CPE Catalog & Events

Are you intrigued by the buzz around Artificial Intelligence (AI) but unsure how to dive in? You're not alone! Many professionals find AI tools like Gemini, ChatGPT, and Copilot to be a mystery. But don't worry, we're here to help you unlock the potential of these powerful tools! Join K2's "Getting Started With Artificial Intelligence" session and discover how to harness the power of today's AI tools to boost your efficiency and productivity. This session will guide you through accessing and using multiple popular AI tools, making it easier than ever to integrate AI into your daily workflow. If you're new to AI, this is the perfect opportunity to get started and transform the way you work!

Have you ever considered a tax audit from the perspective of an IRS examiner? This session explains how you can use IRS Audit Technique Guides (ATGs) to enhance tax compliance. You will obtain a glimpse of the audit process from the viewpoint of an IRS agent as we explore insights that the IRS provides to its own examiners. 

This course is an introduction to preparation, compilation, & review engagements. During this course, we will compare and contrast these different engagements by reviewing the procedures that should be performed, different reports, as well as the level of assurance specific to each type of engagement. 

As reported by the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners 2024 Report to the Nations on Occupational Fraud and Abuse, organizations lose an average of 5% of their revenues to fraud. Yet, the report disclosed that only 3% of all frauds are detected by the external auditor. However, the thing that management depends on the detect fraud is the external audit. To detect fraud an auditor must: Know what fraud looks like; be able to think like a thief; always maintain healthy professional skepticism; be able to recognize the risk of fraud; and build your audit program to look for fraud. Auditing For Fraud addresses each of these areas as well as several others.    During this presentation, I will discuss how to distinguish between an error and a fraud; how to recognize the indicators of fraud; develop and refine a hypothec as to how a fraud was committed; who steals (the basic honest person) and why and lastly; how to prove intent. If you cannot prove intent, all you have is a dumb mistake! Chances are that after this presentation, you will never look at an audit the same way you do now.

This program addresses the most recent developments impacting partnerships operating as LLCs, with a focus on legislative, administrative, and tax form changes. Emphasis will be placed on partners "tax basis" capital accounts, now required for tax form reporting. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

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  

Professional credibility is communicated, not assumed. In this 1-CPE session (Professional Development), participants examine structured approaches to articulating their professional identity. Drawing directly from the course framework, the session covers development of an elevator pitch, a professional value proposition, and a concise executive biography. Participants will analyze how credibility is established through clarity, relevance, and alignment with audience needs. The course emphasizes service-centered communication rather than self-promotion and provides structured guidance for refining professional messaging in leadership and client-facing contexts. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

Accounting and finance managers and executives must demonstrate sound soft skills necessary for personal growth and organizational success.  This course will provide insights into the most crtical  personal skills critical for CFOs and Controllers - or those that want to be!

The COVID pandemic changed the way many people worked, yet others have had remote teams for decades and little changed.  Many organizations trying to bring people back to the office have experienced significant turnover.  Some practices have changed forever while some principles will always remain the same.  Keeping your people happy equals keeping your best people.  Learn the changes you should make now and the things you should do forever!

In today's fast-paced world, automation is like having a time machine at your fingertips. By implementing strategic automation solutions, you can transform an eight-hour workday into twelve hours of productivity without working longer hours. This course explores how automation can save time, improve accuracy, promote effectiveness, and maximize the value of your workday. When you invest time in automating routine tasks, you create permanent time savings that compound over time, reducing daily stress and providing better mental clarity for more important activities. This hands-on course will equip you with practical knowledge of various automation tools, methods, apps, and technologies that can revolutionize both your personal and professional life. From home automation systems to iPaaS (Integration Platform as a Service) tools and the Elgato Streamdeck, you'll discover how to create a seamlessly automated environment. Join us to learn how to reclaim hours or even weeks of time through smart automation strategies that will transform your daily routine.

For most people, funding their own retirement is the largest expense they will ever have. Due to advances in medical technology and overall healthier lifestyles, it is not unusual for someone to live 30 years or more in retirement. In this course, we will discuss how to quantify and calculate the retirement needs of the client. We will talk about time value of money concepts, how to help clients quantify their retirement goals, and even how to address risk perceptions. By doing this, we will allow practitioners to be able to better address client questions and frame trade-offs when necessary. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

Building on Part 1, this course will review the application of sampling in financial statement audits with a focus on sampling for tests of controls. We'll also review the requirements for sampling in Single Audits with a focus on tests of controls and tests of compliance. 

Many organizations struggle to keep budgets current in an ever-changing business climate.  Twenty-first century performance metrics focus on determining what budgets should be rather than what they were in the past.  Using performance metrics effectively reduces work, reduces politics, provides flexibility and substantially improves the performance management process.  This session will show you powerful techniques to drive your organization’s performance.

This course provides tools and insights into financial statement analysis - both quantitative and qualitative. We'll look not only at the three main financial statements but also dive into the MD&A and footnotes. We'll also discuss the affect of industry nuances on comparability of different analysis tools. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

This course provides a concise overview of how to utilize ChatGPT for advanced financial analysis in accounting. The session reveals how to combine sophisticated evaluation and interpretation of financial data with the cutting-edge AI capabilities of ChatGPT. Aimed at enhancing the understanding of an entity's performance, predicting future financial health, and aiding in informed business decision-making, this course goes beyond basic financial statement analysis to include a wide array of techniques and tools. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

Two of the hottest topics in the CPA profession today are CAS (client advisory services) and ChatGPT. This course will explain how to bring these two worlds together by integrating ChatGPT and other generative AI applications into your client advisory services. John Higgins, a leading advisor to the profession on ChatGPT and a seasoned client advisor on technology based solutions, will show you how you can position your firm and yourself as a "go to" advisor on how to embrace this technology in virtually any type of business. John will address how to use this technology as a research and writing assistant in your client services and how to advise your clients on this revolutionary technology and all benefits and "gotchas" that come with it. If you want to step up your advisory game, this course is a "must take." This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

This course introduces CPAs, financial auditors as well as technology auditors to the foundational concepts of IT auditing. Participants will learn how IT systems support financial reporting, how to assess risk in IT environments, and how IT General Controls (ITGCs) and application controls impact audit procedures. The course also introduces IT audit planning and scoping to help auditors determine what systems and controls to evaluate.

Many CPAs are becoming full-time or fractional CFOs for small businesses. In that position, they are the resident expert in finances, cash flow planning, and budgeting. But what about dealing with the IRS? The IRS has broad powers to administer the assessment and collection of taxes. From removing penalties to criminal prosecutions, this presentation focuses on how CFOs can prevent problems with the IRS and how to develop winning strategies if the IRS knocks on the door. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

Since the late 1970's or early 1980's computers and the applications that run upon them have been changing the way we live and conduct business at a very rapid rate. The latest significant technological advance is Artificial Intelligence. Like anything new and different, AI is exciting and a bit scary. However, it is quite probably going to cause more change and upheaval than any new tool in recent memory, which makes it even more thrilling and more frightening. In this session we unpack what AI is, what it can currently do, and what it is expected to be able to do moving forward. We will demonstrate how it is used for business and in other areas of life. Our goal is to show participants why Artificial Intelligence is so important and to provide greater understanding of what it is and how it works so it is less intimidating. We hope you will join us! 

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.