CPE Catalog & Events

This two-hour course provides a comprehensive overview of the IRS collection process, guiding tax professionals through each stage, from the initial notice to enforced collection actions. Participants will gain insights into taxpayer expectations during the collection process, as well as strategies for resolving tax debts. The course highlights when to use Form 433-A or 433-B, the documentation needed, and the criteria for submitting an Offer in Compromise (OIC) to settle tax debts for less than the full amount owed. Attendees will also learn about the various payment options available and practical approaches to advising 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

In today's fast-evolving landscape, CPA firms face a flood of new tools promising efficiency and innovation. This course helps practitioners assess the real return on investment (ROI) from their technology stack, &-comparing suite-based solutions with best-in-breed applications and examining the latest Agentic AI and Generative AI offerings. Attendees will learn how to evaluate productivity, integration, and strategic alignment to maximize firm performance. Whether upgrading your stack or validating your current tools, this session offers practical insights for tech-savvy decision-making and smarter technology investments tailored to the unique needs of accounting professionals.

Are you considering becoming a fractional CFO, or possibly a public CPA firm or consulting practice that wants to offer fractional CFO services or advisory services? Either way, do you truly know what to do and how? Are you aware of the many pitfalls? Becoming a successful fractional CFO is complicated and it is not a trivial career change! Review the lessons learned from experienced fractional CFOs on how to enter, engage and run a thriving fractional CFO practice. Whether you are in public practice, a consultant, or in industry - be prepared for this as a possibility. Many fractional CFOs do not execute their practice as they could, and that is why they are not very successful. This discussion includes over fifty (50) recommendations to strengthen your fractional CFO practice. What do clients typically need? Are you better as a solo practitioner or should you join a firm? How to manage the relationship(s)? Every effective organizations make plans and if you want a winning fractional CFO business, come join us and learn how. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

The final webcast in this series focuses on the special rules that apply when a fiduciary entity invests in real estate or other passive activity assets, elects the 65-day rule, makes specific bequests to beneficiaries or incurs alternative minimum tax (AMT). The underlying statute for AMT is written for individual taxpayers and the fiduciary or adviser must apply the statute to the special rules and calculations that determine fiduciary taxation. Be sure to register for all courses in this series: Fiduciary Taxation Part 1: Introduction to Form 1041 Fiduciary Taxation Part 2: Fiduciary Accounting & Simple Trusts Fiduciary Taxation Part 3: Complex Trusts & Charitable Deduction Fiduciary Taxation Part 4: Miscellaneous Topics & AMT

This course equips financial and information technology auditors with an understanding of cybersecurity risks and their impact on financial reporting as well as cybersecurity best practices. Participants will learn to identify threats, evaluate controls, and assess risk using recognized frameworks, with a focus on audit implications.

With the largest overhaul of the federal income tax code in 30 years and the repeal of the physical presence nexus standards for sales tax in the Wayfair case, the states are working fast and furious to overhaul their tax laws. As some states scramble to fund their budgets, they continue to look for additional forms of revenue. Plan to attend this fast-paced class that covers developing topics in state taxation, ranging from individuals to pass-through entities to corporate taxpayers. This class will focus on issues of small and middle-market companies and offer guidance for minimizing tax liability and negotiating the treacherous waters of compliance.

There are multiple tangible and intangible factors that can drive a CPA Firm's long-term success. Specifically, public accountants must place a priority on being both efficient and value-added business advisors when performing audit and other services. This course provides proven tips and techniques for ensuring your firm has the capacity to grow and expand your "business" from within in a healthy way, considering how to improve in three key areas: financial success, satisfaction of people, and outstanding client service.  

U.S. Department of Treasury's Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) imposed a new reporting requirement that went into effect on January 1, 2024. Millions of businesses may have to file a Beneficial Ownership Information (BOI) Report. In a surprise turn of events, the Federal District Court from the Northern District of Alabama ruled on March 1, 2024 in National Small Business United v. Yellen ("NSB") that the CTA is unconstitutional. This course will discuss the CTA's provisions and the court's decision in NSB. Also covered will be future implications for business entities and steps to consider given the recent ruling. We will also discuss recent proposed rulemaking by FinCen with respect to nonfinanced purchases of residential real estate and gratuitous transfers so that businesses can prepare for any additional reporting burdens that might arise. 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 revisits useful, but potentially underutilized, managerial accounting techniques. You will appreciate a fresh look at concepts you may not have considered since your college days. We will illustrate practical ways you can immediately implement managerial accounting analysis in your professional endeavors. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

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.

Do you understand the root cause for many professional and personal goals not being achieved? The SMART acronym is valuable in setting goals but insufficient for achieving them. You need two types of goals to boost your chances of success. Outcome goals focus on the results you want to attain. Process goals identify the action steps required to accomplish those desired outcomes. This session explores the essence of both types of goals, and practical examples and tips for the execution of your goals.

This course in part of our series on the Controllership Role. Internal control is relevant to everyone in the workplace. It represents our moral responsibility to understand and comply with organization policies and procedures. It also provides the means to hold individuals accountable for their work. The controller is an impactful position that affects a company's processes including financial, compliance and operational. Controller functions vary across companies often following the size and complexity of the business and the industry. Smaller companies require more versatility for the controller Larger companies are more able to segregate job responsibilities across other employees. The controller should be knowledgeable of the various controls to create a control system that will appropriately safeguard company assets and processes. Internal controls are typically comprised of control activities such as authorization, documentation, reconciliation, security and segregation of duties.

Lease accounting under FASB ASC 842 is now fully effective for all entities. Transitioning to new GAAP always leads to implementation issues and concerns. This course will answer the most common questions asked related to the latest lease accounting and financial reporting requirements after adoption and transition. 

This program provides a detailed analysis of the calculations related to determining tax basis for a partnership interest. Illustrated examples with filled in forms will demonstrate how the processes works and their many potential pitfalls.  *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

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.  

Cybersecurity protection of digital data continues to be a top priority for CPAs. The cyber threats continue to increase and are becoming more sophisticated with the advent of AI technology. The first step is to understand what the primary threats are, the potential damage they can inflict, and, most importantly, how to mitigate the risks. This course will prepare you have informed conversations with your IT service providers to ensure you are employing best practices in cybersecurity protection. 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 40 percent of Americans owning digital assets and a single bitcoin now valued at over $100K, cryptocurrency is no longer a niche subject, yet few tax professionals understand how to help individuals and businesses who are dealing with digital assets. This session walks you through the tax implications of common cryptocurrency-related transactions and how to successfully service clients dealing in digital assets. We will also cover current developments surrounding this topic, such as Form 1099-DAs, the updated version of the digital assets question on Form 1040, and a series of chief counsel memorandums related to digital assets and tax planning opportunities.

Many clients are asking their advisors about Trump Accounts, one of the most anticipated yet misunderstood provisions of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA). This program will provide practitioners with the background to be able to advise their clients regarding how Trump Accounts operate. The course will also discuss the comparison between Trump Accounts and other accounts, such as 529 Plans and Roth IRAs. In addition, coverage will be provided on how the pilot program will function to give $1,000 to newborns.

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