CPE Catalog & Events

Many business owner clients wish to minimize their Social Security and self-employment tax liabilities. This course provides tax practitioners with the background to understand what kinds of income constitute self-employment income and earned income. It covers strategies that can be used to reduce clients' exposure to the self-employment tax and Social Security tax.

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.

Cybercrime is on the rise and CPAs that handle sensitive client data are often the target of cybercrimes.  By attending this session you'll learn what the eight biggest threats are to your business and uncover the three pillars of cybersecurity that you can build your firm's defense around.

For HR and Business professionals, navigating the intricate dynamics of executive decision-making can often be a daunting task. Despite the meticulous hours invested in research, strategy formulation, and planning, the true challenge often lies in effectively communicating and gaining acceptance for these transformative ideas. A key aspect of this is the art of persuasion, ensuring that the merits of our proposals are not just understood but wholeheartedly embraced by decision-makers. This session is designed to empower leaders with the tools and insights needed to craft persuasive pitches, build a robust business case, and confidently communicate the ROI of their initiatives. Moreover, attendees will gain insights into the common pitfalls that can hinder their pitches and learn techniques to address objections frequently raised by executive leadership.

Personality Styles - Adapting to Different Types of Personalities for Improved Relationships and Interactions provides guidance for effectively adapting to various personality styles. Every individual has a dominant personality style, which includes relevant strengths and weaknesses. Effective interactions require individuals to adapt behaviors to complement, balance or counteract the traits of others. Note: This course is recommended as a part of a 8-hour audit skills curriculum for managers, while it is also appropriate for anyone who has responsibilities for interacting with others. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

Review and discuss topics focused on how the tax results of an S corporation are allocated among the shareholders. The determination of the nature of the allocated items can dramatically alter the shareholder-level tax consequences. When stock ownership changes during the S corporation's year, a complex set of rules determines the allocation among shareholders. Consider how these rules apply when new stock is issued, redeemed or sold. If there is a mid-year termination of the S-election, the rules that determine the taxable income of the S corporation and C corporation can determine not only the amount of tax but also who bears the tax cost of operating the business. We will discuss these rules and the related tax compliance requirements.

Think about how much time you spend reviewing and creating PDF files. This course teaches you how to take advantage of a multitude of features and functions available in Adobe Acrobat to create, review, organize, edit and secure your PDF files more effectively and efficiently. Like many personal productivity software applications, it is very likely that you are using only a fraction of the potential of Adobe Acrobat when working with your PDF files. For many CPAs, a PDF file is the final presentation of your work product, whether it is a tax return, financial statement, audit report or other financial reports. This course will teach you how improve the quality of those report presentations. The tips you learn in this course will save you time on a daily basis. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

Passive Activity Loss (PAL) rules have never been more critical in Federal tax reporting. This course provides a comprehensive and complete review of the laws and regulations impacting PALs, including the rules governing rental real estate, grouping and the 3.8% net investment income tax. Learn what qualifies as a passive activity and the rules governing its application by exploring several recent court cases and the existing regulations to know how the IRS views this critical area of the tax law. The IRS is actively auditing the failure to report passive losses properly. You and your clients can't afford to be left behind.

Learn about selling intellectual capital with pricing based on outcomes and value added, rather than the cost or time it took to deliver. A business is defined by the value it creates for its clients; your price speaks volumes about your value proposition. An overwhelming majority of professional firms price their services by the flawed and outdated hourly billing method rather than realizing clients do not buy time; they buy value. Price is the marketing moment of truth and the number one driver of profitability in any business. Learn how to price on purpose.

Though many clients see Social Security as a government benefit, it is a covered worker's investment asset to be managed like any other asset. Examine issues like how Social Security benefits are calculated, identifying benefit-claiming strategies, and what spouses can do now to maximize benefits at retirement. You'll learn how Social Security works and explore common planning situations-including workers with and without spouses, sandwich-generation families with dependent parents and minor children, and surviving and/or divorced spouses-and techniques to maximize your clients' benefits.

