CPE & Event Calendar

The ability to create and ask good questions as well as the ability to know when someone is being deceptive are important skills for managers, auditors, and investigators. This session will improve your interview techniques and your lie detection abilities. Multiple videos from various movies, TV shows, and public figures showcasing the behaviors of liars are included.

Accounting and finance professionals advising their business clients must be fully informed regarding the multiple loss limitation provisions that apply to individuals conducting businesses and pass-through entities. This program covers the loss limitation rules that accounting and finance professionals must know in order to advise their individual and pass-through entity clients fully and adequately as to when and if a loss limitation applies. The loss limitations discussed in this program start with an introductory discussion of hobby loss rules and graduate to more substantive discussion of the remaining loss limitations: basis limits, at-risk rules, passive loss limits, excess business loss limits, net operating losses, and the Section 163(j) interest limitation. Knowing when loss limits apply is essential for any accounting and finance professional. This program will put you in a position to advise clients fully and intelligently regarding each of the loss limits. This program discusses new OBBBA changes that impact tax loss limitations impacting individuals and pass-through entities.

This program will address recent legislation, rulings and developments affecting individual taxpayers and provide practitioners with a comprehensive update for the upcoming tax season.   *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  

Accounting and finance managers and executives must demonstrate sound technical and analytical necessary for personal growth and organizational success. This course will provide insights into the most critical technical and analytical skills needed by CFOs and Controllers - or those that want to be!

Here's a more detailed look at the controller's role in AI: 1. Data Integrity and Quality: •    Controllers are responsible for ensuring the quality and integrity of data used to train and inform AI models.  •    They work to establish data governance frameworks, implement data quality initiatives, and ensure data lineage (tracking data from source to downstream systems).  2. Risk Management: •    Controllers assess potential risks associated with AI implementation, including inaccuracies, vulnerabilities, and ethical considerations.  •    They help define and implement risk management frameworks for AI, ensuring that AI systems are used responsibly and ethically.  3. Compliance:  •    Controllers stay informed about relevant regulations and ensure AI systems are compliant with those regulations. •    They monitor AI systems to ensure they are not violating any laws or policies. 4. Transparency and Auditability:  •    Controllers work to ensure that AI decisions are transparent and auditable. •    They establish processes to review AI decisions and identify potential biases or errors. 5. Collaboration and Training:  •    Controllers work with IT and business teams to understand AI's capabilities and limitations. •    They provide training to teams on how to use and manage AI tools effectively. 6. Value Creation: •    Controllers can leverage AI to identify areas for automation, improve efficiency, and gain real-time insights into financial operations.  •    They can use AI to make more informed decisions and create more strategic recommendations for action.  7. Emerging Role: •    The role of the controller is evolving with the rise of AI, with controllers becoming more hands-on throughout the implementation process.  •    They are increasingly seen as catalysts for AI-enabled transformation, helping to identify potential use cases and build confidence in the technology This course will explore many of these topics.

This course is designed to equip CPAs, EAs, attorneys, and tax professionals with the essential knowledge and strategies needed to navigate the latest developments. Explore innovative approaches to maximize retirement savings, discuss tax- efficient retirement plan options, and align estate planning techniques with current trends. Gain a thorough understanding of altered rules for Required Minimum Distributions (RMDs) and discover how to optimize estate plans in response to changing regulations. This update is tailored for professionals seeking practical insights in the realm of contemporary retirement planning. **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.

Many professionals use OneDrive but don't realize-or use-its full capabilities. Whether you have a business or personal account-or both-OneDrive offers features to enhance productivity and improve data security. Join this exclusive session to discover the advantages of using OneDrive for data storage and collaboration. In it, you will learn how to manage relevant risks and integrate OneDrive seamlessly into your daily workflows. Don't miss this chance to enhance your efficiency and security. Sign up now and unlock the full potential of OneDrive for you and your team.

Transform your Excel skills with our comprehensive training program, designed for users at all levels seeking to master the full suite of Excel capabilities. From powerful data analysis tools like PivotTables and advanced functions such as XLOOKUP, to the nuances of Data Validations and Conditional Formatting, this course offers a deep dive into Excel's most impactful features. Whether you're streamlining complex data sets, enhancing your reporting skills, or just looking to boost your productivity, this session provides the insights and techniques you need to leverage Excel to its fullest potential, making it an indispensable tool in your professional or personal toolkit. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

Recent generally accepted auditing standards were written to improve the quality of risk-based financial statement audits, audit reporting, and required by-product communications. This course will discuss the important clarifications and enhancements intended to improve audit quality to ensure better compliance with requirements contained in SAS Nos. 134-145. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

