CPE Catalog & Events

Getting ready for busy season involves not only knowing what's new for the current year, but also understanding how the changing limits, phaseouts and other rules apply to current-year returns. With major legislation enacted over the past few years, the present course will constitute a one-stop "shop" that brings you the essential individual tax information. In addition, this course provides an up-to-date review of important tax form changes, new tax forms, new limitations, key developments as they are reflected in the IRS forms, and IRS filing issues and deadlines that will be invaluable to attendees who prepare tax returns during busy season.

Getting ready for busy season involves not only knowing the tax rules for 2023, but also knowing how those rules are incorporated into the IRS tax forms practitioners will be using to prepare 2023 tax returns. This course provides tax return preparer attendees with an up-to-date review of important new tax forms, key tax developments, and tax law changes as they are reflected in IRS forms for 2023 and IRS filing issues and deadlines as they relate to 2023.

Auditors who plan, direct, or perform engagement procedures or reporting on Yellow Book engagements are required to develop and maintain their professional competence by complying with the Yellow Book CPE requirements. This course is designed to help you understand and effectively apply these requirements.

This course will review the relevant considerations related to going concern, including assessing when substantial doubt concerning an entity's ability to continue as a going concern exists, management mitigation efforts, and required disclosures both when management, and the accountant, feel such efforts will be effective in mitigating the risk, as well as when they do not. Lastly, we'll consider the accountant's reporting responsibilities under various scopes of services in various scenarios and how to audit this often-contentious topic.

Of all the financial reporting impacts related to COVID-19, financial statement disclosure and accountants' reporting when substantial doubt about an entity's ability to continue as a going concern is likely to continue for several reporting cycles. In this course, we'll review the accounting disclosure guidance related to going concern considerations found in ASC 205-40, and provide actual client examples when substantial doubt exists and it has and has not been alleviated by management's plans. Further, the course will cover auditors' responsibilities related to going concern as well as those of the accountant in SSARS engagements. The course will cover standard audit procedures, which an accountant would likely perform regarding management's mitigation plans, as well as review when and how an accountant in a review engagement would assess management's plans to alleviate the going concern risk.

This course provides a basic overview of goodwill impairment testing. The accounting and reporting requirements related to goodwill are prescribed by the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) in ASC Topic 350-20. This course focuses on the subsequent measurement requirements including the accounting alternative allowed for certain eligible entities. This course also addresses briefly describes the disclosure requirements for goodwill and is current through the issuance of ASU 2019-06.

This course provides an overview of goodwill impairment testing. The accounting and reporting requirements related to goodwill are prescribed by the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) in ASC Topic 350-20. This course focuses on topics such as the initial recognition of goodwill and subsequent measurement requirements including the accounting alternative allowed for certain eligible entities. This course also addresses the disclosure requirements for goodwill and is current through the issuance of ASU 2019-06.

George Washington once wrote, "We ought not to look back, unless it is to derive useful lessons from past errors, and for the purpose of profiting by dear bought experience." The cost of fraud, dearly paid by governments and nonprofits, is too severe not to learn and profit from. In this course, we will look back at real-world government and nonprofit frauds and derive useful controls to stop them. The course materials utilize a highly illustrative and innovative format. Over 15 focused exercises are included to provide an enhanced working knowledge of fraud and anti-fraud controls to both auditors and industry professionals.

George Washington once wrote, "We ought not to look back, unless it is to derive useful lessons from past errors, and for the purpose of profiting by dear bought experience." The cost of fraud, dearly paid by governments and nonprofits, is too severe not to learn and profit from. In this course, we will look back at real-world government and nonprofit frauds and derive useful controls to stop them. The course materials utilize a highly illustrative and innovative format. Over 15 focused exercises are included to provide an enhanced working knowledge of fraud and anti-fraud controls to both auditors and industry professionals.

This course will inform you of the most critical accounting challenges facing governments and not-for-profits in 2022. Topics covered include: (1) the implementation of GASB No. 87 related to leases; (2) the implementation of recent FASB ASUs related to contributed nonfinancial assets and leases; and (3) other current GASB and FASB developments. The course will also update you on key audit developments affecting governments and not-for-profits.

Specifically designed for preparation, compilation, and review practitioners, this course will provide you with a comprehensive review and hands-on application for performing financial statement preparation, compilation, and review engagements. You will learn the ins and outs of applying SSARS No. 21, Clarification and Recodification, as well as the additional guidance related to SSARS engagements through the issuance of SSARS Nos. 22-25 by the ARSC. The course will also review recent peer review feedback on SSARS engagements, providing insights on how to successfully apply this guidance. Not only will this course bring you up to date on SSARSs requirements and guidance, but more importantly, it will provide you with practical examples and illustrations to help you effectively and efficiently perform compilation, preparation, and review engagements.

Specifically designed for preparation, compilation, and review practitioners, this course will provide you with a comprehensive review and hands-on application for performing financial statement preparation, compilation, and review engagements. You will learn the ins and outs of applying SSARS No. 21, Clarification and Recodification, as well as the additional guidance related to SSARS engagements through the issuance of SSARS Nos. 22-25 by the ARSC. The course will also review recent peer review feedback on SSARS engagements, providing insights on how to successfully apply this guidance. Not only will this course bring you up to date on SSARSs requirements and guidance, but more importantly, it will provide you with practical examples and illustrations to help you effectively and efficiently perform compilation, preparation, and review engagements.

