CPE & Event Calendar

This course provides a high-level overview of the most important issues facing nonprofit entities and their auditors.  The focus of this course is on explaining the theory behind major issues and trends, enabling professionals to understand the most important aspects of relevant professional and regulatory standards related to reliable financial reporting for nonprofit entities.      

As tax policies and economic conditions continue to evolve, staying ahead in fringe benefit planning is more essential than ever. This course provides financial professionals with a comprehensive update on fringe benefit strategies, ensuring compliance with evolving regulations while maximizing tax efficiency for businesses and individuals. Participants will explore the latest legislative and regulatory updates impacting employer-sponsored benefits, IRC §132 fringe benefits, cafeteria plans, and retirement healthcare strategies. This course also examines ERISA reporting requirements, tax-efficient compensation planning, and healthcare benefits, offering practical applications to help practitioners navigate compliance and optimize benefits for their 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

Maintaining independence and adhering to strict ethical standards are essential for professionals in governmental auditing. The Government Accountability Office's (GAO) Yellow Book sets the benchmark for ethics and independence in this field, forming the foundation of professional compliance. This course provides a focused review of key principles and independence requirements, equipping participants with the tools to identify and mitigate common risks of noncompliance. Through practical guidance and real-world examples, attendees will learn to uphold the highest ethical standards and ensure independence in governmental auditing.

This program makes sense of the controversial lease standard. The subtleties of the standard make it difficult to implement and monitor. There will be a detailed discussion on what constitutes a lease, how to monitor them, and ongoing challenges.

In this dynamic course, we'll delve into essential updates and equip you with the practical knowledge to navigate the latest changes in the field. Need insights on how the shift from the Statements on Quality Control Standards (SQCSs) to the Statement on Quality Management Standards (SQMSs) will affect your practice" We have you covered. Questions about cybersecurity requirements for CPAs" Arm yourself with practical strategies to protect your clients and firm in an increasingly digital world. From the newest accounting rules to mastering new audit standards, we'll explore the newest developments to help you navigate the changes.

This webinar aims to provide HR professionals with a comprehensive understanding of mental illness and depression under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). It will cover key aspects of the law, provide practical advice, and address common challenges.

In today's interconnected world, safeguarding information systems is crucial. This course offers a deep dive into information security and privacy principles with a focus on modern cybersecurity threats tied to cloud environments, Internet of Things (IoT), and mobile technologies. The course will also cover data protection during application development. Taking this course will equip accounting professionals with the knowledge to lead in cybersecurity strategy.

Generative AI is revolutionizing the business world, and savvy professionals are embracing this cutting-edge technology. Why? Generative AI offers unparalleled opportunities to boost efficiency and productivity. But to truly harness its power, you need to master the art of crafting effective AI prompts. Join our session to discover the best practices for issuing AI prompts. Discover how to ask the right questions to obtain the information you need quickly and efficiently. Say goodbye to inefficient and ineffective prompts, and hello to streamlined, productive interactions with your AI platforms. Don't miss out on this opportunity to elevate your AI game and achieve greater gains in your business. Sign up now and learn the secrets to getting the most out of your AI tools!  

The Enhancing Audit Quality Initiative has identified inadequate or nonexistent audit documentation as one of the most significant issues facing the profession today. Over half of the engagements reviewed by the AICPA failed to meet the requirements of AU-C 230, highlighting a critical need for improvement. This course addresses common misconceptions about audit documentation and provides actionable strategies to overcome these deficiencies. Attendees will learn best practices to ensure compliance with professional standards, enhance audit quality, and mitigate risks associated with poor documentation. Whether you are an experienced professional or new to auditing, this course will help you strengthen your documentation practices and uphold the highest standards of the profession.  

Technological advancements facilitate new forms of cybercrime and fraud. In this session, you will learn how the crooks used technology to reap their ill-gotten rewards.

Taking money from ones retirement plan before age 59-1/2 or failing to withdraw funds after age 73 leads to penalties. Plan beneficiaries have a separate set of rules for withdrawals. There are penalty exceptions and waivers, but some issues have no possible resolution. A withdrawal from a retirement plan is taxable unless it's returned to a plan within 60 days. Some withdrawals cannot be returned and there are some ways to make a late rollover tax-free. Early and late distribution penalties and 60-day rollover failures are prevalent issues that tax preparers must handle despite the size of the firm or the wealth of their clients. Learn the rules of the road in this class. Note: This class presents an in-depth discussion of issues presented in the instructor's class Retirement Distributions: Planning Options.

