CPE & Event Calendar

Designed as an all-you-need-to-know update for accounting, auditing, and attestation practitioners at all levels in public accounting and industry, this course provides a comprehensive review of recent standard-setting and rulemaking activities of the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB), American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA), Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB), and Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). On the financial accounting front, we will cover the FASB's Post-Implementation Review (PIR) report released in late 2025 for lease accounting under ASC 842 and discuss the best practices in applying the standard and identifying any ongoing issues practitioners are experiencing with applying the standard. We will also discuss the more than a dozen ASUs the FASB has issued since the beginning of 2024 and into 2026 covering government grants, derivatives and financial instruments, practical expedients for credit losses under ASC 326, and expense disaggregation on the income statement. Our focus on AICPA standards includes a detailed discussion of revamped AICPA quality management standards. The AICPA updated and modernized the standards by issuing Statement on Quality Management Standards 1, 2, and 3 (SQMS 1, SQMS 2, and SQMS 3, respectively), SSARS No. 26, and SAS 146, Quality Management for an Engagement Conducted in Accordance with Generally Accepted Auditing Standards (SAS 146). These standards, now effective as of December 15, 2025, modernize quality management standards to reflect an increased focus on risk assessment, technology use, and the presence of outside experts on engagements. We will also discuss AICPA's proposed SAS, The Auditor's Responsibilities Relating to Fraud in an Audit of Financial Statements, intended to supersede AU-C section 240. We will also cover new rules impacting public company audits and present case studies on recent fraudulent accounting stories and best practices for detecting and preventing such frauds. In summary, the course is your go-to source for all things A&A and will prepare you for your upcoming engagements throughout the rest of the year.

This year practitioners need to keep abreast of tax changes affecting pass-through entities used by their business clients and employers, and this enlightening course delivers that information. You will learn invaluable strategies, techniques, innovative tax-planning concepts, income-generating ideas, and other planning opportunities available to S corporations, partnerships, LLCs, and LLPs. In addition, this course will discuss current trends and emerging issues, helping practitioners stay informed about relevant and significant topics that may impact their clients. Continually updated to reflect enacted legislation.

The course provides general information on how to identify money laundering activities during the conduct of normal tax audits. Discover key resources and tools available for effective detection and deterrence. Explore the impact of money laundering on ethical decision-making, and how examiners and auditors can assist criminal investigators in countering money laundering. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

Stay informed-and ahead of the curve-with this VBOA-approved ethics course tailored to meet Virginia's annual ethics requirement while bringing you the latest updates from the AICPA's Professional Ethics Executive Committee (PEEC). The pace of change in ethics regulation has accelerated, and PEEC has been especially active with new interpretations, revised guidance, and key modernization projects. In this interactive session, we'll unpack the most significant developments shaping the profession today, including new standards on recruiting, CPE programs, and tax advisory services. You'll gain practical clarity on how these changes affect both public practitioners and industry professionals. We'll also take a forward look at projects on PEEC's horizon, giving you early insights into wha's coming next-and how to position yourself for compliance success in a rapidly evolving ethical landscape.  

Perhaps the most important element of the budget process is its communication.  If management does not understand the budget – there is an issue. Knowing the right ways to communicate at all levels is essential to stakeholders laying an ownership claim to successful budgets.  This session reveals several key guidelines in successful budget presentations and will identify key problems in how people often communicate financial plans. Presenting your budget and reporting is the final part of a four part series, but can easily stand on its own course that is intended to be fun, enjoyable and educational.

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.

This course provides an overview of the Quality Management standards and the requirements under SQMS 1. The AICPA requires CPA firms with accounting and auditing practices to implement a system of quality management, including firms performing preparation and compilation engagements. While the objective is to improve quality within the profession, implementation may seem overwhelming. To assist, the AICPA has developed practice aids to guide firms through the development and documentation process. In this webcast, Jeff walks through where to find the practice aids, how to use them, required documentation, use of the risk assessment template, and development of final documentation. Practical guidance is provided throughout to simplify implementation.

Have you ever found yourself wondering why people won't just listen to you? Or maybe you have found yourself surrounded by people that make your jaw clench...you know the people...the challenging people. Leaders walk a tightrope of being strong, but not aggressive, polite, but not a pushover. It is exhausting! In this session, you will uncover the secrets to working with (and overcoming) challenging people derived from the decades of experience Summer brings from her time on the frontlines and as an HR Professional working with companies such as Walt Disney World, H-E-B and even a dude ranch.  