This program discusses, in a practical way, how an S corporation shareholder calculates their stock and loan basis on Form 7203. Form 7203 is the new IRS Form on which a shareholder is sometimes required to calculate their stock and loan basis. This topic is particularly important when an S corporation has a loss and the shareholders wish to know whether they are entitled to fully utilize the loss that has been allocated to them against their other income.

Employment taxes are often overlooked as an area where more planning may be effective. Payroll taxes have become an increasing burden for the average business and IRS penalties for noncompliance have risen dramatically in recent years. As a result, they have also been subject to employer incentives. The Service has announced that uncovering noncompliance by employers ranks high on its audit list. This course presents an overview of employee versus independent contractor criteria, the federal payroll taxes form, Form 1099, and related compliance issues.

Employment taxes are often overlooked as an area where more planning may be effective. Payroll taxes have become an increasing burden for the average business and IRS penalties for noncompliance have risen dramatically in recent years. As a result, they have also been subject to employer incentives. The Service has announced that uncovering noncompliance by employers ranks high on its audit list. This course presents an overview of employee versus independent contractor criteria, the federal payroll taxes form, Form 1099, and related compliance issues.

Many tax clients with losses from their S corporations, partnerships, and multiple-member LLCs treated as partnerships will want to use these losses to offset their other income from other sources. This program explains when, why, and how the at-risk rules apply to allow or to prevent the owner of a pass-through entity from taking a loss from a pass-through entity and using it to offset other income. This program is extremely helpful for anyone with pass-through entity clients.

Effective January 1, 2024, an estimated 32.6 million entities will be required to report information about their beneficial owners to FinCEN as part of the Corporate Transparency Act (CTA). In an effort to combat money laundering and other illegal activities, the law provides harsh penalties for the failure to report the required information. This reporting specifically targets small businesses and holding entities, creating opportunities for accountants, tax practitioners, and other business advisors to expand their service offerings. The reports require the listing of all "beneficial owners," and they are imprecisely defined, possibly requiring an exercise of judgement. Therefore, proper education of professionals and business owners is paramount for accurate reporting. The course includes an overview of the CTA and a detailed discussion of what information needs to be reported to FinCEN.

While the effective date of Topic 606 has passed for companies, there will always be a need for a comprehensive review of the accounting related to revenue recognition, including recently issued changes to this guidance. Whether you are looking to improve your revenue recognition processes, benchmark your financial statement disclosures against your peer group, or assess the impact of changes to your revenue recognition processes due to COVID-19, this course will provide you with the information you need to apply Topic 606 in this current environment. This course will review the basic Topic 606 five-step model and provide specific implementation guidance and examples. It will cover the presentation and disclosure requirements for Topic 606, including the private company disclosure relief available under Topic 606, and provide disclosure examples. Lastly, the course will discuss best practices, lessons learned, and ways to improve the business process when recognizing revenue going forward. Even though implementing Topic 606 is behind us, it is still possible to improve the processes that drive revenue recognition and this course will assist you in doing that.

While the effective date of Topic 606 has passed for companies, there will always be a need for a comprehensive review of the accounting related to revenue recognition, including recently issued changes to this guidance. Whether you are looking to improve your revenue recognition processes, benchmark your financial statement disclosures against your peer group, or assess the impact of changes to your revenue recognition processes due to COVID-19, this course will provide you with the information you need to apply Topic 606 in this current environment. This course will review the basic Topic 606 five-step model and provide specific implementation guidance and examples. It will cover the presentation and disclosure requirements for Topic 606, including the private company disclosure relief available under Topic 606, and provide disclosure examples. Lastly, the course will discuss best practices, lessons learned, and ways to improve the business process when recognizing revenue going forward. Even though implementing Topic 606 is behind us, it is still possible to improve the processes that drive revenue recognition and this course will assist you in doing that.

In 1996, Congress passed the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, commonly referred to as HIPAA. HIPAA's stated purpose was to provide Americans with privacy measures designed to protect personal healthcare-related information. Yet soon after it became law, critics argued that HIPAA "lacked teeth", noting that the only remedy for violations of the law was to report the wrongdoer to the Department of Health and Human Services. Congress strengthened HIPAA in 2009 when it passed the Health Information Technology for Economic Clinical Health Act ("HITECH"). Under HITECH, entities subject to HIPAA are now required to maintain specific physical, administrative, and digital protection procedures. HIPAA now imposed many other requirements for those affected by the law, such as requiring breaches of patient information be reported to affected parties in a timely manner. Further, the law substantially increased the fines that HIPAA-covered entities must pay for violations. It is imperative that accountants and financial professionals familiarize themselves with HIPAA's requirements. Under HITECH, businesses must comply with HIPAA's data privacy guidelines if they work with HIPAA-covered businesses; that is, any business in the healthcare industry. Professionals who are not familiar with HIPAA fundamentals run the risk of subjecting themselves and their company to civil liability and severe penalties.