CPE Catalog & Events

The Secure Act 2.0 was passed in a flurry of year-end legislation. This one hour program will cover the important changes that employers need to know about company retirement plans. Employers will also need to consider how Secure Act 2.0 will the administration of existing plans or the creation of new ones.  This course will provide a concise look at these hot topics.   **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.

Anytime someone says "I want," "I need," or "Will you," you are in a negotiation. For decades, the negotiation techniques described in "Getting to Yes" by Fisher and Ury of the Harvard Negotiations Project were the world's standard negotiation methods. These techniques involved collaborative methods for discovering how to make the "pie" bigger and then split it. More recent research on human psychology has revealed new methods that will allow you to do even better. Sometimes, you can't settle for getting half of what you want. Sometimes you have to have it all. This webinar explores negotiation's human side, to give you powerful people skills that will let you get more. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

The Secure Act 2.0 was passed in a flurry of year-end legislation. This one hour program will cover the important changes that individuals need to know about contributions to accounts and new ways of accessing these funds.  This course will provide a concise look at these hot topics.   **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.

Many practitioners dealing with government and not-for-profit issues are asked to serve as expert witnesses in courts of law or other adjudicatory venues.  This session will discuss key issues you need to know when you are asked to serve in this capacity, including: Applicable standards and other engagement acceptance considerations. Preparation requirements and techniques. Dos and don'ts of testifying. Avoiding commons traps and tricks designed to undermine your effectiveness. The session will conclude with a “mock cross-examination” with participants serving as the jury to identify what our witness does right and what he does wrong.

Even though they have been around for several years, the tax laws pertaining to S corporations remain some of the more difficult areas of the Internal Revenue Code. In this course, we will examine how S corporations break away from the normal tax rules for flow-through entities. We will explore which employee benefits are disallowed for S corporation shareholders, as well as which taxes are assessed at the entity level. Finally, we will discuss how state level taxation may have changed permanently with the addition of PTE elections.

Breaking the Wall of blind acceptance; avoiding habitual complacency and Yoking the dots between cause and effect.

Challenges and solutions of auditing contracts With construction comprising a large and growing portion of the economy, it's important to stay on top of the very latest in accounting and auditing changes for the construction industry. In this webcast, you will gain insight about: Audit planning and substantive auditing procedures The core knowledge necessary to succeed Key issues affecting construction auditing, including auditing under the new revenue recognition and leases guidance Audit risks and risk assessment

The GASB has been working on some big projects lately. We kick off this course with a look at the GASB standards that are effective this year including GASB 100, Accounting Changes and Error Corrections and GASB 101, Compensated Absences. We will then switch gears to the GASB standards coming down the pike, including the major projects of the GASB. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

Don't let the title frighten you. It is critical that staff be trained on the increasingly complex forms-related issues that challenge them each busy season. This course will help experienced staff focus on the essential amidst the cacophony of IRS and legislative changes and avoid costly mistakes. This course brings to the forefront advanced preparation issues, from individual returns to flow-through entities such as S corporations, LLCs, and partnerships.

In this continually revised course, tax advisors will be fully updated on the most recent enacted legislation and IRS guidance, as well as major trends on the horizon with a view toward planning considerations. This update course is designed for all practitioners, both those working in public accounting as well as those in private industry, who need the latest information on tax changes. Please Note: Due to content overlap, it is recommended that this course NOT be taken together with BITU.

This course provides an update of the recent changes that have occurred in the financial reporting frameworks commonly used by small and medium-sized entities (SMEs). Troublesome areas in these financial reporting frameworks as identified in peer reviews and litigation will be highlighted. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

It is easy for us to get caught up in our work, but it is better to examine the ‘big picture’ by studying the outside factors that impact our business beyond our internal processes and day to day responsibilities. We are sometimes so busy with our tasks that we miss new developments until the developments have a profound impact on us and the organization. This session is designed to review many of these current trends, while thinking and discussing how these trends can impact our organizations and us. This is a fun and lively session that is intended to be interactive with participants either live, virtual or both. Our ever-changing world is evolving more than many realize.

The process of closing out the books every month can make year-end accounting a breeze! But isn't this time consuming? Not when you know the steps to take on a monthly basis. We'll show you what to do in QuickBooks Online as well as what you can do monthly to ensure a tax return that will stand up again an IRS audit. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

How do you keep your team connected with the limitations of virtual meetings? Suddenly, it’s more important than ever for each member to understand and appreciate their differences; to see beyond the screen and see each other’s human-side to maintain trust. In this session, Tina Hallis, Ph.D., will explore the neuroscience of trust and why it’s critical for optimum teamwork. But more importantly, you will leave with specific strategies and tools that you can choose from to use with your people. 

Over the last few years, mental health has become more of a mainstream issue. In fact, statistics indicate that approximately one in four adults experience a mental health condition.  Therefore, it is more important now than ever for organizations to make mental health and wellness a priority, given all the rapid changes leading to higher levels of stress and uncertainty in the post-COVID workplace.  The goal of this course is to outline the signs of mental health challenges in the workplace, such as changes in behavior, mood, or performance, while providing practical strategies for HR Professionals and Business Leaders to build and implement accommodations for a mentally healthy work environment.

Over 80% of all employment-related lawsuits relate to termination.  Every termination should be treated as a potential lawsuit.  The facts supporting a leader's recommendation of discharge must be fully investigated. The discharge of an employee  requires prior review and approval.  Narrow self-interest, spite, or personal animosity must not play a part in making termination decisions.  This course provides practical knowledge and scripts for handling discharges with good judgment such that personal and employer liability is avoided.

A harmonious working environment is one in which people feel safe, seen, heard, and respected.  Critical to maintaining it are that employees have high self-esteem, are treated with respect, and work in a safe, non-violent setting.  This course provides practical knowledge and scripts on how to take appropriate action and deal effectively with discriminatory comments, sexual harassment, and threats and acts of violence,such that personal and employer liability is avoided.

Leaders have the right to exercise customary management functions.  Employees have the right to be kept free from discrimination.  Neither employer rights nor employee rights are absolute.  The courts are equally protective of the rights of employees and employers.  A courtroom is the wrong place for anyone to find this out.  This course provides practical knowledge on how to effectively balancing these two sets of rights, such that employees and leaders stay out of court. Employers avoid lawsuits, rather than win lawsuits.

Our guidance on ethics comes from the AICPA and other groups, but it does not fully address the “why” behind ethics. This session will examine and define what ethics is and what it means to varying people in the workplace. Understanding what motivates people and understanding those people are key to both solving ethical dilemmas and workplace issues that can lead to greater job satisfaction and efficiency. To correct an issue, you need to delve into the root cause – the why?

How much can you contribute to a Roth IRA, Roth 401(k), SEP Roth IRA, or SIMPLE Roth IRA? How will a Roth distribution qualify to be tax-free? How did SECURE Act 1.0 and SECURE Act 2.0 change the Roth rules? These are only some of the key Roth questions advisors must know the answers to. Plus, as Roth accounts have increasingly become an essential component of retirement savings portfolios, with one-third of IRA owners owning Roth IRAs, advisors have even more reasons to be Roth-proficient. To that end, the instructor will simplify critical rules that govern Roth funding and Roth distributions for Roth IRAs, Roth 401(k)s, and sister plans.