CPE Catalog & Events

This course equips practitioners with the knowledge needed to help clients navigate complex tax and financial challenges. It addresses difficult client situations including divorce, bankruptcy, debt issues, and other personal and business matters that create significant tax consequences. The course provides key insights into the tax implications associated with these situations and highlights planning considerations practitioners should evaluate when advising clients. Participants will explore the tax treatment of divorce-related matters, including filing status, support obligations, and property division. The course also examines bankruptcy, debt cancellation, business dissolution, and other financial hardships that may affect a taxpayer’s reporting and obligations. Through practical discussion and analysis, participants will gain strategies to help clients make informed decisions while understanding the related tax implications. 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  

Thsi course provides a comprehensive overview of Written Information Security Plans (WISP), focusing on their purpose, requirements, and implentation. All PTIN holders must certify they have a WISP prior to renewal, along with certifying the training of employees, staff and contractors as necessary. Participants will explore the history and legal foundation of WISP under the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act, and how compliances is enforsed through IRS Circular 230, AICPA Statments of Standards, The American Bar Associations and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). 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 practical overview of business valuation, guiding participants through the key concepts, methodologies, and considerations involved. You will explore the types of valuation reports, the standards governing their preparation, and the step-by-step process of transforming raw data into actionable insights. The course also examines how the intended purpose of a report can influence its conclusions and offers strategies for valuing minority interests. By the end of the course, participants will gain a clear understanding of how to read, interpret, and apply business valuation reports effectively.

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.

PivotTable is a fancy term for an Excel report that summarizes data. If you have not yet had the good fortune of exploring PivotTables, it is about time. In this session, we'll dig into PivotTables, understand the report layout options, and examine PivotTable formulas.

This course provides a practical understanding of IT controls and SOC reporting within financial audits. Participants will learn how to interpret SOC reports, evaluate control effectiveness, and determine reliance strategies. Real-world examples will demonstrate how IT controls tie directly to relevant financial statement areas and alignment with Complementary User Entity Controls (CUECs).

Recent generally accepted auditing standards were written to improve the quality of risk-based financial statement audits, audit reporting, and required by-product communications. This course will discuss the important clarifications and enhancements intended to improve audit quality to ensure better compliance with requirements contained in the SASs. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

If you supervise preparation, compilation, and review engagements, this course is designed to assist you in adhering to professional standards. It will inform you of the latest developments and pertinent issues relevant to these engagements as you gain insights into: The U.S. business economy Peer review practices FASB updates Various other aspects that influence preparation, compilation, and review engagements

For most people, funding their own retirement is the largest expense they will ever have. Due to advances in medical technology and overall healthier lifestyles, it is not unusual for someone to live 30 years or more in retirement. In this course, we will discuss how to quantify and calculate the retirement needs of the client. We will talk about time value of money concepts, how to help clients quantify their retirement goals, and even how to address risk perceptions. By doing this, we will allow practitioners to be able to better address client questions and frame trade-offs when necessary. 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 concise overview of how accountants can use Google NotebookLM (powered by Gemini) as a practical research, synthesis, and knowledge-management companion for high-trust work. You'll learn how to convert static financial statements, audit workpapers, client documents, and regulatory guidance into a structured, conversational knowledge base-so you can query, summarize, compare, and cross-reference sources with greater speed and clarity. This course emphasizes disciplined workflows such as source control, evidence-grounded outputs, and professional judgment so NotebookLM strengthens your analysis instead of replacing it. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

Don't just wing it when you can soar! To catch the eye of resource providers and fulfill the needs of leadership, it is essential that not-for-profits prepare financial statements which excel. This course will empower you with the knowledge of not-for-profit accounting and reporting to surpass the expectations of financial statement users. Over 20 focused exercises are included to illustrate and refine today's best practices in not-for-profit accounting and reporting.

With over 50% of marriages ending in divorce, forensic accountants are frequently used in uncovering hidden income and assets. It is not uncommon for one spouse to hide money from another, sometimes for nefarious reasons. As a CPA, your services are valued by high-net-worth individuals who hire attorneys in their divorce proceedings. In this course, you will learn the art of financial investigations and how to uncover the truth in divorce cases, whether from offshore accounts to lifestyle analysis. Step by step, the course will teach you the valuable skills necessary in finding, analyzing, evaluating, and presenting your findings to your client and if needed, ultimately in divorce court. 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 is a continuation of discussion over Step One in the revenue recognition process of Identify the Contract. Specifically, this session delves further into the considerations surrounding contract modifications, change orders, unpriced change orders, cancelations, non-finalized changes and accounting treatment when a contract does not exist.

Understanding the principles and practices of compensation is essential for creating a motivated and satisfied workforce. In this webinar, we'll explore how these crucial elements drive fairness and engagement in HR practices. This program is designed for HR professionals and business leaders seeking to enhance their compensation strategies.

Although many people use ChatGPT or other Large Language Model (LLM) informally at work, very few have received training on how to engage effectively with this powerful technology. This course provides practical advice on how to exploit the full potential of LLMs, while also highlighting the risks that need to be managed.

If a great leader is someone we are willing to sacrifice for – what do those leaders do that makes us want to do more? Many of us work in dysfunctional organizations that want followers, but have no leaders that lead. What makes a leader effective? True leaders sacrifice, they are trustworthy and they empathize. We discuss the steps to take so you can become a true leader: including, integrity, humility, communication, self-control and self-awareness. With diligence, you can become a better leader and we will discuss how.  

This session takes a unique review of the fundamental budget issues faced by all and walks through a detailed modeling process intended to generate discussion and best practices to improve your organization’s financial modeling.  From the beginning of the accounting process – ‘the chart of accounts’ to the end of the process – ‘the valuation of the company’, the budgeting cycle via a live case model to learn best practices common to successful companies.   This course stands on its own but is part two of a four part budget mastery series.

Collaboration remains one of today's hottest topics. Technology has fueled today's collaboration options, and work-from anywhere environments virtually demand collaboration platforms. In this session, you will learn today's best tools and practices to facilitate more effective collaboration in your organization. In this session, you will learn about today's mainstream collaboration platforms & Microsoft 365, Google Workspace, and Zoho - and how these options are similar and differ. You will also learn about other collaboration options, including Slack, Zoom, and Webex, and you can incorporate these tools into your collaboration environments. Further, you will learn about some of the best practices and procedures that must be in place to optimize your collaborative environments and experiences.

This course covers a broad range of topics involving uncertainty in accounting and auditing. It addresses accounting standards related to going concern, contingencies, guarantees, and credit losses, along with auditing standards applicable to auditing accounting estimates and evaluating going concern. The course provides a practical overview of how these areas are addressed under current standards and how they impact financial reporting and audit procedures. Jeff presents the material in an engaging manner to reinforce key concepts and maintain focus.

Some customers are unprofitable from an economic or time perspective – but many organizations do not differentiate or know the difference. When an organization has a unique, well-differentiated service or product, understanding value from the customer’s perspective becomes a crucial factor in profitable pricing. We must take the time to fully understand what our customers value - from the customer’s point of view. What is value? Why do brand, value, and customer focus matter? Developing a deep understanding of our customers is vital. Our most important customer might be someone we have not yet recognized. Understanding both external clients and internal stakeholders - including the evolving role of the finance department, is critical to long-term success. Using humorous video clips, memes, and vetted research, your understanding of customer bases will improve.