CPE Catalog & Events

This segment is designed to evaluate Step Five of the new model dealing with recognizing revenue which is the final step in applying the new revenue recognition standard. For performance obligations that are fulfilled at a point in time, revenue is recognized at the fulfillment of the performance obligation. For performance obligations to be satisfied over time, an entity must decide how to appropriately measure the progress and completion of the performance obligation. A performance obligation is satisfied when or as control of the good or service is transferred to the customer. There are several issues companies should consider in applying step 5 of the standard: •   Determining if a Performance Obligation is satisfied over time •   Identifying indicators of transfer of control of good/services •   Utilizing input and output methods to measure progress of revenue recognition •   Understanding stand-ready obligations and how to apply discounts

This course is a complement to our series on Becoming a Forensic Accountant and the focus of the course is on steganography techniques. Steganography is the art and science of embedding secret messages in a cover message in such a way that no one, apart from the sender and intended recipient, suspects the existence of the message. The first use of steganography can be traced to 440 BC when ancient Greece, people wrote messages on wood and covered it with wax, that acted as a covering medium Romans used forms of Invisible Inks, to decipher those hidden messages light or heat were used. During World War II the Germans introduced microdots, which were complete documents, pictures, and plans reduced in size to the size of a dot and were attached to normal paperwork. Null Ciphers were also used to hide unencrypted secret messages in an innocent looking message. Given the amount of data being generated and transmitted electronically, it’s no surprise that numerous methods of protecting that data have evolved. There are various types of steganography: Text Steganography - Hiding information inside the text files. This involves changing format of existing text, changing words in a text, generating random character sequences or using context-free grammars to generate readable texts. Image Steganography - Process of hiding text in an image without distorting the picture. Video Steganography - Technique to hide any kind of files into a cover video file. Audio Steganography - The secret message is embedded into an audio signal which alters the binary sequence of the corresponding audio file. Network Steganography - The process of utilizing active network protocols as carriers to transmit a covert message, undetectable by an uninformed party, from a host to its destination. This session will review these methods and also discuss relevant software.  

Both IFRS and IFRS for SMEs are self-contained standards designed to meet the needs of specific financial statement users. This course is designed to explain the differences between the two standards, including disclosure requirements and recognition and measurement principles.

This course provides a focused update on major recent pronouncements issued by the Governmental Accounting Standards Board. Coverage includes GASB Statement No. 103 (financial reporting model improvements), GASB Statement No. 104 (enhanced disclosures for capital assets), and GASB Statement No. 105 (subsequent events). Participants will also receive a high-level overview of active GASB exposure drafts and ongoing projects. The course is designed to help auditors, preparers, and financial leaders understand how these developments affect audits, financial statement preparation, and board reporting.

Imagine you have one hundred boxes that are all supposed to be full of manufactured inventory. How do you obtain reasonable assurance—now defined as a high level of assurance—that each box is full without opening every one? You begin by assessing risk. If the client has strong internal controls over manufacturing, packing, and transport to the warehouse, there is reasonable assurance the boxes are properly filled. Next, evaluate warehouse security and controls over access, as well as procedures for removing inventory. Once satisfied that controls are both adequate and operating effectively, you can observe and count the boxes and selectively test a sample—ensuring you do not only choose the most accessible ones, as fraud is often concealed within the middle of the inventory. Based on this risk assessment and targeted testing, you can conclude with reasonable assurance that the inventory is properly stated without inspecting every box. This same approach applies to expenses and payroll: evaluate internal controls, observe processes, and perform independent test procedures. Weak internal controls in inventory, expenses, and payroll create opportunities for fraud that may lead to material misstatements. In this session, we will explore how these vulnerabilities arise and how to recognize and address them through effective audit procedures.

Are you managing your cash, or is your cash managing you" Can you effectively project cash position a week, month or year from now" This seminar demonstrates how to develop long and short-term cash management processes, allowing for productive days and restful nights. This session provides timeless cash management techniques and strategies.

Gain an invaluable skill set to advance your career by learning how to design and apply a comprehensive cost accounting system modeled on a real company. This course shows you how to precisely identify all direct and indirect manufacturing costs for each product, link direct costs to their base drivers, and recognize fluctuating variable and semi-fixed costs that are actually direct in nature. You’ll also learn how to trace certain fixed costs to products, distinguish which fixed costs are directly assignable, and apply budgeting techniques to establish accurate standard costs.  It's highly recommended to take Part 1 before Part 2 as several foundational principles in Part 1 carry forward throughout Part 2.

This comprehensive training is designed to get the accountant up to speed quickly with the complex passive activity loss (PAL) rules that apply to certain investments in trades or businesses and rental activities. The cornerstone of the course is the in-depth coverage of the detailed tax law and regulations applicable to passive activities under IRC §469 and how and when the 3.8% net investment income tax under §1411 applies.   *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  

Estate planning continues to evolve, and staying informed about the latest trends and strategies is crucial for professionals in the field. This forward-looking course delves into the intricacies of estate planning, with a specific focus on current issues. Participants will explore cutting-edge techniques, emerging legal considerations, and industry developments to ensure they are equipped with the knowledge and skills to create effective estate plans that withstand the test of time and safeguard their clients' legacies. *Please Note:  If you need credit reported to the IRS for this IRS approved program, please download the IRS CE request form on the Handouts Tab and submit to kori.herrera@acpen.com  

This course offers an in-depth exploration of the "vision" capabilities of ChatGPT specifically tailored for accountants. The session demonstrates how artificial intelligence can interpret and analyze visual content to revolutionize financial management. The curriculum covers a wide range of applications, from understanding GPT Vision and its unique benefits to leveraging aerial and street view imagery for comprehensive financial analysis. Through detailed case studies, participants will learn how to access and utilize GPT Vision effectively, incorporating it into tasks like data visualization, text and object recognition from images, and the use of descriptive, diagnostic, predictive, and prescriptive (DDPP) analysis methods to enhance decision-making processes. 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.

