CPE Catalog & Events

It’s a whole new world for lessees under ASC topic 842.  Soon nearly all leases will need to be disclosed as a liability on the balance sheet – from buildings right down to autos and copiers.  Although the greatest impact will be on large entities, this will affect the financial statements of small and mid-size entities as well.  This program will dive into the new standard on leases, effective dates, and address what you need to know now.

Our country and our accounting methods have undergone huge changes in the previous few years, most of it challenging. Individuals and entire businesses have been left reeling by new tax regulations, doing more with less, and employment restructuring. Organizations must adjust quickly; notwithstanding how painful these changes have been. This course instructs accounting managers on how to deal with change and stress in the workplace. Before it affects them in a negative way, the accounting professional will learn how to best manage the changing work environment and the stress that comes with it. "The first wealth is health," remarked Ralph Waldo Emerson, but for many of us, stressful jobs are putting our health at jeopardy.

"Did you know that fraud is like a parasite, feeding on the lifeblood of the industry and causing billions in losses each year? Join Chuck Gallagher, a renowned expert in fraud prevention, for 'The Many Faces of Fraud: Shedding Light on the Tactics of Modern-Day Swindlers,' a captivating two-hour course that will empower you to thwart these financial predators. Chuck will guide you through the most common forms of fraud, revealing the psychology and motivations of swindlers. Through real-life case studies and hands-on exercises, you'll learn practical strategies for identifying red flags and responding effectively to safeguard your organization. Enroll now to gain invaluable insights and join the fight against these cunning adversaries!"

Yellow Book and Single Audit engagements are considered must select engagements for Peer Review. This course will cover the Yellow Book independence requirements which are required any time an auditor is performing a Yellow Book or Single Audit even when the engagement is for a for-profit entity.  We'll take a look at the major changes in the 2024 Compliance Supplement as well as the changes to the Uniform Guidance. We'll close with major deficiencies identified by the federal agencies and peer reviewers. 

Debt is a real problem for many clients, business owners, and the general public.  It can be ever increasing and causes financial, emotional and physical challenges that seem to spiral out of control. What if you could help your clients “do debt differently”? This strategy turns the game upside down and presents solutions from the inside out.  As a CPA, you are already a trusted advisor for your clients.  What if you could help your clients be free of this burden?  This is a tremendous resource you can offer to your clients, expanding the value of what you offer them by adding these processes to your packages.  Clients will be happy to pay for this kind of relief as you support them in doing debt differently.   If you are one of the many people who are personally burdened by this situation, these strategies, tools, mindsets and actions will personally help you get better results…so you can go back to the task of expanding and growing your business, sleeping better at night and gaining access to the creativity that will take you to your next level of financial fulfillment.  Paying off debt is an inside/outside job.  Successful strategies include the internal shifts to mindset and enhancing the inner qualities that are most helpful in paying off debt, and practical tools to help make the transition from thinking about paying off debt to actually doing it. This program combines both -- emotional support and dozens of tools and action steps to Do Debt Differently, including: An inventory process to objectively assess the situation and face it head on Guided mind/body processes to alleviate anxiety about the situation Creative exploration (writing and drawing) to gain clarity and specificity Stories and discussion to strengthen your access to the qualities that will be most helpful to your success Using a menu of options to create a personal action plan and an ongoing support team The techniques in this program are creative and easy, but immensely practical.   We will combine practical, nuts-and-bolts action steps with powerful tools for mindset-shifting. There is no reason to continue to suffer the burden and overwhelm of debt. Relief is here! Through discussion, interactive exercises, skill building, mindset shifting and powerful actions, you and your clients could be on your way to a debt free life. Please join me for this empowering approach to changing your financial situation.