Bears are intelligent and motivated to find food. When I left some fried chicken in my Jeep while in Gatlinburg, a bear tore a hole in the top and ate the chicken and part of my Jeep. He was just a bear being a bear. I'm responsible because I left the chicken in the Jeep and gave him the opportunity. Similarly, people are intelligent and motivated to survive. If we give them opportunity by not implementing good internal controls, they will take our assets. This session reviews the investigation and prosecution of the former director of a conference center who took advantage of lax internal controls of a joint-venture and stole thousands. She was just a fraudster being a fraudster.

Staying current with today's technology is no longer optional; it is essential. Tech Update 2026 offers accounting professionals a clear, strategic view of the evolving tech landscape, enabling them to cut through the noise and make informed decisions. This forward-looking session is built for practitioners who want to leverage innovation to enhance client service, boost operational efficiency, and remain competitive. Explore the most impactful trends in artificial intelligence, quantum computing, automation, and cloud-based ecosystems. Understand how technologies like Microsoft 365 Copilot, generative AI tools, industry-specific SaaS platforms, and blockchain are reshaping the profession. Learn to identify which solutions align with your firm's goals-and which are just vendor hype.

In today's fast-paced business world, staying ahead of the competition means leveraging every advantage. Business Intelligence (BI) is the game-changer that can transform your organization. Imagine uncovering hidden insights and gaining a competitive edge with data that was once out of reach. With tools ranging from Excel add-ins to the revolutionary Power BI, you can now harness your existing skills to create dynamic, interactive dashboards and analyses that were unimaginable just a few years ago. This program will empower you with the skills to implement "yourself business intelligence" using a variety of techniques and tools. You'll start by mastering advanced Excel data query and summarization features to create stunning Excel-based dashboards. Then, you'll take your knowledge to the next level by building even more powerful BI objects using Microsoft's Power BI tools. If you're passionate about gaining better insights into your data to make smarter decisions, this fast-paced program is for you.

The budgeting process can be a time consuming and frustrating process for accountants.  The constraints and pressures can lead to poor decisions in both the technical and human components.  This series will offer solutions to the budgeting woes from both the big picture and in the details.  Budget Mastery: Process, Problems, and Solutions The budgeting process can be a mundane one for accountants. Let’s be realistic and agree that even the word “budget” does not bring excitement to you and your departmental colleagues.  The constraints and pressures can lead to poor decisions in both the technical and human components.  This session is the first part of a four part series and will cover the big picture of keeping the process fresh, pragmatic and useful. We discuss these keys in an engaging manner by discussing both our flaws and strengths, including how to build on these characteristics towards an enjoyable solutions-based method that should deliver effective results for your organization.  Budget Mastery: Walkthroughs and Real World Calculations Towards Tying Budgets to Value This session takes a unique review of the fundamental budget issues faced by all and walks through a detailed modeling process intended to generate discussion and best practices to improve your organization’s financial modeling.  From the beginning of the accounting process – ‘the chart of accounts’ to the end of the process – ‘the valuation of the company’, the budgeting cycle via a live case model to learn best practices common to successful companies.   This course stands on its own but is part two of a four part budget mastery series. Budget Mastery: The Human Side of Budgeting-Navigating People's issues with 360 Insight You have a fantastic budget, but certain players are not pleased. Financial plans have a technical component and human component.  We can resolve some of our budget issues by exploring the process’ human aspect.  Understanding what makes you and others operate can enhance your understanding of the entire organization and build upon the respect and influence needed to navigate and lead the budgeting cycle. This session includes a case study that measures an individual’s personality type and then explores how to use our strengths and weaknesses to create a better budget process and quite frankly maybe a better you.  This is a great and fun course on its own, but is also part three of a four part series on budget mastery. Budget Mastery: From Numbers to Narrative: Effectively Presenting Your Budget and Reporting  Perhaps the most important element of the budget process is its communication.  If management does not understand the budget – there is an issue. Knowing the right ways to communicate at all levels is essential to stakeholders laying an ownership claim to successful budgets.  This session reveals several key guidelines in successful budget presentations and will identify key problems in how people often communicate financial plans. Presenting your budget and reporting is the final part of a four part series, but can easily stand on its own course that is intended to be fun, enjoyable and educational.

