CPE Catalog & Events

Most leadership development focuses on a single direction within the organizational hierarchy: downstream to subordinates. While it is important to be a good boss, leadership is much more than that. The best leaders learn to lead well in all directions. They lead upward to superiors and across among peers throughout the organization. And it all starts with self-leadership. This often overlooked or misunderstood leadership principle is essential to build a thriving and productive culture. This topic is based on Jon’s book, Mission-Critical Leadership: How Smart Managers Lead Well in All Directions. 

This program presents a detailed analysis of the self-rental passive activity rules, including forms reporting examples and integrates them with the flow-through entity rules related to self-rental.   *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 terri.storer@acpen.com  

Quality management represents a significant shift in how CPA firms design, implement, and evaluate audit and attestation quality. This course provides a focused, practical deep dive into the quality management standards and related engagement-level requirements that firms are now operating under. The course covers SQMS 1 and SQMS 2, along with related engagement-level standards, including SAS 146, SAS 145, SSARS 26, and SSAE 23. Emphasis is placed on post-implementation responsibilities, including evaluating the effectiveness of quality management systems and addressing monitoring and remediation requirements. Participants will also examine engagement-level quality management responsibilities, including the auditor’s responsibilities under SAS 146 and the engagement partner's responsibilities in SSARS engagements. The course is designed to help firms navigate the second phase of implementation, moving beyond design and rollout to ongoing evaluation, monitoring, and continuous improvement.

There has never been a greater opportunity to leverage technology tools to automate your tax services. This course will provide specific examples of how you can use AI (artificial intelligence) based tools to complement your tax planning, research and compliance services. You will learn how to leverage AI to automate the collection and organization of client data, the engagement management process, tax research, and enhance client advisory services with AI too This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

Business strategies for 2026 are based on important tax changes made in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA). There are a number of important business tax changes that can be used to develop tax planning strategies that have great advantages for businesses and their owners. This program covers many important business tax changes and the implications for tax planning founded on them.

Those charged with governance, with the assistance of internal audit,  are responsible for overseeing the strategic direction of the organization, and ensuring value is delivered to the entity's stakeholders. This course will provide guidance on fulfilling the responsibility for challenging how much risk and uncertainty to accept through the application of COSO's Enterprise Risk Management Framework.

This course is designed to equip CPAs, EAs, attorneys, and tax professionals with the essential knowledge and strategies needed to navigate the latest developments. Explore innovative approaches to maximize retirement savings, discuss tax- efficient retirement plan options, and align estate planning techniques with current trends. Gain a thorough understanding of altered rules for Required Minimum Distributions (RMDs) and discover how to optimize estate plans in response to changing regulations. This update is tailored for professionals seeking practical insights in the realm of contemporary retirement planning. **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.

As a small business owner, would you be interested if I could tell you how to increase your profit each year by an average of 5%? If you were a practicing CPA, do you think your small business clients would be interested if you could tell them how to increase their profits by an average of 5% each year? That is the amount of revenue lost to fraud as reported by the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners’ (ACFE) in their 2024 Report to the Nations on Occupational Fraud.  It is no secret as to how to prevent fraud from occurring.  But we must first convince the small business owner that fraud is occurring in their organization. During this presentation we will discuss the many ways fraud can occur; how fraud occurs; who commits fraud; how to recognize the indicators of fraud; what to do if you suspect fraud; and lastly, how to prevent fraud from occurring in the first place. Most small businesses owners are very reluctant to admit that fraud might occur in their business because they know and trust their employees. Know this: Under the right circumstances (which we will discuss) most individuals will steal, and I will prove it. If you view this program, chances are as a small business owner, you will never look at your operation the same way. As an auditor, chances are you will never conduct an audit of a small business the same way.

