Professional Development and Event Catalog

There are some areas of the tax law that seem to always create nightmares.  Often, they spawn an expensive controversy. It’s been over 10 years since the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015 (the BBA), which significantly changed the rules and procedures governing federal income tax audits of partnerships.  Practitioners still struggle with the complexity and the various available elections. And, there are traps for the unwary.  Whether it’s misclassifying a worker or failing to file a report for a foreign bank account, errors can be costly.  Our panel for this ACPEN Signature course will tackle some of the most contentious areas of tax 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 terri.storer@acpen.com  

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Excel is the go-to tool for accountants when it comes to analyzing and reporting financial data. However, many professionals still rely on time-consuming and error-prone methods for everyday tasks. Whether you're a beginner or an experienced user, our course is designed to help you master Excel and transform your workflows. In this course, you'll discover a trove of tips, tricks, and techniques to boost your productivity and streamline your tasks. Say goodbye to mundane formatting and hello to customized Excel solutions that enhance accuracy and efficiency. You'll also learn how to build powerful formulas, link Excel data from various sources, and simplify report generation and printing processes. Our expert K2 instructors will guide you through the program with practical, real-world examples, ensuring you grasp the key concepts and apply them effectively. With over twenty-five years of experience in delivering top-notch spreadsheet training to accounting and financial professionals, we guarantee that the insights and guidance you receive will be both relevant and invaluable. Join us and elevate your Excel skills to new levels. Don't miss out on this opportunity to work smarter, not harder!

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Metrics Management is a four-part series that answers the measurement, accountability, and performance of our strategies and financials.       The titles include: Metrics Management – Linking Strategy to Performance Description – Organizations often fail not because strategy is flawed, but because performance is measured poorly. This session focuses on the critical link between strategy, measurement, and execution. Participants will explore why there is no “perfect” metric, how strategy fails due to weak measurement, and how financial and non-financial metrics work together to drive performance. The session emphasizes aligning metrics with mission, strategy, and organizational priorities using practical frameworks such as the Balanced Scorecard. Humorous videos will be incorporated to drive home some key points and keep things entertaining. Metrics Management – Selecting the Right KPIs Description – Choosing the wrong metrics can create noise, confusion, and unintended behavior. This session helps CPAs and CFOs identify and select meaningful KPIs that align with strategy and are understood by users. Participants will learn how to balance financial and operational metrics, tailor KPIs to responsibility centers, and think like customers when designing performance measures. The session emphasizes simplicity, relevance, and usability over volume and complexity. Humorous videos will be incorporated to drive home some key points and keep things entertaining. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Metrics Management – Measuring Performance in the Real World Description – Designing metrics is only half the challenge—making them work in practice is where most organizations struggle. This session focuses on applying metrics in real-world environments, including responsibility centers, profit centers, and service organizations. Participants will explore output measurements, controllable versus non-controllable costs, cost allocation challenges, and benchmarking. Case discussions illustrate how better information leads to better decisions and improved performance. Humorous videos will be incorporated to drive home some key points and keep things entertaining. Metrics Management – Dashboards, Performance Tools, and Open-Book Management Description – Metrics only add value when they are communicated clearly and used consistently. This session focuses on dashboards, performance management tools, and open-book management as ways to turn metrics into action. Participants will learn how dashboards support decision-making, why many reporting projects fail, and how transparency and trust improve performance. The session emphasizes visualization, communication, and using metrics to answer the most important management questions. Humorous videos will be incorporated to drive home some key points and keep things entertaining.

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Most review techniques developed by professionals are self-taught and fine-tuned via experience. Yet how does one start? The purpose of this course is to give both new and seasoned reviewers additional and advanced procedures via a multitude of checklists to more thoroughly review S corporation and partnership tax returns. Its emphasis is not planning; rather, it is to develop a strategy to properly review a return effectively and thoroughly. The course includes dozens of "practice tips for new reviewers" and is updated for impacts of newly enacted legislation.

