2021 Conference FAQ

1. What are the dates of the conference?
A: The conference begins on Tuesday, October 19th and ends at the end of the day on Friday, October 29th. Sessions will begin at 12:00 ET each weekday and end by 4:00 ET. The eight Pension 101 sessions and the eight Pension 201 sessions will take place concurrently on Tuesday, October 19th and Wednesday, October 20th (four sessions each day).

2. What are the Pension 101 and Pension 201 courses?
A: The Pension 101 course consists of eight sessions that provide a general background for a person fairly new to the public pension plan finance profession. The Pension 201 course consists of eight sessions that expand on the Pension 101 course. These courses are included in the full conference registration fee, or you may choose to ONLY attend the Pension 101 or Pension 201 sessions at a discounted price.

3. When is the conference registration period?
A: Registration opens on August 1st and closes at the end of the day on October 1st.

4. How do I register for the conference?
A: You must be logged in to the P2F2 website to register for the conference. If you are not enrolled in our membership system as a member or nonmember, see the next question/answer to get enrolled. Once you are logged in, click on “Account” at the top of the page and then on “Events & Registrations” on the left-hand side menu. You can then register for one of three options: the entire conference, the Pension 101 course ONLY, or the Pension 201 course ONLY.

5. If I’m not in the P2F2 membership system, how do I get enrolled as a member or nonmember?
A: If you are not in our membership system, click on “Membership” on our main page and then on “Member Enrollment.” Follow the prompts to enroll yourself as an “Individual – Active” or “Associate” P2F2 member, an APPFA member, or a nonmember by clicking on the link that allows you to enroll electronically.

6. How much does it cost to become a P2F2 member?
A: Membership dues are $200 per calendar year to become a P2F2 member.

7. What are the qualifications to become a P2F2 member?
A: Membership is open to all employees of public pension plans in North America (and state boards of investment that handle the investments for public pension plans) and becomes effective once dues have been paid. P2F2 also has an “Associate” membership that is available to someone who does not work directly for a public pension plan, but works for a non-profit, governmental entity or educational institution and has job duties that require that person to interact with public pension plans. Examples include legislative auditors, state treasury department staff, and professors who teach pension plan accounting. Associate members are able to attend the conference at the member rate, but do not have regular membership rights.

8. If I become a member now, how long is the membership good for?
A: Memberships are good through the end of the calendar year, December 31, 2021. We no longer provide free memberships to conference attendees.

9. How much are conference registration fees?
A: For the entire conference (including the Pension 101 and Pension 201 sessions), the registration fee is $500 for P2F2 members, $525 for APPFA members, and $700 for non-members. For those who ONLY want to attend either the eight Pension 101 sessions or the eight Pension 201 sessions, the cost is $250 for members and non-members.

10. When must registration payments be received?
A: Registration fee payments must be received by midnight on October 1, 2021.

11. What options do I have to pay the registration fee?
A: During the registration process you can pay by credit card or request that we send you an invoice. If you request an invoice, one will be emailed to you at the end of the registration process. After you receive the invoice, you can pay by check or by credit card any time prior to the end of the day on October 1st. If you would like to make an ACH payment, that can be done as well. Contact Dave DeJonge at information@p2f2.org for banking information.

12. What does the invoice process look like?
A: When you register for the conference, the last step is the payment process. You will have 2 options: “Pay with Credit Card” and “Pay from Invoice.” If you click on “Pay with Credit Card” you can pay immediately with a credit card. No invoice will be generated. If you click on “Pay from Invoice” an invoice will be automatically generated and emailed to you. You can email a check to the address on the invoice, or you can pay with a credit card at a later date by logging in to the P2F2 website and clicking on “My Invoices” on the left-hand side menu. You will be able to either view the invoice or pay with a credit card at that time.

