CPE Catalog & Events

You have more to do than time to do it. When you finally find the time, distractions steal it away again. As a leader with multiple layers of demands on your time, how can you possibly get it all done? In this course, I will help you learn practical productivity strategies so you can tame your to do list and multiply your time. It’s just wrong for a to-do list to rule your life. Learn how to take back your time…and your life.

It is easy for us to get caught up in our work, but it is better to examine the ‘big picture’ by studying the outside factors that impact our business beyond our internal processes and day to day responsibilities. We are sometimes so busy with our tasks that we miss new developments until the developments have a profound impact on us and the organization. This session is designed to review many of these current trends, while thinking and discussing how these trends can impact our organizations and us. This is a fun and lively session that is intended to be interactive with participants either live, virtual or both. Our ever-changing world is evolving more than many realize.

Lease accounting under FASB ASC 842 is now fully effective for all entities. Transitioning to new GAAP always leads to implementation issues and concerns. This course will answer the most common questions asked related to the latest lease accounting and financial reporting requirements after adoption and transition. 

This program provides a detailed analysis of the calculations related to determining tax basis for a partnership interest. Illustrated examples with filled in forms will demonstrate how the processes works and their many potential pitfalls.  *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

This course allows you to get reacquainted with the statement of cash flows. We will refresh your skills regarding both the preparation and utilization of the statement of cash flows. Significant emphasis will be placed on the informational role of the statement of cash flows and insights that can be obtained using the statement of cash flows in concert with the other elements of a company's accrual-basis financial statements. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

What would you do if you only had one workday to complete a financial statement audit? How would you optimize just a handful of hours? What would you test? More importantly, what would you minimize or eliminate? Although one day is unrealistically short, it illustrates how risk-based auditing can help auditors optimize professional effort. This course emphasizes the importance of risk assessment for enhancing both the effectiveness and efficiency of audit procedures.

Do you use Microsoft (Office) 365? Are you satisfied that you are getting the most that you can from it? If you answered yes then no, this course will provide a really high return on your investment of time and money in this application suite. John Higgins, one of the profession's leading experts on the integration of Microsoft 365 into business, will explain and demonstrate the depth and breadth of the Microsoft 365 ecosystem. The course is designed to raise your awareness of all that you can do with Microsoft 365 and substantially increase your monthly subscription ROI. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

With over 4.3 employees leaving their jobs as of early 2022, The Great Resignation presents a huge challenge for companies as they attract and retain talent. During this course, you'll learn practical strategies you can implement immediately to ensure you have the right tools in your toolbox to win the war on talent. 

Whether your organization is developing a new control framework or seeking to strengthen its current controls, practical development and implementation is critical. This course will review the intersectionality of controls and provide real-world examples and best practices from people to technology and process.  

This course is designed to provide learners with an understanding of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Cybersecurity Checklist and how it can be used to protect taxpayer data. The course will cover the basics of cybersecurity, including threats, risks, and vulnerabilities. Learners will be introduced to the IRS Cybersecurity Checklist, which provides a framework for organizations to assess and enhance their cybersecurity practices. The course will cover the various elements of the IRS Cybersecurity Checklist, including access control, data protection, and employee training. Learners will gain an understanding of the importance of each element and how it contributes to the overall security of taxpayer data. The course will also cover best practices for implementing each element of the IRS Cybersecurity Checklist. Throughout the course, learners will be presented with real-world examples of cybersecurity threats and breaches, highlighting the importance of effective cybersecurity practices. Learners will also be given practical exercises and assessments to reinforce their understanding of the IRS Cybersecurity Checklist. *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.

The next generation of paperless technology has arrived. This session explores how firms are modernizing document management, client collaboration, and internal workflows using AI-enhanced systems and integrated portals. Learn how new-generation (“NextGen or NGX”) paperless ecosystems combine security, automation, and accessibility to streamline client communications and approvals. The session will review leading document management and workflow tools, portal features, and how integration across accounting, tax, and client service platforms drives productivity and compliance. Attendees will leave equipped to evaluate and implement modern document systems that enhance client experience while maintaining robust security and compliance controls.

