CPE Catalog & Events

Consumers and businesses file for bankruptcy to seek protection from creditors and to reorganize or liquidate debts. Bankruptcy filings rise and fall with the economy. Surveys show that loss of income is the leading cause of consumer bankruptcies, followed by medical expenses and foreclosure. Corporate bankruptcies, on the other hand, are often the result of several factors, including excessive debt, decreased demand, increased costs, lawsuits or poor accounting practices. It is no secret bankruptcy filings will see a tremendous uptick in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic. As an accountant, CFP, attorney or other professional, you need to be able to discuss the process and different available courses of action with your clients. Both landlords and tenants will be influenced tremendously. Individuals will look to your advice for a discharge and new start. Businesses will do the same and will also need to advise loyal employees. Creditors will receive proofs of claim and look to you for your expertise. Take this webinar and make sure you can speak fluently to both creditors and debtors. As trusted advisors, then, professionals should have a basic understanding of the bankruptcy process. This course provides a thorough review of the consumer and corporate bankruptcy practice. Participants in this webinar will gain an understanding of how consumer and corporate bankruptcy proceedings begin and end, as well as learn about key issues that affect debtor and creditor rights during bankruptcy. This webinar provides information from the perspective of both debtor and creditor. Although bankruptcy concerns the debts of the debtor, the Bankruptcy Code provides substantial protections to creditors. Creditor rights, however, vary widely depending on the status afforded the creditor under the Bankruptcy Code. Do yourself, your clients and your profit margin a favor and sign up for this invaluable webinar.

This program discusses, in a practical way, how an S corporation shareholder calculates their stock and loan basis on Form 7203. Form 7203 is the IRS Form on which a shareholder is sometimes required to calculate their stock and loan basis. This topic is particularly important when an S corporation has a loss and the shareholders wish to know whether they are entitled to fully utilize the loss that has been allocated to them against their other income.

Do you love PivotTables? Of course, we all do! Traditional PivotTables are incredible, but they do have limitations. If you have ever encountered one of these limitations, you'll be excited to learn that by using the Data Model as the source for PivotTables, you'll be able to bypass many of the restrictions that exist with traditional PivotTables. The data model (also referred to as Power Pivot) is included in Excel 2016+ for Windows and available as a free download for previous versions (excluding Excel for Mac). Using the data model enables you to build PivotTables that were previously not practical. If you frequently build PivotTables and would like to do more with them, you'll want to understand how to use the data model (Power Pivot) to enhance your reports. Note about Excel versions: Power Pivot is not available in all versions of Excel, including Excel for Mac. If you would like to see if Power Pivot is available in your version of Excel, visit the Microsoft site.

As you rapidly gain experience in the auditing profession, the responsibilities of the staff accountant grow exponentially. Progressing from the base-line audit skills covered in Level 1 training that allow a new auditor to perform their roles, Level 2 training covers those skills that are required for experienced staff accountants who need to audit more complex and subjective areas, such as accounts receivable and investments, and to plan and appropriately perform sampling and analytical procedures. Redesigned to provide the relevant content to staff accountants when they need it, the Level 2 reviews the underlying accounting concepts of these often-complex areas and, through examples and exercises, discusses the relevant audit procedures required by professional standards. The course is designed to allow the staff auditor to capitalize on their prior experiences and apply them in new areas, as they continue their career advancement. IMPORTANT NOTE: This course takes place over two consecutive days. Registration for both days is required.

Manage distractions, decrease stress and improve productivity. This training is designed to help business professionals improve their productivity and work performance by learning how to prioritize time, decrease distractions and lower stress. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

This section of the 4-part series will cover fundamentals of Form 706 with numerous examples of how to properly report deductions on the estate tax return, including the marital and charitable deductions. Form 706 Series: Form 706 Preparation Part 1: Overview Including Portability Form 706 Preparation Part 2: Reporting Assets Form 706 Preparation Part 3: Reporting Deductions Form 706 Preparation Part 4: GST Schedule R, Form 8971, Payments & Credits

In the ever-evolving world of data analytics and business intelligence, Microsoft Excel continues to be an indispensable tool for professionals across industries. With the introduction of Copilot, Microsoft has integrated the power of artificial intelligence directly into Excel, revolutionizing how users work with data. This 2-hour interactive course, Unlock the Power of AI with Copilot in Excel, provides a comprehensive overview of how Copilot transforms traditional Excel workflows into dynamic, AI-driven processes, enabling users to accomplish tasks faster, more accurately, and with less manual effort. During this course, you'll discover how Copilot leverages AI to enhance productivity and streamline operations. Whether you're a seasoned Excel user or just beginning your journey, this course will guide you through practical applications and best practices to make the most of Copilot's capabilities. Through hands-on demonstrations and real-world examples, you'll see how Copilot can save time, improve decision-making, and elevate your analytical skills to new heights. This course not only focuses on the technical aspects of Copilot but also highlights its potential to transform your day-to-day work, from automating repetitive tasks to uncovering trends and insights you might otherwise overlook. By the end of the session, you'll be equipped with the knowledge and confidence to integrate Copilot into your workflows and unlock its full potential in Microsoft Excel. 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 will review common deficiencies identified by the AICPA and state boards of accountancy. It features discussion on a variety of topics, including analytical procedures, sampling, group audits and risk assessment. We will review the areas of concern and how you can overcome them by employing best practices. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

