CPE Catalog & Events

Please join us for a discussion on like-kind exchanges (LKE), known as one of the last great tax legal “shelters” available to those buying and selling real property.  We will be covering the basic structure of a LKE, and ways a taxpayer can utilize qualified third party intermediaries (QI), tenancy-in-common structures including Delaware Statutory Trusts (DST).   We will also explore creative solutions to sticky situations a taxpayer may find itself in obtaining replacement property. **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  

When auditing management's accounting estimates, increased professional skepticism is necessary as there is always the potential for bias in areas of increased subjectivity & complexity. This course will demonstrate procedures to test the process used by management to develop estimates, as well as walk through common examples of accounting estimates that are included in the financial statements. It includes the updated requirements in SAS 143. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

Seismic changes in tax legislation is currently taking place, and the well-informed tax practitioner will want to attend this two hour monthly program in order to stay abreast of these developments! Approximately one-half of the program is devoted to individual tax issues, and the remaining time is spend on business entity taxation, IRS procedure, tax legislation and other issues. Due to the changing nature of the topic, learning objectives, course descriptions and program content will vary and will be provided in more specificity closer to presentation time. This course provides a concise look at the hottest topics affecting every tax practitioner. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

Staff accountants often face unique challenges when working with Excel, and their existing knowledge might not always meet their needs. This comprehensive eight-hour session is designed to bridge that gap and empower you with the essential skills to maximize efficiency and accuracy. Participate in this dynamic and engaging session, and you will learn how to: •    Summarize data quickly and accurately •    Generate stunning, professional reports •    Create essential accounting calculations for depreciation, amortization, and interest We start with a quick overview of Excel best practices and dive into advanced topics like PivotTables, sophisticated formulas, Tables, formatting, and working with dates. Our course is packed with accounting-centric examples to reinforce key learning points. Plus, you'll enjoy a "laptop-friendly" environment with access to all demonstration files. This seminar is a must for all staff accountants eager to enhance their Excel skills and transform their workflow. Don't miss out on this opportunity to elevate your Excel expertise and take the first step towards mastering Excel today!

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. 

Nobody is immune to fraud risk. This course opens with stories of real fraud perpetrators then examines the similarities between the fraud perpetrators, discovering that they all have many common traits. It finishes with techniques accountants can use to deter these behaviors. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

Professional credibility is communicated, not assumed. In this 1-CPE session (Professional Development), participants examine structured approaches to articulating their professional identity. Drawing directly from the course framework, the session covers development of an elevator pitch, a professional value proposition, and a concise executive biography. Participants will analyze how credibility is established through clarity, relevance, and alignment with audience needs. The course emphasizes service-centered communication rather than self-promotion and provides structured guidance for refining professional messaging in leadership and client-facing contexts. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

Join us for a dynamic training session tailored for leaders seeking to cultivate a culture of accountability while fostering respect and trust within their teams. High morale is intrinsically linked to high accountability in today’s fast-paced work environment. Through this session, leaders will explore the intersection of accountability, psychological safety, boundaries, and trust, gaining practical insights and actionable strategies to effectively hold their employees accountable while maintaining a positive and supportive work environment.

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 is an introduction to these differences and provides best practices for assessing allegations of employee misconduct and planning the investigation. Attendees will end the session with takeaways to immediately implement in future HR investigations. Episodes 2 and 3 complete the series.

This 2-hour course gives tax professionals the tools to understand, interpret, and respond appropriately to IRS correspondence. Whether the letter involves audits, collection notices, missing information, or discrepancies, participants will walk away with practical tips for communication, compliance, and resolution. Using real-world examples, the session covers common notices like CP2000, CP14, CP75, CP504, and audit letters, as well as IRS timelines and what they expect in a reply. We’ll also talk about avoiding missed deadlines, maintaining documentation, and using AI tools where appropriate to manage responses efficiently and accurately. *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  

The new Global Internal Audit Standards were released on January 9, 2024, and will become effective January 9, 2025. The previous version, the International Standards for the Professional Practice of Internal Auditing, released in 2017, remains approved for use during a one-year transition period. The Global Internal Audit Standards guide the worldwide professional practice of internal audit. They serve as a basis for evaluating and elevating the quality of the internal audit function. The Standards use 15 guiding principles with five separate domains that enable effective internal audit implementation and examples of evidence of conformance. The Global Standards are organized into five domains. Domain I: Purpose of Internal Auditing Domain II: Ethics and Professionalism Domain III: Governing the Internal Audit Function Domain IV: Managing the Internal Audit Function Domain V: Performing Internal Audit Service

