CPE Catalog & Events

Clients often ask accounting and finance professionals whether they have the "best" pension plan and whether they are using it to its maximum advantage. This program explains how various pension plans work and analyzes why a small or medium-sized business owner would choose one plan over another.

Working in accounting and finance offers strong earnings and growth, yet chronic overwork remains the top driver of anxiety and attrition in the profession. Evidence shows that long hours and poor recovery harm both health and output: large studies link greater than 55-hour weeks to higher cardiovascular risk, specific-hour thresholds to productivity drops, and insufficient sleep to eroded performance. At the same time, well-designed flexibility works. A recent randomized trial of a two-days-from-home hybrid schedule improved satisfaction and cut quits without hurting results, and multi-firm pilots of shorter workweeks report lower burnout and stable revenue. This webinar translates that research — along with sector-specific findings on accountants' work-life priorities — into practical tools for financial professionals and their firms. We'll cover how to set evidence-based workload and availability norms (e.g., hybrid cadence, meeting discipline, focused work blocks), build manager habits that reduce stress without sacrificing delivery, and document simple recovery practices (sleep, boundaries, and time off) to sustain peak periods. We'll also address policy design: aligning work styles and responsibilities within teams, metrics that reward outcomes over hours, and how to pilot changes safely. Participants will leave with a concise checklist and templates they can implement immediately.

This course provides a focused analysis of the individual and small business provisions in Pub. L. 119-21 (H.R.1), "One Big Beautiful Bill." Tailored for tax professionals working with Form 1040 filers, the course explores impactful updates, from the no-tax-on-tips provision to enhanced bonus depreciation. Designed to inform planning strategies and compliance for the 2025 tax year and beyond. Participants will gain actionable insight into newly proposed deductions and expanded credits. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

Calculating partnership basis is one of the most important things that we do as practitioners. However, it is also one of the most confusing. When we use the term "basis," we really could be referring to one of three different things. This course will explore the differences between inside basis, outside basis, and 704(b) basis. Through several examples and practice problems, we will show you how to easily distinguish among these terms. We will also explore the tax implications of initial contributions of property to a partnership as well as the different types of partnership distributions.

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

Accounting and finance managers and executives must demonstrate sound technical and analytical necessary for personal growth and organizational success. This course will provide insights into the most critical technical and analytical skills needed by CFOs and Controllers - or those that want to be!

Preparation, compilation, and review engagements continue to receive heightened attention in peer review, even years after the issuance of SSARS No. 21. This course examines the most common deficiencies identified in peer reviews of SSARS engagements, with an emphasis on practical compliance and engagement quality. Participants will explore frequent problem areas in preparation, compilation, and review engagements and discuss why these deficiencies occur. The course focuses on understanding the root causes of noncompliance, rather than simply listing technical errors, and highlights practical approaches firms can use to improve consistency, documentation, and overall engagement performance. Designed for practitioners performing SSARS engagements, this course helps participants strengthen compliance while maintaining an efficient and practical approach to engagement execution. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

Inventory observations are often a right of passage for audit staff. This course will cover the basics of auditing inventory, including the related audit assertions, risks, & threats to inventory. During this course, we will also highlight the various substantive auditing procedures that staff should perform, and also walk through how to conduct a physical inventory observation. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

Despite the fact that a client's tax matter may be taken directly to court, utilizing the IRS Independent Office of Appeals usually results in saving your client both time and money. Join us as we discuss the misunderstood process of navigating through the complex IRS Appeals.

Reporting findings under the Yellow Book and single audit standards comes with unique rules - but mastering them is easier than you think. This course gives you the tools and techniques to prepare, write, and present findings that meet the GAO and OMB requirements while sparking meaningful improvements for your clients. You'll learn exactly what to report, how to report it, and where to report it so you can deliver results with clarity, compliance, and impact.

This course explores the best practices for hiring remotely while leveraging personality assessments to make more informed decisions. Learn how to effectively integrate personality testing into your recruitment process to identify candidates who are the right fit for your team, even from a distance.

Leading on New Terms is a fast- paced, one-hour course that challenges leaders to rethink everything they thought they knew about leadership. Built on Steve Cadigan’s Workquake philosophy, it confronts the collapse of the old stability-based leadership model and equips leaders with a new mandate: fuel growth, build trust, and lead with agility in a world where certainty no longer exists. Through provocative stories, real-world case studies, and practical “plays,” participants will learn how to shift from command to connection, harness technology without losing humanity, and redefine loyalty as learning and movement. Leaders will walk away with a sharper understanding of today’s realities and a personal “Future Leadership Charter” to start leading confidently on new terms.

