CPE Catalog & Events

Productivity. Low turnover. High-performance culture. None of these buzzwords work if the organization's engagement process is broken and people are underperforming. It's time to look beyond the "buzzwords" and truly rethink motivation and performance management instead of tweaking "business as usual". Good performers can become bad performers, and bad performers get comfortable and stay. This presentation is a fast-paced look at some clever and aggressive new engagement and retention processes that are both effective and legally compliant, mixing fresh case studies with psychological theory. Unfortunately, engagement is far from an exact science. There's no secret formula, no easy calculation, no worksheet to fill out. This course will review how to hire well and techniques to keep your best performers engaged and wanting to stay with your organization.Speaker - Karl Ahlrichs

When exit planning, it is important to weigh various issues, including tax implications, to achieve an effective management and/or ownership change. Many envision tax-free reorganizations being the most preferable structure to avoid capital gains tax, but the opportunities come at a cost to the seller. This course will provide a well-rounded discussion of the various strategies to consider when advising on exiting a business.

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It is no secret that accounting firms, like many other organizations, have begun launching operations in the metaverse. For those unsure, the metaverse is a digital or virtual space where participants simulate a host of activities ranging from shopping to entertainment and business transactions. Why wouldn't accounting firms and other professionals want to get in early on this new frontier? All types of businesses have begun purchasing and setting up shop in this new virtual world. These are no small endeavors - professionals are creating business plans to operate successfully in the virtual world that started off originally as a niche format for gamers. Accounting firms are starting to announce their acquisition of virtual real estate, and some are paying a premium to obtain prime locations. To operate successfully in the metaverse, professionals need to understand the environment and the rules of the game. This course provides an introduction to the metaverse and an overview of opportunities, risks and rewards for professionals who wish to stay relevant in the ever-expanding virtual world. Participants will walk away with an understanding of where we are in this rapidly developing space, plus gain insights on how to establish a presence or advise clients who wish to explore metaverse opportunities.

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One of the most challenging skills for a manager or supervisor to master is delegation. This course will cover a variety of delegation-related topics and provide participants with the necessary knowledge and skills to delegate work and authority effectively.

Auditing Liabilities, Including Long-Term Debt - Addressing the Risks of Completeness, Classification, and Disclosure will discuss tips and techniques for auditing accounts payable, accrued expenses, and common long-term financing arrangements and related debt covenants. The completeness and proper classification of liabilities are the typical higher audit risks. The complexity of the debt financing arrangements may create a significant risk requiring more persuasive audit evidence. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.Speaker - Jennifer F. Louis, CPA

Excel is the #1 data analysis tool for accountants, yet many accountants have never learned the basics of data analysis using Excel or the tools that Excel offers to help with data analysis. This session is designed to teach participants the importance of PivotTables for analyzing data. We will demonstrate how PivotTables can make analyzing data an easy task for all accountants. Participants will learn the step-by-step process to create PivotTables and PivotCharts. We will also cover all the setup options and features. This session is presented using Excel 2013. Regardless of the version you are using, ALL concepts covered in this course apply to ALL versions of Excel. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.Speaker - Bryan L. Smith, CPA.CITP, CISA

Crypto lending and borrowing [bold] As you or your clients start to explore new ways to transact with crypto assets, one of the many possibilities is through involvement with crypto lending and borrowing. Gaining an understanding of the process of lending and borrowing crypto assets is the first step. This webcast provides the fundamentals related to these transactions and considerations for accounting from the perspectives of both lender and borrower. Part four of a series [bold] This webcast is part four of a series that will bring to life the content incorporated in the AICPA practice aid Accounting for and Auditing of Digital Assets. This webcast will walk you through: The process of borrowing and lending crypto assets Crypto lending accounting considerations including derecognition models Crypto borrowing accounting considerations including how to account for the obligation. Add more value [bold] Whether you're a CPA working with clients or an industry accountant responsible for corporate accounting policy, this webcast will give you a clear path to help your clients or entity by applying the appropriate accounting standards to your digital asset crypto lending and borrowing activities. Detailed examples and use cases will demonstrate the real-world application of this guidance. Learn valuable information to open your world of crypto assets even more. Note: FASB issued ASU No. 2023-08, Intangibles-Goodwill and Other-Crypto Assets (Subtopic 350-60): Accounting for and Disclosure of Crypto Assets, which is effective for all entities for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2024. This ASU is not yet reflected in this webcast.Speaker - Sean Prince

