CPE Catalog & Events

Web portals, "low-code/no-code" data collection, and survey tools have changed how we collect data. Modern solutions like Microsoft 365 Forms, Zoho Survey, SurveyMonkey, Microsoft PowerApps, and legacy tools like Adobe Acrobat Forms allow users to create web forms and integrate the resulting data into business process workflows. This session introduces the range of available tools, demonstrates standard features, and shows how tools permit users to expose or conceal questions based on answers given earlier in the survey. Attend this session to learn how to use tools you already own to efficiently collect data from your team, customers, and vendors.  

Thsi course provides a comprehensive overview of Written Information Security Plans (WISP), focusing on their purpose, requirements, and implentation. All PTIN holders must certify they have a WISP prior to renewal, along with certifying the training of employees, staff and contractors as necessary. Participants will explore the history and legal foundation of WISP under the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act, and how compliances is enforsed through IRS Circular 230, AICPA Statments of Standards, The American Bar Associations and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

Penalty abatement is a technique that tax practitioners can utilize to help their clients reduce penalties and interest they owe to the IRS if the taxpayer can prove "reasonable cause". This informative and insightful webinar will provide you with some insider tips, practical steps and effective strategies to help your client manage IRS tax penalties and interest. Learn about various types of penalties that you may face, and the various forms and procedures used for requesting penalty and interest abatement, including First Time and Reasonable Cause abatement. Plus, learn about the procedure to follow when requesting refund of paid penalties. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

Wow! So many new Excel features and so little time! Microsoft continues to add tremendous functionality to Excel - the business professional's tool of choice. Yet most Excel users have not discovered these new tools and remain mired in yesterday's practices for working in Excel. In this session, you will learn how to use many of Excel's latest features to work more efficiently and effectively with your spreadsheets. Participate in this session to learn about recently released features such as PIVOTBY, GROUPBY, Office Scripts, integration with Copilot, new ways to share and collaborate in Excel, and data entry and formula improvements. If you work with Excel - and who doesn't - this session is necessary to help you improve your efficiency and effectiveness when using Excel.

Starting a business is tough! There are lots of decisions to be made and things to think about. You may feel like you have a great idea. You have done your marketing research, developed a prototype, and even looked at locations for your new office. Then it dawns on you.. What type of entity do I need to be? Is there really an advantage to choosing one entity type over the other? In this class, we will dig into the differences between entity types - from taxes to liability. We will also look at the advantages and disadvantages of different methods of accounting. Whether you are a small business owner looking to start something new or a practitioner looking to expand your client advisory services, this course is the one for you!

Specifically designed for preparation, compilation, and review practitioners, this course will provide you with a comprehensive review and hands-on application for performing financial statement preparation, compilation, and review engagements. You will learn the ins and outs of applying SSARS No. 21, Clarification and Recodification, as well as the additional guidance related to SSARS engagements through the issuance of SSARS Nos. 22-25 by the ARSC. The course will also review recent peer review feedback on SSARS engagements, providing insights on how to successfully apply this guidance. Not only will this course bring you up to date on SSARSs requirements and guidance, but more importantly, it will provide you with practical examples and illustrations to help you effectively and efficiently perform compilation, preparation, and review engagements.

Many team members now work remotely, whether by choice or necessity. As a result, questions abound about remote access to desktops and data, security, communications, collaboration, and other considerations in this new normal. When implemented correctly, remote work strategies can be a “win-win” for all involved; however, failed implementations may lead to inefficiencies, security issues, and dissatisfied team members. This session will teach you today’s best practices for working remotely. Specifically, you will learn about various remote access tools, communication and collaboration options, and security best practices. You will also learn about managing and monitoring workflows in remote work environments and tools you can use. After completing this session, you can implement a remote work strategy that yields efficiency, security, and satisfaction to all involved.

In this five part master series, class participants will gain a comprehensive view into the world of forensic data analytics (FDA). From understanding practical use cases of FDA in the audit, internal audit, investigations and proactive monitoring to understanding necessary data sources, validation proceudres, success factors and pitfalls to avoid. We will also explore hundreds of leading anti-fraud tests around corruption, conflicts of interest, fake vendor schemes, segregation of duties, revenue recognition and sales abuse, among dozens of other schemes.  Participants will develop their own library of anti-fraud tests from various open source locations and apply them in relevant contexts such as the COSO Fraud Risk Management Guide. Finally, participants will also peek into future innovations in FDA and how technologies such as ChatGPT, data visualization, machine learning, AI and cryptocurrencies are all impacting the discipline.  We can't promise you'll be a programmer after this course, but you will certainly be armed with the information needed to project manage an FDA project and "direct" the programmers to accomplish your fraud risk / FDA objectives.  

