CPE Catalog & Events

This program examines the critical issues, rules, and special opportunities when preparing your clients' Form 1041 US Income Tax Return for Estates and Trusts. Learn what is considered taxable income; filing requirements and deadlines; impact of the 3.8 percent Medicare surtax on net investment income; and the 10 principles of tax accounting for trust income.   *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 terri.storer@acpen.com  

Organizations of all sizes often fail to successfully install needed foundational components of an internal control system. Whether large or small, entities must view policies, procedures, and all controls in a wholistic manner in order to develop a system of controls that will keep the entity on its intended course. Moreover, those that design policies and procedures benefit by knowing why control measures are necessary. This session sets forth internal control concepts and explains the importance of strong internal control policies. It provides an understanding of the interrelated nature of all controls created by any organization. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

Providing a practical overview of the IRS Power of Attorney, Form 2848, and IRS Tax Information Authorization, Form 8821. Participants will explore the differences between these forms, understand when each is required, and how to comply with IRS requirements for representing clients and accessing their tax information. The course will cover practical issues, ethical considerations, and best practices for managing client authorizations through the IRS Centralized Authorization File (CAF) system. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

Since 1919, the Internal Revenue Service had a civil and criminal function in the United States tax system. Little do people know, the IRS has an elite criminal function that started with five United States Postal Inspectors. From its early days in taking down Al Capone to now solving cybercrimes, the IRS special agents are tasked with investigating tax fraud, money laundering, and other white collar crimes. This presentation will show you the importance of this law enforcement function, the training, techniques, expertise, and actions that cause them to be known as the "world's finest financial investigators." This presentation has been prepared by a 20 year veteran with the IRS-Criminal Investigation. The presenter investigated crimes, and trained and mentored other special agents. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

Are you a new advisor handling S Corp clients, or perhaps a seasoned professional facing this common scenario: "My S Corp client didn't take reasonable compensation last year. Now what?" Knowing that reasonable compensation isn't just a tax obligation, but a strategic financial decision, you need to be armed with expert knowledge to help your client navigate this situation. Join us to discuss IRS regulations, understand preventive measures, and address challenges within the year. 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 will explore the many complex rules of installment sales, with a focus on the tax treatment and strategies to maximize the benefits. *Please Note:  If you need credit reported to the IRS for this IRS approved program, please download the IRS CE request form on the Handout Tab and submit to kori.herrera@acpen.com

Strong teams communicate openly, listen actively, and handle conflict with respect. This engaging session helps participants recognize different communication styles, manage misunderstandings, and turn tough conversations into opportunities for collaboration. Through discussions and practical tools, team members will build confidence in addressing challenges while strengthening trust and connection in the workplace.

The controller has several broad areas to stay up to date on regarding compliance initiatives: Financial compliance Regulatory compliance Operational Compliance IT Compliance

Forensic accounting, forensic accountancy or financial forensics is the specialty practice area of accounting that investigates whether firms engage in financial reporting misconduct. Forensic accountants apply a range of skills and methods to determine whether there has been financial reporting misconduct. Financial forensic engagements may fall into several categories.  Economic damages calculations, whether suffered through tort or breach of contract. Post-acquisition disputes such as earnouts or breaches of warranties Bankruptcy, insolvency and reorganization Securities and tax fraud Money laundering Business valuation Computer forensics/e-discovery This session is designed to delve a bit deeper into the world of forensic accounting and identify some of the specific areas of expertise required to become a forensic accountant. We will then first delve deeper into the art of document analysis and handwriting analysis.  

The AICPA issued the new Quality Management Standards as a part of its overall quality improvement initiative.  This course will highlight the foundational principles within the new approach that everyone in the CPA firm should know. 

Periodic FASB checkups are critical for accountants who deal with financial statements prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP. This course introduces recent FASB pronouncements and revisits selected existing standards that are likely to be salient for private entities. This session also offers a preview of coming attractions by examining significant elements of the FASB's technical agenda.

The IRS believes, perhaps with some justification, that many workers classified as independent contractors are actually employees and should be treated as such for tax purposes. The result is that worker classification audits are frequent and often costly for business clients, both in terms of time as well as money expended. This program prepares accounting and finance professionals to assist their clients with worker classification audits, and to avoid them if possible, by discussing and explaining the circumstances under which workers will most likely be characterized as employees or as independent contractors. The program also deals with the first line of defense against the IRS in worker classification audits — Section 530, as well as the common law factors distinguishing an employee from an independent contractor. This program also explores the IRS Voluntary Classification Settlement Program and discusses whether a practitioner should advise a client to request admission into this program.

To many clients, CPA firms all look the same. While services and specialties may vary significantly from one firm to another, it is hard for the average person to see this by simply looking at the sign outside our office door. Is there any way to make us stand out more to the outside world? Through surveys, statistics, and examples, this course looks at how CPA firms can develop a marketing plan beyond just relying on referrals. We look at the pluses and minuses of various marketing channels, regulatory constraints, and how to measure success in the competitive financial services space.

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 course provides a high-level overview of the most important issues facing nonprofit entities and their auditors.  The focus of this course is on explaining the theory behind major issues and trends, enabling professionals to understand the most important aspects of relevant professional and regulatory standards related to reliable financial reporting for nonprofit entities.      

This course provides a concise overview of how artificial intelligence, particularly ChatGPT and other AI tools, is transforming accounting research methodologies and practices. Students will explore the shift from traditional search engine-based research to AI-driven insights, learning how to leverage various AI platforms for enhanced financial analysis, regulatory compliance, and strategic decision-making. The course emphasizes practical applications of AI in accounting contexts while addressing critical considerations such as data verification, ethical usage, and professional judgment. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

In a competitive economy, CPA's  and their firms need a way to stand out. The best way to do this is to give outstanding service to your clients. In this experiential workshop, you’ll learn skills that lead to dramatic client satisfaction. In addition, you'll learn several specific ways to guarantee you'll get a lot of word of mouth referrals that will lead to a dramatic increase in your number of clients.

In today's fast-paced world, automation is like having a time machine at your fingertips. By implementing strategic automation solutions, you can transform an eight-hour workday into twelve hours of productivity without working longer hours. This course explores how automation can save time, improve accuracy, promote effectiveness, and maximize the value of your workday. When you invest time in automating routine tasks, you create permanent time savings that compound over time, reducing daily stress and providing better mental clarity for more important activities. This hands-on course will equip you with practical knowledge of various automation tools, methods, apps, and technologies that can revolutionize both your personal and professional life. From home automation systems to iPaaS (Integration Platform as a Service) tools and the Elgato Streamdeck, you'll discover how to create a seamlessly automated environment. Join us to learn how to reclaim hours or even weeks of time through smart automation strategies that will transform your daily routine.

With new accounting standards, the economic landscape and evolving technology, accounting, financial reporting and finance continue to grow in complexity. FASB has tried to address the growing complexity, by working towards making GAAP less convoluted.  The struggle to stay on top of accounting financial reporting requirements and finance changes due to the economy continues for several reasons. Lack of in-house SMEs, managing high volumes of transactions, and data and evolving information technology systems. In the future, executives must consider the challenges they will face in future years that will bring their own nuances and complexities. Budgeting is certainly one of those processes that must be evaluated and re-evaluated for efficiency. This session delves into the corporate budgeting process and discusses methods used and which methods may or may not allow for the organization’s to properly plan for a volatile future.

This course is a continuation of our series on preparing to become a forensic accountant. Within this segment we focus on elements of computer forensics. This session is designed to delve into further investigative procedures used in computer forensics.