CPE Catalog & Events

This section of the four-part series will cover basic Form 706 preparation and help participants develop a solid foundation in preparing the federal estate tax return. It will also cover running the engagement, administration issues and completing pages 1-4 of the form, including the portability election. For example, worksheets and practice resources will be provided. Form 706 Series: Part 1: Overview Including Portability Part 2: Reporting Assets Part 3: Reporting Deductions Part 4: GST Schedule R, Form 8971, Payments & Credits

Most organizations manage their income statement, but many virtually ignore the balance sheet until balance sheet problems create seemingly insurmountable emergencies. This session discusses how to analyze and manage your financial statements more holistically, allowing you to identify and correct balance sheet issues early. How do you choose whether to raise debt or equity" What are the key considerations and the advantages of each" What is the cost of capital" What are the "hidden" balance sheet risks" We will also examine several crucial ideas you can incorporate into your analyses to enhance performance and reduce risk. If you want to enhance your corporate finance skills, this session is for you.

This course explores provisions of Statements on Standards for Accounting and Review Engagements (SSARS) that govern review, compilation, and preparation engagements. Participants will recall foundational concepts, examine recent updates, understand practitioner responsibilities, and apply best practices for engagement performance. Attendees will learn how to efficiently perform SSARS engagements while complying with professional requirements. 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 provides a comprehensive exploration of cost segregation studies from both technical and compliance perspectives, emphasizing what truly distinguishes a high-quality, IRS-defensible report. Drawing from the IRS Cost Segregation Audit Techniques Guide (ATG) and the instructor's experience as a former IRS engineer and Cost Segregation subject matter expert. Participants will gain practical understanding of how to evaluate, perform, and document cost segregation studies. Topics include the fundamentals of cost segregation and depreciation methods, the differences between Section 1245 and 1250 property, and the importance of accurate cost allocations, engineering documentation, and supportable estimates. The course also covers the principal elements of a well-prepared report, common pitfalls that trigger IRS scrutiny, and practical remedies to strengthen study credibility and audit resilience. By the end of this session, tax professionals, engineers, and financial advisors will be equipped to recognize the hallmarks of a quality cost segregation study and avoid costly mistakes in the process. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

This section of the 4-part series will cover basic form preparation of Form 706 and help participants develop a solid foundation in preparing the federal estate tax return. This section will cover running the engagement, administration issues and completion of pages 1-4 of the form, including portability election. For examples, worksheets and practice resources will be provided. Form 706 Series: Part 1: Overview Including Portability Part 2: Reporting Assets Part 3: Reporting Deductions Part 4: GST Schedule R, Form 8971, Payments & Credits

This program reviews and analyzes the important changes made by the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) to qualified small business stock (QSBS) covered under Section 1202. Effective for stock issued after July 4, 2025, there are important changes that make Section 1202 much more appealing to clients willing to run the risks associated with doing business as a C corporation. These enhanced provisions could potentially lead to exclusion of capital gains if very strict compliance rules are followed. Section 1202 application is particularly attractive for start-ups and entrepreneurial endeavors. For taxpayers willing to confront the technical challenges of this provision, Section 1202 may produce impressive tax advantages.

Do you love PivotTables? Of course, we all do! Traditional PivotTables are incredible, but they do have limitations. If you have ever encountered one of these limitations, you'll be excited to learn that by using the Data Model as the source for PivotTables, you'll be able to bypass many of the restrictions that exist with traditional PivotTables. The data model (also referred to as Power Pivot) is included in Excel 2016+ for Windows and available as a free download for previous versions (excluding Excel for Mac). Using the data model enables you to build PivotTables that were previously not practical. If you frequently build PivotTables and would like to do more with them, you'll want to understand how to use the data model (Power Pivot) to enhance your reports. Note about Excel versions: Power Pivot is not available in all versions of Excel, including Excel for Mac. If you would like to see if Power Pivot is available in your version of Excel, visit the Microsoft site.

This session is your practical introduction to AI in the workplace. Designed for professionals in any function from Finance to HR to Marketing and Operations, this course breaks down the AI journey into clear, actionable steps. You'll discover easy-to-use tools, see real-world examples, and leave ready to take your first confident steps toward using AI to save time, boost creativity, and make smarter decisions. Whether you're new to AI or just looking to get started effectively, this session helps you move from curiosity to confident action in just one hour.

For roughly 90% of American retirees, Social Security income will be the foundation of their retirement income. Yet, many are ill-prepared and lack understanding of the critical aspects of making an informed claiming decision. Further challenged to separate fact from fiction, consumers crave accurate information from knowledgeable professionals to make the most out of these coveted monthly benefits. This course dispels common myths about Social Security that lead to confusion and replaces them with the truth to an empowered retirement. Help your clients navigate their claiming age decisions with greater confidence, equipped with the essential truths they should consider before pushing the Social Security "on" button.

Buying and selling a business can be a complex transaction with many tax issues. These issues include whether the transaction is or should be a stock or an asset sale when the business involved is a corporation, as well as the tax consequences associated with the sale of a partnership or a C or S corporation. Accounting and finance professionals who advise clients who are buying or selling a business primarily focus on the tax issues that apply. This program explains and analyzes the tax issues practitioners must address in order to properly advise clients who are either buyers or sellers of businesses.

