CPE Catalog & Events

Excel is the accountant's tool of choice for analyzing and reporting financial data, yet many use time-consuming and error-prone processes to complete everyday tasks. Regardless of your experience level, if you use Excel, you need this course to learn more efficient and effective ways to work with Excel. In this course, you will discover countless tips, tricks, and techniques to improve your general level of productivity, reduce the amount of time you spend on mundane tasks, such as formatting, and customize Excel for greater accuracy and efficiency. You will also learn valuable formula-building skills, best practices for linking Excel data from other worksheets and workbooks, and streamlining report generation and printing processes. Your K2 instructor will reinforce key learning points throughout the program with practical, real-world examples to improve your understanding and comprehension of the topics presented. This highly acclaimed course draws on over twenty-five years of experience delivering spreadsheet training to accounting and financial professionals, assuring you of the relevance and usefulness of the information and guidance provided during the program.Speaker - Brian Tankersley

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The QuickBooks platform is robust with features and capabilities that many users are unaware of or do not know how to utilize effectively. This course helps you get more out of QuickBooks Desktop and QuickBooks Online and resolve the issues even experienced QuickBooks users struggle with, such as locking down prior periods. This program starts fast with a chapter covering the top issues accountants face with QuickBooks. Then, the day continues with practical guidance and solutions designed to help accountants get the most out of QuickBooks for themselves or their clients. You will learn about issues like setting up a new company, configuring and customizing QuickBooks preferences, and enabling system security and password protection features. Also, you will learn how to lock down transactions in prior periods, use the audit trail, customize reports, export reports to Excel, and extend QuickBooks' usefulness with tools such as the Fixed Asset Manager and Loan Manager.Speaker - Brian Tankersley

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The Accounting and Review Services Committee is responsible for issuing standards for Preparation, Compilation, and Review Engagements. Kurt Oestriecher will cover any new standards or exposure drafts as well as provide practice tips for your write-up practice. Purchase this webcast as an individual program, or get the members-only First Look Bundle and save! 2025 First Look Webcast Series May 28401k & Employee Benefits Update Mary Hogan • Director, Advisory - HR Advisory & OutsourcingEisner Advisory Group LLC • Pittstown, NJCategory: Management   CPE: 1 credit   CLE: 50 minutes June 18 Disaster Planning Beyond the Calculations Gerard H. Schreiber, Jr., CPA • PartnerSchreiber & Schreiber, CPAs • Metairie, LACategory: Taxation   CPE: 1 credit   CLE: 50 minutes July 30Investment Strategies in a Volatile Market Tom Stringfellow, CFA®, CPA®, CFP®, CIC • Chief Investment StrategistArgent Trust Company • San Antonio, TX  Category: Management   CPE: 1 credit  August 27SSARS Engagements – What You Need to Know Kurt Oestriecher, CPA • Managing PartnerOestriecher & Company, CPAs • Alexandria, LA  Category: A&A   CPE: 1 credit   September 27Managing Change in a High-Speed World Laila Morcos Zissis, PCC, NBC-HWC, CMC • OwnerLaila Morcos Zissis, LLC• New Orleans, LACategory: Personal Development   CPE: 1 credit   October 29Creating a Positive Workplace Culture Jim Schneider, CPA, CIA • President & Managing PartnerThe Personnel Consulting Group • New Orleans LACategory: Management   CPE: 1 credit   November 12Tax Credit Shake-Up: What the New Incentives and ITEP Rules Mean for You Keri Hart • Senior Manager, Business IncentivesKim Wallett  • Senior Manager, Business IncentivesAdvantous Consulting, LLC • Baton Rouge, LACategory: Taxation   CPE: 1 credit   CLE: 50 minutes December 9Practical Accounting Automation Using AIAndrew Schwartz, PhD • ProfessorStephenson Department of Entrepreneurship & Information SystemsLouisiana State University  Category:  Technology   CPE: 1 credit   CLE: 50 minutes

Maintaining high-quality standards As QM standards evolve, continuous monitoring and remediation are necessary to ensure compliance and address system deficiencies. This webcast will train participants in proactive monitoring techniques and guide them in implementing a remediation process. The subject matter expert will discuss common QM challenges, including recognizing quality deficiencies and responding effectively. Participants will leave with practical tools for monitoring QM systems to maintain high-quality engagement performance over time. Included with your registration: Policies Ready? Leadership Responsibilities, Evaluation, and Conclusion Tuesday, September 30 1:00 - 2:00pm ET 1 CPE CreditSpeaker - Sherry Chesser

