CPE Catalog & Events

Be the go-to person on financial statement compilation and preparation engagements. Specifically designed for those performing preparation and compilation engagements, this course will provide you with a hands-on application for performing preparation and compilation engagements under AR-C Section 70 and 80, respectively. You will learn the ins and outs of relevant sections of the SSARS related to preparation and compilation engagements with a focus on how recently issued updates to SSARS No. 21 impact these engagements. More importantly, you will be provided practical examples and illustrations to help you effectively and efficiently perform those engagements, including a detailed discussion of the reporting requirements under AR-C 80 related to compilation engagement. Lastly, the course will review recent peer review feedback on these types of engagements, highlighting areas where you can improve engagement quality.

Power BI - Bringing It All Together for Data Analysis is an advanced-level course designed for professionals looking to integrate and optimize their use of Microsoft Power Pivot and Power BI. Building on the foundational knowledge from previous courses, this session focuses on the crucial next steps after creating data models and measures, guiding participants on how to fully utilize the potential of these tools to uncover insights and create impactful, actionable visualizations. This course takes a deep dive into the critical aspects of using Power BI to its fullest potential, emphasizing a holistic approach to data analytics. You'll learn how to build a streamlined workflow, ensuring every step in your data journey contributes to actionable insights. The course also focuses on optimizing performance for data models, utilizing advanced features of Power BI Services, and moving beyond basic data models to create advanced solutions tailored to real-world business needs. By the end of the course, you'll be able to synthesize all your Power BI skills to design and deliver powerful analytics solutions tailored to any audience. Whether you're presenting to stakeholders, sharing insights across teams, or managing enterprise-level reporting, this course will equip you with the tools and strategies to succeed. Perfect for Power BI users looking to tie all the pieces together into a comprehensive, efficient workflow. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

Good judgment works well in handling most employee relations matters. However, there are special situations where legal requirements dictate specific handling to avoid significant personal and employer liability. This course provides practical knowledge and scripts for responding to requests for accommodation regarding religious practices or disabilities, confronting employees in substance-abuse situations, and handling disclosures of contagious infections so that individual is properly helped, and the health of your workforce is protected.

Sampling is an important method for determining the extent of testing controls, testing compliance, and tests of substantive details. It allows the auditor to apply procedures to less than 100% of the population yet extend results to project likely conclusions about the entire population. This module will describe the proper process for both attribute testing and variable sampling in financial statement and compliance audits.

In today's world, AI hype bombards us from every direction. Every system seems to boast magical AI capabilities, leading to confusion and overwhelming information. This course cuts through the noise to reveal the true, practical applications of AI for your business today. Our goal is to give you real world examples of using AI on a day-to-day basis, with a clear understanding of its particular strengths and limitations.

We all make predictions in our personal and professional lives. We base our decisions to marry, buy a house, launch a new product or hire staff on expectations about the future. In the past few years, research into improving predictions has advanced. We will look at this research and current best practices in forecasting to help us prepare better budgets and projections. 

Many people that use Microsoft Excel know a great deal about the functionality of the application. There are, however, a tremendous number of hidden tools that a high percentage of users overlook. Additionally, there are newer features that some have not had the opportunity to explore. This session shows some of the numerous time-saving tools and features that often go unused by spreadsheet creators. People that wish to become more efficient when using Excel should take this session! This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

Charts and graphs are nothing new. However, many professionals struggle with building compelling visualizations. If that statement describes you, participate in this session to improve your skills in creating Excel charts and other visualizations. As a result, you will create visualizations to enhance your communication skills. This session is much more than just a seminar on fundamental charts. Instead, in this session, you will learn how to create advanced charts that are interactive, dynamic, and aesthetically pleasing – three qualities that will help to ensure that your readers and audience will understand the data you are presenting. This seminar is a must if you want to improve your communication skills.

This presentation highlights the latest legislative changes affecting depreciation and capitalization rules, including inflation increases and Section 179 and 168(k) deductions. Planning and potential pitfalls will also be presented.  **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.

