Professional Development and Event Catalog

This is a 2 hour webcast that will focus on the similarities between all three of these GASB accounting standards that deal with contractual arrangements such as leases, Subscription-Based Information Technology Arrangements (SBITA) and P3s.  Compare and contrast these standards as you prepare for implementation this year of GASB 94 and GASB 96, and review the implementation efforts of Leases in Year 2. 

How do you keep your team connected with the limitations of virtual meetings? Suddenly, it’s more important than ever for each member to understand and appreciate their differences; to see beyond the screen and see each other’s human-side to maintain trust. In this session, Tina Hallis, Ph.D., will explore the neuroscience of trust and why it’s critical for optimum teamwork. But more importantly, you will leave with specific strategies and tools that you can choose from to use with your people. 

Over the last few years, mental health has become more of a mainstream issue. In fact, statistics indicate that approximately one in four adults experience a mental health condition.  Therefore, it is more important now than ever for organizations to make mental health and wellness a priority, given all the rapid changes leading to higher levels of stress and uncertainty in the post-COVID workplace.  The goal of this course is to outline the signs of mental health challenges in the workplace, such as changes in behavior, mood, or performance, while providing practical strategies for HR Professionals and Business Leaders to build and implement accommodations for a mentally healthy work environment.

Over 80% of all employment-related lawsuits relate to termination.  Every termination should be treated as a potential lawsuit.  The facts supporting a leader's recommendation of discharge must be fully investigated. The discharge of an employee  requires prior review and approval.  Narrow self-interest, spite, or personal animosity must not play a part in making termination decisions.  This course provides practical knowledge and scripts for handling discharges with good judgment such that personal and employer liability is avoided.

A harmonious working environment is one in which people feel safe, seen, heard, and respected.  Critical to maintaining it are that employees have high self-esteem, are treated with respect, and work in a safe, non-violent setting.  This course provides practical knowledge and scripts on how to take appropriate action and deal effectively with discriminatory comments, sexual harassment, and threats and acts of violence,such that personal and employer liability is avoided.

Leaders have the right to exercise customary management functions.  Employees have the right to be kept free from discrimination.  Neither employer rights nor employee rights are absolute.  The courts are equally protective of the rights of employees and employers.  A courtroom is the wrong place for anyone to find this out.  This course provides practical knowledge on how to effectively balancing these two sets of rights, such that employees and leaders stay out of court. Employers avoid lawsuits, rather than win lawsuits.

Unlike a traditional financial audit objective (Are the financial statements materially misstated), performance auditing can address a wide variety of objectives.  Is this program working? Can it be improved? Where can we save money? How can we operate more efficiently and effectively? Are management’s assertions supported? And so forth.  This session will explain what a performance audit is, describe the applicable standards, and provide examples that indicate the value of a performance audit.  Performance audits can add value to any entity and practitioners can profit from adding these assurance services to their practices.

Do you often hear people complaining about coworkers or other departments? Do you have talented people with the right skills who struggle to collaborate and cooperate as a team? You’re not alone. This can be a common situation when people’s values, beliefs and their approach to solving problems differ. The key is to help everyone understand that our differences aren't bad – they’re interesting and extremely valuable.  In this course, Tina guides you through tools and activities you can use to help your people (and yourself) broaden their perspective so they can more easily cooperate, collaborate, and communicate with the people around them. This program explores ways to help them connect, from personality assessments to team building activities. When coworkers or team-members understand each other better, it's easier to appreciate their differences.  

Governmental Accounting 101, is a 2 hour webcast that takes the participant of a whirlwind tour of governmental accounting basics, focusing on wetting the participant’s appetite for more.  This session will be the first of a series of webcasts, with each subsequent webcast delving deeper and deeper into the governmental accounting basics. 

Although organizations are trying to create and manage diverse and inclusive workplaces, many are not aware of some of the best practices and simple strategies they can incorporate to promote such an environment. We are currently living in unprecedented times. Division, bias, and exclusion, based on factors associated with social injustice and a general lack of appreciation for diversity, seems to have become our current societal norm. With the high stress and anxiety created by these current trends in society, it is even more important for organizations to provide a safe space for their employees where there is a genuine sense of belonging and fair access to opportunity. The goal of this course is to outline the relationship between diversity and inclusion, while providing very practical strategies for HR Professionals in their role to promote a culture of diversity and inclusion in the workplace.  

