Professional Development and Event Catalog

What you document matters Understand different parts of the employee benefit plan (EBP) audit process, and learn to think holistically about your level of audit documentation. Understand the appropriate level of documentation in the performance of audit procedures of employee benefit plans, which will involve testing items that are not typically tested in audits of other types of entities. Real-life examples Learn from real-life examples and solutions, guided by a former employee benefit plan expert panel member and someone who performs peer reviews. Work in templates to truly understand documentation in an EBP audit, and learn best practices for documentation to incorporate into your audits.

The presentation includes an in-depth discussion of the when the Forms 1065 and 1120S, Schedules K-2 and K-3 must be completed, as well as important developments for filing 2021 flow-through entity tax forms and other recent developments impacting both partnership and S corporation entities. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

AI is an extremely popular topic these days, and for good reason! However, does AI present yet another threat to your privacy? Get answers to this question and more in this session.

Many organizations unconsciously fail to exhibit diversity, inclusion and belonging.  This session provides an opportunity for leaders to  understand diversity language and definitions, build awareness of biases and stereotypes, recognize how our own actions protect our awareness gaps, and find a level of understanding concerning where we are and where we want to be in the future. 

The Professional Ethics Executive Committee (PEEC) of the AICPA has been very busy issuing new and updating existing ethics rules. This course will provide an overview of recently issued and soon to be effective ethics rules that CPAs in both industry and public accounting need to know to be compliant.

Learn to manage difficult colleagues with gloves - kid gloves, not boxing gloves. Having even one difficult person in your department can tax your restraint and deplete the time and energy you need to supervise your team. "Handling Difficult People" teaches you how to manage challenging colleagues without sacrificing everyone else to the process. This workshop is designed to help you learn to recognize difficult behavior before it gets out of hand and to understand why difficult people behave the way they do. You'll work with a three-part problem-solving model and study a five-step process for initiating the dialogue through to planned resolution. And you'll leave with an action plan to address specific situations in your workplace.

CPA's are responsible for understanding (1) the presence of fraudulent activity, (2) that financial reports are complete and accurate, and (3) applying the going concern principle to a business. Appropriate cybersecurity controls, processes and oversight directly impact these three areas. Fraud Bad actors can exploit systems with weak security controls to perform fraud. The increasing prevalence of hacked systems reflect this. Bad actors are stealing data, intellectual property, financial assets, and other information. Digital fraud is becoming more prevalent and can be substantially more damaging than historical types of fraud. Not only can digital fraud result in financial loss, but it can subject companies to expensive lawsuits, damage reputations and can even put a company out of business. Complete & Accurate Financial Reports Having cybersecurity controls on systems and networks is critical to ensure information reported in financial statements is complete and accurate. Data residing in financial reports is processed, stored and transmitted using IT Systems. It is important for CPA's to understand the required cybersecurity controls to prevent or detect inaccurate data in financial reports. Going Concern With an increasing volume of system hacks (e.g. Target, Experian, Sony, and most recently the US Government), it is no longer "if" you're going to get hacked, it is "When." If organizations do not have appropriate cybersecurity controls in place to protect against an attack, then a malicious hack can put them out of business. An organization's cybersecurity posture should be a factor in evaluating the Principle of Going Concern. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

For many small businesses, the standards issued by the FASB may have little to no effect as they impact topics that do not reflect the type of transactions that these entities most frequently experience. This class will focus on the Accounting Standards Updates (ASUs) that are most likely to impact small businesses with a focus on ASUs initiated by the Private Company Council (PCC). We'll then look at alternative reporting options to GAAP including FRF for SMEs and IFRS for SMEs for entities who don't necessarily need to prepare GAAP financial statements but want to use accrual accounting. Finally, we will transition to audit standards that small business auditors will need to implement. 

This program addresses the critical issues and special opportunities facing S-corporations, with a focus on reporting shareholder basis and distributions. **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.

