Professional Development and Event Catalog

Critical Traits of a Thinking Auditor - Stretching Experienced Auditors Beyond the Basics will provide tips and best practices for stretching experienced auditor past the basics in each of the three pillars of success. Those in charge of the day-to-day supervision of engagements need to consciously embrace and demonstrate characteristics that will enable him/her to transition to a firm leader. This includes a focus on three key pillars: financial success, retaining clients through superior client service, and developing other professionals. Note: This course is recommended as a part of a 16-hour audit skills curriculum for supervisory and managerial auditors, while it is also appropriate for anyone who has responsibilities by finding creative audit solutions. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

Congress was EXTREMELY busy in late December 2022! During this lame-duck session, Congress was able to pass SECURE 2.0, which is essentially the original SECURE Act that was passed in late 2019.  There are over 50 tax-related provisions within SECURE 2.0 which an advisor needs to be able to master.  This course will provide the participant with everything that that they need to know about SECURE 2.0 so that they will be able to better serve their clients’ retirement planning needs. **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.

Many CPAs are becoming full-time or fractional CFOs for small businesses. In that position, they are the resident expert in finances, cash flow planning, and budgeting. But what about dealing with the IRS? The IRS has broad powers to administer the assessment and collection of taxes. From removing penalties to criminal prosecutions, this presentation focuses on how CFOs can prevent problems with the IRS and how to develop winning strategies if the IRS knocks on the door. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

A discussion of recent law changes that impact capitalization, depreciation, and disposition of assets. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

We all are busy, pressed for time and we strive to do as much as we can – as fast as we can. This is our world.  However, there are times when we should stop and think. When we do not analyze (one of our many talents) this inaction causes problems. We will review the penalties of moving too fast. Let’s learn from the mistakes of others.

Bitcoin and crypto have been in the news recently for a variety of reasons. This course will cover the basics of accounting and auditing for cryptocurrency including recent standard setting by the FASB as well as a look at the AICPA's Accounting for and Auditing of Digital Assets practice aid.

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. 

The Enhancing Audit Quality Initiative has identified inadequate or nonexistent audit documentation as one of the most significant issues facing the profession. Over half of the engagements reviewed by the AICPA did not meet the requirements of AU-C 230. This course will look at common misconceptions related to audit documentation and help attendees address these deficiencies with efficient and effective best practices.

Are you self-taught on Excel? Have you ever wondered if you really know how to use Excel? Do you want to build a great foundation for using Excel? Are you new to using Excel? If you answered YES to any of these questions, this is for you. This course is designed to start with the basics of using Excel from the interface to the structure to data entry to formula basics. Whether you're a beginner or an intermediate user, you will gain valuable foundational knowledge for using Excel. 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.

Hacks, attacks, ransomware, malware – where does it end? Unfortunately, tech crimes continue to plague businesses of all sizes. Participate in this session to learn how you can reduce the risk of becoming yet another victim.

Regardless of size, most public accounting firms are mandated to have a written security plan in place. Failing to have such a plan in place can lead to substantial fines. Join us in this session to learn what your security plan should include and how to implement it.

This hands-on workshop offers an analytical approach for designing, executing, and communicating results of a comprehensive financial statement analysis. We will explore numerous techniques and approaches that facilitate in-depth financial statement analysis. Accountants in public practice will obtain insight regarding analytical procedures, additional client services, and enhanced compliance with professional standards. Accountants in private enterprises will develop more robust techniques for understanding their organization’s financial statements to facilitate forward-thinking decisions and communication to internal and external stakeholders.

Tax planning is more than an estimated tax calculation, it's a process.  Where are we now and what can we change?  This timely program will highlight significant 2022-23 tax developments and discuss key tax planning ideas for your clients as you prepare for the upcoming tax season. Don’t wait until late December to start planning for your 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 kori.herrera@acpen.com.

This program addresses the many issues impacting CPA practice with a world in crisis.  The unique challenges facing practitioners are related through actual practice situations – and then analyzed for their ethical implications. Based on real life experiences. **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 work for clients is not as linear as it used to be with the inclusion of more advisory services, more cross functional teams, and due dates moving. Quality client engagements are not just about a solid workflow, we need project management skills. In this session we will discuss how to apply project management techniques to designing a one firm, team approach to serving clients. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

Recent legislation in Congress has provided the IRS with substantially increased funding to bolster its human staff and purchase software that will allow the IRS to audit many more taxpayers in a more effective way. The IRS believes it can target the right kinds of taxpayers for audits so that it will not waste its time on audits that produce little, if any, revenue. The purpose of this program is to discuss the current state of IRS audits and the anticipated increases in the IRS's ability to audit wealthier taxpayers in an efficient way. The course will discuss the state of the IRS's current audits and where the IRS is headed with audits in the coming years. Tax practitioners should also be aware of the state of the IRS's efforts to target efficiencies so as to produce the most revenue.

Audit Quality Control - Avoiding Peer Review Deficiencies highlights the most important considerations for those at all levels of the engagement team with quality control responsibilities on audit engagements. Upper-level reviewers have significant responsibilities for ensuring high-quality audit engagements. Unfortunately, deficient audits have serious negative consequences for both the CPA firm and the profession as a whole. Note: This course is recommended as a part of a 16-hour audit skills curriculum for supervisory or managerial auditors, while it is also appropriate for anyone who has quality control responsibilities. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

Not-for-profit entities have recently applied critical new standards related to contributions of nonfinancial assets, leases, and more. Now is the time to know more than just what the standards say - we need to know what they mean and how they will affect not-for-profit entities. This course is designed to do just that! The course materials utilize a highly illustrative and innovative format. Over 15 focused exercises are included to provide an enhanced working knowledge of the challenges in not-for-profit accounting.

You may have read all sorts of stories in books about how bad people steal and make their coworkers and organizations miserable.  Come hear veteran Internal Auditor Rob Berry and veteran CFO John L. Daly discuss situations they have seen in the real world.  

Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) has become a hot topic among standard setters. This session will look at the work of the FASB, GASB, and AICPA in the areas of ESG. We’ll also look at the types of engagements CPAs can provide to entities who want assurance around their ESG reporting.