Professional Development and Event Catalog

This course will provide an overview of the work and impact of the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA) on the US tax system, regulatory ethics, and accounting profession. TIGTA is an independent organization that provides oversight of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and conducts audits, investigations, and inspections and evaluations to promote integrity, economy, and efficiency in the administration of the nation's tax system. The course will explore the role of TIGTA in improving the efficiency and effectiveness of the IRS, identifying opportunities to improve the administration of tax laws, and upholding ethical standards in the accounting profession. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

Performing engagements in accordance with Generally Accepted Government Auditing Standards (GAGAS or “Yellow Book”) requires additional reporting, ethics, and performance requirements. This course will identify and review the guidance found in the Yellow Book and analyze the relationship between Government Auditing Standards and the AICPA Code of Professional Conduct. We will review the Yellow Book requirements for financial statement audits while also touching upon ethical principles and independence

The walking dead aren't the only threat to your business. So are several dangerous, even terrifying myths about what ethical leadership is and is not. This fun and distinctive webinar will present what Forbes contributor Bruce Weinstein, The Ethics Guy, calls "zombie ethics"-myths about accounting that hinder your ability to serve your clients and enjoy a thriving business. Taking a page from Nobel laureate Paul Krugman's recent work, zombie ethics are ideas about ethical leadership that deserve to remain buried but keep resurfacing from time to time. They walk the earth and wreak havoc. In this engaging webinar, The Ethics Guy will show you how to send them back to the cemetery for good. You can then fearlessly bring in new business--and watch your practice soar! This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

If you have ever had someone just read you the rules in an ethics class, you know there is a better way. Cases in Corporate Ethics reviews 10 real life cases and puts you in the position of someone in the middle of it all. You'll learn about conflicts that corporate financial professionals often encounter, you'll gain skills for dealing with a boss who is behaving badly and find out where to go for help. Once you have studied ethics using real world cases, you'll never want to do it any other way. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

In a competitive market, every company is looking for anyway to differentiate themselves from their competition. While we often look to new markets and data for a competitive advantage, ethics can be the factor that makes the biggest difference to customers, employees, and the public at large. Using surveys, research, case studies, and examples, this course will explore why the CPA credential and the AICPA Code of Professional Conduct is so different. We will discuss why CPA's are in a unique position of trust and how this can put their companies ahead. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

The practical application of artificial intelligence (AI) in the accounting profession is spreading like wildfire with the release of powerful applications such as ChatGPT. A byproduct of this evolution is the origination of new ethical dilemmas for CPAs on how to address the use of this technology in the delivery of their services. This course, presented by John Higgins, CPA, a nationally recognized technology advisor to the profession, will provide CPAs with a practical framework for addressing the various ethical issues that can arise with the application of AI in their work. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

By now, we should all understand the ethical obligations we have as CPAs.  So, theoretically, if we just all agree to remain ethical, we should not have CPA ethical violations.  But, of course, our professional ethics committees still have plenty of cases to investigate.  This session will examine several ethical frameworks, including the AICPA’s Code of Professional Conduct’s and the GAO Yellow Book’s Threats and Safeguards approach to remaining ethical and resolving ethical dilemmas.  The session will present several ethical case studies that illustrate the complexities of and challenges to staying ethical. By exercising our “ethical muscles”, we should be better positioned to effectively deal with the ethical dilemmas that we will inevitably encounter.

Ethics and professional skepticism are a cornerstone of public accounting. This course will review the Code of Ethics for Professional Accountants that practitioners must adhere to. This course will outline the pressures, opportunities, and rationalizations that lead to instances of fraud. In addition, this class will walk through some interactive examples to illustrate various scenarios of noncompliance during engagements. 