It is imperative that audit staff understand the fundamentals of expenses & payables. This course will cover the basics of auditing expenses, accrued liabilities, and other payables, including the related audit assertions, risks, & threats to the expenses & payables balances. During this course, we will also highlight the various substantive auditing procedures that staff should perform, and also walk through some real-world examples. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

Just because Microsoft Teams is no longer a new tool doesn't mean it hasn't evolved & it certainly has! Since its introduction in 2016, Teams has become the de facto business productivity platform for organizations worldwide. Yet, many users barely scratch the surface of all that Teams offers. Participate in this session to learn how to get more from Teams and enhance your ROI on the platform. In this session, you will learn about the core options available in Teams and how to leverage them. You will also learn about new enhancements in Teams, including threaded conversations, enhanced meeting features, and integration with Microsoft's Copilot platform. If you use Teams and want a deeper understanding of the platform, don't miss your opportunity to participate in this session.

This course provides a focused and practical overview of the Generation Skipping Transfer (GST) Tax, designed specifically for professionals involved in estate and gift tax planning. As Part 4 of the Form 706 and 709 series, this session zeroes in on the rules, definitions, and application of GST tax, including the mechanics of calculating the inclusion ratio and how the GST exemption operates in real-world planning scenarios. Participants will gain clarity on how to identify skip persons, the types of transfers subject to the GST tax, and the proper treatment of direct skips, taxable terminations, and taxable distributions. Through clear examples and practical instruction, this course walks participants through voluntary, timely, late, and retroactive GST exemption allocations. With increasing regulatory complexity and heightened exemption limits, understanding the GST tax is critical for practitioners assisting clients in multigenerational wealth transfers. This course supports more accurate return preparation and strategic allocation of exemptions to minimize tax exposure. *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

Leaders are increasingly responsible for the human resources function, despite limited formal training in people management. This seminar explores how to account for people as a valued asset rather than an expense. Managing the costs, trends, and risks associated with today’s ever-changing workforce has changed. From recruiting and retention to engagement and compensation alternatives. The modern leader must understand how employee-related decisions drive both performance and profitability. This session will examine the financial implications of HR trends, workforce planning, and the evolving role of talent strategy. We will also explore how to influence investments in people through accounting and reporting tools. Successful organizations have moved employees to the left side of their balance sheet. Have you? Join for some interesting research and entertaining mix of videos to understand the people around you in the workforce.

This session is designed as a primer to introduce artificial intelligence (AI) and to discuss how it will impact accountants as they work. The material will briefly explain what AI is and then focus on ways that it is already serving those in the accounting realm. It will close with a look at future AI-centric developments that will have great potential to positively impact the accounting profession. Those wishing to gain an understanding of what artificial intelligence is and how it will be used by accountants should consider attending this session. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

Metrics represent a framework of ratios and key performance indicators used to evaluate financial performance and operational effectiveness. In this course, Jeff covers the most common and useful metrics that every CFO, Controller, and CPA advisor should understand. The discussion is organized by the type and use of each metric. The course includes practical examples to support understanding and application. Jeff presents the material in an engaging manner to help reinforce key concepts and maintain focus.

This course is designed for tax professionals seeking to understand and navigate the IRS collection process effectively. Participants will gain indepth knowledge of the various collection methods employed by the IRS, including liens, levies and wage garnishments. Additionall, participants will leand strategies to avoid or halt collection actions and the implications of the statute of limitations on tax collection. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

Neurodivergence isn't just something that shows up in childhood or in headlines. It's already in your workplace, quietly shaping how people communicate, create, and collaborate. From autism to ADHD to dyslexia and beyond, neurodivergence shows up in many forms, and chances are, you're already working alongside neurodivergent employees... whether you realize it or not.  This session gives professionals a clear, candid introduction to what neurodivergence really is (and isn't), what it can look like in adults, and why many traditional assumptions just don't hold up. We'll bust some big myths, explore real-world examples, and give you a fresh, more human lens for understanding the full spectrum of how brains work. Whether you're brand new to the topic or just want a better foundation, this is your crash course in neurospicy thinking.