CPE Catalog & Events

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. For example: 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 into further investigative procedures used including digital forensics. Future sessions will focus on computer forensics, network forensics and mobile forensics.  

This program will provide a detailed analysis of the real estate professional passive activity rules, including forms reporting examples, and integrates those rules with when real estate is considered a "business" under the Section 199A flow-through entity deduction. A detailed analysis of the self-rental passive activity rules will be given, including forms reporting examples and integrates them with the flow-through entity rules related to self-rental. *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

Documenting internal controls Familiarize yourself with commonly used documentation tools, such as narratives, flowcharts, internal control questionnaires and control matrixes. Walk through COSO's internal control template used to document an assessment of a system on internal control.

Do you understand the root cause for many professional and personal goals not being achieved? The SMART acronym is valuable in setting goals but insufficient for achieving them. You need two types of goals to boost your chances of success. Outcome goals focus on the results you want to attain. Process goals identify the action steps required to accomplish those desired outcomes. This session explores the essence of both types of goals, and practical examples and tips for the execution of your goals.

Critics have claimed that traditional managerial accounting is at best useless and at worst dysfunctional and misleading. Most line managers do not trust their management accounting data. 21st Century management accounting develops cost/unit metrics that are useful for budgeting, cost analysis and control. Activity-based costing (ABC) brings truly accurate fact-based costing visibility. ABC does not broadly allocate overhead, but traces costs by identifying cause-and-effect relationships. Such information can provide the ability to reveal true profit margins for products, service-lines, specific sales channels and customers. The same information also helps reduce costs and improve productivity by reporting unit costs that you can use to monitor cost trends and benchmark against your competition. Removing the barriers caused by your current management accounting techniques can provide huge rewards.

Many organizations struggle to keep budgets current in an ever-changing business climate.  Twenty-first century performance metrics focus on determining what budgets should be rather than what they were in the past.  Using performance metrics effectively reduces work, reduces politics, provides flexibility and substantially improves the performance management process.  This session will show you powerful techniques to drive your organization’s performance.

A detailed analysis of the calculations related to determining a shareholder's tax basis for S corporation shares and loans. How to use the Form 1120S, Schedule K-1 information for basis determination. An illustrative example demonstrates how the process works, as well as the many potential pitfalls. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

You spent your life building retirement savings.  Now you want to make sure your savings last the rest of your life and perhaps pass some on to the next generation.  Come hear a veteran financial educator talk about money management and planning issues for this phase of your life.  

One of the most intimidating aspects of going into business for yourself is compliance. Tax, employment, and regulatory laws are difficult to navigate, so it often falls on the CPA to know the basics in these areas to help their clients avoid costly litigation. In this course, we will cover basic compliance areas for small business owners. We will look at the main elements of a contract, taxation of entity types, worker classification, property law, and many of the other areas that are often overwhelming for small business owners. By being able to speak to these issues, practitioners will be able to add value and help their small business owner clients grow and thrive.

This program compares and contrasts the financial accounting for partnerships and LLCs, as well as discusses the tax accounting for these entities, with a thorough discussion of the important differences between financial accounting for partnership capital accounts and the tax accounting for partnership capital accounts. Financial accounting for operations of a partnership will also be addressed. This course does not qualify for IRS credit.

The new administration has proposed significant tax policy changes that may impact individual taxpayers and financial planning strategies. This course provides tax practitioners with essential updates on recent legislation, regulatory changes, and potential future reforms. Participants will explore the implications of proposed tax cuts, adjustments to Social Security and retirement taxation, and potential modifications to deductions and credits. The course also examines ongoing discussions about IRS restructuring and the expansion of tax incentives for American businesses and families. With a focus on practical strategies, this course equips tax professionals with the tools to help clients prepare for these changes before year-end. Whether addressing Form 1040 issues, capital gains planning, or income and estate tax considerations, participants will gain insights to help clients make informed decisions. *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

The new administration has proposed significant tax policy changes that may impact individual taxpayers and financial planning strategies. This course provides tax practitioners with essential updates on recent legislation, regulatory changes, and potential future reforms. Participants will explore the implications of proposed tax cuts, adjustments to Social Security and retirement taxation, and potential modifications to deductions and credits. The course also examines ongoing discussions about IRS restructuring and the expansion of tax incentives for American businesses and families. With a focus on practical strategies, this course equips tax professionals with the tools to help clients prepare for these changes before year-end. Whether addressing Form 1040 issues, capital gains planning, or income and estate tax considerations, participants will gain insights to help clients make informed decisions. *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 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.

All-new material updates tax practitioners on the most pressing tax matters affecting business entities, individuals, estates and trusts, and more.

FASB ASC 842, *Leases*, standards decoded By learning essential information about lease accounting requirements, you'll understand the core principles of the standards and how to apply them. You'll explore topics, such as: Identification Recognition Measurement Presentation and disclosure requirements Deliberate application of lessee accounting model You'll also learn about classifying leases, the amortization of the right-of-use asset, and the interest on a lease liability. Additional topics include: Short-term leases Purchase options Variable lease payments Sale and leaseback transactions Leveraged leases

If you work with governments and not-for-profits, a thorough understanding of the Yellow Book is essential. This course will equip you with a comprehensive knowledge of the Yellow Book requirements and increase your confidence and proficiency in performing Yellow Book audits. Updated for the 2024 Yellow Book revision, the course materials utilize a highly illustrative and innovative format. Over 20 focused exercises are included to provide an enhanced knowledge of the Yellow Book.

Designed for accounting and attestation practitioners at all levels in both public accounting and business and industry, this course provides a comprehensive review of recent standard-setting activities of the FASB and AICPA. In addition to providing a detailed review of SAS No. 145, this course will bring you up to date on FASB and AICPA standards issued over the past few years, including the 16 SASs effective since 2021 and beyond. The course also provides many hands-on examples and illustrations to help you apply the guidance in practice. On the financial front, the course covers the 9 ASUs issued in 2023, including ASUs covering crypto assets and leases for common control entities. In addition to a financial accounting update, the course will discuss what you will need to do differently as you adopt new audit standards 142-149 over the next few years, including a detailed review of the audit requirements under SAS 142. The course will also cover the key changes related to SSARS No. 25. Finally, the course reviews the AICPA's quality management project. In summary, the course is your go-to source for all things A&A and will prepare you for your upcoming engagements throughout the rest of the year.

The course provides a comprehensive, hands-on, pencil pushing understanding of the preparation of both S corporation and partnership/LLC tax returns, along with the underlying laws, regulations, etc. The course uses the basic concepts underlying the two main types of business returns: 1120S and 1065 as building blocks for more complex concepts tax preparers should be aware of. The theoretical concepts get illustrated in comprehensive examples that incorporate the most up-to-date law changes and provisions.

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.

Successful organizations, both large and small, must understand the importance of effective internal controls and be able 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. The material highlights some of the reasons that measures are needed and it also provides an overview of control creation methods. Finally, it discusses ways to successfully implement the developed policies and procedures. Participants that take this course will gain a well-rounded understanding of internal control procedures of all types. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.