CPE Catalog & Events

This session provides a comprehensive analysis of meals and entertainment regulations under IRC 274 as amended by the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. Participants will learn how to identify deductible vs. nondeductible expenditures, interpret the regulatory definitions surrounding "entertainment," "business associate," and reimbursement arrangements, and apply the numerous exceptions under IRC 274(e), including compensation, recreational activities, public availability, and goods or services sold to customers. Using examples from the final regulations, we will dissect key distinctions such as separately stated food and beverage costs, employer-provided meals, and the treatment of per diem reimbursements. This course equips practitioners with the technical precision required for compliance, documentation, and audit defense. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

This session provides insights for enhancing the preparation and utilization of budgets. Seasoned accountants will benefit from a refreshed awareness of popular techniques. Budding financial professionals will obtain novel insight regarding fundamental budgeting concepts. All participants will develop an appreciation for the holistic nature of budgeting as an integral tool for planning and control. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

Practical hands-on Excel learning exercises taught by a highly engaging expert in the field You'll develop your expertise with real-world Excel workbooks. Despite the popularity of VLOOKUP, it has its drawbacks. This session will address these drawbacks while offering alternatives. You'll walk through the VLOOKUP and IFERROR functions, and explore the following topics: Improving the use of VLOOKUP with VALUE/TEXT Improving the use of VLOOKUP with MATCH. Moving beyond VLOOKUP with INDEX Trapping errors with IFERROR Moving beyond basic Excel functions Grasping the limitations and possible enhancements for the VLOOKUP feature, along with methods to handle errors can elevate your proficiency in Excel. You'll also partake in hands-on Excel activities that showcase the integration of functions and their use in crafting spreadsheets, encompassing: Combining functions to enhance flexibility Utilizing functions for atypical data categories Perfecting sophisticated lookup functions *Session 5 is one of eight sessions that is available as an individual session. Each session builds on the prior sessions, so you'll want to consider watching [Session 6: List Comparisons and Indenting] (https://www.aicpa-cima.com/cpe-learning/webcast/excel-for-accounting-professionals-session-6--list-comparisons-and-indenting) to further prepare to tackle real-world issues and build powerful workbooks.*

Learn how material participation rules can significantly impact the tax treatment of your real estate activities. This course explains the IRS tests for material participation, how to distinguish active from passive activities, and strategies for documenting participation to maximize tax benefits. 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. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

Younger professionals comprise a significant part of the accounting and finance workforce. Whether you are an owner of a small accounting practice or a manager in a multinational accounting firm, it is important to understand the characteristics and expectations of this large segment of the workforce. Research reveals that many of the common stereotypes surrounding young professionals are unfounded and counterproductive. This course provides an understanding of who young professionals are in comparison to their predecessors, the Gen-Xers and baby boomers. Equally important, the presentation will look at common myths regarding young professionals and why understanding this class of employees provides opportunities for your organization to grow and succeed.

When clients ask questions about the impact of new tax legislation embodied in OBBBA, it is important that accounting and finance practitioners can reply with accurate and relevant planning strategies. This program prepares accounting and finance practitioners with the knowledge and insights to help their clients apply the new law to their advantage. This program is an introduction and review of some of these critical changes and their impact on individual and business taxpayers. By taking this program, accounting and finance practitioners will have a broader, deeper understanding of many of the OBBBA changes that impact their clients. This course is a two-hour review and analysis of what we consider some of the most important changes from the OBBBA impacting clients and perhaps their businesses.

This course provides a concise overview of the emerging role of CPAs as independent evaluators of artificial intelligence systems. Participants will explore how established accounting competencies-including professional skepticism, assurance, internal controls, risk assessment, and evidence evaluation-can be applied to AI. The course introduces major AI standards and frameworks, common AI failure modes, evaluation techniques, governance considerations, regulatory developments, and opportunities for CPAs to provide credible AI assurance and advisory services. 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 designed to provide a comprehensive understanding of charitable gifting strategies and their implications for individual taxpayers. Participants will explore the fundamentals of charitable giving, including the tax benefits, legal considerations, and planning opportunities available under current tax law. The course will cover the types of organizations that qualify for charitable contributions, the income and estate tax treatment of gifts, and the various methods of structuring charitable donations to maximize tax efficiency. Attendees will learn about specific charitable gifting techniques such as donor-advised funds, charitable remainder trusts, and qualified charitable distributions from retirement accounts. The course will also examine tax deduction limits, substantiation requirements, and the impact of state tax credits on charitable giving. By the end of the course, participants will be equipped with the knowledge and tools to guide clients in implementing effective charitable giving strategies that align with their financial and philanthropic goals.

Cash flow management is often the most important task of any CFO or financial leader. Regardless of whether one works in start-ups or established companies, non-profit or for-profit entities, cash flow makes our organizations run. Have you ever wondered whether you are optimizing your company's cash flow? In this course, we will explore how to improve your company's cash flow using analysis and financial theories in the context of real-world situations.

Starting and owning a small business remains one of the most powerful ways to build long-term wealth, alongside investing and real estate ownership. But today's business environment is fundamentally different than it was even a few years ago. Entrepreneurs must navigate rapid technological change, artificial intelligence, shifting workforce expectations, evolving regulatory frameworks, fluctuating capital markets, and increased federal and state scrutiny in areas such as non-compete agreements, data privacy, and employment law. Every large business begins as a small business, yet the risks and complexities of launching and scaling a company have increased. Owners and their advisors must address critical issues including selecting the proper entity, liability protection, financing, intellectual property protection, employment contracts, noncompete, insurance coverage, operations, and technology adoption. Decisions made at formation can materially affect a company's long-term value and ability to grow and ultimately sell. This course provides a practical, up-to-date overview of the legal, financial, and strategic considerations that business owners and their professional advisors must evaluate in today's environment. Drawing on current research, regulatory developments, and real-world trends, the program focuses on helping entrepreneurs build resilient, compliant, and scalable businesses in a rapidly changing economy.

