CPE Catalog & Events

In this course, participants will learn about key trends and innovations impacting the field of forensic data analytics.  From generative AI to ChatGPT, machine learning and transaction review, data sharing consortiums and cryptocurrency trends, this course is for the futurist who wants to be leading edge in compliance and anti-fraud technology innovation. 

Function refresh (bold) Did you know that Microsoft adds new functions throughout the year in the Office 365 version of Excel? Are you stuck using old or simple functions like SUM or ROUND? Do you want to expand your knowledge of the extensive function library in Excel? If these questions perk your interest in becoming an Excel function expert, this webcast is right up your alley! This past-paced webcast digs into some of the most powerful functions in Excel. Although, we cannot cover all 470 functions, we will look at over 20 functions that will allow you to create advanced calculations in your spreadsheets. Functions like: VLOOKUP, IF, IFS, FORECAST, RAND, SWITCH, TEXTJOIN, UNIQUE, SUBTOTAL, IS, TEXT and more! We will also provide examples files that will include all the functions used during the class. It's time to take your Excel spreadsheets to the next level. This webcast is presented using Excel 2019/Office 365. Regardless of the version you are using, most concepts covered in this webcast apply to all versions of Excel.

Cybersecurity protection is one of the most important responsibilities of every CPA professional to protect the confidentiality of sensitive client information. While there are many aspects of cybersecurity that need to be addressed, the biggest vulnerability to protect against is unauthorized access to your application login credentials. Once your login credentials are breached, the cybercriminal essentially has the keys to your data kingdom. John Higgins, a national leader in the CPA technology, will demonstrate the ease with which you can protect all of your login credentials with maximum security with minimal expense. You will leave this course prepared to deploy this state of the art security tool in your organization. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

Running or advising a small business? KPI Bootcamp can help you quickly find and deploy the right KPIs to achieve your, or your client's, goals. Delivered by Bernie Smith, KPI specialist and overloaded small business owner, this course will help you quickly select a handful of powerful measures that apply to your business. The step-by-step approach helps you sharpen your objectives and select the right KPIs to drive growth and profit. Every one of the 412 included KPIs (as free PDF download for every participant) includes a full plain-English definition and also covers business benefits, case-study examples and practical tips.

Review of the major employment laws governing the workplace, when they are triggered, and key compliance aspects under each law. This presentation is designed to give viewers enough information to issue spot when matters arise in the workplace.   

Various legal tests are used to evaluate whether a worker should be classified as an employee or an independent contractor. There is no uniform standard or bright-line rule for determining whether an individual is properly classified as an independent contractor. Instead, the inquiry is always fact-intensive, and the analysis can vary based what body is performing it, i.e. the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”), Department of Labor (“DOL”), various state agencies, or the courts. This presentation will review the various tests and highlight some of the common, most important factors for consideration.   

This session explores the nature of analytical procedures, with significant emphasis placed upon professional standards involving the use of analytical procedures in audit and review engagements. Practical examples to illustrate the application process will also be given.

Some of your clients have estate plans that provide for testamentary trusts. Other clients make gifts to irrevocable trusts during their lifetime. And some will die with probate estates. Therefore, you should have a basic understanding of how the income tax applies uniquely to trusts and estates. For example, "distributable net income" (DNI) is a trust-only concept that is essential to understand. Plus, the deductions for fiduciary fees, charitable deductions and certain miscellaneous deductions (such as investment advisory fees, and attorney/accountant fees) are treated differently than for individual taxpayers. However, with a decent understanding of the basic income tax and net investment income tax (NIIT) rules, you can add significant value to your clients.

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.

Supervisor Skills - Coaching Staff to Stay on the Right Track provides tips and techniques for critical coaching responsibilities. Being a successful coach requires tackling various responsibilities, including motivating, providing positive and constructive feedback, and otherwise getting the best performance out of engagement team members in the given situation. Note: This course is recommended as a part of a 16-hour audit skills curriculum for supervisory or managerial auditors, while it is also appropriate for anyone who has responsibilities for coaching others. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

Be the go-to person on financial statement compilation and preparation engagements. Specifically designed for those performing preparation and compilation engagements, this course will provide you with a hands-on application for performing preparation and compilation engagements under AR-C Section 70 and 80, respectively. You will learn the ins and outs of relevant sections of the SSARS related to preparation and compilation engagements with a focus on how recently issued updates to SSARS No. 21 impact these engagements. More importantly, you will be provided practical examples and illustrations to help you effectively and efficiently perform those engagements, including a detailed discussion of the reporting requirements under AR-C 80 related to compilation engagement. Lastly, the course will review recent peer review feedback on these types of engagements, highlighting areas where you can improve engagement quality.

