CPE Catalog & Events

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.  

The Enhancing Audit Quality Initiative has identified inadequate or nonexistent audit documentation as one of the most significant issues facing the profession today. Over half of the engagements reviewed by the AICPA failed to meet the requirements of AU-C 230, highlighting a critical need for improvement. This course addresses common misconceptions about audit documentation and provides actionable strategies to overcome these deficiencies. Attendees will learn best practices to ensure compliance with professional standards, enhance audit quality, and mitigate risks associated with poor documentation. Whether you are an experienced professional or new to auditing, this course will help you strengthen your documentation practices and uphold the highest standards of the profession.  

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.   

Seismic changes in tax legislation is currently taking place, and the well-informed tax practitioner will want to attend this two hour monthly program in order to stay abreast of these developments! Approximately one-half of the program is devoted to individual tax issues, and the remaining time is spend on business entity taxation, IRS procedure, tax legislation and other issues. Due to the changing nature of the topic, learning objectives, course descriptions and program content will vary and will be provided in more specificity closer to presentation time. This course provides a concise look at the hottest topics affecting every tax practitioner. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

Accounting for income taxes is a complex set of standards with computational difficulties and confusion. Particularly concerning private companies. This course will take a practical approach to navigating the maze, simplify basic calculations, and clarify financial statements. Includes a review of the impact of recent tax reform on calculations.

This course will review the fundamentals of fiduciary accounting and provide a reporting guide for determining whether receipts and expenditures are assigned to income or principal/corpus. Critical issues, rules, and special opportunities when preparing your clients' Form 1041 U.S. Income Tax Return for Estates and Trusts will be examined, including what is considered taxable income and allowable deductions. Planning and potential pitfalls will also be explored.  This course only qualifies for 2 IRS credits. *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

Does your firm have an interest in expanding its services beyond traditional CPA services?  Do you have staff with the expertise to compete against non-CPA firms? Welcome to a course that will lead you through the maze of creating a successful Consulting Business Practice for your CPA firm. The course will help you understand where consulting business opportunities exist, what are the firm’s professional responsibilities, how to recognize the needs of the client and how the practice can be leveraged using AI.

Financial statement disclosures are important to provide the information necessary for financial statement users to make economic decisions. Disclosures further explain and clarify information provided in the basic financial statements, but also provide critical information about subsequent events, litigation risk, and other concerns. This course focuses on the most common financial statement disclosures for small- or medium-sized nonpublic entities. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

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.

The controller's role encompasses many traditional responsibilities. The breadth and depth of the controller skill set has expanded and will continue to expand as the business world evolve. In years-gone-by, the concept of information technology and cybersecurity were left to our IT professionals. However, with the prevalent threat that exists in these areas, it is now one of the components of the controller’s skill set that should be in their toolbox.

If you have been a practitioner for any length of time, you know that there is often a difference between what clients should do and what they actually do. Have you ever wondered why that is? In this course, we will explore how we make decisions with less-than-perfect information. Through real-life examples and case studies, we will examine common behavioral biases and how to deal with them. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

Poorly handled conflicts can lead to break downs in communication, reduced morale, and higher turnover. However, when managed well, conflict has the potential to bring value to the organization and the team. Conflict is a costly and often mishandled occurrence in the workplace. Successful conflict resolution occurs by listening to and providing opportunities to meet each side needs, and adequately addressing their interests so that they are each satisfied with the outcome. In this you will learn the different conflict modes, how to choose the appropriate strategy for your situation, and how relationships impact your ability to promote the positive outcomes and minimize the negative outcomes of conflict.

Forensic accounting, forensic accountancy or financial forensics is the specialty practice area of accounting that investigates whether firms engage in financial reporting misconduct. Forensic accountants apply a range of skills and methods to determine whether there has been financial reporting misconduct. Financial forensic engagements may fall into several categories. For example: Economic damages calculations, whether suffered through tort or breach of contract. Post-acquisition disputes such as earnouts or breaches of warranties Bankruptcy, insolvency and reorganization Securities and tax fraud Money laundering Business valuation Computer forensics/e-discovery This session is designed to delve into further investigative procedures used including digital forensics. Future sessions will focus on computer forensics, network forensics and mobile forensics.  

External auditors understand concepts like materiality, reasonableness, and risk of material misstatement.  This course will explain how to think like an auditor when preparing and fairly presenting your financial statements and related disclosures.

This session explores managerial accounting techniques with an emphasis on internal decision-making tools. You will appreciate a reminder regarding concepts you may not have considered since your college days. We will revisit managerial accounting concepts by illustrating practical examples that you can immediately bring back to the office!

ChatGPT has grown its user base to over 800 million active users per week. As a leader in the generative market, it is a tool that every CPA should have a basic understanding of how to use it and apply it in business. This course will provide a comprehensive review and demonstration of how to put ChatGPT to work for you and your clients. It is designed as a "hands-on" course that facilitates your following along with the presenter while applying the features of ChatGPT on your computer. Practice files will be provided so that you don't have to expose your confidential data.

Manage distractions, decrease stress and improve productivity. This training is designed to help business professionals improve their productivity and work performance by learning how to prioritize time, decrease distractions and lower stress. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

As tax policies and economic conditions continue to evolve, staying ahead in fringe benefit planning is more essential than ever. This course provides financial professionals with a comprehensive update on fringe benefit strategies, ensuring compliance with evolving regulations while maximizing tax efficiency for businesses and individuals. Participants will explore the latest legislative and regulatory updates impacting employer-sponsored benefits, IRC §132 fringe benefits, cafeteria plans, and retirement healthcare strategies. This course also examines ERISA reporting requirements, tax-efficient compensation planning, and healthcare benefits, offering practical applications to help practitioners navigate compliance and optimize benefits for their clients. *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

The accounting profession is rapidly shifting from a compliance-centered focus to one that demands insight, foresight, and strategic advisory skills. "From Numbers to Narratives: Mastering Data Analysis for CPAs" explores the "why" behind this transformation and highlights the critical role data analysis plays in helping CPAs remain relevant and competitive. This course provides a high-level overview of the skills and mindset required to move beyond historical reporting and into forward-looking analysis and storytelling. Participants will gain an understanding of how Microsoft 365 applications - such as Excel, Power Query, Power BI, OneDrive, and Teams - can be leveraged to transform raw financial data into meaningful insights. With an emphasis on the advisory role of CPAs, this course empowers professionals at every stage of their career to embrace analytics as a core competency. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

With over 7 million businesses relying on QuickBooks Online, one thing is clear: excellent financial reporting isn't optional - it's essential. Yet many users struggle to access the insights they need, often limited by subscription tiers or simply unaware of the powerful tools at their fingertips-that's where this session comes in. This session is your fast track to mastering QuickBooks Online's reporting capabilities. Whether you're a small business owner, accountant, or financial manager, you'll discover how to: Build and customize Standard, Custom, and Management Reports Leverage the new Spreadsheet Sync tool to create dynamic, multi-company reports in Excel Uncover hidden features that help you make smarter, faster decisions If you're ready to transform your data into actionable insights and finally get the reports you need, this session is your game-changer. Join us and take control of your QuickBooks Online reporting like never before!