CPE Catalog & Events

Proper planning and execution of an audit program at the overall activity and individual engagement level requires highly effective management and administration to promote, support, and ensure maximum value adding assurance for organizational stakeholders. This course helps Internal Auditors at all levels better understand the practical and required engagement managerial responsibilities involved with the IA function at both the department and engagement level. The course will also review the required detailed, ongoing administrative aspects of successfully managing each. From planning to resource allocation and management, supervision, review, communications and reporting, monitoring and follow up, this session provides the keys to highest level quality and impact IA administration and management.

A commitment to excellence requires dedication toward self-improvement in whatever endeavor we choose, including being Internal Audit (IA) professionals. Legendary football coach Vince Lombardi once said: "The quality of a person's life is in direct proportion to their commitment to excellence, regardless of their field of endeavor." And Aristotle, speaking some 2,500 years earlier, has been paraphrased as follows: "We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence then is not an act but a habit." The consistent and ever-growing integration of quality and excellence in performance for IA activities is what this program is all about. From developing a sound understanding and application of IA standards regarding Quality Assurance and Improvement Programs (QAIPs) to moving far beyond compliance to highest-level quality and impact IA functioning, this capstone course provides a vital roadmap to assist IA activity practitioners in their ongoing quests to tap more fully into and unleash their unlimited potential in better serving and adding value to all organizational stakeholders!

The Inflation Reduction Act increased the IRS budget. As a result, the IRS continues to replenish its audit workforce. The IRS trains its audit workforce by examining the tax returns of individuals and small businesses. Now, more than ever, Accounting, Tax and Financial Professionals need clients to understand the need for documentation and procedures to substantiate what IRS examiners are pursuing. Learn the high audit risk areas and ways to help clients survive an IRS audit with little or no change. It is critical for Accounting, Tax, and Financial Professionals in public accounting to understand the risk to clients and to themselves in tax return preparation and planning since the IRS continues to increase its audit coverage and is examining more taxpayers than it has in the recent past.

Due to IRS issue focused examinations, Accounting and Finance Professionals need to understand what types of returns are selected for examination and ways to help clients survive an IRS audit with little or no change. As a result of issue focused examinations, Accounting and Finance Professionals must understand what the high audit risk area issues are and what the IRS is focusing on when a return is examined. In addition, because tax-related identity theft is a common issue for many taxpayers, it is critical for Accounting and Finance Professionals to understand the procedures necessary to resolve this matter for their clients.

This course is designed to provide accountants with a comprehensive understanding of the subscription pricing model. As the business world increasingly shifts toward subscription-based models, it's crucial for accountants to understand the financial implications and strategies associated with this pricing approach. This course will cover the basics of subscription pricing, how to set prices, and how to analyze the financial impacts of these decisions, as well as the specific impacts to your business. By the end of this course, participants will be equipped with the knowledge and skills to effectively manage the implementation of subscription pricing to their practice.

The auditor's responsibilities related to risk assessment are changing at the end of 2023! This power-packed webinar will empower you with the working knowledge of SAS No. 145, Understanding the Entity and Its Environment and Assessing the Risks of Material Misstatement, to successfully apply the standard. This course will also discuss two highly-related standards (i.e., SAS Nos. 143 and 148) which auditors will be implementing at the same time.

As finance professionals we often have dual responsibilities, to use our technical skills and also to exercise our leadership skills to lead a department. But we are often not sufficiently trained in the second, and sometimes most important, skill set. This short program takes an in-depth look at a proven model designed to help us understand both ourselves and other people. In so doing, we gain the skill to lead better, handle problem employees and coworkers, and significantly gain upward mobility within the organization.

There are only two things that any organization needs to accomplish for success: serve the customer well and do it efficiently. This short program will concentrate on the efficiency side, which is always near and dear to the heart of the financial professional. We will develop a well-proven program to increase efficiency in a way that is both embraced by employees and has been found to work. By following this simple formula, any organization can become more efficient.

This course will take new and administrative staff from the most basic concepts to a full understanding of individual tax return preparation -- just in time for the crunch of busy season! Updated for impacts of recent legislation to ensure you stay up to date on the latest regulations and guidance. The course builds from a strong technical foundation, to prepare simple, to moderate, to complicated individual tax returns.

This course will take new and administrative staff from the most basic concepts to an understanding of individual tax return preparation. Continuously updated for the latest legislation, including the Inflation Reduction Act, American Rescue Plan Act, the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021, the CARES Act, the SECURE Act, and the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017.

This highly informative course will bring you up-to-speed on the latest in individual tax law developments and the corresponding or responsive planning opportunities available to your clients. You will come away from the course ready to educate your individual tax clients and implement tax-savings ideas that will serve their ever-evolving needs. Continually updated to reflect enacted legislation. Please Note: Due to content overlap, it is recommended that this course NOT be taken together with BFT4.

