CPE Catalog & Events

How you onboard a new employee is critical in ensuring they understand your company culture and are immersed properly in your organization. On the flipside, in the event you are dealing with an employee termination, this too is critical in handling with care and sensitivity.  

In this course, we will explore the various types of data - both structured and unstructured - used in conducting fraud risk investigations and proactive monitoring. We will explore the various tools available on the market and techniques to confirm completeness and accuracy of the data before the analysis begins.  The course will cover the process for selecting the right data sources to align with the various risks as well as pitfalls to avoid when preparing the data for analysis. 

If sales increase, so should profits.  Yet, the opposite result often leaves executives scratching their heads.  When organizations work with inferior cost information, they make mistakes in four specific situations.  Bad information causes sellers to overprice easy, high-volume work and underprice difficult, low-volume work.  This session discusses how to use activity-based costing data to build accurate costing models that consider far more than just the labor and materials necessary to provide goods and services.  

Small businesses have better options now than ever before in the market of accounting solutions. Participate in this session to learn more about these options and which might be best for you or your clients.

Most organizations manage their income statement, but many virtually ignore the balance sheet until balance sheet problems create seemingly insurmountable emergencies. This session discusses how to analyze and manage your financial statements more holistically, allowing you to identify and correct balance sheet issues early. How do you choose whether to raise debt or equity? What are the key considerations and the advantages of each? What is the cost of capital? What are the ‘hidden’ balance sheet risks? We will also examine several crucial ideas you can incorporate into your analyses to enhance performance and reduce risk. If you want to enhance your corporate finance skills, this session is for you.

This program addresses the most recent developments impacting partnerships operating as LLCs, with a focus on legislative, administrative, and tax form changes.  Emphasis will be placed on partners “tax basis” capital accounts – now required for tax form reporting, as well an overview of K-2 and K-3 reporting requirements and effective dates. **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 effective date of FASB ASC 606, Revenue from Contracts with Customers is upon us (bold) Do you know which contracts are within the scope of the standard and when revenue should be recognized? This webcast addresses the requirements of FASB ASC 606's five-step process for recognizing revenue: 1) Identifying a contract with a customer 2) Determining the performance obligations 3) Determining a transaction price 4) Allocating a transaction price 5) Recognizing revenue

With the increasing complexity and ever-changing nature of tax laws and issues, today’s accountant needs a one-day fast-paced update course focusing on the hottest Federal income tax topics affecting individuals, businesses and their owners with an emphasis of newly enacted income tax legislation. **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

Navigating the complexities of business transactions requires a deep understanding of tax and estate planning strategies. In this comprehensive course tailored for financial professionals, participants will explore the intricacies of creative approaches to buying, selling, or gifting a business. Through real-world scenarios and practical insights, attendees will gain invaluable expertise in identifying tax risks, minimizing liabilities, and safeguarding assets. From evaluating valuation methods to exploring the details of stock versus asset purchases, this course equips you with the essential tools to provide informed counsel to clients. Discover the potential for strategic success as you master topics including estate transfer and tax implications, gifting strategies, and the utilization of various trusts and partnerships. Whether you're a CPA, EA, attorney, or financial planner, this course offers indispensable knowledge to elevate your practice. With a recommended 8 credit hours of Continuing Professional Education (CPE), this intermediate-level course is designed for professionals with a foundational understanding of business tax and estate planning. Join us and immerse yourself in a journey towards mastery in the vibrant landscape of business transactions. **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.

Fraud continues to plague businesses at epidemic levels, and technology control failures are a significant reason fraud occurs. Using a case study approach, in this session, you will learn about the pervasiveness of fraud, the control failures that contribute to fraud, and what you can do to mitigate fraud risk. A specific focus of this course is the application of information technology general controls and information technology application controls. In this course, you will examine numerous reported fraud cases and identify the general control and application control failures that contributed to each of these frauds. By learning through these real-world case studies, you will be positioned better to reduce fraud risk.  