In the past talking about mental issues in the workplace was taboo. Not anymore!!! So many of us suffer with mental health issues at some point in our lives. Poor mental health impacts, from a work perspective, productivity, absenteeism, retention and more. On a personal level it often causes personal distress and hopelessness. The Society of Human Resource Management (SHRM) is addressing mental illness as a critical factor for the wellbeing of organizations. Additionally, the EEOC is cracking down on mental health discrimination. It is a very important topic for any functional business! This ethics-based webinar will bring awareness to this issue and offer suggestions on managing mental health issues in ethical, compassionate and healthy ways. It will offer suggestions on managing mental health issues for leaders, managers and all staff to create and environment of safety and belonging. This webinar will also address the topic of suicide talking about warning signs and resources. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

Ethical behavior continues to be a problem in society and even in the CPA ranks. "Ethics - A Line in the Sand" looks at the behavioral issues that influence how CPA's act. The course will address why individuals make ethical blunders, the state of ethical conduct in business organizations, the relationship between strong cultures, policy and procedures and successful ethical work environments. In addition, the course will highlight the one behavior to watch for as an indicator of potential ethical violations.

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.

CPAs in public practice are required to maintain independence. In this course, we will discuss concepts associated with independence and review the rules from the AICPA Code of Professional Conduct with a focus on their practical application.  We will also review the recently issued ethics interpretations from the Professional Ethics Executive Committee (PEEC), which impact independence, and discuss practical methods of implementation. 

Practitioners need to exercise caution to ensure they maintain independence as they assist their clients with reviews, audits, and compilation engagements. This course provides a roadmap to best practices and guidance provided by the AICPA's Code of Professional Conduct and analyzes and applies it to actual scenario-based case studies, providing accounting professionals with ethical standards to integrate into their practices. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available for questions during the event.

In this course, we will explore the psychological and behavioral factors that contribute to irrational and biased money decision-making. We will examine the role of cognitive biases and emotions in financial decision-making, and discuss strategies for overcoming these biases to make more rational financial choices. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

The Professional Ethics Executive Committee (PEEC) of the AICPA has been very busy issuing new and updating existing ethics rules. This course will provide an overview of recently issued and soon to be effective ethics rules that CPAs in both industry and public accounting need to know to be compliant.

How well do you accept criticism? How might it enrich your business - and you - if you did a better job of it? This distinctive webinar will show you why it is in your best interest to accept criticism with gratitude. It's even better to welcome criticism. It's also a good idea to learn how to give criticism the right way. A related topic is the art of giving and receiving apologies, and we'll do a deep dive into this area as well. You'll leave with clear guidelines for how to criticize others, accept criticism from them, give meaningful apologies, and accept apologies with grace and ethical intelligence. The result will be a stronger CPA practice and a better you. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

SAS 145, Understanding the Entity and Its Environment and Assessing the Risks of Material Misstatement, was issued in October 2021. The audit standard amends AU-C 315, including many changes to address common audit deficiencies. This course will provide an overview of SAS 145 and its changes to AU-C 315. Attendees will have an opportunity to evaluate the impact on audit methodology and documentation.

This course explores actual fraud circumstances through the lens of potential prevention. We will examine how selected frauds were accomplished and consider what internal controls may have prevented fraudsters from achieving their nefarious acts. Then we will switch gears to an interactive, case-based discussion that asks participants to reach their own conclusions by analyzing facts in concert with the AICPA Code of Professional Conduct and other sources of ethical guidance. This course provides practical, action-oriented insight that can be implemented by accounting professionals in both public practice and industry.

This course focuses on how to integrate independence and avoid conflicts of interest in situations accounting professionals face daily. Participants will be able to know not just what is the right thing to do according to the AICPA Code of Professional Conduct, but how to put values into action. As part of this course, we also walk through real-world examples of individuals and companies faced with these dilemmas. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

Ethics is ultimately about our relationship to ourself, others, and the world in which we live. Therefore, to enhance our relationships with those around us, we must first start with the regard we hold for ourselves. From an ethical vantage, it can be said that we have a moral obligation to work toward self-love, honor, and respect. Matters of self-esteem are important in every aspect of life including goal setting, relationships, establishing boundaries, handling conflict, levels of productivity, and expressing our needs in respectful and dignified ways. This course explores traps of low self-esteem and ways to minimize those traps. We also explore components of high self-esteem and actions to foster higher regard for self. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.