Business Intelligence (BI) is perhaps the hottest topic in most professional circles in today's business climate. Increasingly, organizations of all sizes seek to take advantage of the data available to them to identify previously undiscovered insights and gain competitive advantages thought to be out of reach just a few short years ago. A growing array of tools - from Excel add-ins to dedicated solutions such as Power BI - now allow you to leverage your existing knowledge and skills to create powerful, interactive dashboards and analyses unthinkable until recently. This program will teach you to implement "do-it-yourself business intelligence" using various techniques and tools. First, you will learn to use advanced Excel data query and summarization features to create Excel-based dashboards. You will then learn how to leverage that knowledge to build even more powerful BI objects using Microsoft's Power BI tools. If gaining better insights into your data to make better decisions interests you, then join us for a fast-paced look at how you can take advantage of these fantastic tools.Speaker - Brian Tankersley

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Fraud continues to plague businesses at epidemic levels, and technology control failures are a significant reason fraud occurs. Using a case study approach, in this session, you will learn about the pervasiveness of fraud, the control failures contributing to fraud, and what you can do to mitigate fraud risk. A specific focus of this course is applying information technology general controls and information technology application controls. In this course, you will examine numerous reported fraud cases and identify the general and application control failures that contributed to each fraud. By learning through these real-world case studies, you will be positioned better to reduce fraud risk.Speaker - Brian Tankersley

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Experienced in forensic litigation and investigative services, Ralph Litolff provides a look into common fraud schemes, common indicators of fraud, initial response strategies, and the legal and ethical considerations of addressing suspected fraud. Additionally, Ralph draws from his decades of sometimes hard-to-believe-but-true cases to help bring to light fraud prevention strategies as well as how to plan and conduct a fraud investigation. This lunchtime, 2-hour program gives you time to take care of business before and after the presentation. And it all happens live — giving you the chance to ask presenters the questions you need answered. Qualifies for 1.67 CLE credits NOTE: This product is for the individual In-Person Lunch & Learn course at the LCPA Member Center. Save when you buy the Lunch & Learn In-Person Bundle! Learn more. 2025 Lunch&Learn Small Business Series includes: May 20 Cybersecurity: Managing Evolving ThreatsLes Nettleton • IT ConsultantCategory: TechnologyJune 17 SECURE 2.0: Impacts to Retirement Savings PlansAnne Oestriecher, CPA, CFP • Advisory RepresentativeOestriecher Financial Management Services • Alexandria, LACategory: Taxation • 2 CPE credits/1.67 CLE creditsJuly 22 Hot Topics in Employment Law in the Current Presidential TermMag Bickford, JD • Managing Member, New Orleans OfficeMcGlinchey Stafford • New Orleans, LACategory: Management • 2 CPE credits/1.67 CLE creditsAugust 19 Louisiana Tax Legislative Update, Tax Reform and MoreRobert S. Angelico, CPA, JD • ShareholderLiskow • New Orleans, LA Category: Taxation • 2 CPE credits/1.67 CLE creditsSeptember 16 Fraud in the Real World: Assessing Risk & Response Ralph A. Litolff, Jr., CPA/ABV/CFF, CVA, MBA • FounderRAL Forensics, LLC • Metairie, LACategory: A&A • 2 CPE credits/1.67 CLE creditsOctober 21 Succession Planning: Strategies for Business Continuity & GrowthNene Glenn Gianfala, CPA/ABV, ASA-BV/IARiley J. Busenlener, CPA/ABV, ASA, AEP®, JDChaffe & Associates • New Orleans, LACategory: Management • 2 CPE credits/1.67 CLE creditsNovember 18 Federal Tax Update Greg Booth, CPA • PartnerEisnerAmper • Metairie, LACategory: Taxation • 2 CPE credits/1.67 CLE creditsDecember 16 Year-End Economic Outlook: Cheers or Jeers? Stephen D. Morgan • Senior Vice President, Investment Director?Hancock Whitney  • New Orleans, LA Category: Specialized Knowledge

Internal controls are more important than ever, and their importance increases daily. However, internal controls present a challenge for many smaller organizations. This program will teach you how to evaluate, develop, and implement an effective internal control structure in a small business environment. You will identify how to assess risk in smaller organizations and implement preventive, detective, deterrent, and compensating controls to mitigate these risks, even without proper segregation of duties. Additionally, participating in this program will teach you technology-focused techniques for preventing and detecting fraud and securing information systems and sensitive data. For small organizations, maintaining an effective system of internal controls presents a significant challenge. Realistically, implementing many theoretical concepts surrounding internal controls may sometimes be impossible. Consequently, many internal control structures foster an environment where too much risk exists. This factor and uncontrolled information systems can often lead to disastrous results. Participate in this program to learn the necessary insights and tools to design, implement, and monitor small organizations' internal controls, security, and anti-fraud measures.Speaker - Brian Tankersley