The AICPA has identified risk assessment as an area of focus for its Enhancing Audit Quality Initiative as deficiencies in auditor's risk assessment procedures continue to be a common issue identified in peer review. SAS No. 145, Understanding the Entity and Its Environment and Assessing the Risks of Material Misstatement, was written to improve the quality of risk-based audits. While key concepts do not fundamentally change, the standard works to clarify and enhance certain aspects of the identification and assessment of the risks of material misstatement to drive better risk assessments and hopefully overall enhance audit quality. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

When asked the question, “What would you like to improve about your leadership and communication style?” more than 65% of leaders say they want to be more confident and assertive in their communication. Confidence and clarity communicates leadership. If you are responsible for growing a profitable company or a productive team, you want team members who have the ability to reach goals, make sales, finish projects, and serve customers. Being a confident compelling leader helps to inspire better relationships, promotes trust and reduces stress in the workplace.

Personality Styles - Adapting to Different Types of Personalities for Improved Relationships and Interactions provides guidance for effectively adapting to various personality styles. Every individual has a dominant personality style, which includes relevant strengths and weaknesses. Effective interactions require individuals to adapt behaviors to complement, balance or counteract the traits of others. Note: This course is recommended as a part of a 8-hour audit skills curriculum for managers, while it is also appropriate for anyone who has responsibilities for interacting with others. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

ChatGPT is the fastest growing application in the history of technology with over 100 million users adopting it in within two months. It is a revolutionary technology that boosts the quality and efficiency of business processes in every industry. As "knowledge workers", CPAs and CFOs are positioned to be prime beneficiaries of this technology. This half day hands-on course will get you well on your way to becoming a ChatGPT expert. John Higgins, a nationally recognized advisor and educator on CPA technology, will guide you through the process of accessing ChatGPT and applying it to a variety of practical accounting, finance and tax scenarios. This course will catapult you to the top of the pyramid of CPAs who are knowledgeable in ChatGPT and you will be ready to put it to use in your day-to-day tasks. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

During this presentation, the most common mistakes made by employee benefit plan auditors, as well as plan sponsors will be identified. Best practices for handling specific issues that arise during the course of the engagement will also be explored. This discussion will help auditors recognize potential pitfalls in audit procedures/documentation and assist plan sponsors with compliance issues. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

Automation and outsourcing offer viable options for addressing today’s labor issues. In this session, you will learn about the potential benefits and risks associated with automation and outsourcing.

In today's technology-driven world, success in business depends upon your ability to translate data into information, communicate with anyone, and present ideas powerfully, whether it's one-on-one or in the boardroom. This fast-paced and interactive session covers specific techniques in three critical areas: listening, writing, and presenting. Learn about the hard skills involved in the softer side of leadership. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

Have you ever wanted to reduce the number of financial statement review points you receive? Are you curious about a reviewer’s thought process? This hands-on session will answer these questions by helping you understand the role of an engagement quality control reviewer. Not only will you develop an appreciation for the role of an engagement quality control reviewer, but this interactive session will allow you to step into the reviewer’s shoes by performing a quality control review during the class session. You will leave with an understanding of best practices for minimizing your exposure to critique by reviewers.

This course will review common deficiencies identified by the AICPA and state boards of accountancy. It features discussion on a variety of topics, including analytical procedures, sampling, group audits and risk assessment. We will review the areas of concern and how you can overcome them by employing best practices. 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 to equip HR leaders, managers and business owners with the knowledge and skills needed to effectively minimize conflicts in the workplace. Participants will learn about the various sources of workplace conflict, how to identify and address conflicts before they escalate, and how to implement effective conflict resolution strategies. The course will also cover topics such as communication skills, active listening, and conflict management techniques. By the end of the course, leaders will be able to create a more positive and productive work environment, reduce turnover, and promote employee satisfaction.

As discussed in the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners’ Occupational Fraud 2022: A Report to the Nations, 86% of all frauds are misappropriation of assets.  Why is the misappropriation of assets so large?  Because there as so many of them it creates many, many opportunities.  And the asset which is stolen the most?  CASH!  Because it’s easy to conceal and you don’t have to convert it.  During this presentation, the many, many different ways to misappropriate (steal) assets and which assets (besides cash) are most subject to misappropriation are discussed as well as how to recognize such and more importantly, how easy it is to prevent it!