CPE Catalog & Events

The term "artificial intelligence" (AI) has become mainstream and while most have a layperson's understanding of AI, few know the depth and breadth of this technology's capability. AI is affecting just about everything in business and in people's personal lives. The operation of an internal control system is also changing because of this incredible advancement. This session explains what AI is and how it works and then goes into detail about how it can be applied to a system of internal control. The material speaks about changes occurring in today's world as well as what's coming in the not-too-distant future. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

Fraud continues to plague businesses at epidemic levels, and technology control failures are a significant reason fraud occurs. Using a case study approach, in this session, you will learn about the pervasiveness of fraud, the control failures that contribute to fraud, and what you can do to mitigate fraud risk. A specific focus of this course is the application of information technology general controls and information technology application controls. In this course, you will examine numerous reported fraud cases and identify the general control and application control failures that contributed to each of these frauds. By learning through these real-world case studies, you will be positioned better to reduce fraud risk.  

This course has significantly changed for the better the lives of a significant number of practitioners and their clients. Participants will learn a step-by-step process for performing an annual personal financial health checkup for themselves, family members, employers, and, if in the practice of accounting, their clients. This course is loaded with practical aids to enable CPAs to help individuals get a "great" financial health checkup result! This course will enable practitioners to add a huge value to their tax preparation services. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

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.

Properly designed and effectively operating internal control over financial reporting is critical for preventing, or detecting and correcting, material misstatement. This course describes how to satisfy the audit requirements related to taking a control reliance strategy by testing the operating effectiveness of internal controls, while promoting an effective and efficient financial statement audit. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

Enhance your productivity and streamline your accounting practices with ideas learned in this course. This dynamic program, designed specifically for accountants seeking a competitive edge, delves into the practical applications of ChatGPT in your daily workflow. From conducting comprehensive research and crafting compelling correspondence to swiftly addressing technical inquiries and optimizing Excel formulas, you will gain invaluable skills to expedite your tasks and improve overall efficiency. Furthermore, we will delve into the power of ChatGPT plugins, equipping you with the knowledge to process PDF documents seamlessly and efficiently navigate the vast expanse of the web. Join us on this transformative journey and unlock your potential as a proficient and empowered accountant.

Collaboration is a key to productivity and success. But remote work can make collaboration more challenging, including collaborating on spreadsheets. Fortunately, tools such as portals with check-in/check-out capabilities, version control, comment tracking, and co-authoring can enable online spreadsheet collaboration. Further, Excel’s Inquire tool can facilitate spreadsheet collaboration in offline environments. Don’t let remote work hamper your spreadsheet collaboration needs! Participate in this session to learn how to collaborate on spreadsheets effectively from anywhere using tools you already own or license.

Every business will be sold eventually. When you have built a great business and decide to move on – you want the most you can get for that terrific organization! What are the steps to take to maximize the value realized? What do buyers really want? What are the three levers to achieve maximum value? If you want top dollar, preparing to sell takes years of planning. This seminar helps CEOs, entrepreneurs, CFOs, Board members, controllers, and their advisors prepare for a successful sale of the organization to maximize shareholder value. We will outline the process to get the most bang for the buck. Proper exit planning demands planning and time.

The course explains why you need more than Google to search the Internet and highlights a rich constellation of alternative search engine applications. The session also explains how to set up your own customized online research management platform, and discusses dynamic search strategies (two-step, vertical and lateral searching) that can be used to gain an extra edge when using any search engine. Participants will walk away with scores of new knowledge sources and streams that will complement their use of Google and improve their online research power. 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 finance professionals have used different forms of automation over the years to improve the efficiency and accuracy of their work. So far, technology has not been able to replace the knowledge, experience, and decision-making of seasoned professionals. Times are rapidly changing. Today, systems easily exceed humans in accuracy and consistency. Artificial intelligence (AI) brings opportunities for accountants and finance professionals in the short term to improve efficiency and accuracy, while providing more value for businesses and customers alike. In the long term, AI will offer profound changes to how professionals work and process data. This course is designed to review where we are and where we are headed in the world of AI.

Part of one's duty as a CPA working in industry is to safeguard the assets of the organization. Cost cutting is one way to preserve assets and maintain a company's competitive position in the industry. However, what keeps us from ridding our organizations of unnecessary costs? In this course, we will look at the factors that prevent our companies from being as streamlined as they could be. By using statistics and survey data, we will attempt to show how to better negotiate and navigate budgeting and contracting decisions. We will also discuss financial statement analysis techniques, benchmarking, and cash flow management in an effort to better cut costs and maintain the long-run viability of an organization.

