Professional Development and Event Catalog

This course examines 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' ability to accomplish their nefarious acts. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

More Dates

Leadership is not one-size-fits-all. Effective leaders understand that different situations, team dynamics, and organizational cultures require different approaches. This course introduces ten distinct leadership styles and examines how each can influence team performance and organizational success. Participants will explore the characteristics, strengths, and potential limitations of each leadership style. The course encourages self-reflection to help leaders recognize their own tendencies while identifying opportunities to adapt their approach when circumstances require it. Emphasis is placed on practical strategies for engaging teams, strengthening communication, and building leadership capacity across the organization. Designed for current and emerging leaders, this course provides tools to better align leadership approach with team needs and organizational objectives.  

More Dates

Information becomes influential when it is structured. In this 1-CPE session (Professional Development), participants explore narrative frameworks presented in the course materials, including situation-complication-resolution and hero-based narrative arcs. Using business-oriented examples, the session demonstrates how structured storytelling enhances clarity and impact without sacrificing rigor. Participants will examine how to define context, introduce tension, present evidence, and guide audiences toward resolution. The emphasis is on logical flow and disciplined narrative construction rather than dramatization. The course concludes with application of a structured storytelling model to a professional scenario. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

More Dates

Why not learn, or re-learn, some amazing business lessons from the past that are still effective today? What did Henry Ford do when annual employee turnover was 370% and workers demanded more pay? Sound familiar to today’s world? Ford’s solution worked! We see today’s problems and believe that these problems have never occurred before. Not true. We will discuss timeless business lessons that are as practical today as when they were written decades ago. We will review; ‘How to Win Friends and Influence People,’ ‘Today and Tomorrow,’ and ‘The Art of War.’ Let's learn from the very best, as these lessons have been battle-tested and proven over time.

More Dates

Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, telework in state and local government was not often embraced as a form of employment. As the pandemic continues, governments are beginning to experience the benefits of remote work and are reevaluating hiring practices to offer more telework and hybrid work options, not simply as a result of an emergency. This course will review various telework options and best practices for success. 

More Dates

Loans, rental agreements, business combinations - what do these all have in common? They all have the potential of creating a related party transaction. This program presents a detailed analysis of the financial accounting rules for transactions with related parties, as well as compares and contrasts those rules with the AICPA financial reporting framework for small and medium-sized entities. This course does not qualify for IRS credit.

More Dates

Creativity is one of the top ten most desirable traits, but should everyone, including accountants, be creative? Are there exceptions? What are the positives and the negatives of creativity? Creativity can be used for good, but creativity can also lead to seriously unethical behaviors. There is a strong relationship between creativity and dishonesty. We will review the negative consequences of creativity and discuss how to properly utilize resourcefulness and imagination. The title is not rhetorical - creativity can easily be great or disreputable. Learn how to make it work for you and be ethical.

The most pressing tax matters affecting individuals, estates, and trusts With so many tax developments that come up during the year, it's hard to stay on top of every salient issue. In this all-new course, you'll review a tailored list of updates highlighting the most pertinent issues affecting individuals, estates, and trusts from the past year, including relevant regulatory updates related to H.R. 1, commonly referred to as OBBBA. Matters that specifically affect tax practitioners (such as changes in the tax regulatory environment) are also covered. Topics include: Inflation adjustments U.S. Tax Court cases Regulatory and sub-regulatory guidance Insights to study before, during, and after tax season Materials inform you of the latest legal and regulatory tax matters affecting individuals, estates, and trusts, helping you effectively complete tax planning and compliance engagements. Course materials point out tax planning opportunities and provide practice tips to help you serve clients with confidence.

More Dates

Unlock the full potential of Excel and transform your operational and financial reports like never before. With cutting-edge tools such as Data Models, Power Query, Data Analysis Expressions, and Power Pivot, you can create powerful summaries and schedules in record time. Combine these with Excel's legacy features, and you have a game-changing opportunity to elevate your reporting environment. Join our fast-paced seminar to discover the magic of Power Query and how it seamlessly links data into Excel data models, enabling more efficient and insightful reporting. Learn to incorporate Key Performance Indicators, Slicers, and Timelines into your reports to enhance data analytics and understandability. Plus, master best practices for quickly and efficiently formatting your spreadsheets, giving them a polished and professional appearance. This course is a must for anyone using Excel for reporting processes. Elevate your skills and stay ahead of the curve with our expert guidance. You will truly learn how you can revolutionize your Excel-based reporting practices by participating in this session.

More Dates

Discover the power of QuickBooks Online (QBO)! Intuit's cloud-based accounting platform has evolved and thrived over the past decade, now generating approximately five times the revenue of its desktop counterpart. Yet, many accountants and business professionals are still unaware of the extensive features QBO offers. Unlock the advantages of the subscription model and learn how to leverage QBO to manage inventory, enhance internal controls, create presentation-quality financial statements, and seamlessly migrate from QuickBooks Desktop or other accounting platforms. Join our dynamic session to explore the best practices for implementing, using, and excelling with QuickBooks Online.  Don't miss out on the opportunity to elevate your accounting game with this surprisingly robust platform!

