CPE Catalog & Events

The course provides general information on how to identify money laundering activities during the conduct of normal tax audits. Discover key resources and tools available for effective detection and deterrence. Explore the impact of money laundering on ethical decision-making, and how examiners and auditors can assist criminal investigators in countering money laundering. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

In today's workplace, employees are faced almost daily with customers or teammates that may have needs or concerns that we are forced to handle. Though many of these situations are easily dealt with through simple communication skills, others may become heated and, in some instances, violent. Today we will discuss healthy ways to de-escalate a wide variety of potential issues.

The HR role is full of communicative opportunities to multiple audiences. From communicating with partners, management, and stakeholders in the business, to onboarding new talent, to training existing employees and beyond. In fast-paced business environments, it's often overwhelming to keep up with the changes and making sure all of your communication and training is up-to-date and accurate. That's where AI and synthetic media can intervene. By leveraging these tools and technologies, HR professionals are able to change the way they communicate and create new content. This session will uncover ways to make this happen, providing attendees with knowledge of new tools and strategies to use these technologies.

Numbers and especially the digits within those numbers can conceal a lot of information.  Benford's Law and other digital analysis techniques can be the keys to unlocking that information.  This session will explain what Benford's Law is, how it works, and how it can be used to reveal bogus information and made-up data.  Accountants and auditors should understand how to use this valuable audit tool as well as other digital analysis techniques.  But, if you attend this session, you must promise not to reveal the secret behind these techniques to any fraud perpetrators.

Good people believe everyone else is just like them. They cannot imagine someone could con them or their company and have no guilt or remorse about what they have done. Lack of guilt and empathy are key traits of a psychopath. Most of us envision psychopaths to be cold-blooded serial killers who are locked away in prison. However, experts estimate that 4% of corporate executives are psychopaths who may initially appear to be more normal than the rest of us. Psychopaths may present a convincing picture of virtue while helping themselves to money, status and sex while leaving a path of shattered expectations, empty wallets, and broken hearts in their wake. Learn how to recognize and deal with others who have no conscience. 

What can you do to enhance your commitment to the highest ethical standards of the profession? How will doing so bring you more business? In this unique and engaging ethics course, the instructor, Dr. Bruce Weinstein, The Ethics Guy (R), reveals ten crucial qualities of CPAs. They are: 1. Honesty 2. Accountability 3. Care 4. Courage 5. Fairness 6. Gratitude 7. Humility 8. Loyalty 9. Patience 10. Presence (focus or mindfulness) You're already a good CPA and a good person. This course will show you how to be even better. The result will be greater satisfaction in your professional relationships, a deeper commitment to the profession of accounting, and much more business. Please note that this is a stand-alone course for 2 CPE credits in Behavioral Ethics, but you'll maximize your ROI by also taking "Ethics: How to Build and Keep Your A-Team". Together these courses are two of the surest pathways to sustained success in accounting. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

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.

Keep up with FASB changes Learn about changes in accounting, including relevant pronouncements, exposure drafts, and projects. Identify recently issued FASB standards and guidance that cover broad and narrow issues and understand how to apply them. Learn about upcoming standards that will be effective in the near future.

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.  **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 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.

Clients often ask their tax advisors 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.

Spear phishing. Ransomware. Malware. Like the threats your business faces, the cybersecurity lexicon is constantly evolving. This comprehensive presentation imparts practical privacy and data security know-how and creates fluency with the latest terminology. Learn best practices for cybersecurity safety, as well as tailored training for those in positions responsible for implementing security policies. It is just as important to be diligent, safe, and well-versed in the attacks that we face in our personal lives.

Strategic Planning for SMEs

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.

Excel tables are a fundamental feature that streamlines data organization, analysis, and visualization in Excel. Throughout this course, you will discover how to transform raw data into elegant, efficient, and visually appealing tables. By harnessing the full potential of Excel tables, you will be able to make better data-driven decisions and collaborate more effectively in various professional settings. Join us in "Improve Design and Productivity with Excel Tables" and unlock the full potential of Excel tables to revolutionize the way you manage, analyze, and present data, leading to improved efficiency and better decision-making in your personal and professional endeavors. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

If you work for or with not-for-profit entities and have questions about the IRS Form 990, Return of Organization Exempt From Income Tax, and the related schedules, this is the course for you! The program focuses on common issues that professionals will likely encounter when they prepare the Form 990 and additional tax rules applicable to not-for-profits.

With the largest overhaul of the federal income tax code in 30 years and the repeal of the physical presence nexus standards for sales tax in the Wayfair case, the states are working fast and furious to overhaul their tax laws. As some states scramble to fund their budgets, they continue to look for additional forms of revenue. Plan to attend this fast-paced class that covers developing topics in state taxation, ranging from individuals to pass-through entities to corporate taxpayers. This class will focus on issues of small and middle-market companies and offer guidance for minimizing tax liability and negotiating the treacherous waters of compliance.

A personal brand is your story. Having a well-defined personal brand can help you not only cultivate powerful connections but also set you apart. Explore the integral components to building a strong brand and gain strategies to help you create your own marketable personal brand.

Join us for a discussion on what has changed in 2024 for the CTA. This course covers the latest on the Corporate Transparency Act (CTA). We will discuss the new filing timelines, including the recent extension, and will make sense of the broadened definition of "beneficial owner". We will also discuss the ruling in Alabama that has changed things. By the end of this, you’ll have the know-how to craft solid compliance plans that don't just check boxes but work seamlessly in the real world. Expect to leave armed with concrete tips for keeping your clients while staying away from any fines. Make sure you are up to date with the newest financial regulations. **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.