With the far-reaching changes brought about by recent tax reform, careful planning takes on new importance. This course presents the most important income tax planning ideas wealthy clients and closely held business owners need to consider this year to take advantage of the present and plan for the future. It highlights areas in the income tax return that suggest future opportunities for the individual client. Continuously updated for the latest legislation and IRS guidance.

Each year brings its own set of tax planning challenges, and this year is no exception. This course aims to arm tax planners with planning strategies and ideas that all clients, but in particular, wealthy clients, middle-income clients, and closely held business owners need to consider right now to take advantage of present opportunities and plan for future tax advantages. Learn strategies that can really have an impact on client lives, while also bringing value to you and your firm. This material is continuously updated for recent legislation impacting individual taxpayers.

Each year brings its own set of tax planning challenges, and this year is no exception. This course aims to arm tax planners with planning strategies and ideas that all clients, but in particular, wealthy clients, middle-income clients, and closely held business owners need to consider right now to take advantage of present opportunities and plan for future tax advantages. Learn strategies that can really have an impact on client lives, while also bringing value to you and your firm. This material is continuously updated for recent legislation impacting individual taxpayers.

Did 2020 show us that planning doesn't work? It might seem that way. But, obviously some organizations survived far better than others due to their ability to handle unexpected change. Forecasting and budgeting are two words that often draw an adverse reaction from many financial professionals; let us help you turn that frown upside down with our innovative approach to planning and budgeting. The pandemic has shown us that our planning process must be far nimbler and allow our organization to shift rapidly. We'll move beyond the traditional techniques and show you easier ways to complete the process while cutting out the political pitfalls that end up causing a lack of accountability and can be demotivating to the staff. During the seminar we will cover such topics as the sales/income plan, capital equipment planning, the "one-year operating plan" (formerly referred to as a budget), the "monthly operating plan," cash planning, risk planning, and much more! Join us for this seminar as we help you streamline your forecasting and budgeting processes, which turns into a win-win for the employees and the organization.

Planning may be one of the most important assignments of the finance professional; however, it is often accomplished in a way that can harm the organization. In many cases, huge sums are spent only to have a planning document developed that does not serve to bring the company together, but rather causes internal division. In some situations the budget can actually harm both productivity and alignment. This course is designed to bring planning, budgeting, and forecasting together into one fully aligned process that is easier, more efficient, and fully engages all parts of the organization. Rather than the plan being owned by the finance department, it is owned and followed by everyone from the CEO to the entry-level employee.

Planning may be one of the most important assignments of the finance professional; however, it is often accomplished in a way that can harm the organization. In many cases, huge sums are spent only to have a planning document developed that does not serve to bring the company together, but rather causes internal division. In some situations the budget can actually harm both productivity and alignment. This course is designed to bring planning, budgeting, and forecasting together into one fully aligned process that is easier, more efficient, and fully engages all parts of the organization. Rather than the plan being owned by the finance department, it is owned and followed by everyone from the CEO to the entry-level employee.

Companies that fall victim to fraud schemes need to reassess internal controls in order to prevent future fraudulent activity. In this course, we will review the 18 most prevalent internal controls present as well as designed and operating effectively according to the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners' Occupational Fraud 2022: A Report to the Nations. Then we will tie these controls to the 17 internal control principles offered by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO), the framework used by virtually all entities and auditors to assess the design and operational effectiveness of internal controls. Lastly, we will consider the impact of the 2020 pandemic on the internal control environment in the post-COVID pandemic era.

Companies that fall victim to fraud schemes need to reassess internal controls in order to prevent future fraudulent activity. In this course, we will review the 18 most prevalent internal controls that should be present (as well as designed and operating effectively) in order to prevent future frauds. These controls are taken from Association of Certified Fraud Examiners' Report to the Nations: 2020 Global Study on Occupational Fraud and Abuse. Then we will tie these controls to the 17 internal control principles offered by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO), the framework used by virtually all entities and auditors to assess the design and operational effectiveness of internal controls. Lastly, we will consider the impact of the 2020 pandemic on internal controls in the coming era.

Globalization continues to make it easier for taxpayers to live abroad, do business in other countries, or invest in foreign enterprises. This creates significant complications and tax planning opportunities when it comes to filing U.S. tax returns. This course provides an overview of the unique tax challenges and solutions presented to U.S. expats or investors living or investing abroad. It examines how foreign-source income is taxed in the U.S. and how the tax consequences could be mitigated by applying the tax treaties, claiming credit for foreign taxes paid, or excluding foreign-earned income. Additionally, the course discusses the numerous foreign informational form reporting requirements and the significant penalties that could be imposed by the IRS. Examples from real-life client scenarios are included.