CPE & Event Calendar

Bears are intelligent and motivated to find food. When I left some fried chicken in my Jeep while in Gatlinburg, a bear tore a hole in the top and ate the chicken and part of my Jeep. He was just a bear being a bear. I'm responsible because I left the chicken in the Jeep and gave him the opportunity. Similarly, people are intelligent and motivated to survive. If we give them opportunity by not implementing good internal controls, they will take our assets. This session reviews the investigation and prosecution of the former director of a conference center who took advantage of lax internal controls of a joint-venture and stole thousands. She was just a fraudster being a fraudster.

Staying current with today's technology is no longer optional; it is essential. Tech Update 2026 offers accounting professionals a clear, strategic view of the evolving tech landscape, enabling them to cut through the noise and make informed decisions. This forward-looking session is built for practitioners who want to leverage innovation to enhance client service, boost operational efficiency, and remain competitive. Explore the most impactful trends in artificial intelligence, quantum computing, automation, and cloud-based ecosystems. Understand how technologies like Microsoft 365 Copilot, generative AI tools, industry-specific SaaS platforms, and blockchain are reshaping the profession. Learn to identify which solutions align with your firm's goals-and which are just vendor hype.

In today's fast-paced business world, staying ahead of the competition means leveraging every advantage. Business Intelligence (BI) is the game-changer that can transform your organization. Imagine uncovering hidden insights and gaining a competitive edge with data that was once out of reach. With tools ranging from Excel add-ins to the revolutionary Power BI, you can now harness your existing skills to create dynamic, interactive dashboards and analyses that were unimaginable just a few years ago. This program will empower you with the skills to implement "yourself business intelligence" using a variety of techniques and tools. You'll start by mastering advanced Excel data query and summarization features to create stunning Excel-based dashboards. Then, you'll take your knowledge to the next level by building even more powerful BI objects using Microsoft's Power BI tools. If you're passionate about gaining better insights into your data to make smarter decisions, this fast-paced program is for you.

The budgeting process can be a time consuming and frustrating process for accountants.  The constraints and pressures can lead to poor decisions in both the technical and human components.  This series will offer solutions to the budgeting woes from both the big picture and in the details.  Budget Mastery: Process, Problems, and Solutions The budgeting process can be a mundane one for accountants. Let’s be realistic and agree that even the word “budget” does not bring excitement to you and your departmental colleagues.  The constraints and pressures can lead to poor decisions in both the technical and human components.  This session is the first part of a four part series and will cover the big picture of keeping the process fresh, pragmatic and useful. We discuss these keys in an engaging manner by discussing both our flaws and strengths, including how to build on these characteristics towards an enjoyable solutions-based method that should deliver effective results for your organization.  Budget Mastery: Walkthroughs and Real World Calculations Towards Tying Budgets to Value This session takes a unique review of the fundamental budget issues faced by all and walks through a detailed modeling process intended to generate discussion and best practices to improve your organization’s financial modeling.  From the beginning of the accounting process – ‘the chart of accounts’ to the end of the process – ‘the valuation of the company’, the budgeting cycle via a live case model to learn best practices common to successful companies.   This course stands on its own but is part two of a four part budget mastery series. Budget Mastery: The Human Side of Budgeting-Navigating People's issues with 360 Insight You have a fantastic budget, but certain players are not pleased. Financial plans have a technical component and human component.  We can resolve some of our budget issues by exploring the process’ human aspect.  Understanding what makes you and others operate can enhance your understanding of the entire organization and build upon the respect and influence needed to navigate and lead the budgeting cycle. This session includes a case study that measures an individual’s personality type and then explores how to use our strengths and weaknesses to create a better budget process and quite frankly maybe a better you.  This is a great and fun course on its own, but is also part three of a four part series on budget mastery. Budget Mastery: From Numbers to Narrative: Effectively Presenting Your Budget and Reporting  Perhaps the most important element of the budget process is its communication.  If management does not understand the budget – there is an issue. Knowing the right ways to communicate at all levels is essential to stakeholders laying an ownership claim to successful budgets.  This session reveals several key guidelines in successful budget presentations and will identify key problems in how people often communicate financial plans. Presenting your budget and reporting is the final part of a four part series, but can easily stand on its own course that is intended to be fun, enjoyable and educational.