In this course, we will explore the various types of data - both structured and unstructured - used in conducting fraud risk investigations and proactive monitoring. We will explore the various tools available on the market and techniques to confirm completeness and accuracy of the data before the analysis begins.  The course will cover the process for selecting the right data sources to align with the various risks as well as pitfalls to avoid when preparing the data for analysis. 

Employee discipline is always challenging. Training on proper progressive discipline is critical to avoiding potential lawsuits while also trying to bring out the best possible employee performance. This webinar is designed to assist human resources professionals and managers in understanding the best ways to use progressive discipline as both a management and risk reduction tool. The webinar also will address best practices with regard to the employee termination process.

Difficult conversations tend to be avoided because professionals shy away from the uncomfortable, and the fear of polarizing their relationships. Participants will learn strategies and tactics to engage in productive conversations which address challenges and deepen relationships. They will understand where and why they are avoiding having difficult conversations. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

Even though the current transfer tax exemption is extremely high to the point that few decedents have a federal estate tax liability, administering an estate is a burden for many family members. In many cases, the family members will look to their professional advisors for help in estate planning and administering an estate. The purpose of this program is to discuss those issues that practitioners with clients involved in estate planning administration need to know so as to be able to advise those clients. Lack of planning and preparedness in estate issues can cost the heirs time and money upon a decedent's death.

This program compares and contrasts the financial accounting for partnerships and LLCs, as well as discusses the tax accounting for these entities. It includes a thorough discussion of the important differences between financial accounting for partnership capital accounts and the tax accounting for partnership capital accounts. Financial accounting for operations of a partnership will also be addressed.

If you... - Produce or revise dashboards and reports - Find your current reports and dashboards confusing - Are frustrated by the length, complexity and structure of your existing reports - Have many different styles of dashboards and reports in use and want to simplify things - Need to create a consistent “house style” that can be replicated by different teams - Want to look like a star by creating reports and dashboards that your internal customers love ... this workshop can help. In this session we explore the principles of what makes reports and dashboards easy, or hard, to understand, distil this into a simple set of rules and show you how to apply these rules using Excel.

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. 

Fraud continues to be a pervasive problem for organizations of all sizes and in all industries. And it can happen to your organization. Accountability professionals are the first line of defense against fraud. Accordingly, accountants, internal auditors, external auditors, and risk management professionals need to develop the skills needed to prevent, detect, and deter fraud. According to the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners’ (ACFE) 2022 Report to the Nations: Certified Fraud Examiners estimate that the typical organization loses about 5% of its revenues each year due to fraud.  The median loss per fraud case is $117,000; the average loss per fraud case is $1,783,000. 42% of frauds are discovered by tips, usually from employees. Asset misappropriation schemes are the most common (86%) but least costly ($100,000 median loss). Financial statement fraud schemes are the least common (9%) but most costly ($593,000 median loss). Corruption is the most common scheme in all global regions. These statistics are alarming and should be a wake-up call for all business and government professionals. The impact of fraud is almost always devastating and can be catastrophic. The 2023 Business Fraud Update is another fast-moving seminar that will provide a comprehensive look at the latest developments about fraud from the technical, legal, and operational perspectives and update participants on the most recent legal and regulatory developments in this important area of professional responsibility.   In addition, attendees will watch a unique and specially designed simulated case of fraud in a corporate setting and watch as the panelists, in their roles as characters in the simulation, respond to the emerging situation and deal with it as a corporate and legal matter to determine the fraud, identify the perpetrators, respond as an organization and deal with criminal and corporate fallout. Following each stage of the fact situation the entire panel will discuss the developments and consider how damage to the company could have been avoided and how it can be mitigated! **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.

Stay current on FASB's activities, save time reading numerous email summaries, and receive summarized news in one session with CPE credit. This course delivers an overview of Accounting Standards Updates (ASU) released over the past three months (up to the course delivery date) and addresses proposed ASUs issued and the deadline for comments. The course also covers changes to the FASB Workplan.