CPE Catalog & Events

The FICPA's highly rated State and Local Government Accounting Conference (SLGAC) is back with the knowledge you need to navigate the demands of public service. In addition to legislative, standards and economic updates it features speakers on topics designed to help you succeed.    CPAs, accountants and financial professionals working in government face a unique and rapidly changing set of challenges with a playing field that is constantly in motion. 100% of last year’s survey respondents would recommend this event to a friend or colleague.    Designed for you, by those in government accounting, this affordable event features two days of great content presented by boots-on-the-ground subject matter experts on topics including GASB and legislative, state Board of Accountancy and Auditing Standards Board updates and more.  In addition to being walking distance to the Disney Springs area, Renaissance Orlando Resort guess enjoy complimentary hourly transportation to the Disney theme parks – all day, every day – along with early entry privileges.  $tack the $avings! In addition to FICPA member and early registration discounts, you can save up to 15% when registering groups of five or more from the same organization. Contact FICPA Member Services at MSC@ficpa.org or 850-224-2727, ext. 1 for details. FICPA Members save even more. Not a member? Join today at ficpa.org/JoinToday GFOA, FAC and FACC members can also attend at FICPA member rates. CPE Credit This conference qualifies for up to 16 hours of CPE credit and is subject to change. CPE credit is subject to approval by the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation. The type of credit earned depends on concurrent breakouts chosen. Please indicate choice of breakouts on the registration form. Cancellation Policy Any cancellations within 30 days of the first day of the conference, will incur a $100 processing fee. Submit any cancellations to Member Services at (850) 224-2727 or via email at msc@ficpa.org. Balance on event fees will be refunded in the original payment method, applied to a future event, or placed on account by request. Please review the FICPA CPE Policies for additional information: CPE Policies Social Media Follow the FICPA on Linked in, Facebook, Instagram and X and share news about this conference using the hashtag #FICPASLGAC.

Participants will go over the changes on preparation, compilation and review engagements using SSARS rules, followed by a general overview of how to perform these services. This interactive workshop is designed for practitioners in small and medium-sized CPA firms and will include a lecture with generous time for questions and case studies.

This course is designed to refresh your understanding of the critical importance of risk assessment in the audit practice. We'll briefly discuss the impact of AICPA's Clarity Project for audits and the need to update firm processes to incorporate the risk assessment standards. Participants may alternatively need to fine-tune an implementation of the risk assessment standards. These standards are designed to eliminate the connect-the-dots methodology of checklist auditing and add critical thinking back into the audit process. They remain a problem area for many firms, resulting in engagement and peer review deficiencies. This course has been updated to include a more in-depth discussion of SAS No. 145, Understanding the Entity and Its Environment and Assessing the Risks of Material Misstatement. We will break down this complex and misunderstood subject with an easy-to-understand approach.

It's essential to stay current on Form 5500 filing rules and requirements. Get a practical review of Form 5500, including 5500SF and 5500EZ. We'll discuss the changes for 2025 and how different government agencies use the form to target enforcement efforts. We'll review the related schedules, how to report late contributions, and what to do if your clients miss a filing deadline.

Revenue involves significant risks that warrant special consideration during audits. The Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) has issued a new standard—"Revenue from Contracts with Customers" that replaces most industry-specific revenue recognition requirements in US GAAP. A new principles-based, five-step revenue recognition model now applies. Recent disclosures of qualitative and quantitative information, significant judgments, and changes in judgments are also required. New systems, processes, and controls may be needed. Poor design or implementation may pose heightened risks of material misstatement, including those due to fraud.

Seniors face issues that complicate return preparation and planning. For example, when should they apply for social security" How is it taxed" What if they continue to work" Will an increased standard deduction affect charitable planning" What about downsizing" How can they help children or grandchildren pay for a home or a college education" This course will help you advise your clients on these topics and more.

Stay current on recent changes in accounting and auditing. Review Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB), U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Private Company Council (PCC), Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB) and American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) standard-setting activity in the current year. Implementation dates will be provided so you can plan for changes, and the course will highlight the changes that will be implemented in the current year. Also, we'll discuss the difference between public and private company requirements.

Participants will go over the changes on preparation, compilation and review engagements using SSARS rules, followed by a general overview of how to perform these services. This interactive workshop is designed for practitioners in small and medium-sized CPA firms and will include a lecture with generous time for questions and case studies.

We have passed the 15-year anniversary of the start of the cryptocurrency market with the release of Bitcoin in 2010. It is estimated today that 1 in 5 people in the U.S. trade in cryptocurrency. With the recent changes in the legislative landscape this number is poised for substantial growth. In addition, there will be natural evolution towards "smart contracts" powered by AI and the integration of cryptocurrency as the payment mechanism. For these reasons, it is important for every CPA to have a baseline understanding of the cryptocurrency marketplace and the technology it is built on.

PivotTables are Excel's most powerful feature! Plan to participate in this session to learn about eight key PivotTable features to enhance your Excel-based reporting processes. Upon completing this session, you'll be stunned at what PivotTables can do!