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.

The AICPA continues to reshape the auditing profession through an unprecedented pace of standard setting, with increased emphasis on technology, professional skepticism, risk assessment, and engagement quality. Since 2019, numerous new and revised auditing standards have significantly changed how audits are planned, performed, and evaluated. This course provides an update on recent AICPA standard setting activities, including SASs 142 through 149. It also addresses the AICPA's quality management standards, which replace traditional quality control requirements with a risk based approach to managing quality at both the firm and engagement levels. In addition, the program highlights emerging developments in fraud related auditing guidance, including the AICPA's proposed fraud standard currently in exposure draft form. Designed for accounting and auditing practitioners at all levels, this course helps participants stay current on key changes affecting audit performance, documentation, and engagement quality in a rapidly evolving professional environment.

This course provides a comprehensive overview of SOC 2 reports, focusing on their structure, purpose, and how to interpret and apply them in a compliance or risk management context. Participants will learn about the five Trust Services Criteria (Security, Availability, Processing Integrity, Confidentiality, and Privacy), the difference between Type I and Type II reports, and the key components of a SOC 2 report including the system description, management assertion, and testing results. The course also covers common pitfalls in relying on SOC 2 reports and best practices for evaluating scope, subservice providers, and complementary user controls. Designed for auditors, compliance professionals, and vendor risk reviewers, this session equips attendees to effectively analyze and apply SOC 2 reports in real-world scenarios. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

Digital assets have moved from the fringes of tax administration into the core of IRS compliance and enforcement strategy. Practitioners today face a rapidly evolving landscape in which cryptocurrency transactions, digital wallets, exchanges, and blockchain activity present both unprecedented transparency and significant visibility gaps. This course provides a practitioner-level examination of how the IRS approaches digital asset compliance, where enforcement efforts are focused, and where reporting blind spots still exist. Drawing on firsthand experience inside the IRS, Trish Turner, former Head of Digital Assets at the Internal Revenue Service and now with CryptoTaxGirl, explains how digital asset data is identified, analyzed, and used in examinations, collections, and criminal investigations. Participants will explore how the IRS obtains digital asset information, including exchange reporting, summons activity, blockchain analytics, and third-party data sources. The course also addresses common compliance failures seen in audits, the practical limitations of current reporting regimes, and how visibility gaps affect risk assessment for both taxpayers and practitioners. Emphasis is placed on practical takeaways for tax professionals advising clients with digital asset exposure, including how to identify red flags, assess compliance risk, respond to IRS inquiries, and navigate evolving reporting obligations. This course is designed to help practitioners move beyond surface-level crypto rules and understand how enforcement actually works in practice. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

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.

The budget and the forecast are two common tools used by controllers and CFOs across almost every industry. However, are we really getting the most out of these tools? Or are we merely replicating whatever was done last year? In this course, we will use examples and illustrations to demonstrate various budgeting and forecasting techniques. We will discuss traditional approaches, as well as newer approaches such as flexible budgeting, in an effort to show how companies can gain more value. 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 investigates actual real-world fraud schemes and discusses what controls could have prevented the fraud from occurring, and what controls could detect and curtail the fraud scheme. The instructor speaks from experience, finding multiple frauds very early in her career leading to a career-long focus on fraud prevention and detection. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

Due to increasing scrutiny in the employee benefit plan area, it is imperative for auditors of 401(k) plans to remain up to date on the rules and regulations that may impact the audit engagement. In this course, auditors will enhance their knowledge by understanding the changes affecting audit procedures and reporting in accordance with recently issued Statements on Auditing Standards (SASs), identifying best practices, and performing efficient audit engagements.

This course provides a technical overview of IRC 1031 like-kind exchanges, focusing on the application of current law and regulations following the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. Presented by a former IRS subject matter expert, the course is designed for practitioners who advise on, prepare, or review transactions involving real property exchanges. Participants will examine qualification requirements, definitions of real property, and the determination of like-kind versus non-like-kind property under Treasury Regulations. The course covers key concepts including relinquished and replacement property, boot, realized and recognized gain, and basis calculations. Additional topics include the interaction of 1031 with cost segregation studies, depreciation treatment under 1245 and 1250, replacement property basis allocation, depreciation of carryover and excess basis, and multi-property exchange rules. Practical compliance considerations relevant to tax return preparation and review are emphasized throughout. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

Required minimum distributions (RMDs) must be taken from certain tax-deferred retirement accounts, starting when the account owner reaches their applicable age. The RMD rules are complex and must be simplified to help ensure clients understand them. Accounting and finance professionals must understand the basics of RMDs for IRAs and employer plan accounts so as to help IRA owners, plan participants, and beneficiaries meet their RMD obligations and avoid penalties that apply to RMDs not taken by their applicable deadline. Accounting and finance professionals should also be able to demonstrate tax-efficient solutions for RMDs. This course will walk accounting and finance professionals through the fundamental concepts and rules that apply to RMDs, demonstrate how to calculate RMDs, and explain how to correct RMD errors. It can be taken by anyone, including those without any experience working with RMDs. The course will include cases to promote understanding of the rules.