AI is now built into software that CPA firms already use, and the pressure to have a position on it keeps rising. For most small and midsize firms the question is not whether these tools matter, but how to engage with them on terms that fit a practice built on trust, confidentiality, and professional judgment. This course makes an evidence-based case that professional skepticism is an asset in technology decisions, provided it is aimed at the right target. Drawing on research in trust calibration, human and AI decision making, cognitive offloading, and professional identity, it examines why experienced professionals discount sound algorithmic advice, what that discounting costs in accuracy, and where reasonable caution turns into accidental delay. Participants locate their firm on the AI Trust and Usage Quadrant, apply five trust questions to vendor claims, and review bounded first steps designed to protect independent judgment during a pilot. The course is vendor neutral and recommends no product. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

Microsoft 365 is one of the most widely used business applications software suites used in business today. Microsoft Copilot is the generative AI application that is integrated directly into the Microsoft 365 ecosystem. If your firm or business is a Microsoft 365 user, this course will teach you how to use Copilot AI to optimize the use of your Microsoft 365 apps. This course will provide a comprehensive review and demonstration of how to put Microsoft Copilot AI to work for you and your clients. It is designed as a "hands-on" course that facilitates following along with the presenter to apply the features of Microsoft Copilot on your computer. Practice files will be provided so that you don't have to expose your confidential data. 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 provides a concise overview of the emerging liability, malpractice, regulatory, insurance, and professional-conduct risks associated with CPAs' use of artificial intelligence. Participants will examine how traditional duties of care, competence, confidentiality, verification, and professional accountability apply when AI is used in accounting, tax, audit, and advisory work. Drawing on developments in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom, the course explores documented AI failures, regulatory expectations, insurance coverage gaps, data exposure, and practical controls CPAs can implement to make AI-assisted work more defensible 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 examines actual fraud circumstances through the lens of potential prevention. We will examine how selected frauds were accomplished and consider what internal controls may have prevented fraudsters' ability to accomplish their nefarious acts. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

Employee benefit plan audits present unique compliance and audit considerations that require auditors to remain alert to both recurring issues and evolving requirements. This course addresses current standards and developments affecting employee benefit plan audits while focusing on practical considerations encountered during EBP engagements. Participants will review common compliance issues identified in 401(k) plan audits and considerations related to correcting those issues. The course also covers best practices for audit areas such as participant data, payroll and compensation, contributions and remittances, participant loans, hardship distributions, investments, distributions, investment income allocations, and plan mergers and acquisitions. The program is designed for auditors of employee benefit plans who have basic knowledge of EBP audits and want to review best practices, common compliance issues, and considerations that arise during EBP audit engagements. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

Designed for accounting, auditing, and attestation practitioners at all levels in public accounting and business and industry, this course provides a detailed review of the multitude of FASB and AICPA standards and reports issued over the past few years, including a discussion of the FASB's Stage 3 PIR report on ASC 606. It also provides an overview of recent PCAOB inspection report findings and SEC rulemaking activity. Through hands-on examples and illustrations, this course will help you apply the guidance in practice. We further discuss other important A&A practice matters to be aware of, including an update on the quality management standards and soon-to-be-effective requirements for engagement quality reviews.

What you document matters Understanding different parts of the employee benefit plan (EBP) audit process can help you think holistically about your level of audit documentation. You'll learn the appropriate level of documentation when performing EBP audit procedures, which involves testing items that are not typically tested in audits of other types of entities. Real-life examples You'll also gain insights from real-life examples and solutions as you are guided by a former employee benefit plan expert panel member and peer reviewer. Additionally, reviewing these examples will help you truly understand documentation in an EBP audit and learn best practices for documentation to incorporate into your audits.

The past two years have ushered in an explosion of ransomware attacks affecting businesses and individuals. Many of us read or hear about these attacks, but there is little understanding of how they occur, how a response is undertaken, and how the chances of experiencing one can be reduced. Join us to learn about these topics so you can be prepared with the best response and the knowledge to avoid common mistakes in a ransomware event.

A practical guide to business property transactions A fundamental understanding of the taxation of business property transactions is essential to any tax practice. This course prepares tax professionals to handle the tax effects of common property transactions. Topics include: Depreciation recapture Exchange transactions Dispositions of business property Updated for the effects of H.R. 1, commonly referred to as OBBBA, this learning provides a current view of these essential topics. Tips for achieving an optimal tax result on property transactions Professionals are exposed to important business property-related timing issues and planning opportunities that can lower a client's tax liability. Strategies laid out in the course empower practitioners to consider the timing of recognizing gain and loss to achieve tax savings. Part of Tax Staff Essentials Level 2 This self-study online course is part of Tax Staff Essentials Level 2, a comprehensive learning program that provides experienced tax staff with the technical training required to gain independence.

Reconciliation is how you confirm that your QuickBooks Online checking accounts, savings account, credit cards, loan balances, and liabilities are correct. If you don't reconcile correctly every month, your reports will be wrong! Even if you use the QuickBooks Online banking feed, it's not a guarantee that your bank balances are correct. And when you have extra or missing transactions, your Profit & Loss and Balance Sheet are wrong! Reconciliation is the monthly step to confirm your checkbook balance, credit cards, liabilities, and loans have been entered correctly. The problem is that most businesses reconcile the transactions that ARE on the statement, but ignore the ones that are not. That's not Reconciling, that's "reconciling," and the result is that you may be paying your taxes wrong! In this class, not only will Alicia show you how to reconcile properly, but she'll show you how to trick out the interface to finish in seconds instead of hours. Even better, learn how to identify errors in your accounting data by how they appear in your Reconciliation window. Use reconciling as a troubleshooting tool for duplicated entries, misclassified categories, transactions coded to the wrong funding source, and receipt captures that didn't match the banking feed. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.