Professional Development and Event Catalog

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.

The AICPA issued new Quality Management Standards that require all accounting firms that perform audit, review, compilation, attestation, and agreed-upon procedures engagements to comply with the enhanced Quality Management Standards by December 15, 2025. The most significant change in the new Quality Management Standards is the requirement that firms identify and assess quality risks specific to their practices and then design and implement responses to each identified quality risk. This program will help you understand the new Quality Management Standards, provide practical guidance for adoption, and respond to the requirements of the new Quality Management Standards.

We know that effective communication is essential to growing a career and a business. But we often don't take time to think through, concsiously, about how we communicate and how small changes could change the trajectory of our messages. This workshop is designed to give you a survey of multiple communication strategies and mistakes to avoid. We start by discussing how people make decisions--which is important to understand in the context of business communication and communication in the workplace. We then transition into common communication mistakes and actionable tools and tactics that you can use to overcome and avoid these mishaps.

Financial skills needed in many situations are constantly changing.  It is prudent to routinely look into your toolbox to restock or revise your tool set.  In this course we will examine three tool categories that form the foundation for many analytical processes.

Understanding the dynamics of family interaction is one of the most important skills in helping a family business succeed. This course takes a candid look inside the family business, and will help the participant navigate delicate issues while learning to provide counsel that will grow - or protect - the family business and non-family staff.

Elevate your data reporting skills to new heights with our cutting-edge course, "Create Paginated Reports with Power BI Report Builder." This two-hour, expertly crafted training is designed to transform the way you visualize and present data, leveraging the powerful capabilities of Microsoft Power BI Report Builder. Ideal for professionals who aspire to turn complex data into compelling, print-ready reports, this course is a game-changer in the realm of data visualization and business intelligence. Delve into the world of paginated reporting with a curriculum that balances theoretical knowledge with practical examples and demonstrations. You'll learn how to navigate the Power BI Report Builder interface with ease, design intricate report layouts, and connect to diverse data sources for comprehensive reporting. The course covers a spectrum of skills, from creating eye-catching visualizations to utilizing advanced features like sub-reports and drill-through capabilities. By the end of this session, you'll be adept at publishing and sharing professional-grade, paginated reports that can inform and persuade your audience. Enroll now and take the first step towards mastering the art of paginated reporting with Power BI Report Builder. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

Individuals who work in a governmental environment have many rules of ethics that must be followed. The Government Accountability Office (GAO) issues Yellow Book providing rules related to ethics and independence, which received a significant update in 2018. We'll review some of the key elements of ethics relevant to governmental entities and auditors to prevent independence noncompliance.

Conflict is often avoided, or dealt with in a passive manner. When ignored, conflict often escalates and can become polarizing. In this session, participants will gain insights for enhancing their natural responses to conflict, learn healthy communication styles, and build constructive behaviors to manage conflict. 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 will expand on methodologies to employ when owner-employee compensation is at issue. The session will focus on determinations of reasonable replacement compensation for individuals who both provide services to a closely held business or professional practice and also have an ownership stake in the enterprise. Executive Compensation in the form of options and restricted stock will also be covered in the context of marital dissolution proceedings. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

The term “automate” has been an industry buzzword for at least a decade. Yet, few organizations have embarked on successful automation journeys, leading to greater efficiencies, reduced errors, and happier team members. In this session, you will learn how to crank up your automation projects and see first-hand how easy and effective automation can be. More specifically, this session shows you exactly how you can work with tools from Zoho, Zapier, and Microsoft to enable powerful routines that will allow you and your team to get more done in less time.

Internal controls are more important than ever, and their importance increases daily. However, internal controls present a challenge for many smaller organizations. This program will teach you how to evaluate, develop, and implement an effective internal control structure in a small business environment. You will identify how to assess risk in smaller organizations and implement preventive, detective, deterrent, and compensating controls to mitigate these risks, even without proper segregation of duties. Additionally, participating in this program will teach you technology-focused techniques for preventing and detecting fraud and securing information systems and sensitive data. For small organizations, maintaining an effective system of internal controls presents a significant challenge. Realistically, implementing many theoretical concepts surrounding internal controls may not be possible in some cases. Consequently, many internal control structures foster an environment where too much risk exists. This factor and uncontrolled information systems can often lead to disastrous results. Participate in this program to learn the necessary insights and tools to design, implement, and monitor effective internal controls, security, and anti-fraud measures in small organizations.

Although Windows incorporates the OneDrive app, you may not have configured it correctly for your specific needs. Using the OneDrive app and the related Cloud storage service to their fullest potential means you can access your files when and where you need them. Further, sharing your files and collaborating with others is easy when using OneDrive correctly. In this session, you will learn best practices for taking full advantage of OneDrive.

The mad scramble to remote work and utilize apps like Teams has been trying for most organizations over the past couple of years. With a rush to install and no time to plan, most team members did their best, prioritizing remote meetings as the primary concern. Therefore, as a result, Teams is vastly misunderstood and underutilized in most organizations. Join us in this session to go beyond the remote meetings aspect of Teams and to learn how to optimize efficiency, communication, and workflow with Teams.

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.

Small businesses have better options now than ever before in the market of accounting solutions. Participate in this session to learn more about these options and which might be best for you or your clients.

Are you ready to maximize the utility of ChatGPT? If so, participate in this session so you can learn the best ways to leverage this tool.

No matter what role you play in your professional life, being able to command an audience--whether of one or of thousands--is an important skill. Public speaking, no matter how you slice it, is a practice that is worthy of attention. This workshop teaches you approachable strategies to improve your public speaking and presentation skills, recognizing that everyone comes with different comfort levels and experiences. There is no one-size-fits-all speaking style, and trying to force yourself into a specific presentation persona can be more harmful than helpful. Learn actionable tips to help you be more confident next time you need to take the proverbial (or literal) stage.

Most small and mid-sized businesses are at least considering cloud-based suites for business management, performance management, and productivity. Unfortunately, many owners and accounting professionals need to learn the difference between using cloud-native tools, employing a managed service provider, and utilizing a desktop hosting provider. This session helps participants understand the differences in the levels of service provided by these offerings and will also highlight some of the regulatory barriers which could create problems for your organization. Attend this session and learn what you need to know before saying “see ya” to your servers.

Many organizations have implemented Microsoft 365/Office 365 at a basic level, but few have truly explored the breadth and depth of tools included with their subscriptions. Some less commonly known apps help you manage shared email boxes, create and use web forms, schedule appointments, trade shifts, create real-time closed captions, and translate presentations. Attend this session and learn more about the hidden features in Microsoft 365 that you can use to level up your productivity.

Sampling is often identified as a common audit deficiency in peer review. This course will review when is sampling applicable and basics of planning a sample. We'll then focus on the application of sampling in financial statement audits with a look at sampling for substantive procedures. We'll look at the use of monetary unit sampling and tools that can be leveraged to reduce bias in sampling.