Many business owners need to pay more attention to the financial planning opportunities and implications when starting, growing and successfully running their businesses. This all-inclusive course brings together closely held business owner specifics, focusing on critical structure and financial planning issues, such as identifying those issues that business owners need to keep on the radar. This session will help determine the goals and objectives of the business owner when selecting or changing a form of the organization concerning start-up costs, control over the operation of the business, personal liability for business operations, flexibility in the process of the company, business structure, continuity and compensation. Financial planning issues to be discussed include cash flow management and budgeting, risk management and insurance, investing, income tax, retirement and estate planning issues.

For each digital asset sale that a broker has affected for a customer in 2025, the broker must complete Form 1099-DA. A broker includes any person who, in the ordinary course of a trade or business, stands ready to affect sales of digital assets to be made by others. This program covers the required rules for reporting digital asset transactions on Form 1099-DA.

In 2006, Congress passed the Tax Relief and Health Care Act. Prior to the Act's passage, rewards to individuals who provided information to the IRS regarding tax fraud were capped at $10 million. The Tax Relief and Health Care Act authorized the IRS to create a Whistleblower Office dedicated to investigating, processing and recovering claims concerning the underpayment of taxes. Under the IRS' new program, whistleblowers may recover 15 to 30 percent of the amount collected provided the taxes and amounts in dispute exceed $2 million. If the whistleblower's claim does not meet these criteria, the IRS may still consider granting an award under its pre-2006 Tax Relief Act discretionary authority. Given the rapid growth of this program, practitioners should have a basic understanding of the procedure and content for IRS Whistleblower claims, both from the perspective of a claimant's potential to recover and a taxpayer's exposure to liability.

S corporation taxation has a lot of pieces. There are helpful elections you can make that can potentially save your client money, but there are also rigid rules to adhere to. For example, if there is more than one class of stock, it can terminate the S corporation election. Learning how to successfully navigate these rules can make all the difference. In this course, we will discuss some of the more common specialty areas experienced by practitioners — late filing relief for S corporation elections, disproportionate distributions, and selling S corporation shares. While these items may not come up on every single Form 1120-S, you will be able to add more value to clients when they do.

Unlock the secrets to understanding a company's financial health and management performance through comprehensive financial analysis. This seminar will guide you through essential tools such as vertical analysis, horizontal analysis, and ratio analysis to gain deep insights into business performance. - Vertical Analysis: Learn how to express each line item of financial statements as a percentage, making it easier to compare companies of different sizes and identify key trends. - Horizontal Analysis: Discover how to compare financial information over multiple periods to spot significant changes and trends, providing a clearer picture of a company's growth and performance. - Ratio Analysis: Dive into calculating and interpreting financial ratios to assess profitability, liquidity, and solvency. Understand how these ratios reveal the effectiveness of management and the potential of the business. This seminar goes beyond just teaching terms and formulas. We will apply these analytical tools to real-world financial data, demonstrating how to derive meaningful insights and make informed decisions. Join us to enhance your financial analysis skills and gain a competitive edge in evaluating business performance. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

You only have one chance to make a good first impression.  In the fast paced world we live in, being able to create immediate rapport and a sense of trust with people is more important than ever.  Fortunately, this is an easily learnable skill that can serve you in both business and in life.  People who can master the one minute relationship end up making more money, being better liked, and enjoying their clients more.  

This course builds on the foundational knowledge from Part 1, Fundamentals of the 1040 - Core Concepts. It expands into business income taxation and additional reporting requirements. Participants will learn how to accurately report self-employment income, income from pass-through entities on Form 1040. This course covers Schedule C, Schedule E, and essential forms such as Form 7203 and Form 7217 to ensure accurate tax preparation for clients with business activities. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

Practitioners that provide non-audit services must strike the right balance between complying with relevant professional and regulatory standards, providing value-added client service, and mitigating litigation and other practice management risks. This course contains many case studies to reinforce best practices for managing the accounting, reporting, and performance issues associated with the attest services of compilations and reviews where reports are issued, as well as the SSARS  preparation of financial statements service and other nonattest engagements.

The amount of electronic content that business organizations contend with is growing at incredible rates. Terms like "Big Data" and "Information Overload", are being used by overwhelmed information workers on a daily basis. Additionally, because of the move to a much larger telecommuter footprint, electronic data is now even more prevalently utilized. This session discusses the places that businesses keep digital information and addresses the importance of securing corporate electronic data. The material effectively shows ways to achieve high security standards for content stored in fixed locations, on mobile devices and in the cloud. Participants in this session will gain an understanding of the concepts needed to improve the way they, and their companies secure digital information. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.