Professional Development and Event Catalog

Technology has boundless memory and can store all the answers, unlike humans. Regardless, technology and AI cannot discern the right questions to ask. Asking the right questions separates successful professionals from mediocre professionals. This session will take a big-picture approach and redefine auditing in a broader perspective which will deepen your skills, perspective, and know-how. The truth is that all professionals are auditors. We will illustrate three types of audits and dive into the most fundamental aspects of our daily work-lives that need constant attention, not seasonal treatments. We will show how to become a better listener and to ask better questions!

* This course is #3 in the Microsoft Power BI series of webinars. Click button in Program Content section below to see suggested viewing order. * Excel is a popular tool for data analysis, yet most users have never learned the basics of data analysis using Excel or the tools that Excel offers to help with data analysis. This session is designed to teach participants the importance of PivotTables for analyzing data. We will demonstrate how PivotTables can make data analyzation an easy task for all accountants. Participants will learn the step-by-step process to create PivotTables and PivotCharts. We will also cover all the setup options and features. 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 series includes four 2-hour consecutive Friday sessions, airing live beginning October 4, for a total of 8 CPE. Once registered for this bundle, log in instructions will be emailed to you separately for each individual course. You receive significant savings when purchasing these webinars as a bundle. The CFO Series provides a convenient, one-stop way for senior level financial managers and executives, CFOs and those who aspire to be CFOs, to attend multiple webinars of CPE with a single decision. The CFO Series features high-quality presentations and an interactive, executive level colleague-to-colleague approach with case studies, group discussions, and team exercises.

Auditing Cash - Applying Basic Skills to the Starting Point of Any Audit demonstrates how the approach to auditing different cash accounts may vary and how to strengthen inquiry which is an important audit procedure in this area. Cash tends to be one of the first areas assigned to new auditors, as there is typically little complexity and subjectivity involved. In addition, persuasive audit evidence from a third-party is generally available. However, research shows that around 80% of asset misappropriation relates to cash. Therefore, the audit of accounts and classes of disclosures related to cash and cash equivalents does tend to carry some level of risk of material misstatement. Note: This course is recommended as a part of a 16-hour audit skills curriculum for beginning auditors, while it is also appropriate for anyone who has responsibilities for auditing cash and cash equivalents. 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 corresponds to our Controllership series. This course is dedicated to exploring the traditional controller role and stepping out of the box to identify areas where the controller can continue to add strategic value to their organizations. Within this segment of our controllership series, we discuss the area of cash and investments and explore how the controller can move these responsibilities into more of a strategic role. In today’s world, the role of cash management is often a pivotal role in the organization. In economically difficult times, controllers may find that they spend a great deal of their time on understanding and managing the organizations' cash position. This is certainly important and, in some areas, can be seen as a staple of the lifeblood of the organization’s ongoing viability. This course takes a look at some of the typical objectives involved in cash management and then evaluates how those objectives can be further stretched into strategic pillars of the organization.  

Unlike a traditional financial audit objective (Are the financial statements materially misstated), performance auditing can address a wide variety of objectives.  Is this program working? Can it be improved? Where can we save money? How can we operate more efficiently and effectively? Are management’s assertions supported? And so forth.  This session will explain what a performance audit is, describe the applicable standards, and provide examples that indicate the value of a performance audit.  Performance audits can add value to any entity and practitioners can profit from adding these assurance services to their practices.

This course will review the Accounting Standard Updates issued by the FASB that impact nonprofit entities. We will also look at the work of the Not-for-Profit Advisory Committee (NAC) and the projects they are advising the FASB on.

This course provides a concise overview and non-technical explanation of the Omniverse and Metaverse - a shared virtual space that integrates various virtual, augmented, and actual realities. While futurists have been predicting and describing this concept for decades, interest and investment in this platform have recently exploded. Facebook has changed its very name to Meta - as in Metaverse - to reflect its pivot from a social media company to a virtual space company. Other tech companies, big and small, have announced ambitious plans to enable people to access digital environments and experiences through different devices. While sometimes perceived as science fiction, the metaverse is no entertainment gimmick. A growing consensus is that it will be the successor to the mobile Internet, and fundamentally transform the Internet, and perhaps even reality itself. You'll walk away with a foundational understanding of how the metaverse is transforming the modern business world, and how accountants can position themselves for success in this emerging economic digital dimension. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

Stop struggling with PDFs! Adobe Acrobat and other PDF tools provide access to features that make working with PDF files a breeze. In this course, you will learn how to use tools and features such as PDF forms, redaction, converting PDFs to Word and Excel files, and electronic signatures. You will also learn how to create and apply tick marks, build indices, catalogs, and portfolios, and secure PDF documents to their fullest. The popularity and usefulness of PDFs increase daily, but most PDF users have not learned how to manipulate PDF documents effectively. Accordingly, they struggle and strain with these standard files. You do not need to let this be the case. Join us in this very timely session where you will learn the top features necessary to optimize your work with PDF documents.

