CPE Catalog & Events

Many practitioners dealing with government and not-for-profit issues are asked to serve as expert witnesses in courts of law or other adjudicatory venues.  This session will discuss key issues you need to know when you are asked to serve in this capacity, including: Applicable standards and other engagement acceptance considerations. Preparation requirements and techniques. Dos and don'ts of testifying. Avoiding commons traps and tricks designed to undermine your effectiveness. The session will conclude with a “mock cross-examination” with participants serving as the jury to identify what our witness does right and what he does wrong. Speaker - David Cotton

Inventory is a wonderful place to both hide fraud and commit fraud.  The reasons that inventory is subject to so much fraud is the it is often very large, spread out over a large area, and many people have access to it.  When there are little or no internal controls related to inventory control, you are begging employees to steal it.  No with so many ways to dispose of stolen inventory via the internet, i.e., EBAY, inventory fraud is much more appealing to a lot of individuals. The more common ways to commit expense fraud and how to cover it up will also be discussed.  Travel and entertainment are some of the favorite areas of committing expense fraud.  In addition, payroll fraud will be discussed.  Although there are many ways to commit payroll fraud, it is very easy to prevent. This presentation is designed to familiarize the participants with the many ways to commit inventory, expense and payroll fraud, how to detect it, and more importantly, how to prevent it. Speaker - Dennis Dycus

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 - Lawrence "Mac" McClelland

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This course provides in-depth information to enable the practitioner to make a well-informed decision as to whether a trust is the appropriate vehicle for a client’s financial, estate, and/or asset protection plan, and, if so, how the trust can best be implemented and operated. Participants will learn about the many different types of trusts that can be harnessed to save clients income, estate, generation-skipping, and other taxes, at both the federal and state level. Speaker - Arthur Werner

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Anne Oestriecher is back with an update to SECURE 2.0....it's been out for a while, but there are new regulations that could impact your or your clients' or company's retirement plans. Get the latest info and tips on how to best structure your plans to maximize your retirement and to take advantage of the tax credits available to small businesses. Benefit from Anne's real-world examples that help put concepts into perspective.  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. 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 July 22 Hot Topics in Employment Law in the Current Presidential TermMag Bickford, JD • Managing Member, New Orleans OfficeMcGlinchey Stafford • New Orleans, LACategory: Management August 19 Louisiana Tax Legislative Update, Tax Reform and MoreRobert S. Angelico, CPA, JD • ShareholderLiskow • New Orleans, LA ?Category: TaxationSeptember 16 Fraud in the Real World: Assessing Risk & Response Ralph A. Litolff, Jr., CPA/ABV/CFF, CVA, MBA • FounderRAL Forensics, LLC • Metairie, LACategory: A&AOctober 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: ManagementNovember 18 Federal Tax Update Greg Booth, CPA • PartnerEisnerAmper • Metairie, LACategory: TaxationDecember 16 Year-End Economic Outlook: Cheers or Jeers? Stephen D. Morgan • Senior Vice President, Investment Director?Hancock Whitney  • New Orleans, LA Category: Specialized Knowledge

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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Imagine being able to see into the future with confidence.  The ability to be a great forecaster is not innate but learned.  By examining great forecasters, we can learn to improve our ability to predict the future.  We will examine best practices and current research to improve our ability to predict events that will affect our business.   Speaker - John Levy

We all make predictions in our personal and professional lives.  We base our decisions to marry, buy a house, launch a new product or hire staff on expectations about the future.  In the past few years, research into improving predictions has advanced. We will look at this research and current best practices in forecasting to help us prepare better budgets and projections.  Speaker - John Levy

Audit Risk Assessment in Plain English, is a 2 hour webcast highlighting the AICPA’s clarified risk assessment standards, along with a new Statement on Auditing Standard (SAS 145) related to understanding the entity, the entity’s environment, the entity’s internal controls, and assessing the risks of material misstatement.  This session will attempt to simplify the requirements using common sense examples and language. Speaker - Frank Crawford, Christopher Pembrook

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The increasing number of natural disasters, the COVID 19 Pandemic, unexpected events , and continuing legislative and financial changes are bringing about changes in the dynamics of tax and financial planning, especially for areas like Louisiana prone to weather events. Conventional planning methods and techniques may not serve the needs of clients for these changing circumstances.The "Master of Disaster" Jerry Schreiber will look at the considerations for practitioners in analyzing client needs and offer considerations for future planning. 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, NJCPE: 1       Category: Management June 18 Disaster Planning Beyond the Calculations Gerard H. Schreiber, Jr., CPA • PartnerSchreiber & Schreiber, CPAs • Metairie, LACPE: 1       Category: Taxation July 30Investment Strategies in a Volatile Market Tom Stringfellow, CFA®, CPA®, CFP®, CIC • Chief Investment StrategistArgent Trust Company • San Antonio, TX  CPE: 1       Category: Management August 27SSARS Engagements – What You Need to Know Kurt Oestriecher, CPA • Managing PartnerOestriecher & Company, CPAs • Alexandria, LA  CPE: 1    Category: A&A September 27Managing Change in a High-Speed World Laila Morcos Zissis, PCC, NBC-HWC, CMC • OwnerLaila Morcos Zissis, LLC• New Orleans, LACPE: 1    Category: Personal Development October 29Creating a Positive Workplace Culture Jim Schneider, CPA, CIA • President & Managing PartnerThe Personnel Consulting Group • New Orleans LACPE: 1    Category:  Management 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, LACPE: 1   Category: Taxation December 9Practical Accounting Automation Using AIAndrew Schwartz, PhD • ProfessorStephenson Department of Entrepreneurship & Information SystemsLouisiana State University  CPE: 1    Category:  Technology

