CPE + Events Catalog

The course provides a concise overview of the most common conduct and ethical issues faced by IRS employees. This is based on an internal IRS directive entitled "Plain Talk About Ethics and Conduct". The document provides guidance to IRS staff at all levels on the agency's ethical standards. All IRS employees are subject to the Office of Government Ethics (OGE) Standards of Ethical Conduct. The OGE Standards, which are applicable to all executive branch employees, are uniform ethics regulations covering such topics as gifts between employees, conflicts of interest, appearances of a lack of impartiality, and outside employment. Participants will walk away with an increased situational awareness of the ethical requirements of IRS employees, and how practitioners can avert or prevent any potential ethical problems before they occur when communicating or interacting with IRS officials at any level. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

Managing expenses is a key for business success, and overhead costs play a pivotal role in realizing favorable profit margins. Almost all companies have some form of overhead consisting of specific categories of indirect expenses. The better organizations are able to manage overhead costs, the more competitive they are in the marketplace. It is incumbent in the Controller’s role to effectively manage, monitor and perform ongoing assessment of overhead costs, allocations and rates. Overhead refers to the ongoing business expenses not directly attributed to creating a product or service. A company must pay overhead on an ongoing basis, regardless of how much or how little the company sells. It is important for budgeting purposes but also for determining how much a company must charge for its products or services to make a profit. Overhead can be fixed, variable, or a hybrid of both. There are different categories of overhead, such as administrative overhead, which includes costs related to managing a business. In short, overhead is any expense incurred to support the business while not being directly related to a specific product or service.      

U.S. Department of Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) imposed a new reporting requirement that went into effect on January 1, 2024.  Millions of businesses may have to file a Beneficial Ownership Information (BOI) Report. In a surprise turn of events, the Federal District Court from the Northern District of Alabama ruled on March 1, 2024 in National Small Business United v. Yellen (“NSB”) that the CTA is unconstitutional.  This course will discuss the CTA’s provisions and the court’s decision in NSB.  Also covered will be future implications for business entities and steps to consider given the recent ruling. We will also discuss recent proposed rulemaking by FinCen with respect to nonfinanced purchases of residential real estate and gratuitous transfers so that businesses can prepare for any additional reporting burdens that might arise. **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 Audit Risk Model - Understanding Foundational Principles is a critical foundational course. Financial statement auditors are engaged to provide reasonable assurance that financial statements are not materially misstated, whether due to fraud or error. Professional standards require auditors to obtain sufficient and appropriate evidence to support that opinion. It is critical for effective and efficient auditors to have a clear understanding of all the important elements and concepts related to properly identifying, evaluating, and deciding how to respond to risk in a financial statement audit. Note: This course is recommended as a part of a 16-hour audit skills curriculum for beginning auditors, while it is also appropriate for anyone who has the need to understand the foundational principles of the audit risk model. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

The QuickBooks platform - including the desktop and online environments - is one of the leading accounting solutions for small and growing businesses. Further, Intuit has incorporated numerous advanced features and changes into the tools over the past few releases. This seminar will teach you how to use many new and advanced features in the desktop and online environments to help you solve critical issues. For example, you will learn advanced inventory management techniques, including changing the default costing methodology and implementing lot and serial number tracking. You will also learn how to build complete sets of financial statements in Excel that link in real-time to underlying QuickBooks data files and how to create multi-company financial statements. Additionally, you will learn how to use the Client Data Review feature to streamline how to identify and correct errors and close accounting periods in QuickBooks. Knowing how to take advantage of the advanced tools and features available can determine your level of success when working with QuickBooks. So, take advantage of this opportunity to learn about QuickBooks' "deep" features to maximize your effectiveness with QuickBooks.

