CPE Catalog & Events

George Washington once wrote, "We ought not to look back, unless it is to derive useful lessons from past errors, and for the purpose of profiting by dear bought experience." The cost of fraud, dearly paid by governments and nonprofits, is too severe not to learn and profit from. In this course, we will look back at real-world government and nonprofit frauds and derive useful controls to stop them. The course materials utilize a highly illustrative and innovative format. Over 15 focused exercises are included to provide an enhanced working knowledge of fraud and anti-fraud controls to both auditors and industry professionals.

Understand internal control Understand internal control in risk assessment as required by GAAS. Gain an overview of internal control and related key aspects so that you recognize auditor and management roles and responsibilities related to internal control and procedures involved in understanding an entity's internal control in a risk assessment.

As a small business owner or manager, navigating the complexities of HR can be challenging, but it's crucial for your company's success. This comprehensive webinar will provide you with practical, informative, and encouraging tips to help you build a strong HR foundation for your small business. From recruitment strategies to employee retention, legal compliance to company culture, we'll cover all the essential aspects of HR that will contribute to your business's growth. Let's create a thriving workplace where both your business and your employees can flourish.

This session provides a refresher regarding the fundamentals of activity-based costing (ABC). We will examine theoretical concepts before exploring practical possibilities for implementing ABC. A major focus of the course will be factors to consider when determining whether this managerial accounting tool is an appropriate resource for an organization.

Two conmen used lies and falsified documents to convince the State of Tennessee to give them a $3,000,000 economic development grant to create 1,000 jobs by purchasing and rehabilitating a vacant factory in rural Tennessee. Instead, they spent most of the money on an extravagant lifestyle and invested over $1M in a scheme to defraud the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) out of over $30,000,000 pursuant to a contract to provide the tarps for areas such as Puerto Rico, affected by hurricanes. This session provides a detailed case study of how the investigators accumulated, organized, and analyzed hundreds of documents, identified the falsifications and misrepresentations, conducted multiple interviews, and ultimately convicted the conmen. This case study provides multiple takeaways for detecting and investigating grant fraud, which is especially relevant in light of the numerous federal stimulus programs in recent years.

Organizations that use primitive costing methods make predictable mistakes. They allocate too much cost to easy, high-volume "gravy" products and too little cost to difficult, low-volume "dog" products. This puts the organization with inferior information at a significant disadvantage against a competitor who has a better cost model. The secret to having a great cost model is learning how to deal with overhead. This webinar will show you how to assign 16 key categories of overhead. Whether you work in a wholesale, retail, health care, service or manufacturing business. This session will give you important insights into how to handle overhead. If you get your costing right, you will be able to give the "dogs" to your competitors and keep the "gravy" for yourself.

Tax practitioners advising their business clients must be fully informed regarding the multiple loss limitation provisions that apply to individuals conducting businesses and pass-through entities. This program covers the loss limitation rules that tax practitioners must know in order to advise their individual and pass-through entity clients fully and adequately as to when and if a loss limitation applies. The loss limitations discussed in this program start with an introductory discussion of hobby loss rules and graduate to a more substantive discussion of the remaining loss limitations: basis limits, at-risk rules, passive loss limits, excess business loss limits, net operating losses, and the Section 163(j) interest limitation. Knowing when loss limits apply is essential for any tax practitioner. This program will put you in a position to advise clients fully and intelligently regarding each of the loss limits.

Many small to medium sized companies do not properly address the risk that arises related to fraud because these organizations do not have the resources needed to mitigate this risk or because owners or those in top level management underestimate the scope of the issue. All organizations, regardless of size, must be aware of the risks associated with intentional fraudulent acts and know that a significant and effective fraud scheme could even create going concern issues for some entities. In this session, we delve into the reasons that fraud takes place. The material discusses the types of defalcations that are often executed against smaller entities and then explores measures that organizations can implement to help stop fraud activities and add security. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

This course will review the Accounting Standard Updates issued by the FASB that impact nonprofit entities. We will also look at the work of the Not-for-Profit Advisory Committee (NAC) and the projects they are advising the FASB on. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is the hottest topic in technology circles today. And for good reason! AI can help all business professionals – including HR professionals – work more efficiently and effectively. AI tools such as ChatGPT, Gemini, and Copilot are proving themselves daily as valuable assets. These tools can help you automate research, draft documents, summarize emails, analyze Excel data, and even create PowerPoint presentations for you. If you haven't yet explored what today's AI tools can do, you'll want to participate in this session to become more productive and efficient with this very practical technology.

This session explores tools and techniques that can enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of client engagements and business processes using data analysis tools. We will introduce some of today's popular and software tools and examine the AICPA's Five-step approach to incorporating data analytics into public accounting engagements.

