CPE Catalog & Events

Bitcoin and crypto have been in the news recently for a variety of reasons. This course will cover the basics of accounting and auditing for cryptocurrency including recent standard setting by the FASB as well as a look at the AICPA's Accounting for and Auditing of Digital Assets practice aid.

Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, telework in state and local government was not often embraced as a form of employment. As the pandemic continues, governments are beginning to experience the benefits of remote work and are reevaluating hiring practices to offer more telework and hybrid work options, not simply as a result of an emergency.  This course will review various telework options and best practices for success. 

The Enhancing Audit Quality Initiative has identified inadequate or nonexistent audit documentation as one of the most significant issues facing the profession. Over half of the engagements reviewed by the AICPA did not meet the requirements of AU-C 230. This course will look at common misconceptions related to audit documentation and help attendees address these deficiencies with efficient and effective best practices.

This program will explain the new rules for deducting travel, meals and entertainment expenses and the TCJA disallowance of business entertainment expenses.  Documentation requirements and planning opportunities related to travel, entertainment, and automobile expenses will also be addressed.  **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.

This course highlights significant updates that affect financial reporting and related attestation services. We will explore novel FASB pronouncements while examining the enduring impact of lease accounting and revenue recognition standards. This course will provide reminders regarding both GAAP and non-GAAP financial reporting alternatives for closely held entities. We will also explore selected guidance regarding audit, review, and compilation engagements.

Isn’t it time you learned how to take advantage of critical features available in your Microsoft 365/Office 365 subscription? In this session, you will learn to use tools such as Teams, Planner, Power Automate, and others to enhance productivity and efficiency.

Loans, rental agreements, business combinations – what do these all have in common? They all have the potential of creating a related party transaction.  This program presents a detailed analysis of the financial accounting rules for transactions with related parties, as well as compares and contrasts those rules with the AICPA financial reporting framework for small and medium-sized entities. **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.

You have used Excel for years and perhaps Lotus 123 before that. And through all that time, you have repeatedly said, “One day, I’ll learn how to write macros.” Finally, that time has arrived because this four-hour program will introduce you to the wide world of Excel macros and Visual Basic for Applications (VBA). This course teaches the fundamentals of creating and working with macros in Excel and is designed specifically for those with little experience working with macros. More specifically, taking this course will teach you how to use Excel’s Macro Recorder to write simple yet effective macros. You will also learn how to secure and share macros with other Excel users and create user-defined functions to solve specific accountant-centric problems in Excel. Further, you will learn how to create macros that run when a user opens a workbook and VBA basics. Don’t miss this unique opportunity to learn how to begin working with macros – one of Excel’s most powerful tools.

How to pay for the cost of long-term care remains a primary concern for most clients over the age of 50. Explore clients' motivations, misconceptions and objections to purchasing long-term care insurance, and a look at the latest long-term care solutions, including hybrids. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

Are you getting the most from your staff? Are you paying top-dollar and still not getting high performance? New research gives us the insights to effectively motivate your people. This session discusses proven people motivation tactics. Many 'old' methods really did not motivate in the past and certainly do not work today. Getting the most from your people requires new, very learnable, leadership techniques. Whether your business is large or a start-up, getting people to move forward as one is a challenge. This session will show you how to create an environment where your talented employees can excel. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

Forensic accounting encompasses fraud investigation and prevention, as well as a wide variety of functions in litigation. Forensic accountants provide services ranging from serving as an expert witness, to litigation consultant and bankruptcy trustee. As our economy grows more complex, the need for forensic accountants grows as well. One critical role of the forensic accountant is exposing and examining financial fraud. Technology expands the way companies conduct business; however, technology also provides greater opportunities for those willing to commit fraud. Forensic accountants rely on their skills in accounting, coupled with their investigative skills, to explain to clients, courts, and jurors how fraudulent schemes occur and the effect caused by fraud. Forensic accountants also provide expert opinions in calculating damages in litigation and administering bankruptcy estates, as well as a host of other services.

A multitude of tax changes have are currently taking place, challenging tax practitioner to stay well-informed. This 4 hour program will cover tax developments specific to business, including new court decisions, recent IRS publications, and the latest tax legislation that will impact individuals.  The remaining time will be spent on IRS procedure and other issues. This course will provide a concise look at the hottest topics affecting every tax practitioner.  **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.  

