CPE + Events Catalog

The AICPA issued the new Quality Management Standards as a part of its overall quality improvement initiative.  This course will highlight the foundational principles within the new approach that everyone in the CPA firm should know. 

This course will explore significant elements of the FASB's technical agenda, focusing on recent updates to revenue recognition and lease accounting standards. A Special Purpose Framework overview will be provided, which may reveal salient alternatives to U.S. GAAP for certain entities. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

Increased funding resulting from the enactment of the Inflation Reduction Act will allow the IRS to target many more wealthy individuals and large businesses for audit. These efforts will become more intense over the next several years as the IRS employs artificial intelligence in more of its audits. This program discusses how and when the IRS's energized audit efforts will result in more audits of taxpayers and what attendees need to know to effectively represent clients that the IRS audits. NOTE: This course qualifies for IRS CE (PTIN) credit. To receive IRS CE credit, please email your PTIN to profdev@orcpa.org at the end of the course. Surgent will report credit at the end of each quarter.If you have questions, you can contact Professional Development at 503-641-7200, ext. 3 or email profdev@orcpa.org.

Whether you are an experienced veteran or new to the industry, one of the toughest parts of being a tax practitioner is keeping up with all of the changes in tax legislation. This course takes a look at recent changes to tax law from a practitioner perspective. In this session, we will explore the nuances of virtual currency and the new Form 8300 reporting requirements. NOTE: This course qualifies for IRS CE (PTIN) credit. To receive IRS CE credit, please email your PTIN to profdev@orcpa.org at the end of the course. Surgent will report credit at the end of each quarter.If you have questions, you can contact Professional Development at 503-641-7200, ext. 3 or email profdev@orcpa.org.

While the pace of FASB's standard-setting has slowed in recent years, the standards that have been issued will be impactful for many organizations. This course will begin with a review of standards effective in 2025 for public, private, and nonprofit organizations. From there, we'll explore upcoming standards, FASB exposure drafts, and ongoing projects to ensure you're prepared for what's next in financial reporting. The second half of the course will shift focus to developments at the AICPA. From quality management to ethics standards and the talent pipeline, there's no shortage of activity. We'll start with a detailed look at the quality management standards effective this year and their impact on firms, including changes to the Peer Review Program. Next, we'll cover essential ethics standards and the latest SSARS updates. We'll also examine common deficiencies in employee benefit plan (EBP) audits and discuss the initiatives of the National Pipeline Advisory Group.  

Properly designed and effectively operating internal control over financial reporting is critical for preventing, or detecting and correcting, material misstatement. This course describes how to satisfy the audit requirements related to taking a control reliance strategy by testing the operating effectiveness of internal controls, while promoting an effective and efficient financial statement audit. 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 a concise overview of recent IRS criminal investigations and what practitioners can learn from these cases to help fight economic crime and even avoid personal criminal prosecution. While accountants are numbers people by training (not detectives per se with the exception of forensic accountants), practitioners are increasingly being called upon by governments and economic organizations at all levels to step up and help law enforcement battle financial impropriety. The stakes are huge. In the United States alone, the OECD estimates that 5% to 10% of the annual budget of the US health care programs, Medicare and Medicaid, is wasted as a result of corruption. Every dollar lost to monetary malfeasance has a crippling effect that ripples through countries, industries, companies, communities and individual lives. Government resources are wasted, public services are compromised, companies are financially destabilized, shareholders are cheated, employers are swindled, charities are undermined and much more. By increasing their awareness of what and how the IRS investigates and prosecutes, accountants can heighten their "spidey sense" of what doesn't look right in financial records. This includes honing skills to more readily notice -- and report -- ledger anomalies and irregularities, and even rethink a "silence is always safer" mindset. As technology disrupts and automates many fundamental accounting functions, practitioners can add value by more diligently scanning for "creative accounting" red flags on the frontlines. Prioritizing transparency and behaving ethically -- the core of the profession -- not only helps society and the economy as a whole, it can help accountants boost their reputation as highly trusted business advisors and even supercharge their bottom line. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

For roughly 90% of American retirees, Social Security income will be the foundation of their retirement income. Yet, many are ill-prepared and lack understanding of the critical aspects of making an informed claiming decision. Further challenged to separate fact from fiction, consumers crave accurate information from knowledgeable professionals to make the most out of these coveted monthly benefits. This course dispels common myths about Social Security that lead to confusion and replaces them with the truth to an empowered retirement. Help your clients navigate their claiming age decisions with greater confidence, equipped with the essential truths they should consider before pushing the Social Security "on" button.