This course will provide overview of key cybersecurity security domains that CPA's should evaluate in an audit. It will provide an overview of each security domain, and an overview of how to evaluate and assess the sufficiency of the cybersecurity control. Examples of security domains that will be covered include: Change management Access management Data integrity This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.Speaker - Petrina Youhan, CPA, CISSP/Dr. Kenneth W. Cooper, DCS,

There is no shortage of data, but relatively few organizations have an environment and process to isolate, capture, analyze, and convert data into actionable information. Too often, we collect as much data as possible, continue to use historic measurements, and communicate data using traditional vehicles. Good decisions are not the result of the amount of data gathered, but of the quality and understanding of the information. The goal of this program is to explore a number of analytical tools and techniques and identify applications for them within an organization. Analytical techniques will be introduced throughout the discussion, and a significant amount of time will be spent addressing the steps needed to establish a data-driven environment and identifying and discussing potential/specific applications. In this way, participants get experience they can begin to use in their organizations. An expanded list of reference books and next level software is also provided.

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Leverage resources for optimal QM performance (bold) Managing a firm's resources to achieve the objectives of a quality management (QM) system involves planning, maintaining, scheduling, and allocating resources in ways that are best for each firm - but the system needs to use and leverage resources effectively. In this webcast, you'll gain a better understanding of how firms can design and operate their QM systems to appropriately manage resources - human, technological, intellectual, and financial. Managing resources is not only about the quantity available but also having the correct proportion of each resource to perform quality engagements. These revised standards strengthen an engagement partner's responsibilities for quality management at the engagement level and may positively change aspects of corporate culture. Second in a four-part webcast series (bold) This is the second webcast in a four-part series on the Auditing Standard Board's (ASB) new quality management standards. You'll take a deep dive into the resource component of the ASB's Statement on Quality Management Standards (SQMS) No. 1, A Firm's System of Quality Management (ital), and the engagement partner's responsibility for resources under Statement on Auditing Standards (SAS) No. 146, Quality Management for Engagements Conducted in Accordance with Generally Accepted Auditing Standards (ital). Attendance in each webcast in this four-part series will earn you one CPE credit. You can participate in one or all based on your interest in the topics. A rebroadcast of this webcast is scheduled for Dec. 8, 2022, at 2pm ET.Speaker - Sherry Chesser,Jeff Rapaglia,Alan Long

Are you aware there are 470+ formula functions in Excel? Do you realize that they add new functions in every major version of Excel? Did you know that Microsoft adds new functions throughout the year in the Office 365 version of Excel? Are you stuck using old or simple functions like SUM or ROUND? Do you want to expand your knowledge of the extensive function library in Excel? If these questions peak your interest in becoming an Excel function expert, this course is right up your alley. This past-paced course digs into some of the most powerful functions in Excel. Although we cannot cover 470 functions, we will look at over 20 functions that will allow you to create advanced calculations in your spreadsheets. Some examples are: VLOOKUP, IF, IFS, FORECAST, RAND, SWITCH, TEXTJOIN, UNIQUE, SUBTOTAL, IS, TEXT and more! We will also provide example files that will include all the functions used during the class. It's time to take your Excel spreadsheets to the next level. This session is presented using Excel 2019/Office 365. Most concepts covered in this course apply to all versions of Excel. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.Speaker - Bryan L. Smith, CPA.CITP, CISA

Effective teamwork pays its own way by creating greater productivity and profitability in any accounting organization. A team of people working cooperatively can produce more than the sum of individual members working alone. One good idea stimulates another - but only if the team members are engaged and motivated to do so. Teamwork is inhibited in today's high-stress and changing accounting regulatory environment. Integrated into this informative yet pragmatic seminar are tried-and-true motivational principles for the realities of today's changing accounting workplace. It's not easy, but it can be done. You will learn how to form, motivate, steer, and get greater results from all team members by understanding what makes them tick and strategizing approaches to engage all team members.

