insurers (and those who work with insurers) to be prepared for their next full-scope regulatory examination.
1:50 pm - 2:00 pm	Break
2:00 pm - 2:50 pm	Guide to Investing in an Election Year: Kyle Coffey, CIMA, Capital Group Presidential elections can be divisive and unsettling. At times it seems like the fate of the world hangs in the balance. But when it comes to investing, investors can position themselves for a bright future by maintaining a long-term focus, regardless of the outcome in the voting booth. This session will address top advisor questions about investing in an election year, drawing from analysis of over 90 years of investment data over 23 election cycles.
2:50 pm - 3:10 pm	Networking break and activities
3:10 pm - 4:00 pm	Recent IT Threats and Best Practices for Insurance Companies: Andrew Wan, CPA, CFE and Cameron Hodson, CPA, CISA, Larson & Company In today’s rapidly evolving digital landscape, insurance executives must navigate a complex array of cybersecurity threats and privacy requirements. This course will equip you with the knowledge and strategies necessary to protect your organization from emerging threats such as Business Email Compromise (BEC) and Ransomware.
4:00 - 4:10 pm	Closing Remarks and Raffle Prizes: Allison Johnson, CPA, Larson & Company

Susan Speirs, CPA, CGMA

Susan Speirs has been the CEO of the UACPA since July 2013. Susan has always been involved with the business environment and the profession. She sits on the Federal Funds Commission for the state of Utah, and is a member of the board of directors for the Utah Council for Economic Education and the Jump$tart Coalition for Financial Literacy in the State of Utah. She is a member of the Utah Council of Financial and Economic Education and president Women’s Financial Empowerment Advisory Committee under the direction of Marlo Oaks, State Treasurer. She is also past president of the UACPA and AWSCPA.

Prior to coming to the UACPA Susan had a practice that specialized in small businesses. For twenty-five years, she worked with clients in the areas of construction, job costing and estimating. Along with providing general accounting services for clients, the Company taught its clients what their financial situation meant on paper and how to read their balance sheet and income statement. Clients also learned how to relate their financial statements to their current business climate, how the financing industry interprets the statements and what they as small business owners can do to improve margins and efficiencies while minimizing tax liabilities and continue growth.

Susan enjoys playing with her husband, Steve, of thirty-nine years, two married children and two grandchildren. As a family they enjoy snowmobiling, hiking and music.

Kyle Timmermann

Kyle is the head of Parkway’s business development and insurance consulting divisions. As the business development lead, he pursues relationships with insurers looking to enhance their investment capabilities with a focus on customized solutions. Additionally, he works with Parkway’s consulting clients on strategies to maximize book yield, immunize their ALM, optimize RBC, achieve proper diversification, and model income projections.

Kyle has an undergraduate and graduate degree in finance and economics. Additionally, Kyle is a Registered Investment Advisory Representative.

Jesse Olsen, CPCU, ARM

Chief Operating Officer Jesse Olsen, CPCU, ARM, has been working in the fields of risk finance and captive consulting since 2006 and brings a distinctively client-focused element to the COO role. He is responsible for designing and implementing business strategies, processes, and systems associated with captive management. He oversees operations and supports Helio’s Partners in expansion activities and managing relationships with partners and vendors.

Prior to joining Helio, Jesse was Managing Director and a senior consultant at Strategic Risk Solutions, the world’s largest independent captive management and consulting firm. He had previously led the Specialty Risk Services practice for Lockton Companies’ Texas Series. Jesse started in the insurance industry in Lockton’s Kansas City headquarters. Jesse started off his professional career in the Fixed Income division of Lehman Brothers and was based in New York City.

Jesse earned the Associate in Risk Management designation and holds a Bachelor of the Arts from Yale University with a double major in Economics and Political Science. A lifelong baseball fan, Jesse also manages his boys’ baseball teams.

Cambria Shore, CFE, MSA

Cambria Shore, CFE, MSA, is the Chief Financial Examiner for the Utah Insurance Department. She received her MSA from the University of Phoenix in 2010. Before joining the UID, Cambria was with Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance, working in Wealth Management. Prior to that she worked at First American Tax Service as the accounting department supervisor.

Having been on both side of the insurance industry, she believes in collaborating with insurance companies to raise the quality of their internal controls and corporate oversight. She is also passionate about quality management and holds a green belt in Six Sigma.

Cambria serves as the president of the Utah IASA Chapter and is the SOFE Utah State Chair.

Kyle Coffey, CIMA

Kyle Coffey is a wealth management consultant at Capital Group, home of American Funds, covering Utah and Southern Nevada. He has 12 years of industry experience, all with Capital Group.

Earlier in his career at Capital, Kyle covered North Carolina, South Carolina, and the Atlanta metropolitan area. Before that, he worked as an area sales representative. Kyle also worked in the insurance industry with Pecan Street Insurance, and as a legislative intern.

He holds a bachelor's degree in history from the University of Texas at Austin. Kyle is based in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Andrew Wan, CPA, CFE

Andrew has 10+ years of public accounting experience in both national and regional firms, and specializes in completing audits of public and non-public companies in a wide range of industries. Prior to joining Larson & Company, Andrew spent several years in the Seattle office of PricewaterhouseCoopers in their audit department. Andrew’s experience includes providing attestation and consulting experience in the areas of financial audits, SOC audits, reviews, mergers & acquisition transactions, and fraud examinations, for various industries, including manufacturing, insurance, technology, pharmacy, not-for-profit, franchising, logistics, and mortgage industries.

Andrew has the ability to analyze complex issues and present them in a manner that engenders understanding by associates, management and board members. Andrew is well versed in the “best practices” of internal controls, including the IT environment, of a company. Andrew is able to help many organizations strengthen their internal control environment to prevent fraud by making essential recommendations as part of the audit process.

Andrew currently serves as the head of Larson & Company's Assurance Services.

Cameron Hodson, CPA, CISA

Cameron has enjoyed technology since his BYU classes on information systems communications and databases and obtained his Masters of Accountancy with an AIS Certificate. He works with companies in various types of industries for financial and IT audit, including technology, insurance, not-for-profit, auto dealerships, and employee benefit plans. He has been a key member of Larson’s System and Organization Controls (SOC) practice group. Cameron is an expert at efficiency and organization and has helped the firm streamline its processes around control assessments and report building.

Cameron sets himself apart in his ability to communicate with auditees and the Larson team to coordinate multi-step projects and ensure that each audit engagement is appropriately planned and scheduled. His blend of professionalism and easy-going camaraderie make him a valuable addition to the audit team. Cameron works hard to keep up his technical knowledge and ensures that his clients stay ahead of the curve regarding accounting standard updates and implementation timetables.