This comprehensive case-driven training is designed to quickly get the accountant up to speed in basis calculations and distribution planning for the owners of pass-thru entities (i.e., S corporations, partnerships, and limited liability companies (LLCs)). The cornerstone of this course is the line-by-line analysis of the Schedule K-1s and how it affects the basis calculations. This session is taught using a Hands-On methodology. Real-world examples and cases demonstrate the complex income tax code and regulations to enhance the participant's learning experience. Each attendee will receive the most comprehensive reference manual with numerous practice aids, real-world examples, and case studies.

Though many clients see Social Security as a government benefit, it is a covered worker's investment asset to be managed like any other asset. Examine issues like how Social Security benefits are calculated, identifying benefit-claiming strategies, and what spouses can do now to maximize benefits at retirement. You'll learn how Social Security works and explore common planning situations?including workers with and without spouses, sandwich-generation families with dependent parents and minor children, and surviving and/or divorced spouses?and techniques to maximize your clients' benefits.

From understanding fraud requirements to improving risk assessment procedures and from testing to meeting auditing standards, discover ways to audit more effectively and efficiently. Engage in discussions that cover reducing risk and effective planning, research and documentation. Review various case studies, real-life examples and sample documentation will reinforce ideas. This course meets the specific California Board of Accountancy requirements that CPAs are required to meet for re-issuance of their license.

An advanced guide to prompting techniques that maximize AI efficiency and precision in everyday business research, operational due diligence and accounting tasks. Designed for accountants with no prior AI knowledge, the session explores how simple language and strategic prompting can unlock powerful, layered responses from large language models (LLMs). Participants will learn to overcome the "lazy" defaults of AI, using specific techniques to enhance detail, accuracy, and contextual understanding in their queries. By understanding prompt engineering's role, attendees will discover how to guide AI to provide practical, relevant, and analytical insights suited to complex financial scenarios, without needing extensive technical expertise. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

The repercussions from a natural disaster can be devastating. Properly accounting and reporting for the impact of those disasters can be confusing. This course will focus on some of the most FAQ related to the proper treatment of accounting for disasters in GAAP basis financial statements. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

Cash flow management is often the most important task of any CFO or financial leader. Regardless of whether one works in start-ups or established companies, non-profit or for-profit entities, cash flow makes our organizations run. Have you ever wondered whether you are optimizing your company's cash flow? In this course, we will explore how to improve your company's cash flow using analysis and financial theories in the context of real-world situations. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

This 4-part series covers the fundamentals of Form 706. In this final course, we will cover GST allocations on Schedule R, Foreign Death Tax credit, Prior Transfer credit, Qualified Conservation Easements and making the 6166 election for estate tax payment or considering a Graegin or other loan to pay the estate tax. Illustrations of attachments and/or narrative examples for Schedule R will be provided. Form 706 Series: Form 706 Preparation Part 1: Overview Including Portability Form 706 Preparation Part 2: Reporting Assets Form 706 Preparation Part 3: Reporting Deductions Form 706 Preparation Part 4: GST Schedule R, Form 8971, Payments & Credits

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.

If there is a potential error, the IRS will assess a tax and add a hefty penalty, without even knowing the facts. As a tax professional, you will be exposed to the IRS and their methods of penalizing taxpayers for the smallest of violations. This presentation will focus on the rules and regulations that create the penalty, and the reasons that exist that the IRS will consider to remove those penalties. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

Cryptocurrency is heading mainstream. According to a recent study conducted by New York Digital Investment Group, there are 46 million bitcoin holders in the US, and institutions have also shown increased interest in this space. The rising popularity of cryptocurrency and the inclusion of the virtual currency question on the front and center of Form 1040 have made cryptocurrency a subject that tax practitioners cannot afford to ignore anymore. This course is designed to walk you through tax implications of common cryptocurrency-related transactions (trading, mining, spending, staking, etc.) and how to successfully service clients affiliated with cryptocurrency by using a tool like CoinTracker. This session also covers current developments surrounding this topic and some of the unique tax planning opportunities in the crypto space such as tax loss harvesting without being subject to wash sale rules, tax lot ID optimization (FIFO, LIFO, and HIFO), self-directed IRAs, etc.

Just about every company, no matter its size or the types of activities it undertakes, is at greater risk because of all the types of fraud that can be be carried out electronically. Potential perpetrators can be operating internally or externally and the scope of the damage that occurs is almost never limited to cyber-assets. While threat awareness is improving, there are still too many owners or top level executives that underestimate the scale of the issue. In this session, we delve into the types and the nature of many electronic defalcation schemes. The material then explores measures that organizations can implement to help stop these activities and add additional layers of security. 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 imperative for public companies to produce quality financial reporting. This course will share insights into the latest SEC and PCAOB areas of emphasis and concern. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.