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

Client Accounting Services (CAS) have become a cornerstone of modern CPA firms, offering opportunities for enhanced client relationships, recurring revenue streams, and streamlined operations. This course provides accounting professionals with practical guidance on implementing and optimizing CAS within their firms. Participants will explore the foundational elements of CAS, including service offerings, pricing models, and client communication strategies. The course delves into the technology tools essential for CAS, including accounting software, workflow automation, and reporting platforms. It offers insights into best practices for managing client expectations and delivering consistent, high-value services. In addition, participants will examine case studies of successful CAS implementations, review current trends impacting CAS, and identify critical steps to build a scalable CAS practice that aligns with their firm's goals. The course also addresses the importance of data security, governance, and compliance in providing CAS to ensure ethical and professional service delivery.

If there is a potential error, the IRS will assess a tax and add a hefty penalty, without even knowing the facts. As a tax professional, you will be exposed to the IRS and their methods of penalizing taxpayers for the smallest of violations. This presentation will focus on the rules and regulations that create the penalty, and the reasons that exist that the IRS will consider to remove those penalties. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

This course will allow you to get reacquainted with the statement of cash flows. We will refresher 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.

The ability to create and ask good questions as well as the ability to know when someone is being deceptive are important skills for managers, auditors, and investigators. This session will improve your interview techniques and your lie detection abilities. Multiple videos from various movies, TV shows, and public figures showcasing the behaviors of liars are included.

Understanding the complexities of estate and gift taxation can be challenging for many financial professionals, especially those who lack direct experience in this area. In this comprehensive course, participants will gain a solid foundation in Federal estate and gift tax law, providing them with the necessary tools to confidently handle tax compliance issues related to Forms 706 and 709. By exploring the details of the Internal Revenue Code sections pertinent to estate and gift taxation, attendees will gain a thorough understanding of key concepts, including deductions, valuations, and tax credits. This practical knowledge will not only enhance their expertise but also empower them to provide effective tax planning strategies for their clients. Throughout the course, participants will investigate essential topics such as the valuation of assets, deductions for funeral and administrative expenses, charitable and marital deductions, and the calculation of tax credits. By mastering these critical areas, financial professionals will be better equipped to navigate the challenges of estate and gift taxation, ultimately enabling them to provide comprehensive and effective tax planning services for their clients. Whether you're looking to expand your expertise or deepen your understanding of tax compliance issues, this course offers invaluable insights and practical knowledge that can immediately be applied in your practice. **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.

By the nature of our work and training, financial professionals have more personal finance knowledge than the general population. However, sometimes we spend so much time planning our company's future that we neglect or defer taking steps to build our own personal net worth. If you are dissatisfied about the speed that you are accumulating savings, this session will help put you on the right track. Even if you are meeting your goals, this session will provide insights and ideas which will add to and reinforce what you may already be doing.

If sales increase, so should profits.  Yet, the opposite result often leaves executives scratching their heads.  When organizations work with inferior cost information, they make mistakes in four specific situations.  Bad information causes sellers to overprice easy, high-volume work and underprice difficult, low-volume work.  This session discusses how to use activity-based costing data to build accurate costing models that consider far more than just the labor and materials necessary to provide goods and services.  

Unlock the full potential of data analytics with our specialized course, "Leverage PowerBI.com to Create Data Analysis for Others". This two-hour, intensive training is specifically designed to empower professionals in harnessing the powerful features of Microsoft PowerBI.com. Whether you're a data analyst, business intelligence professional, or someone keen on mastering data visualization and report creation, this course is your gateway to becoming a proficient Power BI user. Dive into the dynamic world of data analytics and learn to transform raw data into visually compelling stories that drive decision-making. Our expertly crafted program offers a deep dive into the essentials of PowerBI.com, starting with a comprehensive tour of its interface and core concepts. You'll gain experience in connecting to diverse data sources, creating stunning visualizations, and building interactive dashboards that communicate insights effectively. The course also covers the innovative Q&A feature of PowerBI.com, allowing you to explore data with natural language queries. By mastering the art of sharing datasets, reports, and dashboards, and creating comprehensive apps, you'll be equipped to deliver top-tier data analysis solutions to colleagues and clients alike. Through this course, attendees will gain a deep understanding of how to leverage the PowerBI.com platform to disseminate datasets, reports, and dashboards, catering to the specific needs of their audience. Our course is tailored for those who aspire to lead in the data-driven landscape, offering not just theoretical knowledge but real-world applications. Upon completion, participants will not only have a thorough understanding of PowerBI.com but also the confidence to apply this tool in creating impactful data analysis for diverse audiences. Join us to elevate your professional skillset, make data-driven decisions with ease, and add a valuable credential to your portfolio. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.