In today's challenging talent market, accounting firms face unprecedented pressure to retain their best performers. This course provides actionable, research-backed strategies to help firms keep their top talent from leaving. Based on comprehensive surveys of both current accounting professionals and those who have recently left the profession, participants will learn the real reasons employees stay or go-and what firms can do about it. The course goes beyond simple solutions like "pay more, expect less" to explore comprehensive retention strategies including whole-person compensation, work-life balance improvements, career development pathways, and necessary business model transformations. Participants will discover why 73% of surveyed professionals want to stay with their current firm, yet many still leave-and how to bridge that gap. Key topics include understanding the true cost of turnover versus retention, implementing flexible work arrangements that actually work, creating meaningful career paths for non-partner track professionals, and transforming firm operations to support both profitability and employee satisfaction. Special attention is given to retaining diverse talent and adapting to the expectations of younger professionals who will comprise 27% of the workforce by 2025. Whether you're a firm leader, HR professional, or manager responsible for team retention, this course provides the insights and tools needed to build a sustainable talent strategy in an evolving profession. 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 high-level overview and introduction into the world of the forensic accountant. Most accountants have an understanding of the concept of fraud and how it impacts companies, but many individuals do not have a full comprehension of the variance in the work performed by a forensic accountant versus a typical management accountant.   This course is meant for those individuals interested in understanding the variances in the job tasks and responsibilities of forensic accountants versus typical financial or management accountants. Forensic accountants or auditors take a unique focus on performing their work.  Typically, when a person with forensic experience is called in to examine financial records, it is due to suspicion of fraud, evaluation of assets, or even to track down fundamentally incorrect accounting – intentional or not. As fraud continues to raise its head in business processes, forensic accountants are discovering new and unique ways to identify, examine, and support their hypotheses and investigative techniques.  The work performed by a forensic specialist can be interesting and full of potential potholes if evidence isn’t examined according to proper protocols and standards.  

Are you ready to unlock Excel's full potential? In today's fast-paced world, mastering Excel isn't just a nice-to-have-it';s a must for anyone who wants to work smarter, faster, and with greater accuracy. Make plans to participate in this dynamic, Excel-centric session designed for professionals like you. Discover how you can leverage features like templates, Precision as Displayed, and PivotTables along with new tools such as Dynamic Arrays, advanced data cleaning, PIVOTBY and GROUPBY functions, and seamless Copilot integration. These features will transform the how you and your team analyze data, automate reporting, and deliver actionable insights from Excel.

This program provides in-depth coverage of SAS 145, a major standard that helps auditors enhance risk assessment procedures through improved techniques for identifying and assessing risks of material misstatement. This session is essential for CPAs that perform audits. The discussion will also be insightful for auditees and other professionals who want to maintain awareness of current auditing guidance.

This course corresponds to our Controllership series. This course is dedicated to exploring the traditional controller role and stepping out of the box to identify areas where the controller can continue to add strategic value to their organizations. Within this segment of our controllership series, we discuss the area of cash and investments and explore how the controller can move these responsibilities into more of a strategic role. In today’s world, the role of cash management is often a pivotal role in the organization. In economically difficult times, controllers may find that they spend a great deal of their time on understanding and managing the organizations' cash position. This is certainly important and, in some areas, can be seen as a staple of the lifeblood of the organization’s ongoing viability. This course takes a look at some of the typical objectives involved in Cash management and then evaluates how those objectives can be further stretched into strategic pillars of the organization.   

Generative AI tools, such as ChatGPT, Gemini, and Copilot, are available to everyone and offer great promise for enhanced productivity. Learn how you can begin to take advantage of these tools by participating in this session.

This webinar presents a variety of time-saving ideas, shortcuts, and tips that are sure to boost personal productivity. We discuss better summing, address one of the biggest pitfalls that Excel users have faced over the past 25 years, present the most important keyboard shortcuts, demonstrate a better alternative to hiding rows or columns, illustrate how to quickly navigate to other workbooks and files, and demonstrate using Excel with styles.

Unlock the secrets to understanding a company's financial health and management performance through comprehensive financial analysis. This seminar will guide you through essential tools such as vertical analysis, horizontal analysis, and ratio analysis to gain deep insights into business performance. - Vertical Analysis: Learn how to express each line item of financial statements as a percentage, making it easier to compare companies of different sizes and identify key trends. - Horizontal Analysis: Discover how to compare financial information over multiple periods to spot significant changes and trends, providing a clearer picture of a company's growth and performance. - Ratio Analysis: Dive into calculating and interpreting financial ratios to assess profitability, liquidity, and solvency. Understand how these ratios reveal the effectiveness of management and the potential of the business. This seminar goes beyond just teaching terms and formulas. We will apply these analytical tools to real-world financial data, demonstrating how to derive meaningful insights and make informed decisions. Join us to enhance your financial analysis skills and gain a competitive edge in evaluating business performance. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.