This course provides financial professionals with a comprehensive understanding of trusts and their role in estate planning. Participants will learn how to determine whether a trust aligns with a client's financial goals and explore strategies to maximize tax efficiency. The course covers various trust structures and their potential to reduce income, estate, and generation-skipping taxes at both federal and state levels. Additionally, it delves into trustee responsibilities and the benefits of irrevocable life insurance trusts and dynasty trusts. With a focus on practical applications and real-world scenarios, this course equips CPAs, EAs, attorneys, bankers, and financial planners with the expertise to navigate probate avoidance, streamline asset distribution, and manage complex tax considerations. Whether working with revocable or irrevocable trusts, participants will gain the tools to enhance their clients' financial well-being across generations. *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

Many business professionals consider PivotTables the most powerful feature in Excel, yet most accounting and financial professionals do not use them in their day-to-day activities. If you are ready to learn how to take advantage of PivotTables or extend your existing knowledge, then this course is for you! In this dynamic and engaging session, you'll master how to: •    Build PivotTables from scratch •    Group data inside PivotTables, including options for fiscal periods •    Create user-defined calculations in your PivotTables We start with the fundamentals and quickly move to advanced techniques, including: •    Building PivotTables that consolidate data from multiple ranges •    Connecting PivotTables dynamically to external databases and financial accounting systems •    Leveraging other Excel features associated with PivotTables, such as Slicers, Power Query, and Power Pivot This seminar is a must for anyone eager to enhance their Excel skills and transform their workflow. With guidance and coaching from your K2 instructor, you'll be ready to use PivotTables to analyze and report on extensive data sets in a fraction of the time you spend completing such tasks.

Mastering two leadership skills will decrease your stress, and give you room to enjoy your career. Delegating and listening are key essential skills to hone to elevate your career. You were born with two ears and one mouth. And yet, good listeners aren't born. World-class listeners deliberately practice this skill, even when their audience is challenging. This is a skill which can be learned. Participants will gain awareness into their blind spots to listening, strategies to regain focus, how to stop interrupting, and demonstrate to their audience they are listening. How often have you said, "It would just be easier if I did this myself?" or "Nobody can do this task as well as I can, so I'll just do it myself." If this sounds like you, then it's time to start working on your delegation skills. Delegation is not only important as a means to save you time, but it is also about developing the next generation of leaders. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

Neurodivergence isn't just something that shows up in childhood or in headlines. It's already in your workplace, quietly shaping how people communicate, create, and collaborate. From autism to ADHD to dyslexia and beyond, neurodivergence shows up in many forms, and chances are, you're already working alongside neurodivergent employees... whether you realize it or not.  This session gives professionals a clear, candid introduction to what neurodivergence really is (and isn't), what it can look like in adults, and why many traditional assumptions just don't hold up. We'll bust some big myths, explore real-world examples, and give you a fresh, more human lens for understanding the full spectrum of how brains work. Whether you're brand new to the topic or just want a better foundation, this is your crash course in neurospicy thinking.

In an age where our workplaces have seen a rise in incivility and we are dealing with rising conflict, it's important for HR professionals to know when to recognize conflict before it explodes and how to resolve it moving forward. This presentation will address the root causes of conflict in the workplace, how to spot it, and how best to address it in a way that keeps your workplace a place where employees want to be.

This session explores the nature of analytical procedures, with significant emphasis placed upon professional standards involving the use of analytical procedures in audit and review engagements. Practical examples to illustrate the application process will also be given.

The role of today's financial leader, including CFO, transcends traditional financial stewardship; it demands agility, innovation, crisis management, and strategic foresight. This seminar will discuss the new, multifaceted skills and insights needed to excel in the dynamic role of modern finance. Through a blend of theory, research, and practical exercises, participants will explore the diverse roles of a CFO as innovation champions, technology evangelists, crisis managers, and change agents - leveraging practical principles to drive organizational success. Financial leaders can adapt or be left behind. Whether you are a seasoned CFO or aspiring to step into a leadership position, this seminar will discuss the essential tools and insights to navigate the newer demands of financial managers with confidence and competence.

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.  

Between 2010 and 2020 a parade of Court Cases, IRS Factsheets, Job Aids and Internal Memos, plus Heightened IRS scrutiny and Preparer Penalties has brought the issue of 'Reasonable Compensation for S Corp's out of the shadows and placed it forefront as a priority issue for CPA's, EA's, Tax and Financial advisors to cover with their clients. We will explore key court cases, IRS guidelines, preparer penalties and some of the obscure tools the IRS has put in place. We debunk common myths and fiction on how reasonable compensation should be calculated and replace it with facts and methodologies that the IRS relies on. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.