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QuickBooks Online's (QBO) market share continues to expand, and the Cloud-based accounting platform now dominates the small business market. Yet, most accounting and financial professionals have not participated in any formal training on the Cloud-based accounting service. Thus, they are unaware of many of the tool's available features and do not work with QuickBooks Online as efficiently and effectively as they should. This course teaches you how to set up QBO and convert QuickBooks Desktop files into a QBO instance. You will learn how to process all types of transactions, including accounts payable, accounts receivable, bank feeds, inventory, and payroll. Further, you will learn how to implement appropriate internal controls and how to capitalize on advanced features such as workflow management and management reports. Join us in this session to learn how to set up QBO properly and take full advantage of all it offers while avoiding common errors and mistakes.Speaker - Brian Tankersley

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How good are you with the technology you use daily? Are new technology tools available to save time and make you more effective? Technology continues to accelerate rapidly, and keeping pace is essential. This course is for you if you are not an information technology (IT) expert but need a technology update to maintain and improve your skills to serve your companies or clients more efficiently and effectively! In this fast-paced, update-style course, you will survey today's IT environment, learning about computer hardware, software (including Microsoft Office), operating systems (including Windows 11), peripheral devices, and what they mean for you. You will also learn about significant trends in information technology and how to take advantage of the opportunities presented by these trends. Examples include the latest Excel features, best practices for working with PDF files, and security and privacy issues. Additionally, you will learn how to improve the overall performance of your IT investment, thereby increasing your return on investment. Throughout this program, you will learn from real-time demonstrations of practical applications of the latest tools, which can provide you with the knowledge you need to harness the power of technology, both now and in the future. So register now for this "don't miss" opportunity to get the skills required to enhance the value of your IT investment.Speaker - Brian Tankersley

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New features in Excel provide tremendous opportunities to improve Excel-based operational and financial reports. For example, Data Models, Power Query, Data Analysis Expressions, Power Pivot, and many others can help you create more powerful summaries and schedules in less time than ever. Bundle these tools with some of Excel's "legacy" features, and you have significant new opportunities to improve your Excel-based reporting environments. In this fast-paced seminar, you will learn about the importance of using Power Query to link data into Excel data models and how you can manage these data models to facilitate better and more efficient reporting. Additionally, you will learn how to incorporate Key Performance Indicators, Slicers, and Timelines into your reports to enhance the analytics and understandability of the data. Further, you will learn best practices to format your spreadsheets quickly and efficiently to give them a polished and professional appearance. This course should be at the top of your professional development list if you use Excel for any reporting process.Speaker - Steve Yoss

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Most people are not aware of proper, realistic, time-management skills. They don’t have the awareness of what needs to be prioritized, don’t have the confidence to get what they need, and they focus on the immediate firestorm in front of them without thinking forward to peaceful life planning and time management. The result – stress, overwhelm, being unwell, and loss of goal achievement. Transformational Coach Laila Morocos Zissis help us find balance through shifting perspectives and being able to implement tasks and to-dos in methodical, doable ways. It’s time to get off the hamster wheel and regain control in simple, effective new ways of thinking and habit change. Purchase this webcast as an individual program, or get the members-only First Look Bundle and save! 2025 First Look Webcast Series May 28401k & Employee Benefits Update Mary Hogan • Director, Advisory - HR Advisory & OutsourcingEisner Advisory Group LLC • Pittstown, NJCategory: Management   CPE: 1 credit   CLE: 50 minutes June 18 Disaster Planning Beyond the Calculations Gerard H. Schreiber, Jr., CPA • PartnerSchreiber & Schreiber, CPAs • Metairie, LACategory: Taxation   CPE: 1 credit   CLE: 50 minutes July 30Investment Strategies in a Volatile Market Tom Stringfellow, CFA®, CPA®, CFP®, CIC • Chief Investment StrategistArgent Trust Company • San Antonio, TX  Category: Management   CPE: 1 credit  August 27SSARS Engagements – What You Need to Know Kurt Oestriecher, CPA • Managing PartnerOestriecher & Company, CPAs • Alexandria, LA  Category: A&A   CPE: 1 credit   September 27Managing Change in a High-Speed World Laila Morcos Zissis, PCC, NBC-HWC, CMC • OwnerLaila Morcos Zissis, LLC• New Orleans, LACategory: Personal Development   CPE: 1 credit   October 29Creating a Positive Workplace Culture Jim Schneider, CPA, CIA • President & Managing PartnerThe Personnel Consulting Group • New Orleans LACategory: Management   CPE: 1 credit   November 12Tax Credit Shake-Up: What the New Incentives and ITEP Rules Mean for You Keri Hart • Senior Manager, Business IncentivesKim Wallett  • Senior Manager, Business IncentivesAdvantous Consulting, LLC • Baton Rouge, LACategory: Taxation   CPE: 1 credit   CLE: 50 minutes December 9Practical Accounting Automation Using AIAndrew Schwartz, PhD • ProfessorStephenson Department of Entrepreneurship & Information SystemsLouisiana State University  Category:  Technology   CPE: 1 credit   CLE: 50 minutes

