CPE Catalog & Events

This Masterclass is a one-hour training to show accountants how they can grow their practice this year through CFO and business advisory services. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

This  session provides HR Professionals with scripts for and tactics for coaching leaders in handling an array of employee relations situations with sensitivity, good judgment, and high confidence.  Topics include employee complaints, personality & attitude problems,  performance counseling, personal hygiene problems, disability-related performance issues, misconduct due to mental conditions. You will learn how to use a unique process, “Reset the Clock,” that prevents attorneys from taking something leaders did wrong or did not do in the past and using it to support legal challenges in the future.  Liability is replaced with credibility. Lawsuits are then avoided rather than won.  Financial assets are protected, morale stays high, and bad publicity is averted. HR Professionals avoid hearing from senior leaders:  “You should have anticipated this” after an avoidable legal claim.

Our session will include a discussion regarding indirect rate strategies for cost recovery.  We will cover negotiating indirect rates with pass-through entities and alternative indirect cost recovery methods. A look at applying the PPP Loan Forgiveness credit.  Understanding the definition of sub-awards and the MTDC allocation base, and where best  to allocate bonus expense.  Included in this session will be a selected review of the Uniform Guidance FAQs regarding indirect rates for States and Municipalities, as well as recently issued FAQs that impact indirect rates and cost recovery.  

The annual budgeting process is often criticized as an accounting exercise that is obsolete soon after it is published, prone to gamesmanship, cumbersome, not volume sensitive, and disconnected from the organization's strategy and risk management processes. You can resolve these deficiencies using capacity-sensitive driver-based projections. Driver-based budgeting allows for quick scenario planning and far easier analysis of a growing organization whose future may look nothing like today. The driver-based budgets can be periodically refreshed to create rolling financial forecasts extending well beyond the fiscal year end. Learn how managerial accounting can become managerial economics.

The budgeting process can be a time consuming and frustrating process for accountants.  The constraints and pressures can lead to poor decisions in both the technical and human components.  This session will cover: Budgeting:  Presenting and Communicating your Numbers •    Now that the budget is complete, how we communicate our plan is critical.  this session reveals some key guidelines in budget presentation and will identify key problems in how people often communicate financial plans. 

Two seemingly similar products can have very different costs, yet many companies are completely oblivious to these differences causing them to lose money or competitive bids.  When companies compete, those with good information win the “gravy” contracts and those with bad information lose money on “dog” jobs.  Attend this session to gain insights on how to win bids for the best opportunities and give the money-losers to your competitors.  Achieve your target profitability in the process.  

In today's fast-paced world, maintaining a healthy work-life balance is essential for mental wellness. This course is designed to provide practical tools and strategies to help you create a balanced, fulfilling life. You'll learn actionable techniques for improving sleep hygiene, incorporating proper nutrition, fostering open communication, and managing stress. Whether you're struggling with burnout, seeking better work-life harmony, or simply looking to improve your overall well-being, this course offers valuable insights and tools to help you thrive. Designed to fit into your busy schedule, it delivers the guidance you need to make practical, sustainable changes in your life, starting today. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

In this webinar we will explore the powerful concept of splitting data from reports and dig into the mechanics that enable this technique. The key feature discussed is the Tables feature, and the key function discussed is the multiple-condition summing function. We will illustrate these items in a variety of ways, including building crosstab style reports and mapping tables.

This course provides a comprehensive analysis of the SECURE 2.0 Act. The principal focus of the Act is to expand retirement coverage and increase retirement savings. As such, the Act has many important changes relating to IRAs and qualified plans. This legislation alters the landscape of retirement planning for taxpayers of all ages. Make sure you are up to date with the latest information available in order to effectively advise your clients on these important changes.

This course is a 'deep dive' into many aspects involving the taxation of real estate for the mid-level practitioner moving into this complex area. You will deepen your understanding of the complex considerations and strategies that individuals must navigate in acquiring, operating, and selling real estate. You will leave the course able to navigate critical issues associated with the relevant returns and plan strategically for your company or clients. We will discuss in detail the impact that recent tax changes have had on the real estate industry, as well as new credits that are available after the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022.