This course begins with a look at the GASB standards effective this year, including GASB 100, Accounting Changes and Error Corrections and GASB 101, Compensated Absences. We'll include practical application of the topics in the form of case studies. We'll then switch gears to review the GASB standards coming down the pike, including major projects of the GASB. When considering the audit side of the house, Yellow Book and Single Audit engagements are considered must-select engagements for Peer Review. This course will cover the Yellow Book independence requirements which are required any time an auditor performs a Yellow Book or Single Audit even when the engagement is for a for-profit entity. The session will also cover the changes to the Uniform Guidance. We'll close with a look at the key changes in the 2024 Compliance Supplement and the common deficiencies identified by the federal agencies and peer reviewers. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

Designed for accounting and attestation practitioners at all levels in both public accounting and business and industry, this course provides a comprehensive review of recent standard-setting activities of the FASB and AICPA. In addition to providing a detailed review of SAS No. 145, this course will bring you up to date on FASB and AICPA standards issued over the past few years. The course also provides many hands-on examples and illustrations to help you apply the guidance in practice. In addition to a financial accounting update, the course will discuss what you will need to do differently as you adopt new audit standards 142-149 over the next few years, including a detailed review of the new audit requirements under SAS 142. The course will also cover the key changes related to SSARS No. 25. Finally, the course reviews the AICPA's quality management project. In summary, the course is your go-to source for all things A&A and will prepare you for your upcoming engagements throughout the rest of the year.

Nonprofits face unique accounting challenges. This course will introduce attendees to the financial statements and unique accounting principles applicable to not-for-profit organizations. Specifically, we will focus on the typical transactions and account balances unique to NFPs, including net assets, agency transactions, contributions, endowments, and programmatic investments.

Working as a financial professional is an accomplishment that offers the potential for a good salary with long-term growth. Despite being a sought-after career, studies show that being overworked is the greatest source of anxiety and dissatisfaction among financial professionals. Left unchecked, a life centered exclusively around the demands of work can be both physically and emotionally detrimental. Establishing a work-life balance is difficult in any profession, yet financial professionals confront unique challenges that make this goal seem even more elusive. Technology results in being "always on," with no true time to disconnect and genuinely enjoy family, exercise, or hobbies. Lack of balance comes with costs, including poor health and lower productivity. Why are some professionals able to establish a successful balance between career demands and family while others are not? How are some firms able to achieve both high employee satisfaction and strong productivity? This webinar looks at research, surveys, and simple anecdotal information to provide a better understanding of how to achieve a realistic work-life balance in the modern world. We also discuss the tax consequences that arise when professionals seek balance by working from home in one state while their employer is located in a different state.

This program will address the important provisions, rules and concepts related to business tax returns.  **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.

With the rapid pace of change, change now happens daily in business and our personal lives. It can be difficult to navigate change when right and wrong get a bit fuzzy. New processes, new technology, new circumstances and new impacts to people must be measured and decisions made as the change evolves. Change always becomes something different than what was originally planned or imagined. In this session, learn how to measure your ethics through change. You will learn how to filter everything you do during change through a simple litmus test. Through the power of story, you will learn from the lessons of other organizations and their ethical mistakes. Lastly, you will take away what is required to manage yourself so that when ethical decisions arise, you have the mental capacity to manage through it well. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

What would you do if you only had one workday to complete a financial statement audit? How would you optimize just a handful of hours? What would you test? More importantly, what would you minimize or eliminate? Although one day is unrealistically short, it illustrates how risk-based auditing can help auditors optimize professional effort. This course emphasizes the importance of risk assessment for enhancing both the effectiveness and efficiency of audit procedures.

Following the ever-changing tax deprecation rules is not a game for the faint hearted!  This course analyzes the current landscape of depreciating, capitalizing and disposing of business assets, with examples and illustrated case studies to enhance the CPAs understanding of the most current tax depreciation provisions.  **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.

