CPE Catalog & Events

Robotic process automation (RPA) possesses several features that may give rise to similar but also new adoption effects (both benefits and challenges) relative to other information technology (IT) implementations. This study adds to the accounting and emerging technologies literature by examining the beginning-to-end process through which RPA is implemented in the accounting function. We adopt an exploratory and case-centered research methodology based on a mature RPA implementation in an accounting setting. We further corroborate it with interviews with subject matter experts and compare it with another case study of an early-stage RPA implementation. We identify five themes related to RPA adoption in accounting functions: workforce, IT governance, privacy and security, system sustainability, and the measurement of RPA success.We'll also present key takeaways that may support effective RPA adoption in accounting.

Robotic process automation (RPA) provides organizations numerous benefits in achieving efficiency and effectiveness, but not without risks. Without proper management, the risks posed by RPA may outweigh its intended advantages. RPA risk management has received little attention in prior accounting research and practice.We'll discuss risks and control considerations important to achieving the return on RPA investment and maintaining the integrity of the automated processes, substantiated by interviews with RPA and risk professionals. Our interviewees suggest that RPA risk management provides incremental value in addition to risk management of Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems, that the skillset needed for RPA risk management may be missing among risk professionals, and that existing risk and control frameworks must evolve for RPA risk management.

Health-related decisions are encountered in every life stage. Making good choices can have a major impact on personal happiness and financial success. Managing the risk of a financially catastrophic illness requires thoughtful analysis of personal, tax and financial factors. Acquire a better understanding of medical insurance options for individuals transitioning to retirement, including long-term care insurance, Medicare, and Medigap plans.

Unlock the secrets to building and expanding a successful Client Accounting Services (CAS) practice in this dynamic and informative session. As the accounting profession continues to evolve, CAS offers an incredible opportunity to provide high-value and recurring services to clients, setting your firm apart and driving sustained growth. In this session, you will delve deeper into the essential components that contribute to a thriving CAS practice, including best practices for client engagement, innovative service offerings, and effective marketing strategies. By understanding the nuances of CAS, you will be equipped to navigate the challenges of the modern accounting landscape and capitalize on emerging trends that can enhance your service delivery and client satisfaction. This session was originally presented and recorded at the CalCPA Members Club Summit, August 2024.

Big changes are coming - are you ready? By December 15, 2025, firms must comply with the new Statement on Quality Management Standards (SQMS). Understanding these requirements is the critical first step toward implementation. This on-demand course breaks down the most significant SQMS requirements, helping you navigate the changes with confidence. With the deadline fast approaching, don't wait to prepare; get the insights you need to ensure compliance and strengthen your firm's quality management system today.

Are you'ready to excel in the Certified Public Accountant (CPA) exam and advance your career in accounting? This course will provide you with the essential tools and knowledge needed to succeed in this demanding examination. You will explore the key components of the CPA exam, including its structure, sections, and time allocations. Additionally, you will learn effective exam preparation strategies and techniques to overcome exam anxiety. The course will also cover strategies for mastering complex topics, test-taking approaches, and actionable takeaways that will enhance your confidence and readiness. By the end of this course, you will be well-equipped to tackle the challenges of the CPA exam and take significant steps toward achieving your professional goals in accounting.

This intensive 2-hour course is designed to unlock the potential of array formulas in Microsoft Excel. Array formulas are a vital tool in Excel for their unique ability to perform multiple calculations on one or more items within an array, making them indispensable for complex data analysis and calculations. They enable users to write fewer, more powerful formulas, leading to cleaner and more efficient spreadsheets. This course is tailored to enhance your data analysis and spreadsheet management skills by delving into the advanced aspects of array functions.

This course provides a comprehensive overview of two critical aspects of tax practice: the professional standards that govern the provision of tax advice and the legal privileges that protect certain taxpayer communications. Participants will explore the statutory, regulatory, and professional requirements imposed on CPAs when advising clients, including how to effectively communicate tax positions and comply with applicable standards. In addition, the course examines the scope and limitations of confidentiality privileges available to CPAs, including protections under Internal Revenue Code Section 7525, the work product doctrine, and the Kovel doctrine. Through this combined focus, tax professionals will gain a deeper understanding of both their ethical responsibilities and the legal considerations that impact their client relationships.

Tax professionals must navigate a complex landscape of tax elections and procedural requirements to ensure compliance and minimize risks for their clients. Overlooking an election or procedural rule can lead to adverse tax consequences, missed opportunities, and even malpractice claims. This course provides a comprehensive overview of critical tax elections and procedural issues that CPAs must understand. Participants will explore key tax elections, their implications, and potential pitfalls. Additionally, the course delves into essential tax procedures, including IRS return due dates, statutes of limitations, taxpayer claims for refunds, and various relief provisions. By mastering these areas, CPAs can proactively manage risk, ensure compliance, and effectively represent clients in tax matters.

This course is designed for CPAs seeking to deepen their understanding of federal tax-exempt status and the complexities of Form 990. Participants will explore the core form and schedules, gaining insights into public support requirements, compensation disclosures, and governance policies. The course covers critical topics such as direct and grassroots lobbying, private benefit and inurement, and special rules for activities like advertising and bingo. Attendees will also examine the implications of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) and recent regulatory updates, including mandatory e-filing requirements. By the end, learners will be equipped to ensure accurate, compliant filings and effectively navigate the nuances of tax-exempt organization reporting.

This course equips CPAs and financial experts with practical strategies to deliver clear, confident, and defensible testimony during direct examination. You'll learn how to prepare effectively, structure your testimony, and communicate complex financial analysis in a way that judges and juries can understand. Topics include advance case preparation, file documentation and privilege awareness, scripting direct testimony, using courtroom graphics, and managing credibility under legal scrutiny. Real-world examples and best practices are shared to help you strengthen your effectiveness, maintain independence, and avoid common pitfalls in litigation testimony.

This course dives deep into key supplemental schedules of IRS Form 990, giving you clear insights into public support tests, lobbying activities, and essential financial and compensation disclosures. Learn the rules, spot common mistakes, and discover practical planning strategies to strengthen your nonprofit'sreporting and stay compliant. This session was recorded on May 29, 2025, for CalCPA'sNot-for-Profit Organizations Conference.

Surveys and field studies find that diverse teams are high-performing teams. Diverse teams value different perspectives and encourage the participation of team members through psychological safety, leading to higher team performance. Team diversity is an office-level characteristic, that is distinguishable from other characteristics studied in prior auditing literature, that has an incremental effect on audit quality. The positive association between team diversity and audit quality is robust to controlling other audit office and client characteristics. This positive association is even stronger for more complex and non-routine audit engagements.

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.