The tools for managing performance and addressing misconduct are not identical. The failure to point this out to leaders has often resulted in the use of the wrong tool. Reinforcing good performance and securing improvements in performance requires skill in coaching employees, making effective requests, and providing effective feedback   This course provides practical knowledge and scripts for setting, communicating, and enforcing performance expectations, such that personal and employer liability is avoided.

Do you ever get tired of other people's complaining and negativity? How can you stay calm, upbeat, and motivated despite other people’s grumpiness, rudeness, or pessimism? This program is all about helping you be your best. Even though you may not be able to change your colleagues, customers, or even your boss, you can reduce your stress and frustration by changing how you respond. Staying positive and calm is easier when you learn how to build your immunity. This course teaches you Tina’s proprietary five-step “Immunity to Negativity Formula™”. You’ll learn simple techniques for staying calm and choosing to respond as your best self. This is a key skill you can build for yourself so you can enjoy less stress and frustration. You can even teach others so they can improve customer service, teamwork, and relationships within your company.   

When you're working with clients, it's not always smooth sailing (though we wish it was). Often we need to have difficult conversations. Whether it's to overcome objections, negotiate a new contract, or manage a conflict, these conversations can be navigated successfully with the right tools. This workshop gives you those tools and an understanding how how the human mind works when it comes to processing communication in difficult situations.

According to the FBI, “white-collar crime is … synonymous with the full range of frauds committed by business and government professionals … characterized by deceit, concealment, or violation of trust …. The motivation behind these crimes is financial—to obtain or avoid losing money, property, or services or to secure a personal or business advantage.”  CPAs can and should play a crucial role in preventing and detecting white-collar crime, as well as in prosecuting the perpetrators.  This session will explore whether we are up to this challenge, heighten awareness regarding the CPA’s role as a front-line defender of the public interest, and assess whether we are deserving of the public trust we enjoy.

Audit Risk Assessment in Plain English, is a 2 hour webcast highlighting the AICPA’s clarified risk assessment standards, along with a new Statement on Auditing Standard (SAS 145) related to understanding the entity, the entity’s environment, the entity’s internal controls, and assessing the risks of material misstatement.  This session will attempt to simplify the requirements using common sense examples and language.

This course provides an in-depth exploration of Form 1120S, the tax return form used by S corporations. Students will learn the intricacies of preparing and analyzing this form, including how to determine the taxable income of the S corporation, how to properly report and allocate income, deductions, and credits, and how to calculate the shareholder's basis in the S corporation. **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.

“How will I EVER get this all done?"  It’s a question I often hear from clients and on a particularly stressful day, I can hear myself saying these words!  Instead of helping us focus, it's a question that leads to stress, anxiety and overwhelm! Regardless of where we are in business and in life, we will run into challenges and problems as we navigate business growth, leadership, work life balance and our quest for success and happiness. This workshop will explore the 7 HIGH QUALITY questions that lead to relief, enthusiasm and success.  It will be an interactive exploration that will leave you with a game plan to use right away, as well as an opportunity to practice the mindset that the most successful and happiest people use daily.    This program is for both the entrepreneur who wants to be more effective in their day as well as team leaders who want to stand out in their organization.  For the business owner or staff member you can expect a new way to work with your day so that it's profitable, productive and happier.  For leaders, you will learn new up- leveled skills to increase your efficiency, communication and productivity.  You and your team will shine.  Your staff will feel appreciated and connected to their value as well as the company's goals. Albert Einstein said 'we can't solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them'.  The quality of your question will impact the quality of your solution.  Learn the 7 questions that take you from confused and frustrated to creative and focused. 

Most of the models of work that we use today were not built for the pace of change and the dynamism of work today. In this course, you will learn how so many models we use at work are fundamentally broken and no longer useful. Models that rely on people staying a long time in a firm are no longer helpful in a reality where employees are staying for increasingly shorter periods with their employers. This course will reveal how so much of the architecture of work was not built with short tenure in mind: career paths, compensation, and retention objectives.

How well do you understand your organization’s cash flow? Good cash management techniques can provide a competitive advantage! This session shows you how to effectively measure and manage your cash conversion cycle. With a more complete understanding of how cash flows through your organization, you can eliminate impediments. Better cash management lowers your borrowing costs, reduces financing needs, and creates financial flexibility in your organization.

Many finance departments spend considerable time managing cash, particularly if the organization is highly leveraged or cash rich.  Many opportunities exist to reduce your financing costs or increase short-term cash returns if you manage cash effectively.  This session will cover a wide variety of day-to-day cash management tools.