Do you want to build stronger relationships with your clients, improve client retention, and drive growth in your practice? This course delves into the essential strategies for effective client management in today's competitive landscape. Client relationships, like any relationship, can be challenging to manage. Miscommunication, differing work styles, and unrealistic expectations are some of the challenges accounting and finance professionals routinely encounter. However, when accounting clients and members of your team are on the same page, client loyalty and profitability improve while conflict is minimized. This webinar explores proven strategies to improve relationships between accounting and finance professionals and their clients.

Analytical Procedures - Comprehending Financial Statement Audit Fundamentals will provide the tips and techniques necessary to gather sufficient appropriate audit evidence to support conclusions using analytic procedures common to financial statement audits. Properly designing, documenting and evaluating results of analytic review procedures is critical for performing an effective and efficient audit engagement. Note: This course is recommended as a part of a 16-hour audit skills curriculum for experienced staff auditors, while it is also appropriate for anyone who has responsibilities for performing financial statement audit analytics. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.Speaker - Jennifer F. Louis, CPA

If you use Outlook on a daily basis to process your email, chances are pretty good that you are missing out on a lot of opportunities to improve your efficiency in composing, processing and organizing your messages. There are many different features in Outlook that often get overlooked, even though we are working in the app all day, every day. John Higgins, a strategic advisor to the profession on Microsoft 365 deployment, will review numerous tips and features to improve your productivity in Outlook. You will learn many time-saving, practical ways to improve the quality of your email message. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.Speaker - John Higgins, CPA.CITP

This webcast is part of the 2020 Power BI Series. Please see below for the suggested viewing order. Most accountants use Excel to help them make decisions about their data. However, as the amount of data grows, it becomes difficult to make strategic decisions based on rows and rows and columns and columns of data. In this webcast, you will learn how to build robust dashboards for analyzing key metrics in Excel. We will begin with some dashboard design guidelines, such as understanding your audience and identifying necessary metrics. Then, we will work through creating key performance indicators (KPIs) for the dashboards. You will learn how you can add charts and eye-catching visuals, in order to make your dashboards easily understood. This webcast focuses on using standard Excel features to create visuals. Although we will introduce new tools like Power BI Desktop, the focus of this webcast is not about using Power BI to create visuals. This series is presented using Excel 2019/Office 365. Regardless of the version you are using, most concepts covered in this webcast series apply to all versions of Excel. Explore the other webcasts in the 2020 Power BI Series: Power BI - Introduction to MS Power BI Tools Power BI - Prepare Your Data Efficiently for Excel Analysis Power BI - Analyze Your Data With Excel Pivot Tables Power BI - Use Power Query to Transform Your Data Power BI - Go Beyond PivotTables with Power Pivot Power BI - Use Advanced Calculations with DAX Formulas Power BI - Use PBI Desktop to Create Reports and Dashboards Power BI - Share Your Data Analysis using PowerBI.comSpeaker - Bryan Smith

This program reviews the statutory and regulatory guidance as they relate to fringe benefits. There will be an emphasis on entertainment, meals and business transportation expenses, including qualified employer-provided parking, with a focus on planning opportunities. Recent federal tax legislation, cases and rulings will also be addressed. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.Speaker - Steven C. Dilley, CPA, JD, PhD

Please join us for a discussion on like-kind exchanges (LKE), known as one of the last great tax legal "shelters" available to those buying and selling real property. We cover the basic structure of a LKE, and ways a taxpayer can utilize qualified third-party intermediaries (QI), and tenancy-in-common structures including Delaware Statutory Trusts (DST). We also explore creative solutions to sticky situations a taxpayer may find itself in obtaining replacement property. This course is ideal for CPAs, EAs, lawyers, real estate professionals, accountants or other tax professionals. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.Speaker - Allison M. McLeod, LL.M., CPA

This program addresses the most recent developments impacting taxpayers incurring research and experimentation costs. Emphasis will be placed on compliance with the 2022 change in Section 174 Amortization of research and experimental expenditures. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.Speaker - Steven C. Dilley, CPA, JD, PhD

This program addresses the most recent developments impacting taxpayers incurring research and experimentation costs.  Emphasis will be placed on compliance with the 2022 change in Section 174 Amortization of research and experimental expenditures. **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. Speaker - Steven Dilley, CPA, JD, PhD