More Dates

Accountants are expected to demonstrate a questioning mindset. While such professional skepticism is an obvious requirement for assurance engagements, it is applicable elsewhere in the practice of public accounting. In fact, a skeptical mindset offers benefits to both public accountants and those who work in industry. This course provides specific examples of professional skepticism while suggesting best practices.

More Dates

Your client database is more than a record of past engagements-it's a goldmine of untapped opportunity. In this practical and forward-thinking session, accounting professionals will learn how to strategically analyze and segment their existing client data to uncover new service opportunities, deepen relationships, and drive sustainable revenue growth. From identifying cross-selling potential to leveraging automation tools for proactive outreach, this webinar will equip firm leaders and client managers with actionable strategies to turn dormant data into dynamic business development. Whether you're a solo practitioner or part of a larger firm, you'll walk away with a roadmap for transforming your client list into a revenue-generating engine. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

More Dates

Literally thousands of individual taxpayers may have increased deductions or exclusions from gross income as a result of the Disaster Relief Act of 2023 and OBBBA of 2025. Casualty provisions are retroactive to December 19, 2019 through late 2025. Both low and high-income taxpayers may benefit from RETROACTIVE AND CURRENT deductions. There are also exclusions of payments received as compensation for wildfire damages — retroactive to 2014! This course will review these provisions which can bring substantial tax savings to clients.   *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  

More Dates

Whether you have held a management position for several years, or are just transitioning to a role which requires you to manage other individuals, you will find that becoming and remaining a good manager is often an art rather than just a technical skill! This segment flows nicely with the segment on Managing Traits and Skills.  This segment will focus on the dynamics of managing in a world full of several generations in the workforce as well as cultures. 

More Dates

This session provides insights for enhancing the preparation and utilization of budgets. Seasoned accountants will benefit from a refreshed awareness of popular techniques.  Budding financial professionals will obtain novel insight regarding fundamental budgeting concepts. All participants will develop an appreciation for the holistic nature of budgeting as an integral tool for planning and control. 

More Dates

The new Global Internal Audit Standards were released on January 9, 2024, and will become effective January 9, 2025. The previous version, the International Standards for the Professional Practice of Internal Auditing, released in 2017, remains approved for use during a one-year transition period. The Global Internal Audit Standards guide the worldwide professional practice of internal audit. They serve as a basis for evaluating and elevating the quality of the internal audit function. The Standards use 15 guiding principles with five separate domains that enable effective internal audit implementation and examples of evidence of conformance. The Global Standards are organized into five domains. Domain I: Purpose of Internal Auditing Domain II: Ethics and Professionalism Domain III: Governing the Internal Audit Function Domain IV: Managing the Internal Audit Function Domain V: Performing Internal Audit Service

More Dates

This program presents a detailed analysis of the self-rental passive activity rules, including forms reporting examples and integrates them with the flow-through entity rules related to self-rental.   *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  

More Dates

The budget and the forecast are two common tools used by controllers and CFOs across almost every industry. However, are we really getting the most out of these tools? Or are we merely replicating whatever was done last year? In this course, we will use examples and illustrations to demonstrate various budgeting and forecasting techniques. We will discuss traditional approaches, as well as newer approaches such as flexible budgeting, in an effort to show how companies can gain more value. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

More Dates

As organizations face accelerating change—AI adoption, cyber threats, regulatory expansion,ESG scrutiny, geopolitical instability—the role of internal audit is evolving rapidly. The future of internal audit is not about doing more audits. It’s about delivering forward-looking insight, strategic alignment, and intelligent risk coverage. Organizations, their environments and ways of working have evolved rapidly and in ways that had not been previously envision. IA must look within to determine how to stay relevant and add value in this changing and emerging environment.    

More Dates

Navigating the complexities of business transactions requires a deep understanding of tax and estate planning strategies. In this comprehensive course tailored for financial professionals, participants will explore the intricacies of creative approaches to buying, selling, or gifting a business. Through real-world scenarios and practical insights, attendees will gain invaluable expertise in identifying tax risks, minimizing liabilities, and safeguarding assets. From evaluating valuation methods to exploring the details of stock versus asset purchases, this course equips you with the essential tools to provide informed counsel to clients. Discover the potential for strategic success as you master topics including estate transfer and tax implications, gifting strategies, and the utilization of various trusts and partnerships. Whether you're a CPA, EA, attorney, or financial planner, this course offers indispensable knowledge to elevate your practice. With a recommended 8 credit hours of Continuing Professional Education (CPE), this intermediate-level course is designed for professionals with a foundational understanding of business tax and estate planning. Join us and immerse yourself in a journey towards mastery in the vibrant landscape of business transactions. **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.

More Dates