Estate planning continues to evolve, and staying informed about the latest trends and strategies is crucial for professionals in the field. This forward-looking course delves into the intricacies of estate planning, with a specific focus on current issues. Participants will explore cutting-edge techniques, emerging legal considerations, and industry developments to ensure they are equipped with the knowledge and skills to create effective estate plans that withstand the test of time and safeguard their clients' legacies.  

Key factors and considerations for organizations seeking to implement a cryptocurrency-based payment system. 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 aims to raise awareness of microaggressions in the accounting profession and the impact that they can have on individuals and ethical behavior. Participants will learn about the forms that microaggressions can take, the ways in which they can impact Black professionals in particular, and strategies for creating a more inclusive and supportive work environment. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

Now more than ever, navigating loss, grief and crisis in the workplace is a skillset that leaders must possess. Keeping the heart in human resources is so important, especially in this post-pandemic state we are living in. We will explore ways that you can show empathy to your employees while also balancing your business needs. 

This session features the latest behavioral science, demonstrations of experiments, and compelling real-life stories to disrupt everything you thought you knew about fraud. It will spur you to challenge "sacred cows" of the industry and help you develop better thinking approaches to detect, deter, or investigate fraud, waste and abuse. Learn why many of our basic assumptions about fraud are flawed, why some widely accepted investigative practices are more harmful than helpful, and how auditors and investigators sometimes unwittingly assist fraud schemes. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

BBA partnership audits have begun, and adjustments will come with them. This course will provide an in-depth, practical guide to navigating the confusing world of partnership adjustments. This program will not only cover the new terminology that every practitioner should know. Still, it will provide a roadmap to the critical procedural steps after the IRS has issued a notice of proposed adjustments. In addition, this program will provide real-world examples of the strategic considerations that come with the choices every partnership will have to make once a notice of proposed adjustments is made, including should the partnership pay the tax or push out the adjustment to the partners, what impact does a change in ownership play in who pays the tax, and what can be done to reduce the amount of the imputed underpayment if I have partners that are taxed at less than the maximum rate?

This session explores tools and techniques that can enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of client engagements and business processes using data analysis tools. We will introduce some of today's popular and software tools and examine the AICPA's Five-step approach to incorporating data analytics into public accounting engagements. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

Are you  looking to fortify your practice against the ever-growing threats in the digital landscape? Join us for the second installment of our exclusive webinar series, "Mastering Cybersecurity," brought to you by Practice Protect. In today's digitally connected world, the need for comprehensive cybersecurity is paramount. With cyberattacks becoming more sophisticated, it's crucial to stay ahead of the curve in protecting your sensitive client data.  This webinar series is designed to equip CPAs with the knowledge and tools needed to secure their practices and client information effectively.

Two of the hottest topics in the CPA profession today are CAS (client advisory services) and ChatGPT. This course will explain how to bring these two worlds together by integrating ChatGPT and other generative AI applications into your client advisory services. John Higgins, a leading advisor to the profession on ChatGPT and a seasoned client advisor on technology based solutions, will show you how you can position your firm and yourself as a "go to" advisor on how to embrace this technology in virtually any type of business. John will address how to use this technology as a research and writing assistant in your client services and how to advise your clients on this revolutionary technology and all benefits and "gotchas" that come with it. If you want to step up your advisory game, this course is a "must take." This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

The Art of Discipline and Getting Things Done - Applying Better Time, Team, and Project Management Techniques provides best practices for various areas that support this culture of discipline, including time, team, and project management. Those in a supervisory or managerial role must create a culture of discipline, where a high priority is placed in accomplishing responsibilities in an effective and efficient manner. Note: This course is recommended as a part of an 8-hour audit skills curriculum for managers, while it is also appropriate for anyone who has responsibilities for project and time management. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.