CPE Catalog & Events

An in-depth coverage of ASC Topic 842, Leases . Leasing is popular among corporations for needs including office space and equipment. Since ASC Topic 842, Leases has been adopted by most entities, it is time to review the topic, including any recently issued updates. Excerpts from publicly traded companies' recent disclosures on Leases are also examined.

An innovative and interactive session that taps the areas of neuroscience, psychology and biology to understand how science, emotion and ethical decision-making interact. Instead of critiquing how our minds are supposed to work, this session delves into the fascinating world of how our minds work when we face complex problems where a "best choice" doesn't seem to exist. The talk will also explore why ethical codes have often failed and how to improve individual and organizational ethical reasoning.

Participants will review how to maintain a heightened awareness of fraud with clients and gain a better understanding of how to detect fraud. This interactive workshop, designed for practitioners in small and medium-sized CPA firms, will include a lecture with generous time for questions and case studies to reinforce the concepts.

Every two years, the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners releases a study that details fraud cases internationally. This comprehensive study can serve as an important tool in investigating fraud, establishing internal controls, and identifying red-flags in an audit.

We all make predictions in our personal and professional lives. We base our decisions to marry, buy a house, launch a new product or hire staff on expectations about the future. How can we use best practices and current research to improve our ability to predict the future" We will examine current best practices in forecasting to help us prepare better budgets and projections. We will also examine budgeting pitfalls and ways to avoid budget traps. We will discuss the risks that cause actual results to vary from our predictions and discuss methods to deal with both known and unknown risks.

There is a lot of buzz and rules of thumb about Roth strategies, but very little discussion on what the fiduciary-level analysis methodology should be. This course will provide insights on creating and evaluating an analysis and recommendations with targeted vetting questions. Rules of thumb can sometimes be detrimental, causing families to pay much more in taxes over their lifetimes than necessary. A very significant portion of the population is prevented from executing a straight-forward Roth Contribution due to the income restrictions. What was once a risky way to thwart that rule has now become accepted, and many clients can benefit. These contributions should typically take precedence to saving to a brokerage/taxable account, but there are some steps that need to be addressed to prevent unwanted taxation. In addition, you'll learn about the mega-backdoor Roth. SECURE 2.0 includes many new rules, and some of them address Roth IRA/401k. We'll cover these and how they can help your clients.

Every month, a new international tax topic. Join the Hodgen Law team live with fresh insights, straight from the source. May 2026 - Planning for an Expatriation Year Tax Return; July 2026 - The Prboblem of Section 2801; September 2026 - Foreign Grantor Trusts: Taxation, Tax Compliance, and Use Cases, November 2026 - Foreign Nongrantor Trusts: Taxation, Tax Compliance, and Use Cases; January 2027 - Form 5471: Reinstatement of Sections 958(b)(4) and 951(b); March 2027 - Form 5471: Net CFC Tested Income, Section 951(A)

Personal financial planning issues evolve in an increasingly challenging environment where it's harder to keep up with important and timely changes. And since changes seem to be occurring quicker than anticipated, with several recent twists, CPAs must be prepared for the unexpected and be in tune with new approaches. As a result, CPAs must challenge clients to stay focused on their goals while managing expectations and striving for realism in order to achieve objectives. We'll focus on the newest personal financial planning changes and prepare for new opportunities related to income tax, retirement and estate planning issues. You'll learn what you need to know in identifying critical exposures and providing appropriate solutions when working with your client in these rapidly changing and life-altering disciplines. Be sure to register for all of our PFP updates: PFP Update: Income Tax, Retirement, and Estate Planning PFP Update: Issues, Exposures, and Developing Client Strategy PFP Update: Investment Planning in This New Era

Consolidations have always been a complex topic in accounting. This course will discuss the requirements to consolidate and private company options. It will cover which entities need to consolidate and include an in-depth discussion on variable interest entities (VIEs). It will also cover the FASB's recent revisions to the Financial Accounting Concepts (FACs) chapter on entities.

Our clients' personal financial planning issues are quickly developing and keep us challenged in a new operating environment! Many new approaches are needed in working through, understanding, diagnosing and then adopting innovative and proven strategies. Additional ways of experiencing these client situations are entering the picture. With information overload, part of the CPA's challenge is to help clients stay focused on goals while managing expectations in a rapidly changing environment. This course will update you on the newest personal financial planning changes related to insurance, investments, education, retirement, estate, cash flow management, divorce, closely held businesses and other relevant topics. We'll discuss critical issues, including planning for education, divorce, charitable, exceptional circumstances, business owners and highly compensated executives. Be sure to register for all of our PFP updates: PFP Update: Income Tax, Retirement, and Estate Planning PFP Update: Issues, Exposures, and Developing Client Strategy PFP Update: Investment Planning in This New Era

This course offers an in-depth look at retirement needs models, their flaws, and ways to overcome associated drawbacks. You'll explore holistic retirement planning while reviewing threats to a successful retirement. You'll also hear about recent retirement planning changes, including the elimination of the "Stretch IRA" by the SECURE Act and the new SECURE Act 2.0 changes. We'll address key questions to plan a comfortable retirement and discuss strategies to draw down retirement assets over an extended period.