Business Intelligence (BI) is perhaps the hottest topic in most professional circles in today’s business climate. Increasingly, organizations of all sizes seek to take advantage of the data available to them to identify previously undiscovered insights and gain competitive advantages thought to be out of reach just a few short years ago. A growing array of tools – from Excel add-ins to dedicated solutions such as Power BI – now allow you to leverage your existing knowledge and skills to create powerful, interactive dashboards and analyzes unthinkable until recently. This program will teach you to implement “do-it-yourself business intelligence” using various techniques and tools. First, you will learn to use advanced Excel data query and summarization features to create Excel-based dashboards. You will then learn how to leverage that knowledge to build even more powerful BI objects using Microsoft’s Power BI tools. If gaining better insights into your data to make better decisions interests you, then join us for a fast-paced look at how you can take advantage of these fantastic tools. 

Many accountants desire to have a quick overview of only the most current issues in accounting and financial reporting. This course will provide an executive summary of the most important changes in U.S. GAAP. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

Learn the basics of employment law and how they affect best practices to help control the interview and discover hidden talents of applicants.

The tools for managing performance and addressing misconduct are not identical. The failure to point this out to leaders has often resulted in the use of the wrong tool. Reinforcing good performance and securing improvements in performance requires skill in coaching employees, making effective requests, and providing effective feedback. This course provides practical knowledge and scripts for setting, communicating, and enforcing performance expectations, such that personal and employer liability is avoided.

Not-for-profit organizations encounter distinct accounting complexities. This course provides an introduction to the financial statements and specialized accounting principles relevant to nonprofits. Attendees will explore key topics such as net assets, agency transactions, contributions, and endowments, focusing on the unique transactions and account balances that define not-for-profit accounting.

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.

With only a few months to go before the AICPA's Statement on Quality Management Standards 1, 2, and 3 (SQMS 1, SQMS 2, and SQMS 3, respectively), SSARS No. 26, SAS 146, and SSAE 23 are required to be implemented, this course can help you meet the deadline. It focuses not simply on theory but on HOW to perform the steps involved. The Quality Management Suite of Standards must be implemented by December 15, 2025. The standards modernize the firm's approach to quality to reflect an increased focus on risk assessment, technology use, and the presence of outside experts on many engagements. Beginning with performing a risk-based approach, the standards provide accounting firms with the ability to enhance their quality control by shifting their focus to a proactive approach (management) from a reactive approach (control). The results of the firm's risk assessment will form the basis of its new Quality Management document. This is not just a tweak of the old document but a more robust document that adds new requirements from the new standards. We will cover how to perform a risk assessment, including the key provisions of the standards, and how to effectively implement a monitoring plan. We will also review how the firm will evaluate its System of Quality Management beginning in 2026.

Even though the current transfer tax exemption is extremely high to the point that few decedents have a federal estate tax liability, administering an estate is a burden for many family members. In many cases, the family members will look to their professional advisors for help in estate planning and administering an estate. The purpose of this program is to discuss those issues that practitioners with clients involved in estate planning administration need to know to advise those clients. Lack of planning and preparedness in estate issues can cost the heirs time and money upon a decedent's death.

Cash flow management is often the most important task of any CFO or financial leader. Regardless of whether one works in start-ups or established companies, non-profit or for-profit entities, cash flow makes our organizations run. Have you ever wondered whether you are optimizing your company's cash flow? In this course, we will explore how to improve your company's cash flow using analysis and financial theories in the context of real-world situations. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

The updated revenue recognition standard outlines five steps for proper compliance. At the surface, these steps seem simplistic. However, there are many considerations that should be considered within each step based on your process and industry.  

How well do you understand your organization’s cash flow? Good cash management techniques can provide a competitive advantage! This session shows you how to effectively measure and manage your cash conversion cycle. With a more complete understanding of how cash flows through your organization, you can eliminate impediments. Better cash management lowers your borrowing costs, reduces financing needs, and creates financial flexibility in your organization.

Managing and auditing employee spending on personal and corporate credit cards is a challenge everywhere. Legacy manual expense reporting preparation and approval processes are tedious and repetitive and are an excellent place to start your company's use of business process automation solutions. This session will cover a variety of expense workflow tools which use technologies and features like bank feeds, mobile receipt capture, OCR data extraction/filling, automated policy enforcement, and artificial intelligence-based validation to automate and eliminate the tedium. Attend this session and learn how to use automation and cure the expense reporting blues for you and your employees.