CPE Catalog & Events

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.

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.

Pro forma statements are used by businesses to make decisions on planning and control, as well as for external reporting to owners, investors, and creditors. For example, giving financial estimates for a given period in a standardized manner is known as “presenting pro forma,” a Latin phrase that means “as a matter of form.” Pro forma statements can be helpful tools for business owners, investors, creditors, or decision-makers to analyze various scenarios of future events based on certain financial assumptions. It might aid in making predictions performance of the company. A pro forma income statement displays a firm’s anticipated sales and revenue. It also highlights anticipated fixed or variable operational expenses and, in the end, displays the potential profits and retained earnings for a future financial quarter. There are various types of pro-forma statements and methods to develop them. The responsibilities/competencies of the Financial Controller position (FC) has changed in recent years. However, the creation of pro forma financial statements is still a core part of their responsibility.  

The world of work today has never before faced so many simultaneous changes. From rising turnover and rising employee disengagement to the changing psychology of the workforce, the world of work is changing fast. In order to understand how to thrive in this complex landscape - we must begin by understanding the key drivers of change. What is changing in the world of work, why are these changes happening, and what can we expect will continue to change and what may not change. These are the elements we will explore in this class. 

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.

This course will dive into the fundamentals of fiduciary accounting and provide a reporting guide for determining whether receipts and expenditures are assigned to income or principal/corpus. 

In today's digitally-driven landscape, the role of artificial intelligence in accounting and tax processes is rapidly evolving. For accounting professionals, tax experts, and all CPAs aiming to remain at the forefront of their profession, understanding how to strategically select, learn, and implement AI technologies like ChatGPT is paramount. This course offers a comprehensive guide tailored to accounting and tax professionals' unique needs, delving into the art of harnessing AI's potential through step-by-step instruction, examples, anecdotes, and case studies. Master a principles-based framework designed specifically for effective AI adoption in accounting and taxation, ensuring heightened productivity, accuracy, and timeliness in all financial and tax deliverables. Whether you're a dedicated tax professional, an accounting expert, or a multifaceted CPA, gain the insights required to navigate the benefits and challenges AI presents in the financial domain.

An audit is an investment in reliable financial reporting and compliance, and an increased return on those dollars can be achieved by hiring the right auditors. This course will provide key factors for you to consider when evaluating whether you are getting the most quality and insight from your auditors, to enable them to perform the most value-added audit possible in the given circumstances - while retaining the trust of a CPA. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

Mergers, acquisitions and alliances have been and continue to be major avenues to organizational growth and increased competitive advantage. Despite the great initial promise of many mergers and alliances, few seem to yield the anticipated results. Numerous studies indicate that between 55% and 77% of mergers fail to accomplish their intended purpose. This course helps financial professionals, and their advisors identify, execute, and consummate mergers and acquisitions that create shareholder value while avoiding the many traps that can cause post-acquisition failure.

Gear up for tax season with Steve Dilley's annual update!  This program provides an update to the latest tax developments, rules and regulations affecting both business and individual taxpayers, including a review and integration of 2023-2024 legislation.    **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.

Managerial accounting provides economic and financial information for managers and other internal users. Managerial and Financial Accounting have similarities and differences. Each field of accounting deals with the economic events of a business. Both managerial and financial accounting require that a company’s economic events be quantified and communicated to interested parties. This another course in our series on the controller’s role. The controller’s role encompasses many traditional functions. Within this segment of our controllership series, we discuss the area of managerial accounting and the basic concepts that surround this discipline as it primarily relates to cost accounting issues.  

This course dives into the powerful, but potentially under-utilized, capabilities of Microsoft Excel.  Designed for sophisticated users willing to approach spreadsheets from a unique perspective, this program encourages users to challenge the status quo by considering opportunities to take acceptable spreadsheets to a new level.

Each course in the Fraud Stories Series will examine a fraud case in detail. What factors lead the company to go astray? What could have prevented the fraud? What lesson can be learned?

QuickBooks Desktop has been the go-to solution for companies since 1984 (Intuit originally created Quicken for bank reconciliations) and has grown into a powerful tool to track business finances. QuickBooks Online is one of the fastest growing applications in the accounting market today. With its ability to be an "on-the-go" solution, many service providers, entrepreneurs, and other industries prefer to keep it simple and use QuickBooks Online. Understanding the pros and cons of QuickBooks Desktop and QuickBooks Online will help you advise your client on the best solution for their business. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

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!

This program provides an update to the latest tax developments, rules and regulations impacting business taxpayers, with a review and integration of the numerous 2021/22 legislation. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

Auditing Investments - Understanding Risks and Procedures for the Most Common Investments will provide an overview for evaluating the proper recognition, measurement and disclosure of the most common investments types. Many small- and mid-size entities hold less-complex investments, including mutual funds, 'plain vanilla' derivatives (such as interest rate swaps), and permanent life insurance policies. Note: This course is recommended as a part of a 16-hour audit skills curriculum for in-charge or supervisor auditors, while it is also appropriate for anyone who has responsibilities for auditing common investments. 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 the Dark Web, a part of the internet that isn't indexed by search engines, and is often associated with anonymous transactions and nefarious activities. Discover the leading threats and risks that the Dark Web poses to accounting firms. Explore how practitioners can effectively mitigate the risk of data breaches, ransomware attacks, financial fraud and other risks connected to the Dark Web. You'll walk away with a foundational understanding of leading cybersecurity strategies that can help you maintain client trust and protect your firm's sensitive data in this complex and ever-changing threat landscape. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

Most of the models of work that we use today were not built for the pace of change and the dynamism of work today. In this course, you will learn how so many models we use at work are fundamentally broken and no longer useful. Models that rely on people staying a long time in a firm are no longer helpful in a reality where employees are staying for increasingly shorter periods with their employers. This course will reveal how so much of the architecture of work was not built with short tenure in mind: career paths, compensation, and retention objectives.

Today’s economy and all of the digital enhancements have impacted the way companies engage with their customers as well as how the company manages their internal practices. The business control function needs to keep pace. The rising importance of analytical capability is critical when defining the role of the modern controller. Execution of analytics can vary but there are still key questions that must be asked. What are the options and what we need to understand to decide the best way forward? This course focuses on the value that can be brought by the Controller when becoming involved with data analytics powered by technology and also Big Data. The digitized world we live in has made it important for the Controller function to evolve and take on this advanced task.