Professional Development and Event Catalog

This highly informative course comprehensively covers all the latest tax law developments. The focus is on individual taxation and discussion of the planning opportunities practitioners need to understand to help clients respond effectively. You will come away from the course with the up-to-date knowledge to educate your individual tax clients and implement tax-saving ideas that will serve their ever-evolving needs. This course is continually updated to reflect enacted legislation. Please Note: Due to content overlap, it is recommended that this course NOT be taken together with BFTU.

This course includes an analysis of all of the relevant authoritative pronouncements that a CPA must have an understanding of in order to properly perform preparation, compilation and review engagements. Troublesome areas as identified in peer reviews and litigation will be addressed. This course is loaded with practical aids to enable CPAs to comply with the standards! Participants who take this course will enjoy a smooth sailing in their peer reviews...guaranteed! This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

Penalty abatement is a technique that tax practitioners can utilize to help their clients reduce penalties and interest they owe to the IRS if the taxpayer can prove "reasonable cause". This informative and insightful webinar will provide you with some insider tips, practical steps and effective strategies to help your client manage IRS tax penalties and interest. Learn about various types of penalties that you may face, and the various forms and procedures used for requesting penalty and interest abatement, including First Time and Reasonable Cause abatement. Plus, learn about the procedure to follow when requesting refund of paid penalties. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

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.

There is always too much to do and too little time to do it all.  Fortunately, if you know the right ways to manage people, projects and your time, you can get on top of everything by working smarter.  In this seminar you'll learn the best ways to get more done in less time, how to stay sane with all you have to do, and how to get other people to do some of "your" work by building great relationships.

The Accountant role is evolving from data aggregation to knowledge extraction, with a significant emphasis on understanding and leveraging technological advancements. In this era of rapid digital transformation, it is crucial for accountants to grasp the shift towards more analytical roles, learn the tools, and integrate Business Intelligence (BI) and Data Analytics (DA) in their organization and daily practices. This course will focus on raising the accountant's awareness of BI and DA practices, the impact of AI technologies like ChatGPT, and how these can benefit their organization. By embracing these technologies, accountants can enhance their value proposition by transitioning from traditional accounting roles to becoming strategic advisors and decision-makers.

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.

Have you ever wanted to reduce the number of financial statement review points you receive? Are you curious about a reviewer’s thought process? This hands-on session will answer these questions by helping you understand the role of an engagement quality control reviewer. Not only will you develop an appreciation for the role of an engagement quality control reviewer, but this interactive session will allow you to step into the reviewer’s shoes by performing a quality control review during the class session. You will leave with an understanding of best practices for minimizing your exposure to critique by reviewers.

This program addresses the critical issues and special opportunities facing S-corporations, with a focus on reporting shareholder basis and distributions. **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.

Looking for an idea that will help recruit and retain employees, engage customers, and invite investors? Sustainability is the solution! Sustainability is no longer just a "nice thing to do," it is both a business and moral imperative. Incorporating sustainable strategies into your day-to-day operations creates a competitive advantage, enhances your brand, and benefits the bottom line. On the business side, according to Harvard University, companies with strong sustainability initiatives have 4 times the sales growth, 8 times the employee engagement, and a 47% greater increase in stock value than their non-sustainable competitors. On the moral side, your customers and employees will no longer support an organization that does not address environmental and social issues. This session will explain the 6 benefits of sustainability and 6 steps to building a sustainable business. Learn how to make sustainability a competitive advantage to attract and retain loyal customers and high-performing employees. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

This course explores the latest tax provisions impacting non-profit entities, including charities, hospitals, and universities, with a focus on common issues CPAs may face when completing their clients Form 990. **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.  

Seismic changes in tax legislation is currently taking place, and the well-informed tax practitioner will want to attend this two hour monthly program in order to stay abreast of these developments! Approximately one-half of the program is devoted to individual tax issues, and the remaining time is spend on business entity taxation, IRS procedure, tax legislation and other issues. Due to the changing nature of the topic, learning objectives, course descriptions and program content will vary and will be provided in more specificity closer to presentation time. This course provides a concise look at the hottest topics affecting every tax practitioner. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

A chain is only as strong as its weakest link.  The same theory applies to departmental performance—the overall result is only as strong as its weakest contributor.  Leave our interactive and entertaining session with insight for developing and sustaining the best team you can possibly assemble.  The four elements in this process are (1) development, (2) leadership, (3) hiring and (4) environment.  Discuss how to effectively use these elements in your creation of an outstanding organization. Discover the power of the 10 Attributes for Leadership Success and the negative impact of Leadership’s Fatal 13. Above all, learn how to combine these four elements as a successful catalyst for sustained high-quality output and results.  