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This course examines actual fraud circumstances through the lens of potential prevention. We will examine how selected frauds were accomplished and consider what internal controls may have prevented fraudsters' ability to accomplish their nefarious acts. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

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Leadership is not one-size-fits-all. Effective leaders understand that different situations, team dynamics, and organizational cultures require different approaches. This course introduces ten distinct leadership styles and examines how each can influence team performance and organizational success. Participants will explore the characteristics, strengths, and potential limitations of each leadership style. The course encourages self-reflection to help leaders recognize their own tendencies while identifying opportunities to adapt their approach when circumstances require it. Emphasis is placed on practical strategies for engaging teams, strengthening communication, and building leadership capacity across the organization. Designed for current and emerging leaders, this course provides tools to better align leadership approach with team needs and organizational objectives.  

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Information becomes influential when it is structured. In this 1-CPE session (Professional Development), participants explore narrative frameworks presented in the course materials, including situation-complication-resolution and hero-based narrative arcs. Using business-oriented examples, the session demonstrates how structured storytelling enhances clarity and impact without sacrificing rigor. Participants will examine how to define context, introduce tension, present evidence, and guide audiences toward resolution. The emphasis is on logical flow and disciplined narrative construction rather than dramatization. The course concludes with application of a structured storytelling model to a professional scenario. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

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Why not learn, or re-learn, some amazing business lessons from the past that are still effective today? What did Henry Ford do when annual employee turnover was 370% and workers demanded more pay? Sound familiar to today’s world? Ford’s solution worked! We see today’s problems and believe that these problems have never occurred before. Not true. We will discuss timeless business lessons that are as practical today as when they were written decades ago. We will review; ‘How to Win Friends and Influence People,’ ‘Today and Tomorrow,’ and ‘The Art of War.’ Let's learn from the very best, as these lessons have been battle-tested and proven over time.

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Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, telework in state and local government was not often embraced as a form of employment. As the pandemic continues, governments are beginning to experience the benefits of remote work and are reevaluating hiring practices to offer more telework and hybrid work options, not simply as a result of an emergency. This course will review various telework options and best practices for success. 

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Loans, rental agreements, business combinations - what do these all have in common? They all have the potential of creating a related party transaction. This program presents a detailed analysis of the financial accounting rules for transactions with related parties, as well as compares and contrasts those rules with the AICPA financial reporting framework for small and medium-sized entities. This course does not qualify for IRS credit.

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Creativity is one of the top ten most desirable traits, but should everyone, including accountants, be creative? Are there exceptions? What are the positives and the negatives of creativity? Creativity can be used for good, but creativity can also lead to seriously unethical behaviors. There is a strong relationship between creativity and dishonesty. We will review the negative consequences of creativity and discuss how to properly utilize resourcefulness and imagination. The title is not rhetorical - creativity can easily be great or disreputable. Learn how to make it work for you and be ethical.

The most pressing tax matters affecting individuals, estates, and trusts With so many tax developments that come up during the year, it's hard to stay on top of every salient issue. In this all-new course, you'll review a tailored list of updates highlighting the most pertinent issues affecting individuals, estates, and trusts from the past year, including relevant regulatory updates related to H.R. 1, commonly referred to as OBBBA. Matters that specifically affect tax practitioners (such as changes in the tax regulatory environment) are also covered. Topics include: Inflation adjustments U.S. Tax Court cases Regulatory and sub-regulatory guidance Insights to study before, during, and after tax season Materials inform you of the latest legal and regulatory tax matters affecting individuals, estates, and trusts, helping you effectively complete tax planning and compliance engagements. Course materials point out tax planning opportunities and provide practice tips to help you serve clients with confidence.