This course offers an in-depth look at retirement needs models, their flaws, and ways to overcome associated drawbacks. You'll explore holistic retirement planning while reviewing threats to a successful retirement. You'll also hear about recent retirement planning changes, including the elimination of the "Stretch IRA" by the SECURE Act and the new SECURE Act 2.0 changes. We'll address key questions to plan a comfortable retirement and discuss strategies to draw down retirement assets over an extended period.

This quarterly update keeps CPAs current on new topics and issues with LLMs, chatbots, AI research and writing, rules and regulations, and AI agents. The course covers recent changes in the AI field, focusing on applications for CPAs in business and accounting firms. Handouts are designed as takeaways for discussions about AI with clients or in business firms. Join us for all five live updates: 2026 - June, August, & November 2027 - January & March

This session is designed as a primer to introduce artificial intelligence (AI) and to discuss how it will impact accountants as they work. The material will briefly explain what AI is and then focus on ways that it is already serving those in the accounting realm. It will close with a look at future AI-centric developments that will have great potential to positively impact on the accounting profession. Those wishing to gain an understanding of what artificial intelligence is and how it will be used by accountants should consider attending this session.

How can you solidify an appropriate investment strategy based on risk, help clients stay on top of potentially life-altering situations and help them understand the intricacies of investment planning" Gain a better understanding of investment markets and the effects of world events, assess client risk and matching to expected return, deal with increasing client concerns, and develop better investment solutions in a rapidly changing environment. Attendees will consider the following questions during this course: How should you adjust your investment philosophy based on a world that is not secure" With new market heights attained often and unexpected events occurring regularly, how does one feel comfortable with an investment strategy" Where are investments headed in an economy'to some'on borrowed time" Be sure to register for all of our PFP updates: PFP Update: Income Tax, Retirement, and Estate Planning PFP Update: Issues, Exposures, and Developing Client Strategy PFP Update: Investment Planning in This New Era

This seminar will help participants define their organization's strategy and particularly their sustainable competitive advantage by helping them understand their organization's unique value proposition. It will also help you and your organization understand how decisions are made and help improve the quality of the decisions required to execute their strategy. Finally, it will help identify and hopefully mitigate risks to the execution of their organization's strategy. We will also look at ways to find your company's unique value proposition and to measure your success at creating a sustainable competitive advantage.

Many business owners need to pay more attention to the financial planning opportunities and implications when starting, growing and successfully running their businesses. This all-inclusive course brings together closely held business owner specifics, focusing on critical structure and financial planning issues, such as identifying those issues that business owners need to keep on the radar. This session will help determine the goals and objectives of the business owner when selecting or changing a form of the organization concerning start-up costs, control over the operation of the business, personal liability for business operations, flexibility in the process of the company, business structure, continuity and compensation. Financial planning issues to be discussed include cash flow management and budgeting, risk management and insurance, investing, income tax, retirement and estate planning issues.

The FASB has released Accounting Standards Update (ASU) 2024-03, Income Statement—Reporting Comprehensive Income "Expense Disaggregation Disclosures (Subtopic 220-40): Disaggregation of Income Statement Expenses. This Update entails much more detail than the current requirements for public business entities. This Update enhances the disclosures regarding a public business entity's expenses and addresses investors' requests for more detailed information about the types of expenses, including inventory purchases, employee compensation, depreciation, amortization, and depletion. These details are provided within commonly presented expense captions such as cost of sales, SG&A, and research and development.

Are you ready to move past Excel's simple functions, such as SUM" If so, participate in this session to learn about many of Excel's advanced functions, including XLOOKUP, SUMIFS, and SWITCH. You'll also learn about the revolutionary Dynamic Arrays feature.

This course provides an overview of standards for preparation services, accountants' risks, and strategies to minimize risks. The course objective is to furnish current guidance and examples from the AICPA's professional standards for financial statement preparation so that you can apply these to reduce the risk of material misstatements caused by fraud or by error. In addition, this course covers the AICPA's guidance about professional judgments when providing preparation engagements.  Together with the four-hour course "Start-up and Small-Business Financial Statements: Issues and Fraud," these two courses meet the eight-hour accounting CPE requirement for accountants that prepare financial statements for clients but do not perform client audits, reviews or compilations.