Professional Development and Event Catalog

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.  

Our session will include a discussion regarding indirect rate strategies for cost recovery.  We will cover negotiating indirect rates with pass-through entities and alternative indirect cost recovery methods. A look at applying the PPP Loan Forgiveness credit.  Understanding the definition of sub-awards and the MTDC allocation base, and where best  to allocate bonus expense.  Included in this session will be a selected review of the Uniform Guidance FAQs regarding indirect rates for States and Municipalities, as well as recently issued FAQs that impact indirect rates and cost recovery.  

This course is a continuation of our series on preparing to become a forensic accountant. Within this segment we focus on elements of computer forensics. This session is designed to delve into further investigative procedures used in computer forensics.  

This course is a complement to our series on Becoming a Forensic Accountant and the focus of the course is on steganography techniques. Steganography is the art and science of embedding secret messages in a cover message in such a way that no one, apart from the sender and intended recipient, suspects the existence of the message. The first use of steganography can be traced to 440 BC when ancient Greece, people wrote messages on wood and covered it with wax, that acted as a covering medium Romans used forms of Invisible Inks, to decipher those hidden messages light or heat were used. During World War II the Germans introduced microdots, which were complete documents, pictures, and plans reduced in size to the size of a dot and were attached to normal paperwork. Null Ciphers were also used to hide unencrypted secret messages in an innocent looking message. Given the amount of data being generated and transmitted electronically, it’s no surprise that numerous methods of protecting that data have evolved. There are various types of steganography: Text Steganography - Hiding information inside the text files. This involves changing format of existing text, changing words in a text, generating random character sequences or using context-free grammars to generate readable texts. Image Steganography - Process of hiding text in an image without distorting the picture. Video Steganography - Technique to hide any kind of files into a cover video file. Audio Steganography - The secret message is embedded into an audio signal which alters the binary sequence of the corresponding audio file. Network Steganography - The process of utilizing active network protocols as carriers to transmit a covert message, undetectable by an uninformed party, from a host to its destination. This session will review these methods and also discuss relevant software.  

The budgeting process can be a time consuming and frustrating process for accountants.  The constraints and pressures can lead to poor decisions in both the technical and human components.  This session will cover: Understanding and Preventing Budget Calamities •    Most of us lead or participate in the budget process at least annually.  Inherent flaws exist in the standard budget building process that you can solved by recognizing them and committing to solutions.  

With new accounting standards, the economic landscape and evolving technology, accounting, financial reporting and finance continue to grow in complexity. FASB has tried to address the growing complexity, by working towards making GAAP less convoluted.  The struggle to stay on top of accounting financial reporting requirements and finance changes due to the economy continues for several reasons. Lack of in-house SMEs, managing high volumes of transactions, and data and evolving information technology systems. In the future, executives must consider the challenges they will face in future years that will bring their own nuances and complexities. Budgeting is certainly one of those processes that must be evaluated and re-evaluated for efficiency. This session delves into the corporate budgeting process and discusses methods used and which methods may or may not allow for the organization’s to properly plan for a volatile future.

Navigating the complexities of estate and trust administration is a vital skill for professionals, who play an integral role in the administration team. This comprehensive course is designed to equip professionals with a thorough understanding of their responsibilities and the processes involved in estate administration, enhancing their ability to address estate settlement issues effectively. Participants will be provided with a detailed overview of the professional’s role in estate and trust administration, emphasizing practical insights and strategies for managing assets, addressing the legitimacy of debts and creditors, and ensuring the proper distribution of assets. **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 to stay ahead in tax matters? Join our 2025 Individual Tax Update course for an essential deep dive into Form 1040 essentials. Designed for tax pros eager to sharpen their skills, this course unpacks recent tax code changes and equips you with the know-how to navigate them effortlessly. From mastering IRS Form 1040 to leveraging new tax benefits, you'll emerge ready to optimize returns for your clients while staying compliant with the latest regulations. Don't miss out on this opportunity to boost your expertise and ensure financial success for both you and your 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.

