CPE Catalog & Events

The introduction to governmental budgeting course is an overview of the typical timeline and process a government uses when creating their annual budget. Topics covered include the basics of governmental budgeting, establishing priorities for the budget, the common steps and timeline of the budget process, what, when and how we should be monitoring the budget throughout the year, and how long-term budgets fit in with the annual budget process. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

Internal control issues often arise in QuickBooks Online environments. However, that need not be the case! In this session, you will learn about internal control features that can help you maximize your QBO experience while simultaneously reducing risk.

This three-day training course is taught using a hands-on methodology and provides a comprehensive understanding of the federal income tax laws applicable to individuals. The session includes a comprehensive case study (using actual W-2s, 1099s, 1098s, K-1s, etc.). Participants will walk through the preparation of Form 1040 and related tax schedules, learning complex income tax law. Each attendee will receive a comprehensive individual income tax reference manual that includes practice aids, real-world examples, new Federal income tax forms and schedules, and Pat Garverick's Quick Reference Chart.

Almost every business and individual has to file tax returns, which can be a great treasure trove of information for forensic accountants. Whether in a divorce, partnership dispute, recreating books and records, or bankruptcy proceeding, analyzing tax return information should be an initial step in uncovering income and assets. The IRS retains a large amount of information, both from taxpayers and 3rd parties who report financial transactions. This course will be your guide in gathering, analyzing, and evaluating tax return information, so that you have a full picture of the financial investigation. Your presenter is a 20 year veteran with IRS-Criminal Investigation, who used this information as a basis for his federal criminal investigations. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

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.

Review of the major employment laws governing the workplace, when they are triggered, and key compliance aspects under each law. This presentation is designed to give viewers enough information to issue spot when matters arise in the workplace.   

Every business will be sold eventually. When you have built a great business and decide to move on – you want the most you can get for that terrific organization! What are the steps to take to maximize the value realized? What do buyers really want? What are the three levers to achieve maximum value? If you want top dollar, preparing to sell takes years of planning. This seminar helps CEOs, entrepreneurs, CFOs, Board members, controllers, and their advisors prepare for a successful sale of the organization to maximize shareholder value. We will outline the process to get the most bang for the buck. Proper exit planning demands planning and time.

If you find yourself working with PDF files consistently throughout the day, this course will teach you how to review, annotate, format and organize PDF files more effectively and in less time. You will also learn how to use Adobe Acrobat for e-signatures to reduce document processing time significantly and enhance confidentiality. Adobe Acrobat has many features that you can take advantage of and this course will explain and demonstrate how to use them. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

In the course of legal actions, payments may be made pursuant to a final disposition of a court case or a mutually agreed-upon settlement.  This course will cover the tax implications for payments made for personal injury, emotional distress, lost wages, punitive awards, pre- and post-judgement interest, contract claims, among other damages. **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 kori.herrera@acpen.com.  

This course will focus on preparing financial statement audit documentation critical for high quality audits that can pass peer review.

Workpapers are the primary support for findings, conclusions and opinions on any audit or other attest engagement.  This course will provide the essential tips and techniques for ensuring workpaper documentation is of a high quality, yet efficient, nature.

Are you  looking to fortify your practice against the ever-growing threats in the digital landscape? Join us for the second installment of our exclusive webinar series, "Mastering Cybersecurity," brought to you by Practice Protect. In today's digitally connected world, the need for comprehensive cybersecurity is paramount. With cyberattacks becoming more sophisticated, it's crucial to stay ahead of the curve in protecting your sensitive client data.  This webinar series is designed to equip CPAs with the knowledge and tools needed to secure their practices and client information effectively.

Accurately identifying and testing controls over compliance is critical, yet it remains a common deficiency highlighted in peer reviews. This course offers a comprehensive overview of internal controls over compliance, with a focus on their application to Single Audits. Participants will learn how to effectively align internal controls with specific compliance requirements. Additionally, we will address one of the most frequent findings in audits of governmental entities receiving federal grants: the misidentification of controls and the confusion between compliance and control processes. This course will help clarify the distinction, equipping you with the tools to enhance audit quality and ensure compliance effectiveness. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

Properly identifying performance obligations is a critical step in the five-step revenue recognition model. It is a step that must be completed at the inception of the contract and prior to moving on to step three of the model. As discussed in segment one on performance obligations, there are many types and variations of obligations and as such, management will be required to utilize significant judgment when applying this step. However,  it is important that the judgment be supported by considerations of the proper factors. The course further evaluates areas that impact performance obligations. We utilize multiple examples from various industries to illustrate the considerations that must be evaluated in line with both identifying performance obligations and allocating the transaction price appropriately.    