This intensive 4-hour course offers a deep dive into data modeling in Power BI, with a focus on Microsoft Excel's Power Pivot but applicable to Power BI Desktop. Designed for professionals looking to enhance their data analysis skills, the course covers the essential aspects of building robust, efficient data models. Participants will learn how to integrate different data sources, create meaningful relationships, and develop insightful metrics to drive business decisions. Participants will explore various aspects of data modeling such as establishing relationships, creating calculated columns, and understanding the intricacies of basic DAX (Data Analysis Expressions) measures. These skills are vital for anyone looking to extract meaningful insights from large and complex datasets. Attendees will be introduced to advanced concepts such as the strategic use of calculated columns versus measures, and the differentiation between explicit and implicit measures. This knowledge is crucial for developing sophisticated data models that not only provide accurate results but are also efficient in terms of performance. The course will also cover the creation and use of hierarchies and Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), essential for any robust data analysis framework. To ensure that the learning is well-rounded and applicable, the course includes practical exercises in using pivot tables within Power BI. This helps in validating and enhancing the measures and models created, ensuring they are robust and reliable for real-world application. "Build a Data Model for Analysis in Power BI" is an essential course for professionals aiming to leverage the full potential of Power BI 's data model. Whether you're looking to streamline your data analysis process, enhance your reporting capabilities, or drive insightful business decisions, this course will equip you with the necessary skills and knowledge. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

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.

In today's workplace, employees are faced almost daily with customers or teammates that may have needs or concerns that we are forced to handle. Though many of these situations are easily dealt with through simple communication skills, others may become heated and, in some instances, violent. Today we will discuss healthy ways to de-escalate a wide variety of potential issues.

The HR role is full of communicative opportunities to multiple audiences. From communicating with partners, management, and stakeholders in the business, to onboarding new talent, to training existing employees and beyond. In fast-paced business environments, it's often overwhelming to keep up with the changes and making sure all of your communication and training is up-to-date and accurate. That's where AI and synthetic media can intervene. By leveraging these tools and technologies, HR professionals are able to change the way they communicate and create new content. This session will uncover ways to make this happen, providing attendees with knowledge of new tools and strategies to use these technologies.

Numbers and especially the digits within those numbers can conceal a lot of information.  Benford's Law and other digital analysis techniques can be the keys to unlocking that information.  This session will explain what Benford's Law is, how it works, and how it can be used to reveal bogus information and made-up data.  Accountants and auditors should understand how to use this valuable audit tool as well as other digital analysis techniques.  But, if you attend this session, you must promise not to reveal the secret behind these techniques to any fraud perpetrators.

Good people believe everyone else is just like them. They cannot imagine someone could con them or their company and have no guilt or remorse about what they have done. Lack of guilt and empathy are key traits of a psychopath. Most of us envision psychopaths to be cold-blooded serial killers who are locked away in prison. However, experts estimate that 4% of corporate executives are psychopaths who may initially appear to be more normal than the rest of us. Psychopaths may present a convincing picture of virtue while helping themselves to money, status and sex while leaving a path of shattered expectations, empty wallets, and broken hearts in their wake. Learn how to recognize and deal with others who have no conscience. 

What can you do to enhance your commitment to the highest ethical standards of the profession? How will doing so bring you more business? In this unique and engaging ethics course, the instructor, Dr. Bruce Weinstein, The Ethics Guy (R), reveals ten crucial qualities of CPAs. They are: 1. Honesty 2. Accountability 3. Care 4. Courage 5. Fairness 6. Gratitude 7. Humility 8. Loyalty 9. Patience 10. Presence (focus or mindfulness) You're already a good CPA and a good person. This course will show you how to be even better. The result will be greater satisfaction in your professional relationships, a deeper commitment to the profession of accounting, and much more business. Please note that this is a stand-alone course for 2 CPE credits in Behavioral Ethics, but you'll maximize your ROI by also taking "Ethics: How to Build and Keep Your A-Team". Together these courses are two of the surest pathways to sustained success in accounting. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.