Preparation, compilation and review engagements continue to be a hot topic for peer review despite SSARS 21 having been around for nearly a decade. This course will concentrate on the most common peer review findings with a focus on how to comply in an efficient but practical perspective. This course will discuss the root cause of noncompliance so that overall engagement quality increases.

This course explores 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 from achieving their nefarious acts. Then we will switch gears to an interactive, case-based discussion that asks participants to reach their own conclusions by analyzing facts in concert with the AICPA Code of Professional Conduct and other sources of ethical guidance. This course provides practical, action-oriented insight that can be implemented by accounting professionals in both public practice and industry.

This course will address the most recent tax legislation, rulings and developments occurring in 2023-24 that will impact both the business and individual taxpaying client.  The course is designed to prepare the practitioner for the upcoming filing season and provide useful strategies to assist in the tax preparation process. **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.

New features in Excel provide tremendous opportunities to improve Excel-based operational and financial reports. For example, Data Models, Power Query, Data Analysis Expressions, Power Pivot, and many others can help you create more powerful summaries and schedules in less time than ever. Bundle these tools with some of Excel’s “legacy” features, and you have significant new opportunities to improve your Excel-based reporting environments. In this fast-paced seminar, you will learn about the importance of using Power Query to link data into Excel data models and how you can manage these data models to facilitate better and more efficient reporting. Additionally, you will learn how to incorporate Key Performance Indicators, Slicers, and Timelines into your reports to enhance the analytics and understandability of the data. Further, you will learn best practices to quickly and easily format your spreadsheets to give them a polished and professional appearance. This course should be at the top of your professional development list if you use Excel for any reporting process.

This course will start with the Accounting Standard Updates effective in 2024 for public entities, private entities, and nonprofits. We'll then switch our attention to the items coming down the pike, including a look at the projects identified by the FASB's Invitation to Comment: Agenda Consultation. We'll also review year 2 considerations for leases including modification accounting. Then we will switch gears, switching to the audit side of the house. We'll review the impact of the changes to auditing  group audits as well as the status of the AICPA's quality management project management. This course will keep auditors up to date on the work of the ASB.

Women finance leaders face challenges that traditional corporate training and mentoring rarely prepare them to overcome. For example, you've demonstrated yourself as an excellent tactician, you know how to get the job done, and do it very well on your own. Yet, what got you to your current level of success won't get you to the next level. It's time to change the way you think and operate in your role. You need to move from doer to leader. You're familiar with the saying that if you want to go fast, go alone, if you want to go far, go together. In this workshop, you'll learn key strategies that are unique and critical to women to be successful in their careers. These strategies will help you grow, expand and elevate yourself professionally. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

Financial forecasting is an important part of any successful business. It enables businesses to plan for the future and anticipate scenarios based on strategy. The controller helps forecast financials by calculating future revenue and income streams. In recent years, corporate finance has undergone many dramatic changes due to the growth of a number of high-tech tools. The responsibilities/competencies of the Financial Controller position (FC) has changed in recent years To maximize performance, Controllers must be aware of how the FC position is changing, and how they must adjust to these changes. There are many types and methods of financial forecasting. This course will review the most prevalent forecasts and relative methods being used.

A detailed analysis of the calculations related to determining a shareholder's tax basis for S corporation shares and loans. How to use the Form 1120S, Schedule K-1 information for basis determination. An illustrative example demonstrates how the process works, as well as the many potential pitfalls. **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 COVID-19 pandemic has altered corporate and public accounting in ways we could never have imagined. This broad-based course will discuss accounting and auditing implications that have arisen as a result of the pandemic. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

Performance Management is about getting the best out of everyone. It's about setting the stage so staff can excel as an individual and as a team member. It's about knowing what to say, how to say it, and when to say it to inspire and elevate staff performance. For staff to hear, understand, and act on performance feedback they have to trust the person delivering the feedback. The feedback must be constructive, useful, and implementable. And surprisingly, the performance management process is as much about listening as it is about delivering feedback. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

Successful accounting and finance leaders are in a highly competitive workplace environment. They are a lot like the coaches of winning teams. They may lack the whistle and the playbook, but it's their job to inspire people to give their all. They may not be yelling directions from the sideline; however, they do deal with real-time performance problems, discipline issues, and bad attitudes. Leadership is serious business. A high-energy atmosphere at work makes for happier employees, who are in turn more productive. But this culture does not happen by accident. You have to create it. A key component to success comes from eliminating barriers by ensuring the team is not sidetracked by conflict. In addition, the best leaders have a vision and share it. Then along the way, they set goals so the team can move forward. This course will help you transform into a forward-thinking and results-driven strategic accounting leader. You will learn leadership best practices to achieve results and be seen as a credible and trusted leader.