13. The address on the invoice is a PO Box. We are not able to send payments to a PO Box. Do you have a physical address instead?
A: If you must send payments to a physical address, please use the following:
Marsha Volpi
OPERS
277 E. Town Street
Columbus, OH 43215

14. Would my system be able to send you a list of all the attendees with invoice numbers and make one credit card payment?
A: No. We are unable to take credit card information and process payments on your behalf. Credit card payments must be made for each attendee separately in our membership/conference system. You can, however, send one check that covers multiple invoices.

15. Is there an early bird conference rate?
A: No.

16. Is there a group discount?
A: No.

17. Do I need to be a P2F2 member to attend the conference?
A: No. There is a non-member option. Non-members, however, pay an extra $200 to attend the conference (which is the cost of becoming a member), so for the same price, those who are eligible may be better off becoming members before registering for the conference. They would then be eligible to receive other member benefits (newsletters, webinars, etc.).

18. What are the benefits of becoming a P2F2 member?
A: For only $200, members receive the following benefits:

19. Can APPFA members attend the conference again this year?
A: Yes. The cost for APPFA members is $525 to attend the entire conference, or $250 to attend just the Pension 101 or Pension 201 courses. APPFA members must be enrolled in our Naylor membership system as APPFA members in order to register for the conference. If they were enrolled in the system in 2020, they remain enrolled in 2021.  If they were not enrolled in 2020, they can enroll themselves or we can enroll them. There is no cost to enroll in our membership system.

20. What is the cancellation process?
A: Refunds of registration fees will be issued upon written notification received on or before October 1, 2021. Registration cancellations received after October 1, 2021 are not eligible for any refund. Refund requests should be sent to information@p2f2.org. There is no cancellation fee as long as the cancellation notification is received on or before October 1, 2021.

21. Can attendee substitutions be made?
A: Yes, up until the end of the day on October 1st, as long as the substitute is the same “member type” as the person being replaced. For instance, a nonmember cannot be substituted for a member. To make a substitution, send an email to information@p2f2.org. We will request some specific information from you in order to register the substitute. Please note that the way we process substitutions depends on several factors.

22. How will CPE be tracked?
A: The National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA) creates the rules we need to follow as CPE sponsors. We are required to prove that attendees were actually present throughout a session. We prove that attendees are present by having attendees answer polling questions throughout each session. NASBA requires that attendees answer 3 polling questions for each 50-minute session. In 2021 we will be asking 4 polling questions in case attendees have technical problems answering one of those questions. The answers are not “graded.” We are just looking to see if the questions were answered.

23. How many CPE credits can I earn at the conference?
A: If you attend the entire conference, you can earn up to 35 CPE credits. If you register for the Pension 101 or Pension 201 course only, you can earn up to 8 CPE credits.

24. Can a group listen to a session and still get individual CPE?
A: Each person needs to be logged in individually, and each person needs to answer the polling questions online.

25. Will sessions be recorded?
A: Yes, most (but not all) sessions will be recorded, and you will be able to view the recordings once they are posted.

26. Can I receive CPE if I view the recorded sessions?
A: No. You will only receive CPE if you attend a session “live.” We do not have a license to provide CPE credits by viewing recorded sessions.

27. When will CPE certificates be available, and how can I access mine?
A: CPE certificates will be available on or around December 1, 2021. A link to the certificates will be put on the P2F2 website and Dave DeJonge will send out an email to all attendees letting them know how to access the certificates. We use MTS Tracking to prepare and host the certificates.

28. What system requirements should I be aware of?
A: A “Recommended System Requirement” document is posted on the P2F2 website. It can be found by going to the home page and clicking on “Conferences.” Chrome is the recommended browser. Internet Explorer is NOT recommended. Cookies must be enabled. There are often problems if users try to access the conference via a VPN, so we recommend using your personal laptop without going through your system’s network if possible. We also recommend that you whitelist the following URL: https://events.bizzabo.com/P2F2-2021.

29. Can I test my connection prior to the start of the conference?
A: Yes. We will offer a period of time on Monday, October 18th, for you to log in and test your connection.