In this comprehensive course, practitioners gain a deep understanding of strategic planning considerations and potential hurdles encountered when clients face difficult circumstances. Delving into an array of scenarios often classified as "challenging," the course offers tax insights. From divorce and personal bankruptcy to intricate personal relationship matters, participants will equip themselves to adeptly guide clients through these challenging scenarios by understanding the tax implications.

You are likely familiar and/or have experience with IRS levies and wage garnishments. BUT - Did you know that there's a lot of technicalities and procedural requirements that go into issuing an IRS levy or wage garnishment that you can exploit as a practitioner? This program will focus on the basics of an IRS levy or wage garnishment along with breaking down common errors that IRS employees tend to make in the issuance of a levy and remedies that can be used to obtain relief from a levy or wage garnishment. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

The budgeting process can be a time consuming and frustrating process for accountants.  The constraints and pressures can lead to poor decisions in both the technical and human components.  This session will cover: Understanding and Preventing Budget Calamities •    Most of us lead or participate in the budget process at least annually.  Inherent flaws exist in the standard budget building process that you can solved by recognizing them and committing to solutions.  

The first session in the series covers one of the most significant enhancements rolled out with Excel 2007, Tables. Tables are used to store data and can absolutely revolutionize our workbooks because they solve one of the biggest pitfalls Excel users have faced for over 20 years. The webcast also covers named references, which will be used throughout the series. In addition, the five most important shortcuts are explored, so that you can improve your personal productivity. The webcast is designed with time for you to work along. This hands-on workshop is an effective way to learn Excel, since you'll be completing the same exercises demonstrated by the instructor. A link will be provided, so you can download the necessary Excel files. During the session, the instructor will provide time for you to complete the exercises using your Microsoft Excel for Windows. For each topic presented, the instructor explains the topic and demonstrates it with Excel exercises. Then, the instructor provides time for you to complete many of the same exercises. Finally, the instructor demonstrates the solutions for all the exercises in the practice workbook, and then moves to the next topic. This format allows you to work along rather than just watch passively, enabling you to immediately practice the skills demonstrated.

One of the major transactions CPA clients are faced with is the purchase or disposition of a business. To help tax professionals advise those clients, this course offers a comprehensive analysis of the business and tax aspects of buying and selling a business. It is a practical guide to help practitioners and industry CPAs understand structuring techniques. All CPAs, including controllers and executives in industry, should understand how difficult the process of buying and selling a business has become.

Navigating the challenges of estate and gift taxation can be overwhelming for practitioners, especially those lacking extensive experience in this field. In this comprehensive course, participants will undergo a practical exploration through the preparation of the Federal Forms 706 and 709 - line by line. Through hands-on instruction, attendees will gain invaluable insights into the complexities of tax compliance, equipping them with the skills and confidence needed to seamlessly integrate estate and gift tax preparation into their practice. With a focus on practical application, this course offers participants a unique opportunity to master the preparation of crucial tax returns, enhancing their professional expertise and strengthening client service offerings. From a detailed overview of the Federal Forms 706 and 709 to insights on complying with "Portability" and navigating postmortem estate planning issues, attendees will emerge with a newfound proficiency in estate and gift tax preparation, ready to excel in their practice. **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.

With approximately 500 functions now available in Excel, some newer and more powerful tools are easy to overlook. But, if you do that, your productivity will suffer. In this session, you will learn how to take advantage of many of Excel’s more advanced features – some new and some legacy – to elevate your productivity to higher levels. In this session, you will learn about many of Excel’s newer tools, including XLOOKUP, SUMIFS, SWITCH, and STOCKHISTORY. Also included in this session are discussions of advanced financial functions, such as IPMT and PPMT, and how to retrieve summarized data easily using GETPIVOTDATA and CUBEVALUE. Additionally, you will learn how to make sophisticated calculations easier with Dynamic Array formulas, harness the AGGREGATE function's power, and create more accurate forecasts with Excel’s FORECAST.ETS function. No matter your experience working with Excel, participating in this course will help you work more efficiently and effectively in Excel.