If you are familiar with the Office 365 Teams app, you know it is an extremely powerful tool to transform the way you communicate, collaborate and share knowledge. What you may not know is how to configure Teams to optimize your ROI and how effectively your team members use it. This course takes you on a tour of the important setup and configuration settings you need to be familiar with to ensure the best Teams experience for your organization. Whether you are already using Teams, in the process of deploying it, or are contemplating whether or not to bring it into your organization, this course will prove to be invaluable. The information shared in this course is sure to help you avoid costly mistakes in your Teams app deployment. 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 an overview of cybersecurity from the CPA perspective. We will discuss the components of an IT environment that need to be considered in audits - e.g. network, operating systems, database, and application layers. Additionally, we will discuss an overview of cybersecurity frameworks under the influence of the AICPA and/or ISACA - e.g. SOC2, COBIT, COSO, SOX IT controls, etc. and key cybersecurity controls. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

For accounting and tax professionals, understanding the inner workings of blockchain and cryptocurrency is no longer just an advantage—it’s a necessity. This course provides an in-depth look into the mechanics of digital currencies and revolutionary blockchain technology, equipping attendees with the knowledge to navigate benefits and risks effectively. Special emphasis is placed on the tax implications for both individuals and estates, ensuring that attendees can confidently advise on these issues, which are becoming increasingly relevant in financial planning and asset management. This offering is more than just a learning experience; it’s an investment in one’s professional growth. By understanding the tax complexities and estate planning challenges posed by digital assets, participants will be able to offer valuable insights and strategic solutions. They will emerge from this course not just with theoretical knowledge but with actionable skills that can be applied immediately. In a landscape where digital assets are becoming commonplace, this is the education that will differentiate the exceptional from the average. Join today and step into a role as a leader in finance for the digital age. **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 well-informed tax practitioner will want to attend this two hour program in order to stay current on recent updates on partnership tax! Content includes recent court decisions on partnership tax issues as well as current updates to the new Forms K-2 and K-3. **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.  

Are you using Excel to keep track of progress and task completion for your engagements? Or, are you using a sophisticated engagement management app that takes too much time or requires too much information to keep your task completion progress up to date? Worst of all, are you relying primarily on email communications to keep track of your engagement task completion progress? If any of these scenarios apply to your practice, this course will show you a better way to manage engagements from simple 1040 tax preparation to comprehensive audits. The Microsoft 365 Planner app, which you are likely already paying for as part of your Microsoft 365 subscription, provides a comprehensive, yet simple solution for all of your client engagements and internal projects. John Higgins, a nationally recognized strategic accounting technology advisor will guide you through the process of how to deploy this app to effectively manage all your projects. This app is effective for sole practitioners and firms of all sizes. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

In this webcast, you will learn some powerful functions in Excel that will take your calculating power to the next level.

One of the important roles of any member of the financial team. Including the controller, may be involvement in the preparation of the company’s financial statements. Even if that responsibility falls within the office of the CFO, the controller and other finance personnel must understand how their transitions recorded impact the financial statements. Financial statements (or financial reports) are formal records of the financial activities and position of a business, person, or other entity. Relevant financial information is presented in a structured manner and in a form which is easy to understand. They typically include four basic financial statements accompanied by a management discussion and analysis: A balance sheet or statement of financial position reports on a company's assets, liabilities and owners’ equity at a given point in time. An income statement may have varying names including profit and loss report (P&L report), statement of comprehensive income, or statement of revenue & expenses. These report on a company's income, expenses, and profits over a stated period. A profit and loss statement provides information on the operation of the enterprise. These include sales and the various expenses incurred during the stated period. A statement of changes in equity or “statement of equity” also called “statement of retained earnings” reports on the changes in equity of the company over a stated period. A cash flow statement reports on a company's cash flow, particularly its operating, investing and financing activities over a stated period. A balance sheet represents a single point in time, where the income statement, the statement of changes in equity, and the cash flow statement each represent activities over a stated period. For large corporations, these statements may be complex and may include an extensive set of footnotes to the financial statements, management discussion and analysis and supplementary information. The notes typically describe each item on the balance sheet, income statement and cash flow statement in further detail. Notes to financial statements are considered an integral part of the financial statements.  