In today’s business world, there is a war for talent and organizations with the best talent will win. We clearly need to motivate talented personnel. Equity compensation plans are useful to retain, reward and recruit. The GAAP and tax accounting for equity compensation plans is not static and decisions that you make during plan set-up can have major consequences to your organization’s bottom line and your management team’s personal tax situations. We will review nuances and details that impact proper accounting. Whether you are the CFO or CEO who has not been happy with prior equity compensation plans or the accountant who performs the intricate analysis and detailed accounting for these plans - this session will help you understand the issues and get it right the first time.

To many clients, CPA firms all look the same. While services and specialties may vary significantly from one firm to another, it is hard for the average person to see this by simply looking at the sign outside our office door. Is there any way to make us stand out more to the outside world? Through surveys, statistics, and examples, this course looks at how CPA firms can develop a marketing plan beyond just relying on referrals. We look at the pluses and minuses of various marketing channels, regulatory constraints, and how to measure success in the competitive financial services space.

Accounting and finance practitioners are still grappling with the many changes OBBBA has made to the tax laws, many of which will impact tax filings. This program is an introduction to and review of some of these critical changes and their impact on taxpayers. Accounting and finance practitioners will gain a better understanding of this very complex set of new tax rules. Practitioners will grasp what is new and what is a continuance of prior rules to develop deeper insights into the many changes that the OBBBA made to the law. If you still feel you need to learn more about how OBBBA works, this program is for you. We have assembled a two-hour review and analysis of what we consider the most important changes from OBBBA that impact client transactions. To the extent that Treasury has provided guidance relating to these new OBBBA changes, we will discuss that guidance. Where guidance is lacking, we will point out areas that require future attention from Treasury.

When a purchaser buys an existing partner's partnership interest or the interest of a member of a limited liability corporation (LLC) taxed as a partnership, the amount paid becomes the basis for the purchaser's partnership interest (outside basis). If the partnership's assets have appreciated sufficiently, the difference between the new partner's inside and outside basis can be substantial. This disparity can deprive the new partner of depreciation deductions and inflate his or her share of the gain from subsequent property dispositions unless a Section 754 election is in effect. The Section 754 election can also apply when a partnership makes a distribution of property and the basis of the distributed property to the partnership and the basis the partner/distributee will take in the distributed property are not equal. In this case, a partnership can recover basis it would otherwise lose if the 754 election were not in effect.

In February 2016, FASB issued ASU 2016-02, Leases, which provides new guidelines that change the accounting for leasing arrangements. To be able to properly account for leases, financial professionals must understand ASU 2016-02 (also referred to as Topic 842). This guidance covers information on how leases should be accounted for. The previous leasing standard (ASC 840) had been in existence for almost 40 years. Under ASC Topic 842, lessors continue to classify leases as operating, direct financing, or sales-type. While lessees now classify leases as operating or financing leases. Previous guidance only required capital leases to be reflected on the BS. The new guidance requires all leases to be reflected on the BS. This is a major change for organizations and will cause their balance sheets to swell as leases must now be disclosed on the balance sheet. The standards original effective dates were prior to 2019. In April 2020, due to COVID-19, FASB voted to defer the effective date for ASC 842 for private companies and certain not-for-profit's for one year. For private companies and private not-for-profits, the leasing standard will be effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2021, and interim periods within fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2022. For public companies the leasing standard is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2019, including interim periods within those fiscal years. The course covers elements of lease classification for both lessees and lessors. Also, numerous examples are incorporated as reference.  

Retaining Talent in a Competitive Marketplace -Creating a Benefits Program Employees Care About In today's competitive marketplace, retaining talented employees is becoming increasingly difficult. A solid benefits program can make a difference in the fight for talent - but only if those benefits matter to the employees you are trying to hire! Through statistics and case studies, this course will explore what benefits are most valuable to employees. We will also explore the basic types of retirement and health insurance plans and discuss what financial leaders should consider before adopting a benefits package. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.