The construction industry stands out in its need to adhere to a diverse range of accounting standards. This course explores the essential knowledge required for success in construction accounting, as well as the key issues influencing this field. Discover the implications of recent developments for yourself, your business, or your clients. In addition, we will examine the relationship between contractors and sureties. Given the construction industry's significant and ever-expanding share of the economy, staying up to date with the latest accounting updates in this sector is critical. Note: This course does not address FASB ASC 606, Revenue from Contracts with Customers, or FASB ASC 842, Leases. The AICPA offers a companion course which focuses on revenue and lease accounting for construction contractors. See Contract Accounting and Lease Accounting and Their Impact on Construction Contractors (CCREVL).

This fast-paced course focuses on using Excel Power Pivot features to enhance data analysis. One of the strengths of Power Pivot is the formula language DAX (Data Analysis eXpressions). We will spend considerable time using the power of DAX to create meaningful calculations that add new dimensions to our data. We will also review the use of a date or calendar table that allows us to perform date analysis that was never possible before. This will allow us to use the new time-intelligent functions to perform complex calculations on our data such as: month-to-date, quarter-to-date, year-to-date, last year same period, last year-to-date, etc. We will also demonstrate the hottest tips and tricks that will take your data analysis to the next level. Although our focus will be on using Power Pivot, we will review some of the other Power BI Tools including: Power Query (Get & Transform), Power BI Desktop and Power BI Services (PowerBI.com). NOTE: If you want to apply the concepts presented, you will need Excel 2013, 2016 or 2019/Office 365 AND the Power Pivot add-in pre-installed. To see our full prerequisite recommendations, see PROGRAM CONTENT section below. This session is presented using Excel 2019/Office 365. Regardless of the version you are using, most concepts covered in this course apply to all versions of Excel. 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 is designed as a comprehensive guide to the core concepts of trust and estate income tax preparation. The course explains the common terminology and complicated income tax rules of estates and trusts, fiduciary accounting, and an introduction to or refresher on preparing Form 1041. This practical, over 300-page manual is an excellent reference source for your practice, which begins with quite simple cases. Building upon that base throughout the manual, the course ends with two complicated preparation cases, one trust and one estate, each with filled-in forms.

In this continually revised course, tax advisors will be fully updated on the most recent enacted legislation and IRS guidance, as well as major trends on the horizon with a view toward planning considerations. This update course is designed for all practitioners, both those working in public accounting as well as those in private industry, who need the latest information on tax changes. Please Note: Due to content overlap, it is recommended that this course NOT be taken together with BITU.

The budgeting process can be a time consuming and frustrating process for accountants.  The constraints and pressures can lead to poor decisions in both the technical and human components.  This series will offer solutions to the budgeting woes from both the big picture and in the details.    Understanding and Preventing Budget Calamities 2 Hours - Accounting •    Most of us lead or participate in the budget process at least annually.  Inherent flaws exist in the standard budget building process that you can solved by recognizing them and committing to solutions.   Building Flexible Budgeting Models: Walking Through and Crunching The Numbers 2 Hours - Accounting •    We can all learn from others and improve our budgeting process by listening to our colleagues’ wisdom and experience.  This session takes a unique review of the fundamental budget issues faced by all and walks through a detailed modeling process intended to generate discussion and best practices to improve your organization’s financial planning.  Avoiding Budget People Issues:  Managing Budgeting’s Soft Side 2 Hours - Accounting •    Financial plans have a technical component and human component.  We can resolve some of our budget issues by exploring the process’ human aspect.  This session includes a case study that measures an individual’s personality type and then explores how to use our strengths and weaknesses to create to a better plan.   Budgeting:  Presenting and Communicating your Numbers 2 Hours - Accounting •    Now that the budget is complete, how we communicate our plan is critical.  this session reveals some key guidelines in budget presentation and will identify key problems in how people often communicate financial plans.