CPE Catalog & Events

Recall lessons learned and practical implementation challenges and complexities with the FASB's Accounting Standard Update for Leases (ASC Topic 842). Identify key differences between ASC Topic 842 and ASC Topic 840, Practical Expedients, remeasurement-triggering events. Session will go beyond the basics and will apply to specific examples. 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 designed to introduce the Quality of Earnings report and analysis concept. You'll understand the parties interested in this kind of report, what it is used for, how and when it is prepared, and some of the basic concepts that underlie a Quality of Earnings report. We'll discuss the format and contents of the report, including "as reported" EBITDA, adjusted EBITDA, seller add-backs, out of period adjustments and non-recurring income and expense items. The class will include a comprehensive example illustrating these concepts.

For many small businesses, the standards issued by the FASB may have little to no effect as they impact topics that do not reflect the type of transactions that these entities most frequently experience. This class will focus on the Accounting Standards Updates (ASUs) that are most likely to impact small businesses with a focus on ASUs initiated by the Private Company Council (PCC). We'll then look at alternative reporting options to GAAP including FRF for SMEs and IFRS for SMEs for entities who don't necessarily need to prepare GAAP financial statements but want to use accrual accounting. Finally, we will transition to audit standards that small business auditors will need to implement. 

This course corresponds to our Controllership series. This course is dedicated to exploring the traditional controller role and stepping out of the box to identify areas where the controller can continue to add strategic value to their organizations. Within this segment of our controllership series, we discuss the area of cash and investments and explore how the controller can move these responsibilities into more of a strategic role. In today’s world, the role of cash management is often a pivotal role in the organization. In economically difficult times, controllers may find that they spend a great deal of their time on understanding and managing the organizations' cash position. This is certainly important and, in some areas, can be seen as a staple of the lifeblood of the organization’s ongoing viability. This course takes a look at some of the typical objectives involved in cash management and then evaluates how those objectives can be further stretched into strategic pillars of the organization.  

Cloud computing has become a source of cyber-crime. “Cloud forensics is the application of digital forensics in cloud computing as a subset of network forensics to gather and preserve evidence in a way that is suitable for presentation in a court of law.” Cloud forensics is a combination of the varied types of accounting forensics including: •    Digital forensics •    Network forensics. •    Hardware forensics In cloud crime, the cloud is considered the object when the target of the crime is the cloud service provider they are directly affected by the act. It is considered the subject of the crime when the criminal act is committed within the cloud environment. It is considered the tool when it is used to plan or conduct a crime. This course will delve into the many concepts involved in cloud forensics. The course complements other courses in the series of Becoming a Forensic Accountant.  

Most small and mid-sized businesses are at least considering cloud-based suites for business management, performance management, and productivity. Unfortunately, many owners and accounting professionals need to learn the difference between using cloud-native tools, employing a managed service provider, and utilizing a desktop hosting provider. This session helps participants understand the differences in the levels of service provided by these offerings and will also highlight some of the regulatory barriers which could create problems for your organization. Attend this session and learn what you need to know before saying “see ya” to your servers.

This final segment of our four-part Form 1041 series addresses the special income tax issues that arise on the grantor's death or the first spouse. The once docile revocable living trust ignored for income tax purposes now comes to life and requires attention. Trust administration is just as rigorous as probate administration, if not more rigorous. We will review the importance of an approach to Trust Administration and the important income tax tools available to the fiduciary.

In today's data-driven world, spreadsheets serve as the backbone of business and personal productivity. However, creating complex and error-prone spreadsheets can lead to critical mistakes and inefficiencies. This course aims to equip you with the knowledge and tools to build robust spreadsheets, implementing a range of controls and safeguards to ensure data integrity, streamline processes, and maximize accuracy. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

Both businesses and individual clients face major changes as a result of new legislation, and tax professionals face the considerable challenge of delivering effective planning advice and services to address this myriad of recent developments. This course addresses this challenge and also encompasses the latest cases and rulings applicable to individual and business clients. Continually updated to reflect enacted legislation. Please Note: Due to content overlap, it is recommended that this course NOT be taken together with BIT4.

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.

Schedules K-2 and K-3 are promulgated by the IRS in order to standardize the reporting of foreign-related tax information for pass-through entities. Even pass-through entities that have no foreign activities, investments, or partners may have a reporting requirement. Schedules K-2 and K-3 for reporting partners' income, deductions, and credits from foreign activity are now required for passthrough returns (Form 1065, 1120-S and 8858). This requirement starts with returns with a tax year that ends in 2021. This course discusses each part of these schedules and explain these new reporting obligations in detail. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

AI is an extremely popular topic these days, and for good reason! However, does AI present yet another threat to your privacy? Get answers to this question and more in this session.