It is imperative that audit staff understand the fundamentals of expenses & payables. This course will cover the basics of auditing expenses, accrued liabilities, and other payables, including the related audit assertions, risks, & threats to the expenses & payables balances. During this course, we will also highlight the various substantive auditing procedures that staff should perform, and also walk through some real-world examples. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

Just because Microsoft Teams is no longer a new tool doesn't mean it hasn't evolved & it certainly has! Since its introduction in 2016, Teams has become the de facto business productivity platform for organizations worldwide. Yet, many users barely scratch the surface of all that Teams offers. Participate in this session to learn how to get more from Teams and enhance your ROI on the platform. In this session, you will learn about the core options available in Teams and how to leverage them. You will also learn about new enhancements in Teams, including threaded conversations, enhanced meeting features, and integration with Microsoft's Copilot platform. If you use Teams and want a deeper understanding of the platform, don't miss your opportunity to participate in this session.

This course provides a focused and practical overview of the Generation Skipping Transfer (GST) Tax, designed specifically for professionals involved in estate and gift tax planning. As Part 4 of the Form 706 and 709 series, this session zeroes in on the rules, definitions, and application of GST tax, including the mechanics of calculating the inclusion ratio and how the GST exemption operates in real-world planning scenarios. Participants will gain clarity on how to identify skip persons, the types of transfers subject to the GST tax, and the proper treatment of direct skips, taxable terminations, and taxable distributions. Through clear examples and practical instruction, this course walks participants through voluntary, timely, late, and retroactive GST exemption allocations. With increasing regulatory complexity and heightened exemption limits, understanding the GST tax is critical for practitioners assisting clients in multigenerational wealth transfers. This course supports more accurate return preparation and strategic allocation of exemptions to minimize tax exposure. *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

Leaders are increasingly responsible for the human resources function, despite limited formal training in people management. This seminar explores how to account for people as a valued asset rather than an expense. Managing the costs, trends, and risks associated with today’s ever-changing workforce has changed. From recruiting and retention to engagement and compensation alternatives. The modern leader must understand how employee-related decisions drive both performance and profitability. This session will examine the financial implications of HR trends, workforce planning, and the evolving role of talent strategy. We will also explore how to influence investments in people through accounting and reporting tools. Successful organizations have moved employees to the left side of their balance sheet. Have you? Join for some interesting research and entertaining mix of videos to understand the people around you in the workforce.

This session is designed as a primer to introduce artificial intelligence (AI) and to discuss how it will impact accountants as they work. The material will briefly explain what AI is and then focus on ways that it is already serving those in the accounting realm. It will close with a look at future AI-centric developments that will have great potential to positively impact the accounting profession. Those wishing to gain an understanding of what artificial intelligence is and how it will be used by accountants should consider attending this session. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

Metrics represent a framework of ratios and key performance indicators used to evaluate financial performance and operational effectiveness. In this course, Jeff covers the most common and useful metrics that every CFO, Controller, and CPA advisor should understand. The discussion is organized by the type and use of each metric. The course includes practical examples to support understanding and application. Jeff presents the material in an engaging manner to help reinforce key concepts and maintain focus.

This course is designed for tax professionals seeking to understand and navigate the IRS collection process effectively. Participants will gain indepth knowledge of the various collection methods employed by the IRS, including liens, levies and wage garnishments. Additionall, participants will leand strategies to avoid or halt collection actions and the implications of the statute of limitations on tax collection. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

Neurodivergence isn't just something that shows up in childhood or in headlines. It's already in your workplace, quietly shaping how people communicate, create, and collaborate. From autism to ADHD to dyslexia and beyond, neurodivergence shows up in many forms, and chances are, you're already working alongside neurodivergent employees... whether you realize it or not.  This session gives professionals a clear, candid introduction to what neurodivergence really is (and isn't), what it can look like in adults, and why many traditional assumptions just don't hold up. We'll bust some big myths, explore real-world examples, and give you a fresh, more human lens for understanding the full spectrum of how brains work. Whether you're brand new to the topic or just want a better foundation, this is your crash course in neurospicy thinking.