When federal prosecutors contemplate charges against business owners, two of their most potent and readily available tools include charges for mail fraud and wire fraud. The elements to convict for these crimes are clear: 1) The defendant devised or intended to devise a scheme or artifice to defraud, and, 2) in executing or attempting to execute the scheme, the defendant used or caused the use of mail or an interstate wire or wireless transmission. Mail, emails, cell phone calls, text messages, Internet transmissions, and even tweets could form the basis for charges of wire fraud or mail fraud. The crime of wire fraud is a reason that many business owners go to prison. In this course, we'll learn about a few people who've experienced a conviction for wire fraud. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

“How will I EVER get this all done?"  It’s a question I often hear from clients and on a particularly stressful day, I can hear myself saying these words!  Instead of helping us focus, it's a question that leads to stress, anxiety and overwhelm! Regardless of where we are in business and in life, we will run into challenges and problems as we navigate business growth, leadership, work life balance and our quest for success and happiness. This workshop will explore the 7 HIGH QUALITY questions that lead to relief, enthusiasm and success.  It will be an interactive exploration that will leave you with a game plan to use right away, as well as an opportunity to practice the mindset that the most successful and happiest people use daily.    This program is for both the entrepreneur who wants to be more effective in their day as well as team leaders who want to stand out in their organization.  For the business owner or staff member you can expect a new way to work with your day so that it's profitable, productive and happier.  For leaders, you will learn new up- leveled skills to increase your efficiency, communication and productivity.  You and your team will shine.  Your staff will feel appreciated and connected to their value as well as the company's goals. Albert Einstein said 'we can't solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them'.  The quality of your question will impact the quality of your solution.  Learn the 7 questions that take you from confused and frustrated to creative and focused. 

For many small businesses, the standards issued by the FASB may have little to no effect as they impact topics that do not reflect the type of transactions that these entities most frequently experience. This class will focus on the Accounting Standards Updates (ASUs) that are most likely to impact small businesses with a focus on ASUs initiated by the Private Company Council (PCC). We'll then look at alternative reporting options to GAAP including FRF for SMEs and IFRS for SMEs for entities who don't necessarily need to prepare GAAP financial statements but want to use accrual accounting. Finally, we will transition to audit standards that small business auditors will need to implement. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

If you are an experienced Excel user seeking to elevate your skills, join the K2 team for K2's Advanced Excel. In this laptop-friendly program, you will learn critical advanced Excel skills in six key areas: 1) collaborating with other users and securing workbooks, 2) using tables to analyze and report data, 3) integrating and manipulating data from external sources, 4) creating and auditing complex formulas, 5) advanced data analysis tools, and 6) visualization techniques to analyze and communicate information. The course draws from over twenty-five years of experience delivering Excel training to accountants and other business professionals. Throughout the program, relevant, real-world examples reinforce the topics presented. Take advantage of this opportunity to become more efficient and proficient in Microsoft Office Excel, the tool of choice for accounting and financial professionals. This course covers advanced Excel topics found in Excel 2019 and newer. If you're ready to move beyond Excel's fundamental features, participate in K2's Advanced Excel. This course will teach you about collaboration options, security techniques, tables, data models, PivotTables, and advanced formulas.

The Audit Risk Model - Understanding Foundational Principles is a critical foundational course. Financial statement auditors are engaged to provide reasonable assurance that financial statements are not materially misstated, whether due to fraud or error. Professional standards require auditors to obtain sufficient and appropriate evidence to support that opinion. It is critical for effective and efficient auditors to have a clear understanding of all the important elements and concepts related to properly identifying, evaluating, and deciding how to respond to risk in a financial statement audit. Note: This course is recommended as a part of a 16-hour audit skills curriculum for beginning auditors, while it is also appropriate for anyone who has the need to understand the foundational principles of the audit risk model. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

During this presentation, the most common mistakes made by employee benefit plan auditors, as well as, plan sponsors will be identified. Best practices for handling specific issues that arise during the course of the engagement will also be explored. This discussion will help auditors recognize potential pitfalls in audit procedures/documentation and assist plan sponsors with compliance issues.

Single Audits are an area of focus for the AICPA's Enhancing Audit Quality Initiative. The Uniform Guidance provides very unique audit requirements when auditing federal funds. This course will look into the unique performance and reporting requirements in Single Audits. Participants will have a basic understanding of internal controls over compliance, compliance requirements, how to use the Compliance Supplement, and the elements of a finding in a Single Audit.