CPE Catalog & Events

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is rapidly reshaping the way financial professionals work, lead, and make decisions. Yet for many, AI still feels abstract, intimidating, or too technical. This workshop cuts through the hype and makes AI approachable, practical, and immediately useful. Designed for financial professionals, executives, and managers, this hands-on session focuses on real workplace applications that improve efficiency, clarity, and decision-making. Participants will learn how to use AI tools such as ChatGPT, Microsoft Copilot, Google Gemini and others to streamline everyday tasks, enhance strategic thinking, and free up time for higher-value work. Through live demonstrations, interactive exercises, and guided experimentation, attendees will leave confident in their ability to integrate AI into their workday, increase productivity, and take practical uses back to their teams.

THE ONE BIG BEAUTIFUL BILL IS NOW THE ONE BIG BEAUTIFUL ACT!!! (Signed into law on July 4, 2025!). This program provides a summary of the major individual provisions of the OBBA of 2025 (H.R. 1), with a focus on the extended provisions, provisions made permanent without changes and those major changes, and new provisions for 2025 and beyond. *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  

Recently issued generally accepted auditing standards were designed to enhance audit quality.  This course will address the most commonly misapplied concepts and FAQ in properly implementing the new requirements in the way intended to achieve that goal.

Intro to Governmental Accounting 103 is the natural follow up course to the first two Intro to Governmental Accounting courses, 101 and 102, and will take a dive into more complex issues surrounding the reporting of capital assets and long-term debt, investment accounting, and a little introduction to grant accounting and reporting.  

Required minimum distributions (RMDs) must begin for the year in which the account owner reaches age 72 (older if they were born after 1950). RMDs must also be taken from inherited accounts, and the process for determining RMDs for these accounts is more complex than those that apply to RMDs for non-inherited accounts. Failure to comply with the RMD rules will result in the account owner owing the IRS an excess accumulation penalty on any RMD shortfall. Interested parties must understand the compliance requirements that apply to RMDs to be able to assist in ensuring that penalties are avoided. Additionally, the recent changes that affect RMDs must be considered when advising clients about their RMD obligations.

When putting together a financial plan, it is important to remember that the tax situation of the business and the individual are often intertwined. Therefore, decisions about entity type are vitally important. Practitioners need to understand not only how different entities are taxed, but also which taxes will have the greatest impact on the individual owner. In this course, we will explore when self-employment taxes apply to business income, as well as some of the lesser-known taxes that apply to flow-through entities. We will even explore when a PTE election could be helpful to a small business owner.

*** This is not a Florida-approved Ethics course*** The course provides general information on proceedings that led to a grand jury indictment of television reality stars, Todd and Julie Chrisley. Participants learn how business decisions can lead to federal charges for conspiracy, bank fraud, wire fraud, and tax evasion. The grand jury also indicted the Chrisley's accountant, Peter Tarantino, on tax-related offenses. Participants learn how to develop resources and tools for effective detection and deterrence of federal crimes, and the learn the consequences that follow white-collar crime, including how responses can influence lengthy prison terms. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

In this course, you'll learn why being able to do public speaking well is a major advantage in becoming successful in your career.  You'll learn how to write a good talk, how to present it well, and how to use your new found ability to get more clients and/or a promotion. In addition, you'll learn how to overcome your nervousness, and how to overcome stress in less than a minute.

This course focuses on the key federal tax issues affecting business from the internal accountant's point of view, with a focus on the major ramifications of the TCJA and other recent tax legislation and developments.  Planning alternatives and the potential risks associated with those strategies will also be discussed.      *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  

How does a forensic accountant calculate financial losses? Federal courts have approved various ways to calculate losses ranging from net worth method of proof to the expenditures method. Each method of proof depends on the available facts to the forensic accountant. This presentation will focus on the various court approved methods of proof, when to use them, and how to calculate the total loss. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

AI is already being used in so many ways to aid business organizations in a wide array of ways. However, artificial intelligence is also being used by those seeking to steal or commit fraud to circumvent controls and mislead both people and systems working to keep fraud at bay. The use of AI for ill-intent is pervasive and difficult to detect which makes fighting defalcation attempts an even greater struggle. In this session we will look at some of the methods that are AI-centric which are being used to deceive and defraud. We will then dive deeper and explore ways to identify instances when AI is being used. Finally, we will look at control measures that can aid those working to fight AI driven fraud. If it is evident that artificial intelligence could be used as a weapon to harm you or your organization, you should strongly consider enrolling in this session. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

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.