While many financial services professionals advise their clients on tax, investment, and life insurance issues, far fewer venture to help in the area of property and casualty insurance. Auto and homeowners policies are mandatory products that everyone generally needs - yet they are also complex products. This complexity raises questions in clients' minds: Are all my belongings covered under my policy? Do I have to adjust my policy if I want to let my neighbor borrow my car? Do I need an additional policy if I want to work as a rideshare driver? And will my premium go up when I move? In this course, we will cover the fundamentals of auto and homeowners' policies. We will touch on these questions, explore basic coverages, and offer some guidance on what practitioners should cover with their clients in this area, so you can offer guidance and give them the peace of mind they need. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

The new field of Positive Psychology offers many methods and ideas for helping people be happier, healthier, and better at what they do.  Nowadays, the ability to be at your best and get clients to enjoy working with you is critical to growing your business or getting ahead.   Studies show that happy people make $750,000 more over the course of their life than unhappy people, have half the number of sick days, and live 9 years longer.  In this fun and fascinating seminar, you’ll learn how to not only be happier, but help your clients be happier in working with you.

The SSTS are tax standards that apply to all members who provide tax services and provide the framework for the AICPA ethical guidance for tax practitioners.  This program explores the revised AICPA Statements on Standards for Tax Services, effective January 1, 2024.   This program is not approved for IRS credit.

This session explores the nature of analytical procedures, with significant emphasis placed upon professional standards involving the use of analytical procedures in audit and review engagements. Practical examples to illustrate the application process will also be given.

You could pay $0 for this course!Virtually all accounting and financial professionals use Excel but, unfortunately, most don’t use it as efficiently and effectively as they could or should. If you’re ready to elevate your Excel skills, plan today to participate in this special 8-hour conference designed to help you work better with Excel.In this event, you will go well beyond simple functions such as SUM to learn how you can take full advantage of many key features in Excel. Included in the discussion are newer functions and features such as LAMBDA, PIVOTBY, and XLOOKUP. You will also learn various tips for improving productivity and security when working with Excel. And you will learn best practices for working with PivotTables. You don’t want to miss this special opportunity to learn better ways for working with Excel! Massachusetts firms/companies with fewer than 50 staff can be reimbursed up to 100% of the cost of training and firms/companies with 50-100 employees can be reimbursed up to 50% of the cost of training. You must register for the course and apply for reimbursement through the Massachusetts Workforce Training Express Fund website a minimum of three weeks prior to the start of the course. The course code for this program is C-12846. To learn more, click here or contact Julia Ekelund at jekelund@necpas.org.

Many organizations have a process documented for their employment life cycle but do not look at it wholistically. Having a longer view of the employee life cycle can provide more value to your company that you might think. Join us for an interactive discussion around the entire life cycle of employees with best practices discussed on continuous improvement for your organization. This session will provide an overview of each of the steps in the timeline from multiple perspectives, to provide keen insights on actionable ideas to take back to your workplace and implement today.

If sales increase, so should profits.  Yet, the opposite result often leaves executive’s 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 under-price difficult, low-volume work.  This session discusses how to use activity-based costing to build accurate costing models that consider far more than just the labor and materials necessary to provide goods and services. 

Accounting and finance practitioners are still grappling with the many changes OBBBA has made to the tax laws, many of which will impact tax filings. This program is an introduction to and review of some of these critical changes and their impact on taxpayers. Accounting and finance practitioners will gain a better understanding of this very complex set of new tax rules. Practitioners will grasp what is new and what is a continuance of prior rules to develop deeper insights into the many changes that the OBBBA made to the law. If you still feel you need to learn more about how OBBBA works, this program is for you. We have assembled a two-hour review and analysis of what we consider the most important changes from OBBBA that impact client transactions. To the extent that Treasury has provided guidance relating to these new OBBBA changes, we will discuss that guidance. Where guidance is lacking, we will point out areas that require future attention from Treasury.