Financial statements are a window into what is going on in the day-to-day operations of the company. They help us see what the company's strengths and weaknesses are. However, financial statements can often have different messages depending on the user. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

Get ready to elevate your tax game with the Business Tax Update, designed exclusively for tax practitioners looking to sharpen their skills in business income taxation. This course doesn't just scratch the surface – it thoroughly explores the complexities of the tax code, ensuring you're equipped to navigate the ever-evolving tax landscape with confidence. From recent legislative updates to complex tax considerations like COVID-19-related subsidies, this course covers it all. Gain practical strategies and insights that you can immediately apply to assist your clients in optimizing their business income tax planning. Don't miss this opportunity to stay ahead in business taxation and enhance your expertise in a rapidly changing regulatory environment. With a focus on real-world application and comprehensive exploration of essential topics, the Business Tax Update promises to be a game-changer for your tax practice. Whether you're dealing with partnership, corporation, or LLC taxation issues, this course provides precise guidance tailored to diverse business clients. Plus, you'll gain invaluable insights into recent legislative changes, including their implications on tax code sections like Section 199A. Stay at the forefront of business taxation and ensure you're delivering top-notch advice to your clients by enrolling in this essential course today. **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.

Human Resources professionals are often tasked with investigating allegations of employee misconduct, discrimination, and others. Investigation training is traditionally presented from the position of an outsider looking in, such as a governmental agency, law firm, or private investigator. HR investigations require similar skills, but the environment and the approach are quite different. This session explores these differences and provides best practices for planning, executing, documenting, and reporting the results of an HR investigation. Attendees will end the session with takeaways to immediately implement in future HR investigations. 

Unlike a traditional financial audit objective (Are the financial statements materially misstated), performance auditing can address a wide variety of objectives.  Is this program working? Can it be improved? Where can we save money? How can we operate more efficiently and effectively? Are management’s assertions supported? And so forth.  This session will explain what a performance audit is, describe the applicable standards, and provide examples that indicate the value of a performance audit.  Performance audits can add value to any entity and practitioners can profit from adding these assurance services to their practices.

Financial statement forecasting is essential for predicting a company's future financial health, guiding strategic decisions, and attracting investments. By analyzing historical data, market trends, and assumptions, businesses can anticipate risks and opportunities, enabling effective planning, resource allocation, and long-term stability and growth. - Forecasting Process: This involves projecting future income, expenses, and resources. By leveraging historical data and market insights, businesses can predict financial health, shaping strategic planning, investment decisions, and risk management. - Forecasting Profitability: Predicting future earnings informs strategic decisions, investment planning, and resource allocation. It facilitates effective budgeting, cash flow management, risk assessment, and enhances attractiveness to investors for sustainable growth. - Forecasting the Balance Sheet: Analysts forecast to predict a company's future financial position, assessing growth potential, solvency, and capital structure. This informs investment decisions, strategic planning, and risk management, ensuring financial stability and growth. Join our webinar to explore these concepts with a practical example, guiding you through the forecasting process and demonstrating its practical applications in real-world scenarios. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

Financial skills needed in many situations are constantly changing.  It is prudent to routinely look into your toolbox to restock or revise your tool set.  In this course we will examine three tool categories that form the foundation for many analytical processes.

This course is tailored for business leaders and HR professionals who want to enhance their strategic management skills and create actionable plans for success. You’ll learn the overall strategic management process, how to develop both simplified and detailed business and strategic plans, and the crucial role of corporate culture, leadership, and staff development in driving or hindering strategic outcomes. Additionally, you’ll explore how to leverage ChatGPT (Generative AI) as a powerful tool to improve your performance as a key business partner to the management team, helping you make data-driven decisions and enhance organizational effectiveness.

Construction accounting is not just about revenue, but it is a lot about revenue. Leases too. Diving deep into the five-step approach for revenue recognition in the construction industry, this course has all of the rules and interpretations that you might need. Further, practical examples help to drive home the learning. Additionally, leases are critical for contractors. From equipment to warehouse space, leases appear prominently on many contractors' book. Review the current guidance and begin to understand the new guidance under ASC 842. Program features: Detailed discussion of the guidance under FASB ASC 606, Revenue from Contracts with Customers. Examples and exercises to understand the five-step recognition process. Detailed discussion of the guidance under FASB ASC 842, Leases. Reasons why leases are so important to contractors. A walkthrough of both current and future lease guidance.

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.

Budget methods are the key to allowing department managers to efficiently prepare their budget in Excel. For example, a budget method may be to spread prior year actuals or match prior year actuals, or match prior year actuals less 10%. In this webinar, we will explore how to allow users to pick a budget method from a drop-down list for each account and then have Excel perform different calculations depending on the budget method selected. We use several features and functions at the same time to pull this off. Even if you are not involved in the budgeting process, the underlying features and functions discussed have a wide range of uses.

Strategic Planning for SMEs