Professional Development and Event Catalog

Fraud continues to plague businesses at epidemic levels, and technology control failures are a significant reason fraud occurs. Using a case study approach, in this session, you will learn about the pervasiveness of fraud, the control failures that contribute to fraud, and what you can do to mitigate fraud risk. A specific focus of this course is the application of information technology general controls and information technology application controls. In this course, you will examine numerous reported fraud cases and identify the general control and application control failures that contributed to each of these frauds. By learning through these real-world case studies, you will be positioned better to reduce fraud risk.  

The Paperless Office is not a myth! With today’s technology, you have many fantastic options for “going paperless,” In this session, you will learn how to leverage these technologies for better document management and storage practices.

This session explores the importance of internal controls with an emphasis on best practices for small- and medium-sized entities.  We will examine the roles of both preventive and detective controls and practical, cost-effective suggestions for implementing effective internal controls will be addressed.

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.

This program will examine the key provisions of the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 that was enacted to not only curb inflation, but reduce the deficit, promote clean energy solutions, and much more.  Learn how this new legislation can provide tax savings for both your individual and business 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 kori.herrera@acpen.com.

Recall lessons learned and practical implementation challenges and complexities with the FASB's Accounting Standard Update for Leases (ASC Topic 842). Identify key differences between ASC Topic 842 and ASC Topic 840, Practical Expedients, remeasurement-triggering events. Session will go beyond the basics and will apply to specific examples. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

A challenge for many small business owners is choosing the `right' type of retirement plan for their businesses. Many hesitate to make a choice because they are intimidated by the governing rules. In those cases, an IRA-based retirement plan is an easy, effective, and efficient way to start a retirement plan. These IRA-based plans - SEP IRAs and SIMPLE IRAs - have low maintenance costs and are easy to communicate to employees. In some cases, employer contributions are discretionary, providing the business owners with the choice of whether to fund every year.

Unlike technologies we use every day, many currently emerging technologies can change how we work in the future. This session covers an assortment of technologies nearing mainstream adoption and helps you understand what they do, how they work, and some of the potential risks and rewards they offer. Attend this course, and learn the basics of blockchain, cryptocurrencies, big data, artificial intelligence, and machine learn.

Yellow Book and Single Audit engagements are considered must select engagements for Peer Review. This course will cover the Yellow Book independence requirements which are required any time an auditor is performing a Yellow Book or Single Audit even when the engagement is for a for-profit entity.  We'll take a look at the major changes in the 2024 Compliance Supplement as well as the changes to the Uniform Guidance. We'll close with major deficiencies identified by the federal agencies and peer reviewers. 

If you use Outlook to process your email, you are likely spending a substantial part of your day processing incoming email messages. This course is designed to show you a multitude of tips and tricks to reduce time spent processing emails. We will cover every feature available in Outlook to streamline and automate your email processing. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

Auditing Revenue Recognition - Grasping the Higher Risks and Special Audit Considerations will provide tips and techniques for obtaining sufficient and appropriate audit evidence to support conclusions related to accounting for revenues obtained from contracts with customers. Revenue recognition is presumed to be a significant risk for financial statement auditing purposes due to the increased risk of both fraud and error. Note: This course is recommended as a part of a 16-hour audit skills curriculum for supervisory or managerial auditors, while it is also appropriate for anyone who has responsibilities in auditing revenues. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

With capacity challenges on the mind of many tax and accounting leaders, finding ways for their teams to work more efficiently is crucial. They need their teams to not be busy, but deliver value, and continue to develop their skills and knowledge. Project Management techniques help uncover inefficiencies and gaps in current processes, as well as, manage the planning and forecasting needed to drive necessary changes for future success. In this session, learn when to incorporate project management best practices that can help you get the best out of your team.

Probably one of the greatest conflicts in an organization is determining which is more important: compliance or customer service. This program digs deeply into the issue and prepares the finance professional to achieve high levels of compliance and customer service in the department and in the entire organization. We will examine both disciplines from an analytical standpoint, proving why they are necessary for both for-profit and nonprofit businesses to achieve success.

Nonprofits face unique accounting challenges. This course will introduce attendees to the financial statements and unique accounting principles applicable to not-for-profit organizations. Specifically, we will focus on the typical transactions and account balances unique to NFPs, including net assets, agency transactions, contributions, endowments, and programmatic investments.

Staying current on significant changes in Government Audit Standards can be difficult. This course covers the most important issues and changes relevant to Yellow Book financial statement audits. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

Small businesses have better options now than ever before in the market of accounting solutions. Participate in this session to learn more about these options and which might be best for you or your clients.

Every business has risks, but some myths seem to damage or kill more enterprises than others do. This session will review ten of the most problematic myths that may doom a business and discuss action steps to prevent these myths from holding your business back. This session discusses the common myths, mistakes, risks, and hidden landmines inherent in every business. We will learn from the mistakes of others who often paid a steep price so that we may learn valuable lessons. If you are a leader who wants your business to become even more successful, this session is for you.

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.

Welcome to a course that makes the process of M&A easy to understand and easy to implement within your organization or your clients' organization. The course will provide an intensive overview of the M&A process. Focus will be on practical techniques to guide you through the M&A jungle and avoid the traps that have befallen many organizations.

This program will address the important provisions, rules and concepts related to business tax returns.  **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.