Many business professionals consider PivotTables the most powerful feature in Excel, yet most accounting and financial professionals do not use them in their day-to-day activities. If you are ready to learn how to take advantage of PivotTables or extend your existing knowledge of PivotTables, then plan to participate in this course. You will learn how to build PivotTables, group data inside PivotTables - including grouping options for fiscal periods - and create user-defined calculations in your PivotTables. You will also learn advanced PivotTable techniques, including building PivotTables that consolidate data from multiple data ranges and PivotTables that connect dynamically to external databases and financial accounting systems. Additionally, you will learn to take advantage of other Excel features associated with PivotTables, including Slicers, Power Query, and Power Pivot. You will be a master of Excel PivotTables at the end of the day! This course is for you if you have been leery of working with PivotTables or have struggled to realize their many benefits. With some information, guidance, and coaching from your K2 instructor, you will be ready to use PivotTables to analyze and report on extensive data sets in a fraction of the time you spend completing such tasks.Speaker - Lawrence "Mac" McClelland

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This course is an updated overview of the single audit of state and local governments and not-for-profit organizations under the OMB Unified Circular, as well as the applicable AICPA standards for compliance audits.  Speaker - J. Michael Inzina

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A comprehensive review of the newest version of the U.S. Government Accountability Office’s Government Auditing Standards, otherwise known as “the Yellow Book.”  The standard will affect all auditors who perform audits of government and nonprofit organizations who receive federal funds, or where application of GAO standards is required by law, regulation or contract.  It does not address the standards applicable to performance audits. Speaker - J. Michael Inzina

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Common Audit and Financial Reporting Deficiencies in State and Local Governments, is a 2 hour webcast detailing many of the more common mistakes that auditors and accountants are making in either the preparation of their annual financial statements or the audits of such financial statements. Deficiencies in audit standards (AICPA, GAO, Single Audit) and preparation standards (GASB) noted in this webcast are driven by the most recent results found in audit organization peer reviews, workpaper or desk reviews, and various organizations checklists for oversight.  Speaker - Frank Crawford, Christopher Pembrook

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"Transforming Strategic & Financial Management with ChatGPT: Insights for CPAs, CFOs, and Controllers" is a comprehensive 2-hour CPE course designed by Jim Lindell of Thorsten Consulting Group, Inc. This course delves into the revolutionary impact of ChatGPT on financial and strategic management, offering a blend of theoretical insights and practical applications tailored for financial professionals. Through an exploration of ChatGPT's capabilities in research, communication enhancement, benchmarking, risk analysis, and more, participants will learn how to leverage this advanced AI technology to streamline operations, enhance decision-making, and foster innovation in their practices. The course not only highlights the current applications but also provides a glimpse into the future of AI in financial management, encouraging professionals to embrace technology for competitive advantage. Speaker - James Lindell

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This is a 2 hour webcast that will focus on the similarities between all three of these GASB accounting standards that deal with contractual arrangements such as leases, Subscription-Based Information Technology Arrangements (SBITA) and P3s.  Compare and contrast these standards as you prepare for implementation this year of GASB 94 and GASB 96, and review the implementation efforts of Leases in Year 2.  Speaker - Frank Crawford, Christopher Pembrook

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Governmental Accounting 101, is a 2 hour webcast that takes the participant of a whirlwind tour of governmental accounting basics, focusing on wetting the participant’s appetite for more.  This session will be the first of a series of webcasts, with each subsequent webcast delving deeper and deeper into the governmental accounting basics.  Speaker - Frank Crawford, Christopher Pembrook

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The procurement function is a critical area of organizations where spend is a top priority. The Controllership function is involved in spend management. It is logical that the Controller should take a role in working with the procurement function. The procurement function may report to various areas within an organization including the Chief Operating Officer (COO), Chief Procurement Officer (CPO), Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and the Chief Financial (CFO) or Accounting Officer (CAO). Regardless of the reporting line of the function, the accounting and controllership functions must have an integral understanding of all processes involved within procurement. This understanding assists the controller and accounting area in properly optimizing and controlling costs associated with the process.   Speaker - Lynn Fountain

This is a two-part series that discuss new trends and concepts the financial controller should begin to execute in order to truly become a valued member of the senior leadership team. The rapid pace of the evolving technological landscape has promoted changes in how accountants and financial professionals focus attention on strategy and modernize their roles to leverage digital technology. There is increased demand for enhancing flexibility into finance cycles and initiating real-time reporting and insights. These are the core attributes that will assist in transforming the work that controllership function performs. Is the financial controllership prepared to meet future business demands? The IMA® (Institute of Management Accountants) and Deloitte’s Center for Controllership aimed to better understand the current state of controllership and expectations of future demands for controllers and accounting professionals. They conducted a survey in late 2022 and identified several trends. The survey takes a look at how prepared controllership is to meet future business demands. It also highlights some insights for leaders to consider that may increase their preparedness. It also identified areas of additional insight and questions to answer on the controllership transformation journey. In this segment one, we go through numerous concepts in detail and the remaining concepts will be covered in segment two. Speaker - Lynn Fountain

As spreadsheets evolve, so must your creating, editing, and auditing practices. In this program, you will gain an in-depth understanding of the best ways to work with Excel by learning best practices associated with Excel spreadsheets in each of the following areas: creating and editing Excel workbooks, securing Excel workbooks, collaborating with others in Excel, and reporting on data contained in Excel. Today's best practices for Excel differ significantly from those used in the past, and you will learn the best ways to work with Excel spreadsheets in this "must-see" CPE program. Course materials include relevant examples to enhance your learning experience. Join us for this program to help you utilize Excel fully.Speaker - Lawrence "Mac" McClelland

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