Professional Development and Event Catalog

Casey Crowther did not have a college education, but he had an outstanding work ethic. With little more than a pickup truck and some hand tools, he built a roofing company that grew. Over time, Casey's company employed more than 100 people and generated more than $20 million in annual revenues. With a company of that size, Casey relied upon advice from his bookkeeper when filling out financial documents. As a result of representations he made on bank statements and loan documents, authorities charged Casey with criminal behavior related to PPP loan fraud. What should an accounting professional learn from Casey's story? Stay tuned to find out! This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

The course provides a concise overview of how to use ChatGPT to more effectively and efficiently research IRS taxation law. It delves into techniques for extracting precise information from complex tax legislation, interpreting IRS guidelines with AI assistance, and utilizing ChatGPT's advanced language models for nuanced legal analysis. Participants will learn how to streamline their research process, identify relevant tax law precedents, and apply AI insights to real-world tax scenarios, enhancing their professional proficiency in navigating the intricate world of IRS taxation. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

This session revisits useful, but potentially underutilized, managerial accounting techniques. You will appreciate a fresh look at concepts you may not have considered since your college days. We will illustrate practical ways you can immediately implement managerial accounting analysis in your professional endeavors. 

This course examines the critical issues and special opportunities facing partnerships and their partners, as well as the relationship between limited liability companies and partnerships, with a focus on reporting tax basis capital accounts. **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.

When you need to create a simple survey or form to capture data online, the Microsoft 365 Forms app can be just the right solution. You can use it for simple forms such as a client information form or client service evaluation form. You can create more sophisticated forms, such as a client tax organizer. All responses can remain confidential and can be viewed in Excel format for further analysis or to prepare the form data for import into another application. This course will take you through the step-by-step process for creating, distributing, compiling and analyzing digital forms and surveys. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

When do they exist and how to report them? This program will provide a detailed analysis of the real estate professional passive activity rules, including forms reporting examples, and integrates those rules with when real estate is considered a "business" under the Section 199A flow-through entity deduction.  **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.

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.

A multitude of tax changes have are currently taking place, challenging tax practitioner to stay well-informed. This 4 hour program will cover tax developments specific to business, including new court decisions, recent IRS publications, and the latest tax legislation that will impact individuals.  The remaining time will be spent on IRS procedure and other issues. This course will provide a concise look at the hottest topics affecting every tax practitioner.  **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 today's dynamic business environment, preserving a unified and engaged team culture is more challenging than ever. As the rhythm of work accelerates and organizational structures evolve, silent threats can begin to undermine our established team dynamics. These undercurrents, if left unaddressed, can erode morale, dampen productivity, and weaken the team's cohesion. This session offers a deep dive into strategies that can help identify, address, and neutralize these challenges, ensuring a positive, resilient, and inclusive workplace culture. Attendees will be equipped with a blend of insights and actionable strategies, enabling them to both recognize and respond to these potential pitfalls.

This course explores the latest tax provisions impacting non-profit entities, including charities, hospitals, and universities, with a focus on common issues CPAs may face when completing their clients Form 990. **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.  

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. **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.

Good people believe everyone else is just like them. They cannot imagine someone could con them or their company and have no guilt or remorse about what they have done. Lack of guilt and empathy are key traits of a psychopath. Most of us envision psychopaths to be cold-blooded serial killers who are locked away in prison. However, experts estimate that 4% of corporate executives are psychopaths who may initially appear to be more normal than the rest of us. Psychopaths may present a convincing picture of virtue while helping themselves to money, status and sex while leaving a path of shattered expectations, empty wallets, and broken hearts in their wake. Learn how to recognize and deal with others who have no conscience. 

This program will explain the new rules for deducting travel, meals and entertainment expenses and the TCJA disallowance of business entertainment expenses.  Documentation requirements and planning opportunities related to travel, entertainment, and automobile expenses will also be addressed.  **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.

What would you do if you only had one workday to complete a financial statement audit? How would you optimize just a handful of hours? What would you test? More importantly, what would you minimize or eliminate? Although one day is unrealistically short, it illustrates how risk-based auditing can help auditors optimize professional effort. This course emphasizes the importance of risk assessment for enhancing both the effectiveness and efficiency of audit procedures.

Are you a new advisor handling S Corp clients, or perhaps a seasoned professional facing this common scenario: "My S Corp client didn't take reasonable compensation last year. Now what?" Knowing that reasonable compensation isn't just a tax obligation, but a strategic financial decision, you need to be armed with expert knowledge to help your client navigate this situation. Join us to discuss IRS regulations, understand preventive measures, and address challenges within the year. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

Over the past few years, the AICPA revamped the quality management standards by issuing Statement on Quality Management Standards 1, 2, and 3 (SQMS 1, SQMS 2, and SQMS 3, respectively), SSARS No. 26, and SAS 146, Quality Management for an Engagement Conducted in Accordance with Generally Accepted Auditing Standards (SAS 146). These standards, effective December 15, 2025, modernize quality management standards to reflect an increased focus on risk assessment, technology use, and the presence of outside experts on many engagements. With a risk-based approach, the standards enhance requirements for engagement quality reviews, encourage QMS monitoring, and focus on the entire system of quality control maintained by a firm. We will cover the key provisions of the standards, how to effectively implement them, and what you need to do today to prepare for the required implementation. The earlier your firm begins the transition, the better off you will be.

Following the ever-changing tax deprecation rules is not a game for the faint hearted!  This course analyzes the current landscape of depreciating, capitalizing and disposing of business assets, with examples and illustrated case studies to enhance the CPAs understanding of the most current tax depreciation provisions.  **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 course provides a concise overview of Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) reporting -- an emerging system of non-financial record-keeping and governance. Around the world, organizations of all sizes and kinds are under increasing pressure from regulators, consumers, employees, and other stakeholders to provide a fuller and more integrated picture of the way in which entities operate, invest, and create value. This includes taking into account how their operations impact financial, manufactured, intellectual, human, social, relationship, and natural capital. Participants will walk away with an increased situational awareness of ESG reporting, and an ESG starter strategy. This can be used immediately to position themselves for ESG success in an era of growing expectations for conscious capitalism, ethical investing, and moral leadership. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

When real property is sold for a gain, we always try to find ways to defer recognizing income so it won't be necessary to send a check to Uncle Sam. There are two provisions within the Internal Revenue Code that allow the taxpayer to defer recognition of immediate taxable gain in the year of sale: installment sales and like-kind exchanges. Knowing how and when to utilize these provisions makes the Accounting and Finance Professionals very valuable to either their client or the entity they work for. We will also discuss recent proposals which could impact the future of these two provisions.

The AICPA's Auditing Standards Board has several large projects that will be impacting entities in the near future. We'll take a deep dive into the changes related quality management as well as group audits. We'll also review common audit deficiencies. This course will keep auditors up to date on the work of the ASB.