With approximately 500 functions now available in Excel, some newer and more powerful tools are easy to overlook. But, if you do that, your productivity will suffer. In this session, you will learn how to take advantage of many of Excel's more advanced features - some new and some legacy - to elevate your productivity to higher levels. In this session, you will learn about many of Excel's newer tools, including XLOOKUP, SUMIFS, SWITCH, and STOCKHISTORY. Also included in this session are discussions of advanced financial functions, such as IPMT and PPMT, and how to retrieve summarized data easily using GETPIVOTDATA and CUBEVALUE. Additionally, you will learn how to make sophisticated calculations easier with Dynamic Array formulas, harness the AGGREGATE function's power, and create more accurate forecasts with Excel's FORECAST.ETS function. No matter your experience working with Excel, participating in this course will help you work more efficiently and effectively in Excel.Speaker - Steve Yoss

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The QuickBooks ecosystem of accounting tools remains the most widely-used set of accounting applications small businesses use. Yet, many of these organizations struggle because of inadequate internal controls. In this seminar, you will learn options for improving internal controls in small businesses running QuickBooks Pro, Premier, Enterprise, or Online. Participate in this program to understand how you can create a robust system of internal controls in a small business environment, including businesses using QuickBooks accounting solutions. In this session, you will also learn about the four common types of internal controls and how to assess the relative condition of the internal control structure of a small business. With this background in place, the focus then shifts to discovering the opportunities to enhance internal controls in QuickBooks-based environments using features found in the application. In addition, you will learn about additional internal control procedures for situations where you cannot establish adequate controls in QuickBooks. While many believe that QuickBooks-based organizations will forever face weak internal control structures, participating in this session will teach you how QuickBooks-based businesses can benefit from strong internal controls.Speaker - Steve Yoss

REGISTRATION CLOSES MONDAY, September 22.Free to our Student and Candidate Affiliates! For many candidates, taking the CPA Exam can be one of the biggest obstacles to overcome when transitioning into the profession. Often aspiring CPAs are not sure if they are truly prepared to sit for each section. In order to help provide more transparency into exam-readiness, LCPA and Surgent CPA Review have partnered to offer student and candidate affiliates a FREE simulated CPA Exam section of your choice. This exercise will show you what it's like to sit for any CPA Exam section as you immerse yourself in questions pulled from the actual CPA Exam Blueprints.Plus, you will leave the session with your own personalized ReadySCORE™ (an accurate measurement of your actual exam score) as well as a detailed report showing your areas of strength and weakness for that section. PRO EXAM TIPS Register for this event using the same email address that you'll use the day of the simulation — it's how Surgent will identify you. Consider in advance which portion of the exam you'd like to try.  Watch for a software activation email from Surgent CPA Review the morning of the Mock Exam. Review your personalized Exam ReadySCORE along with your diagnostic report and work on areas that may need improvement. Not an LCPA Student or Candidate Affiliate? See if you qualify to join. Questions? Contact our Member Service Team, 504.464.1040.