Individuals may cite retaliatory concerns when weighing their decision to report an issue; during an investigation; or, after an investigation’s conclusion. No matter the timing, when an individual raises a retaliation concern, their claims should be taken seriously and fully reviewed. Does your organization analyze retaliation allegations and investigate outcomes as part of their cultural assessment?   Most organizations track retaliation matters at a general, non-specific level. The type of retaliation and the perceived cause of the retaliatory act are not delineated. When a retaliation matter requires investigation, an organization should gather key data points for trending purposes and to fine tune future training and policy initiatives. This course offers recommendations for (1) framing responses to retaliation allegations (2) capturing key data points (3) developing specific metrics for retaliation matters

SAS 145, Understanding the Entity and Its Environment and Assessing the Risks of Material Misstatement, was issued in October 2021. The audit standard amends AU-C 315, including many changes to address common audit deficiencies. This course will provide an overview of SAS 145 and its changes to AU-C 315. Attendees will have an opportunity to evaluate the impact on audit methodology and documentation.

Get ready to dive into the top plays of IRS tax resolution with Don Farmer's 2024 Top 10 IRS Tax Resolution Strategies! This isn’t your typical tax class — it's a relaxed, informative and engaging session that’s all about helping you master the art of representing your clients with confidence. We’re counting down the top 10 options for IRS tax resolution, ranked in priority order to guide your representation planning. Wondering where Offer In Compromise, Installment Agreements, Uncollectable status, and Innocent Spouse relief stack up? We’ve got the answers — and those are just four of the top 10! Plus, we’ll tackle penalty abatement, collections through ACS vs. Revenue Officer, and when to choose one over the other. As a bonus, we’ll introduce you to the IRS Power of Attorney upload tool — when to use it and the pitfalls to watch out for (spoiler alert: there are a few!). We’ll be taking your questions throughout the session, so don’t be shy. Share your challenges and scenarios, and we’ll share our best advice. It’s virtual, but it’s going to be interactive — so if you’re thinking of a question, chances are someone else is too. Let’s tackle them together! Delivery Method: Group internet-basedCPE Credit: TaxesProgram Level: Update  

How well do you accept criticism? How might it enrich your business - and you - if you did a better job of it? This distinctive webinar will show you why it is in your best interest to accept criticism with gratitude. It's even better to welcome criticism. It's also a good idea to learn how to give criticism the right way. A related topic is the art of giving and receiving apologies, and we'll do a deep dive into this area as well. You'll leave with clear guidelines for how to criticize others, accept criticism from them, give meaningful apologies, and accept apologies with grace and ethical intelligence. The result will be a stronger CPA practice and a better you. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

According to a recent study, over 70% of accounting professionals suffer from burnout, leading to feelings of exhaustion, inefficiency, and dissatisfaction with their careers. Recurring challenges for accounting and finance professionals include long hours, repetitive work, pressing client demands, and changing rules and regulations. Together, these conditions contribute to chronic workplace stress. Burnout is real, and firms that ignore this common problem pay a high price. Nearly three out of five employees in accounting and finance professions report psychological harm from work-related stress, including an overall feeling of lack of interest, motivation, or energy. Fortunately, individuals and organizations are beginning to take career burnout more seriously, especially in the post-pandemic era. This course looks at the causes of accounting burnout and examines strategies organizations are implementing to address and reduce a well-known but often overlooked problem.

Fraud is constantly in the news. Whether its employee retention credit mills, FTX, the City of Dixon, it appears like fraud is everywhere. We'll start this session with a review of the common fraud schemes as identified in the 2024 Report to the Nations. We'll also review the commonalities of fraudsters. We'll then look at methods of prevention. We'll close with a look at the auditor's responsibility for the consideration of fraud in AU-C 240.

For practitioners, it’s a challenge to stay current or ahead of the curve! Change in the tax law is a virtual certainty and keeping up to date is always difficult. The 2024 elections may have an impact on the Congress, the Presidency and, probably the IRS. This ACPEN course will include a panel of national tax practitioners and experts reviewing the latest judicial, legislative and regulatory developments affecting individuals, corporations and other business entities. They will also try to project future developments! Even if Congress cannot muster enough votes to pass new legislation before the next elections, the IRS is instituting a variety of new audit programs directed at non-filers and high net worth individuals and passthrough entities. More are announced regularly! Various tax provisions will expire or benefits will be reduced if Congress fails to act. The courts and the IRS continue to churn out rulings and decisions that affect your clients. **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.

In addition to the many challenges faced by small businesses in today’s Post-COVID world, with labor shortages, serious inflation and “supply-chain” issues, small businesses face a variety of tax challenges from the time of formation of the business until sale.  There are numerous special rules in the Code.  And the IRS plans on increasing its small business audit emphasis. **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.