CPE Catalog & Events

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.

Accounting and financial reporting for construction contractors may be the most difficult area to be in compliance with the various standards. Also, construction engagements are, in many instances, more "dangerous" than most lines of business due to the many users of the financial statements. In this course, we will discuss why construction accounting and financial reporting are so complex and discuss the relationship between the contractor and the surety, both from an underwriting and claims perspective. We will also explore what the surety looks for in order to maximize potential bond credit.

Implementing ASU No. 2016-02, Leases (Topic 842) is sure to have a major impact on your balance sheet and potentially on your business as well. This course is a one-stop shop for what you need to know about the now-effective changes to the lease accounting guidance. In this course, we will review how to measure the lease liability and right-of-use asset that will now be recorded on the balance sheet for all leases. We will also tackle the tricky issues of accounting for lease modifications and other lease remeasurement events as well as address the other major provisions of ASC 842, such as disclosures and transition. We will also review the income statement treatment of lease expense for all leases for both lessees and lessors and discuss recent FASB implementation guidance. Lastly, the course will cover all recent updates to the originally issued guidance in Topic 842, including that related to discount rates. With Topic 842's effective date here, now is the time to get up to speed on this complex new standard.

This course covers recently issued accounting and financial statement reporting standards from the Financial Accounting Standards Board. Key implementation challenges and experiences from public company filings will be identified. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

This comprehensive training is designed to get the accountant up to speed quickly with the different types of individual retirement accounts (IRAs). The cornerstone of the course is an in-depth coverage of the contribution and distribution rules to the Traditional, Roth, Simplified Employee Pension (SEP) and Savings Incentive Match Plan for Employees (SIMPLE) IRAs. The course will also discuss the basics of the health savings account (HSA) as well as any newly enacted tax legislation related to IRAs. **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 comprehensive training is designed to get the accountant up to speed quickly with partnership and limited liability company (LLC) formation and preparation issues as well as a complete understanding of calculating a partner and LLC member’s basis. The cornerstone of this course is the in-depth line-by-line analysis of the Form 1065 Schedule K and K-1 and how these items affect the partner/member’s individual income tax return. **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

Fraud activities can be executed from within an organization, by parties outside an entity, or by both. Importantly, as the business world becomes more technological, the way fraud is carried out is changing. There must be an increased focus on understanding where new fraud vulnerabilities exist. In this session, we delve into the reasons that both internal and external intentional defalcations take place. The material discusses the new ways fraud is being actuated and looks at the factors driving those that undertake fraud. We spend time examining measures that can be implemented in order to stop fraud via the deployment of added security across the enterprise. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

In this continually revised course, tax advisors will be fully updated on the most recent enacted legislation and IRS guidance, as well as major trends on the horizon with a view toward planning considerations. This update course is designed for all practitioners, both those working in public accounting as well as those in private industry, who need the latest information on tax changes. Please Note: Due to content overlap, it is recommended that this course NOT be taken together with BITU.

This course is an updated overview of the single audit of state and local governments and not-for-profit organizations under the OMB Unified Circular, as well as the applicable AICPA standards for compliance audits. 

The IRS recently released the new Form 7217 for 2024, designed for a partner to report distributions of property received from a partnership. This course dives into the complexity of the partnership distribution rules and their application to the new form, as well as discuss liquidating a partner's interest, Section 751 and the Section 754 election. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

Transform your Excel skills with our comprehensive training program, designed for users at all levels seeking to master the full suite of Excel capabilities. From powerful data analysis tools like PivotTables and advanced functions such as XLOOKUP, to the nuances of Data Validations and Conditional Formatting, this course offers a deep dive into Excel's most impactful features. Whether you're streamlining complex data sets, enhancing your reporting skills, or just looking to boost your productivity, this session provides the insights and techniques you need to leverage Excel to its fullest potential, making it an indispensable tool in your professional or personal toolkit. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

As tax policies and economic conditions continue to evolve, staying ahead in fringe benefit planning is more essential than ever. This course provides financial professionals with a comprehensive update on fringe benefit strategies, ensuring compliance with evolving regulations while maximizing tax efficiency for businesses and individuals. Participants will explore the latest legislative and regulatory updates impacting employer-sponsored benefits, IRC §132 fringe benefits, cafeteria plans, and retirement healthcare strategies. This course also examines ERISA reporting requirements, tax-efficient compensation planning, and healthcare benefits, offering practical applications to help practitioners navigate compliance and optimize benefits for their clients. *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 session explores the importance of internal controls with an emphasis on best practices for small- and medium-sized entities.  We will examine the roles of both preventive and detective controls and practical, cost-effective suggestions for implementing effective internal controls will be addressed.

Sometimes the vernacular of accounting seems more challenging than technical aspects. This session offers suggestions for translating the foreign language of taxation into tangible terms for non-accountants. We explore techniques for simplifying the complexity of taxation terminology. This course will equip you with tools for demystifying tax technicalities so you can help clients and other non-tax professionals grasp fundamental concepts.

Human Resources professionals are often tasked with investigating allegations of employee misconduct, discrimination, and others. Investigation training is traditionally presented from the position of an outsider looking in, such as a governmental agency, law firm, or private investigator. HR investigations require similar skills, but the environment and the approach are quite different. This session provides best practices for gathering and analyzing evidence and reporting the investigation results. Attendees will end the session with takeaways to immediately implement in future HR investigations. Three of three Episodes in the series.

The repercussions from a natural disaster can be devastating. Properly accounting and reporting for the impact of those disasters can be confusing. This course will focus on some of the most FAQ related to the proper treatment of accounting for disasters in GAAP 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.

When a purchaser buys an existing partner's partnership interest or the interest of a member of a limited liability corporation (LLC) taxed as a partnership, the amount paid becomes the basis for the purchaser's partnership interest (outside basis). If the partnership's assets have appreciated sufficiently, the difference between the new partner's inside and outside basis can be substantial. This disparity can deprive the new partner of depreciation deductions and inflate his or her share of the gain from subsequent property dispositions unless a Section 754 election is in effect. The Section 754 election can also apply when a partnership makes a distribution of property and the basis of the distributed property to the partnership and the basis the partner/distributee will take in the distributed property are not equal. In this case, a partnership can recover basis it would otherwise lose if the 754 election were not in effect.

Please join us for a discussion on Treasury Circular 230 and other ethical issues faced by enrolled agents and other tax preparers.  In addition to covering the practice standards espoused by Treasury Circular 230, there will also be an overview of the applicable provisions in the Internal Revenue Code (IRC) and common law which will affect tax preparers.  The discussion will conclude with other ethical issues, such as avoiding conflicts of interest, proper fee structure and maintaining competency.  Also included will be case studies illustrating dilemmas faced by tax practitioners.   **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.  

Workpapers are the primary support for findings, conclusions and opinions on any audit or other attest engagement.  This course will provide the essential tips and techniques for ensuring workpaper documentation is of a high quality, yet efficient, nature.

The Not-for-Profit Advisory Committee (NAC) has been meeting with FASB to discuss the impact of various standards on the nonprofit community. We'll look at the work of the NAC and the impact they've had. We'll then transition to the Accounting Standards Updates (ASUs) issued by the FASB that impact nonprofit entities. We'll review year 2 considerations of the leases standard. We'll also review common nonprofit deficiencies identified in peer review. Once we've wrapped up the accounting update, the course shifts to the audit side of the house with a look at what's going on at the AICPA. We'll review the impact of the changes to group audits as the changes coming down the pike for quality management. This course will keep auditors up to date on the work of the ASB. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.