It is important for accounting and finance practitioners to help their clients understand and apply the many new provisions of OBBBA. Many of these changes are effective for the 2025 tax year and beyond. This program is an introduction to and review of some of these critical changes and their impact on taxpayers. This program is a two-hour review and analysis of what we consider some of the most current and important changes from the OBBBA. If you want the latest OBBBA information to relay to your clients, this course is for you.

When putting together a financial plan, it is important to remember that the tax situation of the business and the individual are often intertwined. Therefore, decisions about entity type are vitally important. Practitioners need to understand not only how different entities are taxed, but also which taxes will have the greatest impact on the individual owner. In this course, we will explore when self-employment taxes apply to business income, as well as some of the lesser-known taxes that apply to flow-through entities. We will even explore when a PTE election could be helpful to a small business owner.

This hands-on workshop offers an analytical approach for designing, executing, and communicating results of a comprehensive financial statement analysis. We will explore numerous techniques and approaches that facilitate in-depth financial statement analysis. Accountants in public practice will obtain insight regarding analytical procedures, additional client services, and enhanced compliance with professional standards. Accountants in private enterprises will develop more robust techniques for understanding their organization’s financial statements to facilitate forward-thinking decisions and communication to internal and external stakeholders.

Unlock the full potential of your data with our specialized course, "Create Measures in Power BI that Define Your Metrics". Designed for professionals who aspire to excel in the dynamic world of data analysis, this 4-hour intensive training delves deep into the advanced functionalities of Microsoft Power BI. You'll embark on a journey to master the art of Data Analysis Expressions (DAX), a powerful tool in the Power BI suite to create metrics. This course is meticulously crafted to transform you into a proficient user, capable of harnessing complex DAX calculations to bring your data to life. The course content is thoughtfully structured to ensure a comprehensive learning experience. Starting with the foundational elements of DAX, you'll rapidly progress to tackle advanced formulas and time-intelligent functions, essential for nuanced data analysis. The highlight of the course is the emphasis on the DAX calculation process, a crucial aspect for validating measures in Power BI. Additionally, the practical application of PivotTables for measure validation will equip you with the skills to confirm the accuracy and effectiveness of your data measures. These advanced techniques are not just theoretical concepts but are presented through engaging, real-world scenarios, enabling you to apply your learning immediately to your daily tasks. This course is an invaluable step towards mastering Power BI and making data-driven decisions with confidence. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

Be the go-to person on financial statement compilation and preparation engagements. Specifically designed for those performing preparation and compilation engagements, this course will provide you with a hands-on application for performing preparation and compilation engagements under AR-C Section 70 and 80, respectively. You will learn the ins and outs of relevant sections of the SSARS related to preparation and compilation engagements with a focus on how recently issued updates to SSARS No. 21 impact these engagements. More importantly, you will be provided practical examples and illustrations to help you effectively and efficiently perform those engagements, including a detailed discussion of the reporting requirements under AR-C 80 related to compilation engagement. Lastly, the course will review recent peer review feedback on these types of engagements, highlighting areas where you can improve engagement quality.

This course explores the tests used to determine whether a worker is properly characterized as an employee or an independent contractor for tax purposes, with a focus on the cost of getting it wrong and possible Section 530 relief.  The game changing impact of the Dynamex case and AB5 will also be discussed.    *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 terri.storer@acpen.com      

As accounting firms' non-attest offerings to their attest clients become more diversified, such engagements increase firms' exposure to independence violations. In order to thread the needle of providing value-added services and upholding their independence obligations, firms need to have a strong foundational understanding of the applicable ethical and independence rules which govern these engagements. In this course, we'll review the relevant sections of the AICPA Code of Professional Conduct regarding independence, objectivity, and conflicts of interest. The course will focus on the Code's Independence Rule and common threats to auditor's independence. In particular, the course will focus on those unique considerations related to non-attest services, both from the perspective of AICPA interpretations and other applicable rules and regulations. PLEASE NOTE: THIS COURSE COVERS GENERAL ETHICS AND IS APPLICABLE IN STATES IN WHICH STATE-SPECIFIC ETHICS IS NOT REQUIRED.

Employee theft is a growing problem, costing businesses billions of dollars annually. In this compelling session, Terry Shulman provides an in-depth look at the psychological, social, and organizational factors that drive employees to steal. As both a legal and behavioral expert, Shulman blends real-world case studies with psychological insights to explore why good employees make bad choices—and what businesses can do to prevent it.

In a competitive economy, CPA's  and their firms need a way to stand out. The best way to do this is to give outstanding service to your clients. In this experiential workshop, you’ll learn skills that lead to dramatic client satisfaction. In addition, you'll learn several specific ways to guarantee you'll get a lot of word of mouth referrals that will lead to a dramatic increase in your number of clients.