CPE Catalog & Events

This study examines associations between auditor provided tax compliance and tax planning services and tax avoidance and tax risk. Collectively, our results suggest that companies paying their auditors for tax planning advice are more effective tax planners (in terms of higher tax avoidance and lower tax risk) than firms that do not engage their auditor for tax work. Our tax avoidance results are more pronounced for clients of auditors with more tax expertise and longer tenure, as well as for firms with higher tax and operational complexity. We also find that our tax avoidance results hold only when firms also engage their auditors for tax compliance work, which is consistent with auditors seeking to minimize reputation threats. Our study'sunique hand-collected panel dataset provides a more precise and nuanced perspective on the role auditors play in tax outcomes.

This practical and forward-looking course introduces accounting professionals to the specialized field of forensic accounting, with a focus on how to strategically expand an existing practice into litigation support and investigative services. Designed and presented by Brian Peter Brinig, JD, CPA/ABV, ASA, this course walks you through the full landscape of forensic accounting-from foundational distinctions between investigative and litigation tracks, to the technical, ethical, and marketing strategies needed to succeed in this high-demand profession. You'll learn how to identify profitable niches, navigate the adversarial litigation environment, apply professional standards, and avoid common pitfalls such as conflicts of interest and overstepping professional boundaries. With emphasis on real-world implementation, this course provides essential tools to launch and grow a respected forensic practice grounded in objectivity, credibility, and compliance.

This study uses difference-in-differences (DiD) analyses to examine the consequences of adopting the U.S. critical audit matter (CAM) disclosure requirement for preparers and users of financial reports. The CAM requirement is one of the largest expansions of the U.S. audit report since the 1940s. We document significant changes to financial statement footnotes referenced by CAMs, which suggests an indirect consequence where management disclosure changes in areas that are expected to be scrutinized following auditor-provided disclosure. Results also suggest that, on average, CAM disclosures do not provide incremental information to the market. To further examine market reaction, we develop well-specified prediction models for the expected number and subject areas of CAMs. We find limited initial evidence that the market reacts negatively when unexpected CAMs are disclosed. Overall, the findings provide insights on the new CAM standard and particularly demonstrate its relevance to management disclosure decisions and to the market.

Benefit plan audits, a material but less understood public accounting service, represent a non-audit service that is 'audit-related?' We explore the implications of benefit plan audits for the financial statement audit and find that performing a benefit plan audit for a company significantly increases the likelihood that the firm will be selected as a company's financial statement auditor in the future, particularly for smaller audit firms. Companies that engage the same audit firm for both their benefit plan and financial statement audits have a significantly lower likelihood of misstatements and shorter audit report lags. There is also evidence consistent with the joint provision of these services creating greater bonding and higher switching costs for the financial statement audit. The findings speak to the continued debate over the effective market expansion of financial statement audit providers, audit quality determinants, and audit efficiencies.

Despite the growing interest in blockchain (BC) technology, recent research shows mixed perceptions due to its risks and returns. We utilize event study methodology to examine overall market reactions and to delineate how specific contexts associated with BC technology influence market reactions. Using 149 BC technology adoptions announced between January 2015 and December 2019, we find positive abnormal returns, reflecting investors' optimistic perception toward BC technology adoption. Specifically, we find that abnormal returns from BC technology are higher when used in a transformative strategic role and offered by leading vendors, suggesting that investors view this adoption as a value-enhancing activity. Our results are robust to the use of an alternative sample and different methods of measuring variables. Overall, our study provides insights for academics and practitioners to better understand the market value of BC technology adoptions.

In this 2-hour interactive course, learn how Microsoft'sCopilot brings artificial intelligence into Excel to streamline workflows, automate tasks, and uncover insights faster. Through hands-on demos and real-world examples, You'll see how Copilot boosts productivity, improves accuracy, and enhances decision-making. Whether you're new to Excel or an experienced user, You'll leave with practical strategies to integrate Copilot into your daily work and elevate your data analysis skills.

The nonprofit sector in California is vast and diverse, embodying the spirit of community engagement. While many recognize nonprofits as vital forces for good, their significant economic and potential political influence often goes unnoticed. The year 2025 has brought unique challenges for the sector, characterized by various developments from the federal administration. This course provides a comprehensive overview of the critical role nonprofits play in shaping public life and the importance of their involvement in public policy discussions. We examine the emerging federal challenges to the sector, California'sresponse, and key legislation that will affect nonprofits at both the state and federal levels. This session was recorded on May 29, 2025, for CalCPA'sNot-for-Profit Organizations Conference.

In this innovative course, participants will learn to combine the power of artificial intelligence with the functionality of Microsoft Excel. You will learn how to leverage ChatGPT, OpenAI's powerful language model, to improve your Excel skills and decrease the time it takes to build spreadsheets. The course will include a quick introduction to ChatGPT but the majority of the time will be spent using ChatGPT to create an Excel spreadsheet.

Everyone knows that Excel is the most widely used spreadsheet application in the world today. However, because it is ever-changing, many users are unable to keep up with the latest features and capabilities of this ubiquitous application. In this course,We'll look at some of the most helpful new features and tools that have been added to both the Desktop version of Excel and the Web version. This course is for anyone who regularly works with Excel.

Despite the rising use of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) ratings, there is substantial disagreement across rating agencies regarding what rating to give to individual firms. As what drives this disagreement is unclear, we examine whether a firm'sESG disclosure helps explain some of this disagreement. We predict and find that greater ESG disclosure actually leads to greater ESG rating disagreement. These findings hold using firm fixed effects and using a difference-in-differences design with mandatory ESG disclosure shocks. We also find that raters disagree more about ESG outcome metrics than input metrics (policies), and that disclosure appears to amplify disagreement more for outcomes. Last, we examine consequences of ESG disagreement and find that greater ESG disagreement is associated with higher return volatility, larger absolute price movements, and a lower likelihood of issuing external financing. Overall, our findings highlight that ESG disclosure generally exacerbates ESG rating disagreement rather than resolves it.