Financial statement disclosures are important to provide the information necessary for financial statement users to make economic decisions. Disclosures further explain and clarify information provided in the basic financial statements, but also provide critical information about subsequent events, litigation risk, and other concerns. This course focuses on the most common financial statement disclosures for small- or medium-sized nonpublic entities. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

"Transforming Strategic & Financial Management with ChatGPT: Insights for CPAs, CFOs, and Controllers" is a comprehensive 2-hour CPE course designed by Jim Lindell of Thorsten Consulting Group, Inc. This course delves into the revolutionary impact of ChatGPT on financial and strategic management, offering a blend of theoretical insights and practical applications tailored for financial professionals. Through an exploration of ChatGPT's capabilities in research, communication enhancement, benchmarking, risk analysis, and more, participants will learn how to leverage this advanced AI technology to streamline operations, enhance decision-making, and foster innovation in their practices. The course not only highlights the current applications but also provides a glimpse into the future of AI in financial management, encouraging professionals to embrace technology for competitive advantage.

This course will allow you to get reacquainted with the statement of cash flows. We will refresh your skills regarding both the preparation and utilization of the statement of cash flows. Significant emphasis will be placed on the informational role of the statement of cash flows and insights that can be obtained using the statement of cash flows in concert with the other elements of a company’s accrual-basis financial statements.

The newest acronym in the business community is ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) Investors’ demand enhanced information about how companies are approaching environmental sustainability. (Sustainability accounting) The foundation of sustainability reporting is for an organization to identify and prioritize its impacts on the economy, environment, and people - to be transparent about their impacts The foundation of sustainability reporting is for an organization to identify and prioritize its impacts on the economy, environment, and people - to be transparent about their impacts This session is an introduction to the topic of ESG and what accountants and management should know

We have all heard the statement that it is the people that work at a company that gives it value. It is, sometimes and unfortunately, also the people that provide fraudsters with an entry point into an organization that can lead to hardship. This is even more true now because cyber-attacks on both organization and individuals have increased notably. Many highly publicized corporate hacking events are successful, at least in part, because an individual was targeted. In this session, we look the types of fraud that take aim at individuals with a special focus on the growth of cyber-attacks. We then discuss measures that can be put forth to help employees protect both themselves and the organization. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

Taxation of long-term contracts has evolved into a myriad of compliance requirements and reporting considerations. Understanding complex and sometimes illogical rules is a specialty in itself. Learn the essentials to address both tax and compliance. Based on many years of real estate and construction industry service, this course will efficiently plow through the many issues and provide precise approaches to obtain the most beneficial tax result while meeting compliance requirements.

Organizations are challenged with identifying, evaluating, and responding to a wide variety of risks. This course will discuss tips and best practices for enterprise-wide risk management for accounting and finance professionals. 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 is a comprehensive overview of critical Federal tax law updates resulting from changes to current laws, regulations and court cases impacting individual taxation. We will also review recent modifications to tax forms, small business tax law and administrative updates, retirement plan changes and tax practice and procedures. We will also explore the impacts of the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021 (CAA), the American Rescue Plan of 2021 (ARPA) and other legislative changes.

This two-part interactive workshop reviews the hottest accounting topics and recent changes in areas such as private company accounting, revenue recognition, going concern and other specialized subjects. Refresh research skills and practice using codification. Case studies and real-life examples will help attendees readily apply the information covered. This course is one of two parts of Financial Accounting Standards: A Comprehensive Review. Please be sure to also register for Part 1.

As spreadsheets evolve, so must your practices for creating, editing, and auditing them. In this program, you will gain an in-depth understanding of the best ways to work with Excel by learning best practices associated with Excel spreadsheets in each of the following areas: creating and editing Excel workbooks, securing Excel workbooks, collaborating with others in Excel, and reporting on data contained in Excel. Today’s best practices for Excel differ significantly from those used in the past, and you will learn the best ways to work with Excel spreadsheets in this “must-see” CPE program. Course materials include relevant examples to enhance your learning experience. Join us for this program to help you utilize Excel to its fullest potential.