The GASB has been working on some big projects lately. We kick off this course with a look at the GASB standards that are effective this year including GASB 100, Accounting Changes and Error Corrections and GASB 101, Compensated Absences. We will then switch gears to the GASB standards coming down the pike, including the major projects of the GASB. 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 in-depth information to enable the practitioner to make a well-informed decision as to whether a trust is the appropriate vehicle for a client’s financial, estate, and/or asset protection plan, and, if so, how the trust can best be implemented and operated. Participants will learn about the many different types of trusts that can be harnessed to save clients income, estate, generation-skipping, and other taxes, at both the federal and state level.

We are now officially in the era of digital communications, collaboration and knowledge sharing. Is your organization prepared to embrace it? This course will show you how to do just that by strategically deploying the Microsoft Office 365 ecosystem of applications with the Teams app at the core. Office 365 provides the tools to digitally transform your workflows to increase efficiency, as well as to provide the ability for your team to work from anywhere, at any time, on any device. We will review how you can leverage specific Office 365 apps to foster online communication, collaboration and knowledge sharing among your team members, as well as externally with clients, customers and service providers. You will leave this course with a solid understanding of how to tap into Office 365 to take your business digital. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

One of the most cost effective methods for storing your files safely and economically in the cloud is with Microsoft 365 OneDrive and SharePoint apps. If you use either or both of these cloud storage apps, this course is a "must take." There are often times when you want or need cloud based files to be stored on your local laptop or desktop PC. With the OneDrive Sync app, you can have the best of both worlds. You can have copies of a file stored locally and in the cloud simultaneously. The Synch app will update both copies of the file in real time for any changes that are made in the local or cloud copy of the file. A classic example is if you have a QuickBooks Desktop data file that you need to store locally to work with the files in QuickBooks. However, you also want the file stored in the cloud for anytime, anywhere access and enhanced security. The Sync app facilitates this scenario effortlessly. Nationally recognized accounting technology advisor and thought leader, John Higgins, will take you through the step-by-step process of setting up and using the Sync app. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

The Department of Justice updated guidance regarding their evaluations of Corporate Compliance Programs in March 2023: “Prosecutors should assess whether the company’s complaint-handling process includes proactive measures to create a workplace atmosphere without fear of retaliation, appropriate processes for the submission of complaints, and processes to protect whistleblowers.” This course offers recommendations for employers to consider when developing or augmenting an internal complaint handling process. Organizations benefit when whistleblowers trust the process and choose to promptly report their concerns internally. The measures offered promote a strong speak up culture and align with the Department of Justice's guidance. 

Although organizations are trying to create and manage diverse and inclusive workplaces, many are not aware of some of the best practices and simple strategies they can incorporate to promote such an environment. We are currently living in unprecedented times. Division, bias, and exclusion, based on factors associated with social injustice and a general lack of appreciation for diversity, seems to have become our current societal norm. With the high stress and anxiety created by these current trends in society, it is even more important for organizations to provide a safe space for their employees where there is a genuine sense of belonging and fair access to opportunity. The goal of this course is to outline the relationship between diversity and inclusion, while providing very practical strategies for HR Professionals in their role to promote a culture of diversity and inclusion in the workplace.  

The tools for managing performance and addressing misconduct are not identical. The failure to point this out to leaders has often resulted in the use of the wrong tool. Reinforcing good performance and securing improvements in performance requires skill in coaching employees, making effective requests, and providing effective feedback   This course provides practical knowledge and scripts for setting, communicating, and enforcing performance expectations, such that personal and employer liability is avoided.

Why do for profit organizations exist??? To make money!!!!! What a great concept. But if the organization does not have the proper collections and credit procedures in place, they may not be able to access that money. Hence the importance of the credit and collection process. Credit and collections are critical areas for the financial statement controllers. Customer credit is a form of payment that allows small business customers to purchase a product or service before paying for it in full. The process works similarly to the way a credit card does - you procure something and pay it back later. Collections is a term used by a business when referring to money owed to that business by a customer. When a customer does not pay within the terms specified, the amount of the bill becomes past due and is sometimes submitted to a collection agency. The sales and collection process includes business activities related to selling products and services, maintaining customer records, billing customers, and recording payments from customers. It also includes activities necessary to manage accounts receivable, such as aging accounts and authorizing credit.  This course delves into the topics that impact the sales, credit and collections process for management. We discuss strategic steps management can take to ensure their processes are efficient and that they are able to actually collect their revenue.