This course uses the lives of the rich and famous as a template to better understand the realm of estate planning. With stories ripped from the headlines, we will examine pitfalls and best practices. Did you know that Prince died without a will, opening the door for 45 people claiming to be his beneficiaries? Or that Michael Jackson was not careful in properly funding his trust, leading to delays and legal battles in the administration of his estate? Even Abraham Lincoln, it turns out, did not have a will. In discussing an array of celebrities, from Jackie Kennedy, Joan Rivers, Jimi Hendrix, and Whitney Houston to Aretha Franklin, Barry White, Leona Helmsley, and Florence Griffith Joyner, the course is designed as an enjoyable learning experience with tips for all levels of expertise. We may not have their fame or fortune, but we can certainly walk the red carpet when it comes to estate planning.

This course will introduce you the different types of business entities and the tax implications of contributions, distributions and earnings, among other topics. **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  

In this course, you'll learn why being able to do public speaking well is a major advantage in becoming successful in your career.  You'll learn how to write a good talk, how to present it well, and how to use your new found ability to get more clients and/or a promotion. In addition, you'll learn how to overcome your nervousness, and how to overcome stress in less than a minute.

This comprehensive session is a must-attend event for any professional accountant who prepares financial statements for either a private enterprise or a firm client. We illustrate best practices for presentation and disclosure by revisiting fundamentals of financial reporting for various industries. This workshop explores best practices for United States GAAP in addition to considerations for special purpose frameworks. Experienced accountants will benefit from a refresher whereas other accountants will appreciate formative skill-building insights.

This course covers recently issued standards from the AICPA Auditing Standards Board and AICPA Accounting and Review Services Committee including the new Quality Management Standards. The session will highlight projects in progress at the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board, and International Auditing and Assurance Standards Board. The course will also recap recent changes and present common peer review findings and best practices to improve practice quality. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

With approximately 500 functions now available in Excel, some newer and more powerful tools are easy to overlook. But, if you do that, your productivity will suffer. In this session, you will learn how to take advantage of many of Excel’s more advanced features – some new and some legacy – to elevate your productivity to higher levels. In this session, you will learn about many of Excel’s newer tools, including XLOOKUP, SUMIFS, SWITCH, and STOCKHISTORY. Also included in this session are discussions of advanced financial functions, such as IPMT and PPMT, and how to retrieve summarized data easily using GETPIVOTDATA and CUBEVALUE. Additionally, you will learn how to make sophisticated calculations easier with Dynamic Array formulas, harness the AGGREGATE function's power, and create more accurate forecasts with Excel’s FORECAST.ETS function. No matter your experience working with Excel, participating in this course will help you work more efficiently and effectively in Excel.

This comprehensive course provides the essential updates for professionals working with governments and not-for-profit organizations. We'll begin with an in-depth review of recent GASB standards, including compensated absences, certain asset disclosures, risk and uncertainty disclosures, and financial reporting model improvements. For each standard, we'll cover its background, potential impact, and practical strategies for implementation to ensure you're fully prepared. Next, we'll shift focus to the FASB and its implications for nonprofit organizations. While there haven't been recent nonprofit-specific standards, several Accounting Standard Updates (ASUs) significantly impact NFPs. We'll explore these ASUs, evaluate changes to programmatic investments, and discuss their interplay with the CECL standard. Additionally, we'll highlight the movement in IFR4NPO, a global initiative to develop universal financial reporting standards for nonprofits, offering insights into its potential worldwide impact. In the second half, we'll turn to governmental auditing. Key topics include the 2024 Yellow Book updates, the transition from quality control to quality management, and the implementation timelines. For Single Audits, we'll cover the 2024 Uniform Guidance changes, the 2025 Compliance Supplement, GAO reports on improper payments and fraud, the Financial Data Transparency Act (FDTA), and recent Department of Education guidance on related parties.  

With the increasing complexity and ever-changing nature of tax laws and issues, today’s accountant needs a one-day update course focusing on individual income tax issues with an emphasis of newly enacted income tax legislation. This comprehensive class will not only review the current Federal individual income tax laws but will also update tax return preparers of new tax forms, changes to existing tax forms, as well as tax planning opportunities and pitfalls. This is a “must-attend” course for all tax practitioners who want to be up to speed quickly and have a successful Federal individual income tax filing season. **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 case-driven training is designed to get the inexperienced accountant up to speed quickly in the most common areas of partnership, limited liability company (LLC) and limited liability partnership (LLP) taxation. A cornerstone of this course is the preparation of the Form 1065 using a fairly complex trial balance common to most partnership, LLP and LLC income tax returns. **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