Professional Development and Event Catalog

The AICPA issued the new Quality Management Standards as a part of its overall quality improvement initiative.  This course will highlight the foundational principles within the new approach that everyone in the CPA firm should know. 

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Most leadership development focuses on a single direction within the organizational hierarchy: downstream to subordinates. While it is important to be a good boss, leadership is much more than that. The best leaders learn to lead well in all directions. They lead upward to superiors and across among peers throughout the organization. And it all starts with self-leadership. This often overlooked or misunderstood leadership principle is essential to build a thriving and productive culture. This topic is based on Jon’s book, Mission-Critical Leadership: How Smart Managers Lead Well in All Directions. 

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As Americans live longer and increasingly move away from traditional pensions, Social Security has become the main source of retirement income for many clients. Meanwhile, concerns about solvency and a lack of understanding of key rules have led to confusion and sometimes misguided decisions. This program offers tax practitioners the knowledge they need to help clients make informed choices about Social Security and retirement income.

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Individual tax planning strategies for 2026 and beyond will take their cue from the many tax advantageous tax law changes enacted in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA). Many of the OBBBA changes are very favorable to individual taxpayers. Taxpayers and their clients now have the opportunity to utilize these new planning strategies. Tax practitioners must know about these new changes and the planning strategies associated with them to maximize the advantages to their clients. This program will cover tax changes from 2025 that impact individuals and provide individuals with significant tax reduction opportunities for 2026.

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Even though they have been around for several years, the tax laws pertaining to S corporations remain some of the more difficult areas of the Internal Revenue Code. Given the rising popularity of S corporations, understanding how shareholder basis and the equity section of the balance sheet work together for tax purposes is imperative for nearly any tax practitioner. In this course, we will discuss this relationship. Using examples and illustrations, we will show how contributions, operating transactions, and distributions affect shareholder basis as well as equity.

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This course provides financial professionals with practical guidance on creating clear, persuasive, and visually strong business presentations using Microsoft PowerPoint. Participants examine how structured storytelling, purposeful slide design, and message alignment improve communication in both internal and client-facing scenarios. The session highlights the realities of today's business communication landscape, where data-heavy content, hybrid audiences, and expectations for visual clarity demand more thoughtful presentation development. Attendees also review updated Microsoft 365 capabilities that streamline presentation creation, including AI-supported design tools and new productivity features that help professionals research, refine, and organize content more efficiently. By combining foundational PowerPoint functions with current best practices in narrative development, the course equips learners to produce presentations that enhance understanding, support decision-making, and elevate organizational communication.

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Learn the basic skills new staff need to hit the ground running and efficiently complete assigned tasks, including what new auditors are expected to know and do, including the nature, timing, and extent of common audit procedures. Focus on why certain procedures are performed and perform typical procedures.

Get ready to elevate your tax game with the Business Tax Update, designed exclusively for tax practitioners looking to sharpen their skills in business income taxation. This course doesn't just scratch the surface – it thoroughly explores the complexities of the tax code, ensuring you're equipped to navigate the ever-evolving tax landscape with confidence. From recent legislative updates to complex tax considerations like COVID-19-related subsidies, this course covers it all. Gain practical strategies and insights that you can immediately apply to assist your clients in optimizing their business income tax planning. Don't miss this opportunity to stay ahead in business taxation and enhance your expertise in a rapidly changing regulatory environment. With a focus on real-world application and comprehensive exploration of essential topics, the Business Tax Update promises to be a game-changer for your tax practice. Whether you're dealing with partnership, corporation, or LLC taxation issues, this course provides precise guidance tailored to diverse business clients. Plus, you'll gain invaluable insights into recent legislative changes, including their implications on tax code sections like Section 199A. Stay at the forefront of business taxation and ensure you're delivering top-notch advice to your clients by enrolling in this essential course today. **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.

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This another course in our series on the controllership function. The controller's role encompasses many traditional responsibilities. The breadth and depth of the controller skill set has expanded and will continue to expand as the business world evolves. The controller position will typically lead teams of financial and accounting experts. Recognizing that leadership and team management skills are must-haves; they need to be able to command their team's respect, inspire them to act, and ensure that such actions are aligned with your organization's overall vision. These skills, along with tactical knowledge will ensure the controller's success.

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With increasing competition for finding the best qualified candidates and retaining today’s workforce, it’s more important than ever to consider flexible work options in the workplace. We will review the most popular flexible work options your company could consider implementing: telecommuting, compressed work weeks, flexible hours, phased return from leave of absence, job sharing, early release days, and more! We’ll discuss the benefits of this talent management strategy, including increased productivity, decreased costs, better work-life “integration”, and increased employee engagement and satisfaction. You’ll learn how to propose flexible scheduling to your executive team, including how to logistically roll out this program. Whether you’re in a manufacturing plant, corporate headquarters, or retail industry, you can apply any of these flexible work options to your organization. 

