CPE Catalog & Events

This year practitioners need to keep abreast of tax changes affecting pass-through entities used by their business clients and employers, and this enlightening course delivers that information. You will learn invaluable strategies, techniques, innovative tax-planning concepts, income-generating ideas, and other planning opportunities available to S corporations, partnerships, LLCs, and LLPs. In addition, this course will discuss current trends and emerging issues, helping practitioners stay informed about relevant and significant topics that may impact their clients. Continually updated to reflect enacted legislation.

Human Resources professionals are often tasked with investigating allegations of employee misconduct, discrimination, and others. Investigation training is traditionally presented from the position of an outsider looking in, such as a governmental agency, law firm, or private investigator. HR investigations require similar skills, but the environment and the approach are quite different. This session is an introduction to these differences and provides best practices for assessing allegations of employee misconduct and planning the investigation. Attendees will end the session with takeaways to immediately implement in future HR investigations. Episodes 2 and 3 complete the series.

Prior to the original SAS No. 82 on Consideration of Fraud In A Financial Statement Audit (now codified as SAS No. 122, AU 240), the word fraud never appeared in a single SAS, nor was it described anywhere.  SAS No. 82 stated that auditors failed to detect fraud for two reasons:  1) They did not know what it looked like and 2) They had not been trained to look for it.  Although the SASs did not provide any guidance, auditors have always been responsible for the detection of anything that would cause a material misstatement of the financial statements whether caused by error or irregularities.  (They would not even say the word fraud until it appeared in SAS No. 82) The standards were replete with guidance on the detection of an error but silent on how to detect irregularities.  Now auditors are required to document in every financial statement audit their process of determining the risk of financial misstatement due to fraud. This presentation is designed to focus on frauds that were missed by the auditors and, in some cases, why it was missed.  There will also be discussion as to what the auditor must do in order to improve their track record on detecting fraud.  As reported on the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners Occupational Fraud 2022: A Report to the Nations, only 4% of frauds were initially discovered by the external auditor.  It was reported that more frauds were discovered by accident, (5%) then was discovered by the external auditor.

Good writing is good business. Studies show that the average business worker receives 121 emails per day. That's a lot of emails. Are your emails effective? Are they being read? Are they professional and tone-smart? In this course, you will learn techniques and skills to get your emails to stand out and improve their effectiveness and professionalism.

This course provides essential knowledge for Client Advisory Services (CAS) professionals navigating multistate taxation and managing tax deadlines. We'll start by exploring the implications of the Wayfair decision, focusing on general rules for sales and income tax nexus across states. You'll learn what to look for in state statutes and gain a solid foundation for filing requirements. Additionally, we'll cover key tax due dates, how to handle missed deadlines, and potential relief options. Whether you're new to the field or running your own practice, this course will equip you with the tools to succeed.

This program discusses, in a practical way, how an S corporation shareholder calculates their stock and loan basis on Form 7203. Form 7203 is the IRS Form on which a shareholder is sometimes required to calculate their stock and loan basis. This topic is particularly important when an S corporation has a loss and the shareholders wish to know whether they are entitled to fully utilize the loss that has been allocated to them against their other income.

Accounting and finance professionals often receive questions concerning all facets of Medicare. How does Medicare work? How do I apply? How much does it cost? Is Medicare optional or required? This program provides a basic introduction to the Medicare program and covers many of the areas of the Medicare program that clients are most interested in. If you, or some of your clients, have questions relating to Medicare, this program is a must for you.

Seismic changes in tax legislation is currently taking place, and the well-informed tax practitioner will want to attend this four hour program in order to stay abreast of these developments.  This program will cover new court decisions, recent IRS publications, and the latest tax legislation that will impact businesses and individuals.  The remaining time will be spent on IRS procedure and other issues. This course will provide a concise look at the hottest topics affecting every tax practitioner.  **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.

Specifically designed for preparation, compilation, and review practitioners, this course will provide you with a comprehensive review and hands-on application for performing financial statement preparation, compilation, and review engagements. You will learn the ins and outs of applying SSARS No. 21, Clarification and Recodification, as well as the additional guidance related to SSARS engagements through the issuance of SSARS Nos. 22-26 by the ARSC. In addition to SSARS 26, the entire suite of quality management standards is discussed. However, knowing the standards is not enough. You need to be able to effectively apply them. To support this, the course will review recent peer review feedback on SSARS engagements, providing insights on how to successfully apply this guidance. Not only will this course bring you up to date on SSARS requirements and guidance, but more importantly, it will provide you with practical examples and illustrations to help you effectively and efficiently perform these types of engagements. This course is intended to be your go-to reference for training your staff and managing your SSARS No. 21-26 services in compliance with professional, ethical, and technical requirements.

This is a continuing part of our series on forensic accounting. Within this segment we discuss the concepts that are part of computer forensics known as cryptology. The term cryptography is from Ancient Greek and means “hidden secret”. It is the practice and study of techniques for secure communications in the presence of adversarial behavior. Cryptography is about constructing and analyzing protocols that prevent third parties or the public from reading private messages. Cryptography starts with secrets. Various aspects in information security such as data confidentiality, data integrity, authentication and non-repudiation (where a statement’s author cannot successfully dispute its authorship) are central to modern cryptography.