Seismic changes in tax legislation is currently taking place, and the well-informed tax practitioner will want to attend this four hour program in order to stay abreast of these developments.  This program will cover new court decisions, recent IRS publications, and the latest tax legislation that will impact businesses and 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.

Two college graduates built impressive careers: One worked in sales, the other in technology and investing. Both of those people made decisions in the course of their business that led to government investigations. They had to hire attorneys, go through judicial processes, face charges, and plead guilty. Each of those people are on their way to prison. Learn from the lessons they offer. We interview both financial professionals, and they tell us more about how their decisions influenced the consequences that followed. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

A discussion of recent law changes that impact capitalization, depreciation, and disposition of assets. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

As cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin, Ethereum, and others become more popular, tax authorities around the world are working to create regulations for their use and transactions. This session will address cryptocurrency tax issues and their complexities and challenges that individuals and businesses face when dealing with the taxation of digital currencies. *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 the digital asset market continues to mature, more taxpayers may be contemplating blessing their favorite charitable organizations with gifts of cryptocurrency. Beneficiaries unfamiliar with digital assets may find it challenging to properly report any of these types of donations. Likewise, taxpayers will need to ensure that they properly value and substantiate any contributions or potentially risk their charitable deductions being denied. This course will provide a brief overview of digital assets. This will be followed by a discussion of the rules regarding the documentation required when claiming a charitable contribution of digital assets. This course will also cover recent IRS publications and cases discussing taxpayers whose deductions of digital assets charitable gifts was scrutinized. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

Mergers, acquisitions and alliances have been and continue to be major avenues to organizational growth and increased competitive advantage. Despite the great initial promise of many mergers and alliances, few seem to yield the anticipated results. Numerous studies indicate that between 55% and 77% of mergers fail to accomplish their intended purpose. This course helps financial professionals, and their advisors identify, execute, and consummate mergers and acquisitions that create shareholder value while avoiding the many traps that can cause post-acquisition failure.

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.

Ethics are of central importance to the CPA profession. But what do we mean by ethics? Is it just appropriate behavior, compliance with laws, or is it more than that? In this course, we'll discover what sets ethics apart and, therefore, sets the profession apart as well. We'll explore the tools available, the role of bias, and dive into real life case studies. We'll apply the AICPA's ethical framework and detect where bias was involved in the case studies. We'll even discover that one person set the price tag on their ethics at $53.7 million, only to lose it all in the end. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

Financial statements prepared for stockholders and external users follow Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP), while tax returns adhere to the Internal Revenue Code (IRC). These frameworks differ in recognizing profitability, influencing reported income significantly. Companies often aim to minimize taxable income within legal bounds, while maintaining compliance with both financial reporting and tax regulations. - Timing Differences: Variations in income recognition and deductible expenses between GAAP and IRC create timing differences, impacting reported profitability and tax liabilities. - Deferred Tax Assets: Companies accrue deferred tax assets from overpaid taxes or carried-forward credits, which can offset future taxable income, reducing tax liabilities. - Deferred Tax Liabilities: When taxable income is less than reported income, deferred tax liabilities arise, necessitating future tax payments when temporary differences reverse. Join us to delve into these concepts, exploring how financial reporting choices and tax strategies shape a company's financial performance and compliance obligations. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

Mergers, acquisitions, and partnering have long been strategic vehicles to grow or change an existing organization. Corporate America has extensive experience in merging with or acquiring firms. However, its track record of being able to unify an acquired firm with the acquirer and provide a single organization with increased growth potential has been somewhat shaky. This session provides a roadmap including specific actions for financial professionals focused on improving the results of an acquisition, sale, formation of an alliance, and/or outsourced activities. This program continues to be updated based upon trends and recent events. In addition to traditional topics, it includes discussions on the impact of taxes, corporate structures to manage M&A and internal venture capital, strategic spin-offs/splits, issues concerning goodwill, and managing outsourced activities. The program expands the topics covered in the Controllership Skills Update Series. As with the other programs, this brief session is aimed at renewing and expanding participants' existing skills, by providing specific actions to improve an organization's results. Real-world examples are used throughout the session.

This course explores actual fraud circumstances through the lens of potential prevention. We will examine how selected frauds were accomplished and consider what internal controls may have prevented fraudsters from achieving their nefarious acts. Then we will switch gears to an interactive, case-based discussion that asks participants to reach their own conclusions by analyzing facts in concert with the AICPA Code of Professional Conduct and other sources of ethical guidance. This course ultimately provides practical, action-oriented insight that can be implemented by accounting professionals in both public practice and industry. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available for questions during the event.

Well-defined revenue recognition guidelines, insights and practical management tips designed to address the complexities of FASB ASC 606.