Many Microsoft 365/Office 365 subscriptions include robust Cloud services for improving productivity. Foundational services, such as SharePoint Online, OneDrive for Business, and Exchange Online, join with other powerful tools such as Teams, Planner, Power Automate, Forms, and Power Apps to provide a productivity platform second to none. Unfortunately, most users will never benefit from working with these tools simply because they remain unaware of these features. Plan to attend this session to learn about the "rest of 365" and how these Cloud-based applications can enhance personal and team productivity while simultaneously facilitating remote working arrangements. Don't miss this opportunity to get all the knowledge and guidance necessary to leverage your investment in Microsoft 365/Office 365 fully.Speaker - Steve Yoss

Many team members now work remotely, whether by choice or necessity. As a result, questions abound about remote access to desktops and data, security, communications, collaboration, and other considerations in this new normal. When implemented correctly, remote work strategies can be a "win-win" for all involved; however, failed implementations may lead to inefficiencies, security issues, and dissatisfied team members. This session will teach you today's best practices for working remotely. Specifically, you will learn about various remote access tools, communication and collaboration options, and security best practices. You will also learn about managing and monitoring workflows in remote work environments and tools you can use. After completing this session, you can implement a remote work strategy that yields efficiency, security, and satisfaction to all involved.Speaker - Steve Yoss

Quality management (QM) implementation Q&As The fast-paced and interactive QM series offers condensed, high-impact Q&As and live participant-driven discussions on focused topics that change each session. You will get practical answers to your specific QM implementation questions to support effective QM implementation within your organization. This series is free for AICPA members.Speaker - Renee Rampulla

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Effective succession planning is critical for ensuring the long-term stability and growth of any business. This presentation will explore key strategies for identifying, developing, and transitioning leadership roles to maintain operational continuity and drive future success. Attendees will gain insights into best practices for succession planning, including exit options.The session will feature an estate planning case study that illustrates real-world challenges and solutions in succession planning, providing practical takeaways for business leaders. Whether you're planning for executive transitions, family business handovers, or leadership pipeline development, this presentation will equip you with the tools to plan a successful transition. This lunchtime, 2-hour program gives you time to take care of business before and after the presentation. And it all happens live — giving you the chance to ask presenters the questions you need answered. Qualifies for 1.67 CLE credits NOTE: This product is for the individual Webcast Lunch & Learn course. Save when you buy the Lunch & Learn Webcast Bundle! Learn more. 2025 Lunch&Learn Small Business Series includes: May 20 Cybersecurity: Managing Evolving ThreatsLes Nettleton • IT ConsultantCategory: TechnologyJune 17 SECURE 2.0: Impacts to Retirement Savings PlansAnne Oestriecher, CPA, CFP • Advisory RepresentativeOestriecher Financial Management Services • Alexandria, LACategory: Taxation • 2 CPE credits/1.67 CLE creditsJuly 22 Hot Topics in Employment Law in the Current Presidential TermMag Bickford, JD • Managing Member, New Orleans OfficeMcGlinchey Stafford • New Orleans, LACategory: Management • 2 CPE credits/1.67 CLE creditsAugust 19 Louisiana Tax Legislative Update, Tax Reform and MoreRobert S. Angelico, CPA, JD • ShareholderLiskow • New Orleans, LA Category: Taxation • 2 CPE credits/1.67 CLE creditsSeptember 16 Fraud in the Real World: Assessing Risk & Response Ralph A. Litolff, Jr., CPA/ABV/CFF, CVA, MBA • FounderRAL Forensics, LLC • Metairie, LACategory: A&A • 2 CPE credits/1.67 CLE creditsOctober 21 Succession Planning: Strategies for Business Continuity & GrowthNene Glenn Gianfala, CPA/ABV, ASA-BV/IARiley J. Busenlener, CPA/ABV, ASA, AEP®, JDChaffe & Associates • New Orleans, LACategory: Management • 2 CPE credits/1.67 CLE creditsNovember 18 Federal Tax Update Greg Booth, CPA • PartnerEisnerAmper • Metairie, LACategory: Taxation • 2 CPE credits/1.67 CLE creditsDecember 16 Year-End Economic Outlook: Cheers or Jeers? Stephen D. Morgan • Senior Vice President, Investment Director?Hancock Whitney  • New Orleans, LA Category: Specialized Knowledge

With the explosion of technology over the past thirty years, one fair question is, "what are the ethical considerations and impacts related to this technology?" Of course, practical technology issues such as data privacy and security undoubtedly carry ethical considerations. However, technology also affects the ethics associated with work-life balance, the digital divide, training needs, copyrights, and fraud, to name a few. This course will teach you about "technoethics" and its implications for individuals and organizations. To that end, you will explore many current and emerging issues associated with ethics and technology, such as copyrights, cybercrimes, privacy versus security, and geo-tracking technologies. Given the profound implications of ethics and technology, this could be the most impactful session you will ever attend.Speaker - Brian Tankersley

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