CPE Catalog & Events

The well-informed tax practitioner will want to attend this two hour program in order to stay current on recent updates on partnership tax! Content includes recent court decisions on partnership tax issues as well as current IRS procedural updates for passthroughs. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

In a competitive economy, CPA's  and their firms need a way to stand out. The best way to do this is to give outstanding service to your clients. In this experiential workshop, you’ll learn skills that lead to dramatic client satisfaction. In addition, you'll learn several specific ways to guarantee you'll get a lot of word of mouth referrals that will lead to a dramatic increase in your number of clients.

If you... - Produce or revise dashboards and reports - Find your current reports and dashboards confusing - Are frustrated by the length, complexity and structure of your existing reports - Have many different styles of dashboards and reports in use and want to simplify things - Need to create a consistent “house style” that can be replicated by different teams - Want to look like a star by creating reports and dashboards that your internal customers love ... this workshop can help. In this session we explore the principles of what makes reports and dashboards easy, or hard, to understand, distil this into a simple set of rules and show you how to apply these rules using Excel.

Stay ahead of the curve with this essential training designed for not-for-profit accountants and auditors. This course provides a comprehensive update on the latest developments impacting nonprofit financial reporting and auditing. On the accounting side, we will review the latest FASB standard-setting activities affecting NFPs, including programmatic investments and their interplay with the CECL standard. Additionally, we will explore the IFR4NPO project, a global initiative aimed at establishing universal financial reporting standards for nonprofits. Transitioning to auditing, this course covers the 2024 Yellow Book updates, the shift from quality control to quality management, and key audit matters with early adoption options. We'll also address Single Audit updates, GAO reports on improper payments and fraud, the Financial Data Transparency Act (FDTA), and recent Department of Education guidance on related parties.

Have you ever met an accountant who exhibits solid technical prowess but possesses lackluster communication skills? It is not unusual to meet a savvy accountant who is a technical expert but could enhance the delivery of written and spoken words. This course is designed to help CPAs improve their written and verbal communication skills. Participants will learn how to tailor communication to their audience, with particular emphasis on techniques for crafting a message that effectively conveys technical information in an engaging manner. The course's author will share personal success tips gleaned from more than two decades of experience communicating myriad topics to a variety of audiences. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

This highly informative course comprehensively covers all the latest tax law developments. The focus is on individual taxation and discussion of the planning opportunities practitioners need to understand to help clients respond effectively. You will come away from the course with the up-to-date knowledge to educate your individual tax clients and implement tax-saving ideas that will serve their ever-evolving needs. This course is continually updated to reflect enacted legislation. Please Note: Due to content overlap, it is recommended that this course NOT be taken together with BFTU.

This session will focus on the most common types of fraud in the procurement and contracting arena, with a focus on fraud in construction.  The session will examine fraud vulnerabilities in the four key phases of the procurement process: Presolicitation. Negotiation. Performance. Closeout and Claims.  Within each phase, “red flags” will be discussed.  These are the indicia of possible fraud that managers should be alert for.  Also, within each phase, the most common fraud schemes will be highlighted and discussed.  Finally, the session will describe the generally accepted safeguards or controls that should be established to prevent the various fraud schemes that can occur.  This part of the program will make extensive use of actual fraud case studies designed to demonstrate fraud risks and fraud detection strategies.

An advanced guide to prompting techniques that maximize AI efficiency and precision in everyday business research, operational due diligence and accounting tasks. Designed for accountants with no prior AI knowledge, the session explores how simple language and strategic prompting can unlock powerful, layered responses from large language models (LLMs). Participants will learn to overcome the "lazy" defaults of AI, using specific techniques to enhance detail, accuracy, and contextual understanding in their queries. By understanding prompt engineering's role, attendees will discover how to guide AI to provide practical, relevant, and analytical insights suited to complex financial scenarios, without needing extensive technical expertise. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

This program addresses the critical issues and special opportunities facing S-corporations, with a focus on reporting shareholder basis and distributions. **Please Note:  If you need credit reported to the IRS for this IRS approved program, please download the IRS CE request form on the Course Materials Tab and submit to kori.herrera@acpen.com.

Protecting yourself from ransomware requires more than just anti-virus software. Additional technology protections are necessary. Further, business continuity, legal and regulatory, and cybersecurity insurance considerations should all be a part of your risk abatement strategy. Attend this session to determine if your current level of ransomware protection reduces your risk to an acceptable and identify ways to ensure that you are protected.