Estate planning continues to evolve, and staying informed about the latest trends and strategies is crucial for professionals in the field. This forward-looking course delves into the intricacies of estate planning, with a specific focus on current issues. Participants will explore cutting-edge techniques, emerging legal considerations, and industry developments to ensure they are equipped with the knowledge and skills to create effective estate plans that withstand the test of time and safeguard their clients' legacies. *Please Note:  If you need credit reported to the IRS for this IRS approved program, please download the IRS CE request form on the Handouts Tab and submit to kori.herrera@acpen.com  

This course is designed for financial professionals looking to understand Form 1120S. It covers the essential aspects of S corporation taxation, including the preparation of Form 1120S, determining taxable income, and accurately reporting and allocating income, deductions, and credits. Electing Subchapter S status as well as reviewing the mechanics of electing Subchapter S status will be discussed. It will further compare the S Corporation to other forms of entities, along with compliance with corporate formalities. Highlights of Form 1120S will be discussed, including build-in capital gains, accountable plans, taxable fringe benefits, officer reasonable compensation and audit strategies. Schedules K-1, K-2, K-3, and effectively connected income will be reviewed in this course as well. 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 offers a comprehensive exploration of the cannabis industry, delving into essential topics such as cannabis regulations, business models, financial management, and ethical considerations. A key focus is on distinguishing between Marijuana and Industrial Hemp, including their respective tax treatments. Participants will gain a thorough understanding of the unique challenges and opportunities within the cannabis sector, covering federal and state tax implications, licensing requirements, and market trends. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

An operational audit is a method of examining how an organization conducts business. It identifies areas where an entity can improve to be more effective and efficient. This course will focus on how to plan and perform operational audits, as well as delivering value-added recommendations as a result.

Unlock the full potential of your Microsoft 365 subscription with our exclusive session on Microsoft's Power Tools! Discover the incredible capabilities of Power BI, Power Query, Power Pivot, and Power Automate, and learn how these tools can revolutionize your productivity and efficiency. Many professionals are unaware that they already have access to these powerful tools, leading to missed opportunities and suboptimal performance. Don't let this be you! Participate in this session to explore the practical applications of these tools and elevate your productivity and internal control structure to new heights

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.

This course provides accountants with the leading AI insights and strategies drawn from real-world experience, empirical studies, countless CPA case studies, and social media commentary. It goes beyond theory, offering practical lessons learned from the front lines of AI implementation in the business world and accounting industry. Participants will gain actionable knowledge on bridging the theory-application gap, navigating exponential technological changes, and creating secure, adaptive AI policies. By the end of the session, accountants will be equipped to leverage AI responsibly and innovatively in their roles. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

Leaders set the tone for workplace well-being. This program will equip leaders with the tools to build resilient teams. Creating a culture of mental wellness allows employees to feel safe, valued and heard. This will improve productivity, reduce burnout and absenteeism and ultimately, create a workplace where employees can thrive. Leaders will also learn the importance of nurturing their own self-care to prevent burnout for themselves in order to be the best leader possible.

Passive Activity Loss (PAL) rules have never been more critical in Federal tax reporting. This course provides a comprehensive and complete review of the laws and regulations impacting PALs, including the rules governing rental real estate, grouping and the 3.8% net investment income tax. Learn what qualifies as a passive activity and the rules governing its application by exploring several recent court cases and the existing regulations to know how the IRS views this critical area of the tax law. The IRS is actively auditing the failure to report passive losses properly. You and your clients can't afford to be left behind.

Clients believe that estate planning is only for the wealthy who will owe Federal estate tax. This isn't the case. Perhaps as a result of the 2020 pandemic, estate planning has a renewed focus. All practitioners should be familiar with the vernacular, acronyms and techniques. Estate planning involves personal issues that affect everyone, whether or not the estate tax will apply. Learn strategies to pass assets to future generations; provide education benefits; distribute retirement benefits, and provide a charitable legacy.

Since 1919, the Internal Revenue Service had a civil and criminal function in the United States tax system. Little do people know, the IRS has an elite criminal function that started with five United States Postal Inspectors. From its early days in taking down Al Capone to now solving cybercrimes, the IRS special agents are tasked with investigating tax fraud, money laundering, and other white collar crimes. This presentation will show you the importance of this law enforcement function, the training, techniques, expertise, and actions that cause them to be known as the "world's finest financial investigators." This presentation has been prepared by a 20 year veteran with the IRS-Criminal Investigation. The presenter investigated crimes, and trained and mentored other special agents. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

Do you understand the root cause for many professional and personal goals not being achieved? The SMART acronym is valuable in setting goals but insufficient for achieving them. You need two types of goals to boost your chances of success. Outcome goals focus on the results you want to attain. Process goals identify the action steps required to accomplish those desired outcomes. This session explores the essence of both types of goals, and practical examples and tips for the execution of your goals.