This Florida Board of Accountancy-approved ethics course, developed by the Florida Institute of CPAs (FICPA), provides CPAs with a comprehensive understanding of their ethical and professional responsibilities. Designed for CPAs in various professional roles and industries, this course explores ethical principles, regulatory requirements and emerging issues affecting the profession. Participants will gain insight into the Florida Statutes (Chapters 455 & 473) and Florida Administrative Code (FAC) (61H1), AICPA’s Code of Professional Conduct and general ethical behavior.  The course includes discussions on professional integrity, independence, objectivity, conflicts of interest fraud detection and prevention, compliance requirements, and equipping CPAs with the knowledge needed to navigate ethical dilemmas while maintaining public trust. This course meets the biennial ethics CPE requirement for Florida licensed CPA’s.

This 2-hour program covers recent promulgations of the FASB and AICPA with broad applicability.  

Advisors who represent fiduciaries must understand the tax laws and the accounting rules that apply when a fiduciary accepts title to fiduciary assets. Because a trustee or personal representative exercises authority over the management and investments of fiduciary assets for the benefit of the named beneficiaries, the fiduciary is held to a very high standard of "fiduciary duty." In this webinar series, we'll review the concept and requirements of fiduciary duty and the duty to account to the beneficiaries (UPIA/UFIPA). We'll also cover crucial fiduciary accounting concepts that differ from financial accounting or tax law, including the distinction between principal and income and state statutory accounting rules. Finally, we'll analyze the differences and similarities to fiduciary taxation.  Be sure to register for all four parts: Fiduciary Accounting Part 1: Fiduciary Duty Basics & Authority Fiduciary Accounting Part 2: Tools, Rules and Relationship to Tax Fiduciary Accounting Part 3: Special Accounting Elections & Distributions from Entities Fiduciary Accounting Part 4: The New Frontier (Total Return Trusts)

Trusts are old entities and go as far back as the Crusades when we were an agrarian society, and the only asset of any value was the land and what was produced on the land. Therefore, dividing the benefit in a trust between income and principal was logical and worked efficiently for a long time. However, times have significantly changed, and trusts are often invested in assets that don't involve land, and these assets also have great value. Often, the value lies in their growth rather than their income. New rules have developed in the fiduciary accounting area that provide elections that often result in favorable benefits to the trust and the beneficiaries. This course will explore those elections. Be sure to register for all four parts: Fiduciary Accounting Part 1: Fiduciary Duty Basics & Authority Fiduciary Accounting Part 2: Tools, Rules and Relationship to Tax Fiduciary Accounting Part 3: Special Accounting Elections & Distributions from Entities Fiduciary Accounting Part 4: The New Frontier (Total Return Trusts)

We all make predictions in our personal and professional lives. We base our decisions to marry, buy a house, launch a new product or hire staff on expectations about the future. How can we use best practices and current research to improve our ability to predict the future" We will examine current best practices in forecasting to help us prepare better budgets and projections. We will also examine budgeting pitfalls and ways to avoid budget traps. We will discuss the risks that cause actual results to vary from our predictions and discuss methods to deal with both known and unknown risks.

To properly account for estates and non-grantor trusts, an advisor must understand the statutory requirements to account, the proper classification of revenue and expenses in a chart of account and the importance of provisions in the estate planning document. Additionally, the differences and similarities to fiduciary taxation must be understood. Be sure to register for all four parts: Fiduciary Accounting Part 1: Fiduciary Duty Basics & Authority Fiduciary Accounting Part 2: Tools, Rules and Relationship to Tax Fiduciary Accounting Part 3: Special Accounting Elections & Distributions from Entities Fiduciary Accounting Part 4: The New Frontier (Total Return Trusts)

Because fiduciary accounting has not kept up with the times in relation to finance and economics, it's often tricky for the fiduciary to provide a level of benefit to the income beneficiary without negatively impacting the remainder beneficiaries. In order to modernize fiduciary accounting, new provisions provide for a more modern approach using either the "trustee's power to adjust" or "unitrusts." We will explore these new frontier trusts and their application to your fiduciary clients. Be sure to register for all four parts: Fiduciary Accounting Part 1: Fiduciary Duty Basics & Authority Fiduciary Accounting Part 2: Tools, Rules and Relationship to Tax Fiduciary Accounting Part 3: Special Accounting Elections & Distributions from Entities Fiduciary Accounting Part 4: The New Frontier (Total Return Trusts)

As the complexity of GAAP drives preparers of financial statements to seek GAAP alternatives, many are finding tax-basis financial statements can meet their needs. This 2-hour program covers many of the matters to be considered when choosing the tax-basis for financial statement presentation.  

Microsoft Teams is now one of the most widely used tools in the business world today. Yet, most business professionals take advantage of only a fraction of its features. Participate in this session to learn six essential Teams features you should use and how they will improve your productivity.

Taxation of partnerships continues to become more complex every year. This course highlights the significant areas of concern for tax advisors and their clients in compliance and planning for partnership operations, distributions and transactions. Topics covered include unique and targeted allocations, proper calculation of outside and inside tax basis, tax consequences of distributions, the impact of "hot assets" on distributions, transfer of partnership interests, and issuance of partnership interests to service partners. This course will also help you add immediate value to your partnership clients by correctly calculating and reporting critical partnership tax items that generate most IRS audit adjustments.