Overview: Understanding your company's financial health requires more than just traditional metrics. This webinar is designed to reveal deeper insights through advanced, underutilized financial ratios. In this session, accounting and finance professionals will explore metrics such as operating leverage, free cash flow yield, and margin of safety-tools that go beyond standard ratios to deliver nuanced perspectives on profitability, risk exposure, and operational efficiency. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

Obligating Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds (SLFRF) by December 31, 2024 is essential to ensure a recipient does not have to return funds to the Treasury. There are a number of requirements to properly obligate SLFRF funds and opportunities to make changes to projects after the obligation deadline. In this course, we will define what an obligation is under SLFRF, review guidance from the Treasury, learn how to meet the SLFRF obligation deadline in multiple areas, and identify when changes can be made to estimates, contracts, and subawards after the obligation deadline.

Let's face it: using technology is a necessity because technology permeates all our business activities. Yet, many continue to use technology unwisely, which results in declining productivity and data privacy and security concerns. Participate in this session to learn about seven specific items you can-and should-act upon right away to get back on track with technology. More than just a tech update, in this course, you will learn the "hows" and "whys" associated with implementing the seven technologies discussed. This is "must-see"; CPE for those interested in productivity, efficiency, and data privacy and security.  

With increasing competition for finding the best qualified candidates and retaining today’s workforce, it’s more important than ever to consider flexible work options in the workplace. We will review the most popular flexible work options your company could consider implementing: telecommuting, compressed work weeks, flexible hours, phased return from leave of absence, job sharing, early release days, and more! We’ll discuss the benefits of this talent management strategy, including increased productivity, decreased costs, better work-life “integration”, and increased employee engagement and satisfaction. You’ll learn how to propose flexible scheduling to your executive team, including how to logistically roll out this program. Whether you’re in a manufacturing plant, corporate headquarters, or retail industry, you can apply any of these flexible work options to your organization. 

Imagine being able to see into the future with confidence. The ability to be a great forecaster is not innate but learned. By examining great forecasters, we can learn to improve our ability to predict the future. We will examine best practices and current research to improve our ability to predict events that will affect our business.  

This course provides a concise overview of how artificial intelligence (AI) is reshaping financial oversight in the global manufacturing sector. With factories evolving into digital ecosystems powered by intelligent automation, predictive analytics, and edge computing, the role of accounting and finance professionals is rapidly transforming. Participants will explore how AI technologies intersect with core financial functions-cost accounting, audit, tax compliance, and financial planning-while enabling real-time reporting, fraud detection, and predictive decision-making. Drawing on current global trends and real-world case studies, the course offers actionable insights into integrating AI into financial operations, elevating the strategic role of accounting in manufacturing enterprises. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

Employee benefit plan audits present unique compliance and audit considerations that require auditors to remain alert to both recurring issues and evolving requirements. This course addresses current standards and developments affecting employee benefit plan audits while focusing on practical considerations encountered during EBP engagements. Participants will review common compliance issues identified in 401(k) plan audits and considerations related to correcting those issues. The course also covers best practices for audit areas such as participant data, payroll and compensation, contributions and remittances, participant loans, hardship distributions, investments, distributions, investment income allocations, and plan mergers and acquisitions. The program is designed for auditors of employee benefit plans who have basic knowledge of EBP audits and want to review best practices, common compliance issues, and considerations that arise during EBP audit engagements. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

Getting ready for busy season involves not only knowing the tax rules for 2026 but also knowing how those rules are incorporated into the IRS tax forms practitioners will be using to prepare 2026 tax returns. This course provides preparer attendees with an up-to-date review of important new tax forms, key tax developments, and tax law changes as they are reflected in IRS forms for 2026 and IRS filing issues and deadlines as they relate to 2026.