Ready to slim down your team and maximize efficiency without sacrificing quality? This session breaks down how to leverage tech and automation to fill workflow gaps, build a strong tech stack, and connect tools seamlessly. Learn how one proven tech stack replaced more than half a traditional team while improving client satisfaction and reducing overhead. Walk away with practical steps to streamline operations, automate repetitive tasks, and focus your resources on what really matters. Attendees will gain practical insights into streamlining operations, automating repetitive tasks, and focusing resources on high-value activities. The session also includes an exclusive look at a proven tech stack used to replace over half a traditional team, offering actionable steps to create a leaner, tech-driven, scalable firm. Perfect for firm owners ready to rethink staffing, reduce overhead, and embrace the future of accounting efficiency. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

This two-hour course provides a comprehensive overview of the IRS collection process, guiding tax professionals through each stage, from the initial notice to enforced collection actions. Participants will gain insights into taxpayer expectations during the collection process, as well as strategies for resolving tax debts. The course highlights when to use Form 433-A or 433-B, the documentation needed, and the criteria for submitting an Offer in Compromise (OIC) to settle tax debts for less than the full amount owed. Attendees will also learn about the various payment options available and practical approaches to advising clients. *Please Note:  If you need credit reported to the IRS for this IRS approved program, please download the IRS CE request form on the Course Materials Tab and submit to kori.herrera@acpen.com

Strategic Planning for SMEs

Leaders were once chosen for their character, but today we live in an age where loudmouthed extroverts seem to take center stage in everything, including business, politics and entertainment.  While the talkative, charismatic leader makes the front page of business magazines, recent research shows that successful business leaders tend to be more reserved, pensive and sometimes outright shy.  Learn why your desire to spend significant time inside your own head may be your greatest asset. Whether you are introverted or not, you likely work with, manage or are a related to an introvert.  We will discuss proven methods to better understand introverts, how to manage them, and how to get the most out of their amazing talents.  If you want to enhance your leadership skills, this seminar is for you. 

Stop struggling with PDFs! Adobe Acrobat and other PDF tools provide access to features that make working with PDF files a breeze. In this course, you will learn how to use tools and features such as PDF forms, redaction, converting PDFs to Word and Excel files, and electronic signatures. You will also learn how to create and apply tick marks, build indices, catalogs, and portfolios, and secure PDF documents to their fullest. The popularity and usefulness of PDFs increase daily, but most PDF users have not learned how to manipulate PDF documents effectively. Accordingly, they struggle and strain with these standard files. You do not need to let this be the case. Join us in this very timely session where you will learn the top features necessary to optimize your work with PDF documents.

The ACFE/COSO Fraud Risk Management Guide (FRMG) was published in 2016 (and updated in 2023).  It has quickly gained acceptance as the set of best practices for preventing, detecting, and thus deterring fraud. The fraud landscape is constantly changing and evolving. The FRMG sets out a rigorous set of principles and leading practices for managing fraud risk for forward-thinking organizations to follow.  It covers: How to establish fraud risk management governance. How to conduct rigorous fraud risk assessments. How to design and implement fraud control activities. How to establish reporting mechanisms and investigative procedures. How to monitor the overall fraud risk management program. Fraud risk can be managed.  All anti-fraud and accountability professionals will benefit from this session's focus on effective fraud risk management.

The new field of Positive Psychology offers many methods and ideas for helping people be happier, healthier, and better at what they do.  Nowadays, the ability to be at your best and get clients to enjoy working with you is critical to growing your business or getting ahead.   Studies show that happy people make $750,000 more over the course of their life than unhappy people, have half the number of sick days, and live 9 years longer.  In this fun and fascinating seminar, you’ll learn how to not only be happier, but help your clients be happier in working with you.

If a great leader is someone we are willing to sacrifice for – what do those leaders do that makes us want to do more? Many of us work in dysfunctional organizations that want followers, but have no leaders that lead. What makes a leader effective? True leaders sacrifice, they are trustworthy and they empathize. We discuss the steps to take so you can become a true leader: including, integrity, humility, communication, self-control and self-awareness. With diligence, you can become a better leader and we will discuss how.  

*** Save 15% on this event when you use the code SPRING25 at checkout ***If you are a practitioner who wants the latest information on tax changes affecting your business clients or employers, then you should take this enlightening course. You will learn invaluable knowledge, strategies, techniques, innovative tax-planning concepts, income-generating ideas, and other planning opportunities available to S corporations, partnerships, LLCs, and LLPs. Continually updated to reflect enacted legislation.

You'll learn about crypto lending and borrowing considerations when accounting for digital assets under U.S. GAAP.