This course explores the increasingly complex features of Excel that facilitate efficient data analysis.  We will introduce numerous analytical methods and techniques by using practical examples to illustrate how to unleash the power of Excel when manipulating, analyzing and reporting information and dive into the powerful, but potentially under-utilized, capabilities of Microsoft Excel.  Designed for sophisticated users willing to approach spreadsheets from a unique perspective, this program encourages users to challenge the status quo by considering opportunities to take acceptable spreadsheets to a new level.

Young doctors sometimes arrive at an exotic medical diagnosis (You've got Kuru!), when a more common place explanation is likely (You've got a cold). These diagnoses are known as Zebras and doctors are taught, "When you hear hoofbeats, think of horses not zebras". Sometimes, the patient really has a rare disease and suffers from misdiagnosis and subsequent improper treatment. Similarly, managers, auditors, and investigators often see indicators of fraud, but dismiss them because they've been taught or assume based upon experience that it is just a mistake that looks like fraud. This session uses case studies to explore some of the more common symptoms of fraud that are often misdiagnosed.

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.

Recent legislation in Congress has provided the IRS with substantially increased funding to bolster its human staff and purchase software that will allow the IRS to audit many more taxpayers in a more effective way. The IRS believes it can target the right kinds of taxpayers for audits so that it will not waste its time on audits that produce little, if any, revenue. The purpose of this program is to discuss the current state of IRS audits and the anticipated increases in the IRS's ability to audit wealthier taxpayers in an efficient way. The course will discuss the state of the IRS's current audits and where the IRS is headed with audits in the coming years. Tax practitioners should also be aware of the state of the IRS's efforts to target efficiencies so as to produce the most revenue.

How does a forensic accountant calculate financial losses? Federal courts have approved various ways to calculate losses ranging from net worth method of proof to the expenditures method. Each method of proof depends on the available facts to the forensic accountant. This presentation will focus on the various court approved methods of proof, when to use them, and how to calculate the total loss. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

This comprehensive 8-hour course explores the pervasive issue of fraud in State and Local governments. Our panel of experts from inside and outside government will provide participants with the tools and knowledge necessary to identify, prevent, and respond to fraudulent activities in State and local governments. The course begins by examining the types of fraud commonly encountered in governmental settings, including financial fraud, procurement fraud, and abuse of power. With our experienced panelists, participants will delve into real-world case studies to understand the tactics used by fraudsters and the impact on public trust, resources, and governance. Special emphasis will be placed on understanding regulatory frameworks and compliance measures designed to mitigate fraud risks.    

Over the next decade, the area of “Advisory Services” has the greatest potential for growth in your practice.  Complexities within your clients’ financial, estate, and asset protection plans coupled with the ever-changing Internal Revenue Code has created an opportunity for the CPA, the EA, and other advisors to expand their client offerings. This course provides the practitioner with the framework for practice expansion as well as an understanding of a variety of necessary issues and techniques.  

The ancient Romans had a saying about using caution when appointing someone to a position of trust, "don't set a wolf to watch the sheep". That saying is in use today and has changed to include "don't put a fox to guard the henhouses";. The thought is similar, but the wolf and fox are vastly different animals. Wolves rely upon their strength to survive while foxes rely on their cunning. Like foxes, fraudsters rely upon their cunning to defeat or circumvent internal controls. This session reviews the investigation of a deputy court clerk who exploited a weakness in internal controls and committed fraud in the courthouse.

SAS 145, Understanding the Entity and Its Environment and Assessing the Risks of Material Misstatement, was issued in October 2021. This audit standard amends AU-C 315, making many changes to address common audit deficiencies. This course will provide an overview of SAS 145 and its changes to AU-C 315.

The budgeting process can be a time consuming and frustrating process for accountants.  The constraints and pressures can lead to poor decisions in both the technical and human components.  This session will cover: Understanding and Preventing Budget Calamities •    Most of us lead or participate in the budget process at least annually.  Inherent flaws exist in the standard budget building process that you can solved by recognizing them and committing to solutions.