There's more to corporate performance than what can be gleaned from traditional financial reporting. We know that information on intangibles (also know as “extra-financial” information) plays a major part in investment decisions. One study found that non-financial criteria constitute, on average, 35 percent of the equity investor’s portfolio allocation decisions. But, it is not always readily available. Another study reported that over half of the information investors want is not reported on the balance sheet. This one day conference held in the heart of Wall Street brought together a number of experts and practioners. Dr. Cynthia A. Glassman, Undersecretary of Commerce for Economic Affairs, and former Commissioner of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, was the keynote speaker. Her keynote speech is available online.

For summaries of the conference, see Intangible Asset Finance Society Conference Solidifies Understanding of Emerging Asset Class and IAFS seeks to spread the intangible asset message to the wider business community - Intellectual Asset Management.