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Unlock the full potential of Excel and transform your operational and financial reports like never before. With cutting-edge tools such as Data Models, Power Query, Data Analysis Expressions, and Power Pivot, you can create powerful summaries and schedules in record time. Combine these with Excel's legacy features, and you have a game-changing opportunity to elevate your reporting environment. Join our fast-paced seminar to discover the magic of Power Query and how it seamlessly links data into Excel data models, enabling more efficient and insightful reporting. Learn to incorporate Key Performance Indicators, Slicers, and Timelines into your reports to enhance data analytics and understandability. Plus, master best practices for quickly and efficiently formatting your spreadsheets, giving them a polished and professional appearance. This course is a must for anyone using Excel for reporting processes. Elevate your skills and stay ahead of the curve with our expert guidance. You will truly learn how you can revolutionize your Excel-based reporting practices by participating in this session.

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Discover the power of QuickBooks Online (QBO)! Intuit's cloud-based accounting platform has evolved and thrived over the past decade, now generating approximately five times the revenue of its desktop counterpart. Yet, many accountants and business professionals are still unaware of the extensive features QBO offers. Unlock the advantages of the subscription model and learn how to leverage QBO to manage inventory, enhance internal controls, create presentation-quality financial statements, and seamlessly migrate from QuickBooks Desktop or other accounting platforms. Join our dynamic session to explore the best practices for implementing, using, and excelling with QuickBooks Online.  Don't miss out on the opportunity to elevate your accounting game with this surprisingly robust platform!

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Accountants are expected to demonstrate a questioning mindset. While such professional skepticism is an obvious requirement for assurance engagements, it is applicable elsewhere in the practice of public accounting. In fact, a skeptical mindset offers benefits to both public accountants and those who work in industry. This course provides specific examples of professional skepticism while suggesting best practices.

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Your client database is more than a record of past engagements-it's a goldmine of untapped opportunity. In this practical and forward-thinking session, accounting professionals will learn how to strategically analyze and segment their existing client data to uncover new service opportunities, deepen relationships, and drive sustainable revenue growth. From identifying cross-selling potential to leveraging automation tools for proactive outreach, this webinar will equip firm leaders and client managers with actionable strategies to turn dormant data into dynamic business development. Whether you're a solo practitioner or part of a larger firm, you'll walk away with a roadmap for transforming your client list into a revenue-generating engine. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

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Literally thousands of individual taxpayers may have increased deductions or exclusions from gross income as a result of the Disaster Relief Act of 2023 and OBBBA of 2025. Casualty provisions are retroactive to December 19, 2019 through late 2025. Both low and high-income taxpayers may benefit from RETROACTIVE AND CURRENT deductions. There are also exclusions of payments received as compensation for wildfire damages — retroactive to 2014! This course will review these provisions which can bring substantial tax savings to 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 terri.storer@acpen.com  

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Whether you have held a management position for several years, or are just transitioning to a role which requires you to manage other individuals, you will find that becoming and remaining a good manager is often an art rather than just a technical skill! This segment flows nicely with the segment on Managing Traits and Skills.  This segment will focus on the dynamics of managing in a world full of several generations in the workforce as well as cultures. 

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This session provides insights for enhancing the preparation and utilization of budgets. Seasoned accountants will benefit from a refreshed awareness of popular techniques.  Budding financial professionals will obtain novel insight regarding fundamental budgeting concepts. All participants will develop an appreciation for the holistic nature of budgeting as an integral tool for planning and control. 

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The new Global Internal Audit Standards were released on January 9, 2024, and will become effective January 9, 2025. The previous version, the International Standards for the Professional Practice of Internal Auditing, released in 2017, remains approved for use during a one-year transition period. The Global Internal Audit Standards guide the worldwide professional practice of internal audit. They serve as a basis for evaluating and elevating the quality of the internal audit function. The Standards use 15 guiding principles with five separate domains that enable effective internal audit implementation and examples of evidence of conformance. The Global Standards are organized into five domains. Domain I: Purpose of Internal Auditing Domain II: Ethics and Professionalism Domain III: Governing the Internal Audit Function Domain IV: Managing the Internal Audit Function Domain V: Performing Internal Audit Service

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