U.S. Department of Treasury's Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) imposed a new reporting requirement that went into effect on January 1, 2024. Millions of businesses may have to file a Beneficial Ownership Information (BOI) Report. In a surprise turn of events, the Federal District Court from the Northern District of Alabama ruled on March 1, 2024 in National Small Business United v. Yellen ("NSB") that the CTA is unconstitutional. This course will discuss the CTA's provisions and the court's decision in NSB. Also covered will be future implications for business entities and steps to consider given the recent ruling. We will also discuss recent proposed rulemaking by FinCen with respect to nonfinanced purchases of residential real estate and gratuitous transfers so that businesses can prepare for any additional reporting burdens that might arise. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

This session provides a refresher regarding the fundamentals of activity-based costing (ABC). We will examine theoretical concepts before exploring practical possibilities for implementing ABC. A major focus of the course will be factors to consider when determining whether this managerial accounting tool is an appropriate resource for an organization.

By the nature of our work and training, financial professionals have more personal finance knowledge than the general population. However, sometimes we spend so much time planning our company's future that we neglect or defer taking steps to build our own personal net worth. If you are dissatisfied about the speed that you are accumulating savings, this session will help put you on the right track. Even if you are meeting your goals, this session will provide insights and ideas which will add to and reinforce what you may already be doing.

Good managers know how to delegate, but it can be a challenge to manage employees who are more interested in passing the buck than being responsible. Lack of ownership and responsibility can bog down processes and shut down projects. This workshop will help you create a game plan for building a culture of accountability with your team.

Properly designed and effectively operating internal control over financial reporting is critical for preventing, or detecting and correcting, material misstatement. This course describes how to satisfy the audit requirements related to taking a control reliance strategy by testing the operating effectiveness of internal controls, while promoting an effective and efficient financial statement audit. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

Do you ever import data into Excel, and then spend a bunch of time manually preparing it for use? Perhaps you delete extra columns or rows. Maybe you need to split a single column into multiple columns, or, combine multiple columns into a single column. The good news is that many of these transformations can be fully automated with Excel! The Get & Transform tools built-in to Excel 2016 for Windows, formerly available as the Power Query add-in, are incredibly powerful. At a high level, they enable us to retrieve data from a variety of sources and prepare it for use as needed. In this session, we'll use Get & Transform queries to help with several common tasks, including flattening data, splitting and combining columns, formatting data, unpivoting summarized data, and combining several csv exports. If you frequently export/import data from one system to another, you will want to understand how to use a Get & Transform query to streamline your work.

This course provides a concise overview of how artificial intelligence (AI) is reshaping financial oversight in the global manufacturing sector. With factories evolving into digital ecosystems powered by intelligent automation, predictive analytics, and edge computing, the role of accounting and finance professionals is rapidly transforming. Participants will explore how AI technologies intersect with core financial functions-cost accounting, audit, tax compliance, and financial planning-while enabling real-time reporting, fraud detection, and predictive decision-making. Drawing on current global trends and real-world case studies, the course offers actionable insights into integrating AI into financial operations, elevating the strategic role of accounting in manufacturing enterprises. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

Many clients end up selling one or more residences during their lifetimes. Accounting and finance professionals must be aware of the tax rules that relate to such sales in order to assist their clients regarding these sales. This program provides accounting and finance professionals with the tax rules they need to know to help their clients when they sell a personal residence. This program is a comprehensive survey of the various tax issues associated with the sale of a residence.

Preparing Form 706 requires a detailed understanding of estate taxation, valuation rules, and compliance requirements. This course provides a step-by-step breakdown of Form 706, helping tax professionals accurately report estate taxes while ensuring compliance with IRS regulations. Participants will explore key components, including gross estate calculations, deductions, tax computation, and portability elections. With real-world examples and practical guidance, attendees will gain confidence in preparing Form 706, even in complex scenarios. This course will also cover any recent legislative changes introduced by the new administration and their impact on estate tax planning and compliance. *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

Don't fall behind! This course will ensure that you know the current ethical requirements set by standards-setting organizations and legislative action. Real-world cases coupled with analysis by a leading ethics expert will help you better recognize situations that may pose ethical or regulatory risks. Discover the regulatory, legal, and ethical responsibilities you have, and gain insight into a simple 4-step decision-making process that can strengthen your professional judgment.

CPAs today face greater challenges than ever to maintain the high ethical standards of their profession. It is vitally important that all CPAs understand their professional responsibilities related to all aspects of their job. This course, which focuses on key components of the AICPA Code of Professional Conduct, reviews a history of the CPA profession and focuses on ethical requirements that CPAs must adhere to in their everyday practice, including practical examples of potential ethical dilemmas that practitioners may encounter, particularly those related to objectivity and independence. PLEASE NOTE: THIS COURSE COVERS GENERAL ETHICS AND IS APPLICABLE IN STATES IN WHICH STATE-SPECIFIC ETHICS IS NOT REQUIRED. This course does not qualify for IRS credit.