Numbers and especially the digits within those numbers can conceal a lot of information.  Benford's Law and other digital analysis techniques can be the keys to unlocking that information.  This session will explain what Benford's Law is, how it works, and how it can be used to reveal bogus information and made-up data.  Accountants and auditors should understand how to use this valuable audit tool as well as other digital analysis techniques.  But, if you attend this session, you must promise not to reveal the secret behind these techniques to any fraud perpetrators.

The new Global Internal Audit Standards were released on January 9, 2024, and will become effective January 9, 2025. The previous version, the International Standards for the Professional Practice of Internal Auditing, released in 2017, remains approved for use during a one-year transition period. The Global Internal Audit Standards guide the worldwide professional practice of internal audit. They serve as a basis for evaluating and elevating the quality of the internal audit function. The Standards use 15 guiding principles with five separate domains that enable effective internal audit implementation and examples of evidence of conformance. The Global Standards are organized into five domains. Domain I: Purpose of Internal Auditing Domain II: Ethics and Professionalism Domain III: Governing the Internal Audit Function Domain IV: Managing the Internal Audit Function Domain V: Performing Internal Audit Service

How can you solidify an appropriate investment strategy based on risk, help clients stay on top of potentially life-altering situations and help them understand the intricacies of investment planning" Gain a better understanding of investment markets and the effects of world events, assess client risk and matching to expected return, deal with increasing client concerns, and develop better investment solutions in a rapidly changing environment. Attendees will consider the following questions during this course: How should you adjust your investment philosophy based on a world that is not secure" With new market heights attained often and unexpected events occurring regularly, how does one feel comfortable with an investment strategy" Where are investments headed in an economy'to some'on borrowed time" Be sure to register for all of our PFP updates: PFP Update: Income Tax, Retirement, and Estate Planning PFP Update: Issues, Exposures, and Developing Client Strategy PFP Update: Investment Planning in This New Era

Any corporation or individual can be vulnerable to scams and hoaxes. Learn how to break down the deception into the psychology of the con. We'll review best practices to avoid embezzlement and fraud and case studies of embezzlement, including payroll scams, fraudulent payees, skimming and new technology scams. Fraud can also arise when companies downsize and technology goes missing because there aren't enough gatekeepers on watch. Learn about opportunistic vulnerabilities that stem from having few employees/contractors and using free software.

This comprehensive case-driven training is designed to quickly get the accountant up to speed in basis calculations and distribution planning for the owners of pass-thru entities (i.e., S corporations, partnerships, and limited liability companies (LLCs)). The cornerstone of this course is the line-by-line analysis of the Schedule K-1s and how it affects the basis calculations. This session is taught using a Hands-On methodology. Real-world examples and cases demonstrate the complex income tax code and regulations to enhance the participant's learning experience. Each attendee will receive the most comprehensive reference manual with numerous practice aids, real-world examples, and case studies.

This course covers SSARS requirements for preparing, compiling and reviewing financial statements through SSARS 27. With SSARS 21, the AICPA Accounting and Review Services Committee (ARSC) introduced the Preparation service to SSARS and rewrote the Compilation and Review Standards in a clarified format. SSARS 22 and 23 made minor modifications to SSARS 21. SSARS 24 and 25 made substantive modifications to the SSARS, mainly when performing review engagements. SSARS 26 updates the SSARS with conforming changes made necessary by the new Quality Management standards. SSARS 27 modifies the applicability of AR-C 70 when engaged to prepare financial statements.

Quality management is important.  Every CPA firm that provides audit and other attest services must undergo a third-party quality control review.  This session will provide you with the tips on how to avoid common quality control deficiencies in all services that are subject to peer review.

From understanding fraud requirements to improving risk assessment procedures and from testing to meeting auditing standards, discover ways to audit more effectively and efficiently. Engage in discussions that cover reducing risk and effective planning, research and documentation. Review various case studies, real-life examples and sample documentation will reinforce ideas. This course meets the specific California Board of Accountancy requirements that CPAs are required to meet for re-issuance of their license.

In the world of work today, nothing is more critical than Culture.  If people are your competitive advantage, then culture is the best way to help your people realize a great destination. While many leaders and companies talk a lot about culture, few take the time to really plan, build, and invest in a great culture. Today, the world of work could not be more challenging, and the changes that we are seeing in the workforce, such as the rise of remote workers and increasing turnover, are adding to the complexity. Now more than ever, Culture must become your competitive advantage. In this course, you will learn about the key macro changes in the workforce and what some leading companies and leaders are doing to create amazing cultures and high-performing organizations. From LinkedIn to Patagonia to Eventbrite, you will learn from some top organizations ow they have successfully leveraged culture. You will learn what Culture is and can be, and you will learn what culture is not. As you set sail in 2024 and beyond as a leader, you will benefit from this class and learn how to make culture your competitive advantage. Your teacher for the class is Steve Cadigan, whom many credit for being the architect of LinkedIn's world-class and groundbreaking culture. 

What obligations does an employer have when an employee needs to take a leave of absence? This presentation will provide an overview of the complicated, intertwined compliance obligations triggered when an employee requests a medical leave of absence (including for pregnancy, mental health, or addiction).