Transform your Excel skills with our comprehensive training program, designed for users at all levels seeking to master the full suite of Excel capabilities. From powerful data analysis tools like PivotTables and advanced functions such as XLOOKUP, to the nuances of Data Validations and Conditional Formatting, this course offers a deep dive into Excel's most impactful features. Whether you're streamlining complex data sets, enhancing your reporting skills, or just looking to boost your productivity, this session provides the insights and techniques you need to leverage Excel to its fullest potential, making it an indispensable tool in your professional or personal toolkit. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

Internal Control Fundamentals - Satisfying Audit Requirements for Evaluating Design and Implementation is a critical foundational course. Obtaining an understanding of the entity and its environment is part of assessing risk of material misstatement, in order to design the nature, timing and extent of further audit procedures necessary to obtain sufficient appropriate audit evidence to support the auditor's report. A critical component of understanding the entity and its environment is to evaluate the design and implementation of internal control over financial reporting. Note: This course is recommended as a part of a 16-hour audit skills curriculum for beginning auditors, while it is also appropriate for anyone who has responsibilities for evaluating the design and implementation of internal controls over financial reporting. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

Learn the basics of employment law and how they affect best practices to help control the interview and discover hidden talents of applicants.

LinkedIn is considered by many to be one of the most impressive growth stories in the history of technology companies in Silicon Valley. In just 16 years it grew from nothing into a game changing company in a new industry and the performance of the company and the stock broke all kinds of records. The untold story of LinkeIn's success is that they grew a world class company and a world class team in the midst of a massive war for talent where their competitors for talent (Google, Facebook, Apple and more) could out pay and out perk and out benefit them. They grew a company when all the leaders had never built a company before. Despite the odds the leadership team succeeded and built a company and a culture that many still consider the gold standard. Steve Cadigan was at the epicenter of this growth as the first Chief HR Officer of LinkeIn and he delivers a front row seat to the wild and crazy and amazing ride that took LinkedIn from an unknown career destination into one of the top places to work in the world! Steve delivers a first hand account of lessons learned, mistakes made and what it was like to be facing a situation he had never faced before - hypergrowth. Wherever you are in your learning journey you will enjoy this class.

The procurement function is a critical area of organizations where spend is a top priority. The Controllership function is involved in spend management. It is logical that the Controller should take a role in working with the procurement function. The procurement function may report to various areas within an organization including the Chief Operating Officer (COO), Chief Procurement Officer (CPO), Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and the Chief Financial (CFO) or Accounting Officer (CAO). Regardless of the reporting line of the function, the accounting and controllership functions must have an integral understanding of all processes involved within procurement. This understanding assists the controller and accounting area in properly optimizing and controlling costs associated with the process.  

Award winning discussion leader, former state accountancy board chair, and lifelong tax practitioner Mark Hugh will review ethics for tax professionals: the AICPA Code of Professional Conduct and interpretations; the Statements on Standards for Tax Services; tax preparer standards in the Internal Revenue Code; the rules for practice with and before the IRS, including IRS Circular 230; new developments; and discuss examples of best practices and case studies.

Sampling is often identified as a common audit deficiency in peer review. This course will review when is sampling applicable and basics of planning a sample. We'll then focus on the application of sampling in financial statement audits with a look at sampling for substantive procedures. We'll look at the use of monetary unit sampling and tools that can be leveraged to reduce bias in sampling.

This webinar will show you how to use Excel's charting and formatting features to present financial data to a non-financial audience. As the saying goes, "A picture is worth a thousand words." People tend to better understand your point when visuals are used. We will explore the many capabilities of presenting your data without showing rows and rows or columns and columns of data. Help your audience visualize the meaning of the data, whether it is a trend, an exception, a distribution or a good vs. bad relationship. This session is presented using Excel 2013. Regardless of the version you are using, ALL concepts covered in this course apply to ALL versions of Excel. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.