A controller's role in digital transformation is to act as a key facilitator in integrating new technologies within the finance function. This process moves beyond traditional accounting tasks to actively analyze data, provide insights based on financial information. This will ensure the smooth implementation of new systems that streamline financial operations, all while maintaining compliance and financial control within the organization.  This course will introduce some of those topics and methods Controllers are beginning to turn to.

Unlike a traditional financial audit objective (Are the financial statements materially misstated), performance auditing can address a wide variety of objectives.  Is this program working? Can it be improved? Where can we save money? How can we operate more efficiently and effectively? Are management’s assertions supported? And so forth.  This session will explain what a performance audit is, describe the applicable standards, and provide examples that indicate the value of a performance audit.  Performance audits can add value to any entity and practitioners can profit from adding these assurance services to their practices.

PowerPoint is a widely available resource that is potentially underutilized by accountants because many accountants do not stray beyond Excel and Word in the Microsoft Office suite. You will learn how to create and edit a professional PowerPoint slide deck. This session places particular emphasis on efficiency tips and tricks that will allow you to develop creative, professional visual aids while minimizing time and effort. The course’s author will share personal insights he has cultivated throughout more than two decades of public speaking. Although the session will focus on creating and editing slides, we will illustrate best practices for presentation delivery. We will also explain how PowerPoint can be used for purposes other than delivering presentations.

This session introduces a structured approach to government budgeting using the four W’s: Who, What, When, and Which. Participants will explore WHO should be involved in the budgeting process, including internal teams and external stakeholders, while learning effective communication strategies to foster collaboration. The session examines WHAT the budgeting process entails, covering essential phases, components, legal requirements, and common challenges. Attendees will also learn WHEN to engage the public through strategic planning, workshops, and outreach initiatives. Finally, the session highlights WHICH departments play key roles, from financial planning to managing capital projects. By the end of this session, participants will have a comprehensive understanding of government budgeting and how to align financial planning with community priorities.

This course provides tax and accounting professionals with a focused overview of the Section 25F scholarship granting tax credit and its application in client planning. Participants will examine eligibility requirements, qualifying contributions, credit limitations, and interaction with other tax provisions. The course also addresses state-specific considerations, including variations in eligibility, conformity, and planning opportunities across jurisdictions. Participants will learn to evaluate client eligibility, maximize available credits, and ensure compliance while avoiding common pitfalls.  *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  

This session revisits managerial accounting techniques that you may not have considered for many years, even though they could be invaluable for CPAs in both business and public accounting. You will appreciate a fresh perspective of concepts you may not have considered since your college days. We will illustrate concepts with practical examples that you can immediately bring back to the office! This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

Required minimum distributions (RMDs) must begin for the year in which the account owner reaches age 72 (older if they were born after 1950). RMDs must also be taken from inherited accounts, and the process for determining RMDs for these accounts is more complex than those that apply to RMDs for non-inherited accounts. Failure to comply with the RMD rules will result in the account owner owing the IRS an excess accumulation penalty on any RMD shortfall. Interested parties must understand the compliance requirements that apply to RMDs to be able to assist in ensuring that penalties are avoided. Additionally, the recent changes that affect RMDs must be considered when advising clients about their RMD obligations.

As a parent, could you tell when your young children were lying to you? Most of you will say of course I could! How? Was it their words they said or how they acted when they were lying to you? Most of you will say, by the way they acted. We call that body language. Remember, words lie but the body always tells the truth…… without saying a word. At what age does a child learn to lie? When they are about six months old. We teach them, and we are really good at it! (We’ll talk about it.) As a rule, when an individual tells a lie, they know it’s wrong and as result it causes stress. That stress manifests itself in many ways. The individual that is lying wants to get rid of the stress by saying or doing certain things. We call these stress indicators, and they can be verbal or nonverbal. It’s particularly important to observe what the subject is talking about when the stress indicator appears. If an interviewer is aware of the verbal and nonverbal stress indicators, they can read a person like a book. Remember, words lie but the body always tells the truth. In this session, we will discuss the types of individuals that lie, why they lie, and both the verbal and nonverbal indicators of stress. In addition, we will discuss how to get them to tell the truth and make them feel good about it.