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Trust is essential, because without trust, there can be no teamwork.  Trust is like oxygen, when it is gone - we suffocate.  This session provides a 15-step action plan to gain commitment from your team members, build trust, hold each person accountable and create results for your organization. 

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.

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Recently issued generally accepted auditing standards were designed to enhance audit quality.  This course will address the most commonly misapplied concepts and FAQ in properly implementing the new requirements in the way intended to achieve that goal.

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Do you understand the root cause for many professional and personal goals not being achieved? The SMART acronym is valuable in setting goals but insufficient for achieving them. You need two types of goals to boost your chances of success. Outcome goals focus on the results you want to attain. Process goals identify the action steps required to accomplish those desired outcomes. This session explores the essence of both types of goals, and practical examples and tips for the execution of your goals.

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Generative AI use is growing, and ChatGPT is leading the way. But what exactly is ChatGPT, and how can it help you increase your productivity? Join us for a one-hour seminar on ChatGPT. We'll guide you through everything you need to know to get started You'll learn to use ChatGPT to: Streamline your workload Save time Boost efficiency Say goodbye to tedious data entry and hello to lightning-fast responses and analysis. As with any new technology, risks and ethical concerns must be considered. Our experts will delve into these topics and provide you with the knowledge and tools you need to use ChatGPT responsibly and effectively. Don't miss this opportunity to stay ahead of the curve and take your CPA game to the next level. Discover the amazing benefits of this groundbreaking technology.

Forensic accounting, forensic accountancy or financial forensics is the specialty practice area of accounting that investigates whether firms engage in financial reporting misconduct. Forensic accountants apply a range of skills and methods to determine whether there has been financial reporting misconduct. Financial forensic engagements may fall into several categories. For example: Economic damages calculations, whether suffered through tort or breach of contract. Post-acquisition disputes such as earnouts or breaches of warranties Bankruptcy, insolvency and reorganization Securities and tax fraud Money laundering Business valuation Computer forensics/e-discovery This session is designed to delve into further investigative procedures used including digital forensics. Future sessions will focus on computer forensics, network forensics and mobile forensics.  

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Karen L. Hawkins, the former Director of the IRS Office of Professional Responsibility, will discuss key Circular 230 provisions and how some have been changed through litigation. Since the current version of Circular 230 has not been rewritten to incorporate the results of IRS litigation losses since 2014, this is the only seminar where you will hear what the current law says (and does not say) about tax professionals' ethical obligations in federal tax practice. The presentation will draw not only on the six years Ms. Hawkins spent as Director, OPR but her more than 30 years practicing as a nationally recognized tax controversy lawyer in California.

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What are the risks of offering A&A services? CPAs face an ever-present threat of malpractice claims regardless of the services performed. Offering audit and attest (A&A) services exposes professionals and their firms to certain risk. Although it is impossible to eliminate all risks, you can identify and implement practical techniques to help mitigate the risk of a professional liability claim. Processes to mitigate risks in A&A You will gain insight into day-to-day risk management protocols related to firm practice management and service delivery. You'll also learn about the many ways a firm can manage risk in offering A&A services, including: Writing effective engagement letters Creating a robust onboarding process Identifying scope Managing billing and fees Deep dives into A&A loss data Examining the recent data that breaks down the causes of loss related to A&A professional liability claims can help you understand the threats to you and your firm, and focus your risk management practices. Additional benefits In addition to earning CPE credits, CNA policyholders may earn up to a 10% premium credit for three consecutive years on their AICPA Professional Liability Insurance policy. *Please consult your agent for further details regarding eligibility.*

Managing the risk of offering tax services Providing tax services can help attract new clients to your firm, unlocking significant growth. At the same time, there are risks to offering tax services. The tax services practice area is particularly prone to professional liability claims, according to the latest data. You can mitigate the risks of professional liability claims by implementing processes designed to curb the potential for client disputes. Protecting your firm from risk This session will present day-to-day risk management protocols and provide realistic ways to adjust your operations to insulate your firm and staff from risk. You can learn tips for: Client acceptance Engagement letters Client communications Onboarding Billing and fee management Acknowledging risks beyond your tax practice Although tax services represent a significant share of all malpractice claims against CPA firms, other practice areas come with their own risks. You'll also examine the risks of offering certain accounting services and learn how to create processes that reduce the risk of malpractice. Additional benefits In addition to earning CPE credits, CNA policyholders may earn up to a 10% premium credit for three consecutive years on their AICPA Professional Liability Insurance policy. *Please consult your agent for further details regarding eligibility.*

Every other year, the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners (ACFE) publishes A Report to the Nations. This landmark report is the definitive guide to understanding occupational fraud in today's workplace. The ACFE report breaks down fraud by the type of perpetrator, types of crime, categories of victim organizations, and more. The report provides fascinating insight and helpful advice to help professionals understand fraud risks in today's world. This course is an in-depth discussion and analysis of the significant findings of the 2024 edition of this report. Attendees will learn methods to spot fraud risks in their organizations and protect themselves.

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