Professional Development and Event Catalog

For accounting and tax professionals, understanding the inner workings of blockchain and cryptocurrency is no longer just an advantage—it’s a necessity. This course provides an in-depth look into the mechanics of digital currencies and revolutionary blockchain technology, equipping attendees with the knowledge to navigate benefits and risks effectively. Special emphasis is placed on the tax implications for both individuals and estates, ensuring that attendees can confidently advise on these issues, which are becoming increasingly relevant in financial planning and asset management. This offering is more than just a learning experience; it’s an investment in one’s professional growth. By understanding the tax complexities and estate planning challenges posed by digital assets, participants will be able to offer valuable insights and strategic solutions. They will emerge from this course not just with theoretical knowledge but with actionable skills that can be applied immediately. In a landscape where digital assets are becoming commonplace, this is the education that will differentiate the exceptional from the average. Join today and step into a role as a leader in finance for the digital age. **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.

People skills are the most significant skills that Professionals need to develop and yet are often the last skills perfected. This course will help participants understand personality types and the successful interactions with clients, peers and family. In addition, participants will learn Neuro-linguistic programming and develop the ability to better understand nonverbal language which is key in communication. Participants will also learn techniques to enhance memory and to improve the ability to recall key facts.

Performance targets and incentives can drive breathtakingly positive results: the moon landings, the eradication of smallpox, or the repair of the ozone layer, for example. They can also have a dark side that can create stress, overload and anxiety and even drive lawbreaking. What is the difference between a healthy ‘stretch’ target and one pushes people too far? How can we spot potential problems in advance and systematically design sensible, humane and effective performance targets? Using practical examples and case studies, Bernie will give you an overview of the essential steps for designing robust, effective, and credible targets for any organization. Designing effective, practical and realistic performance targets will never be easy, but this session will introduce you to the tools that help make the process clearer, simpler and more consistent.

In this introductory course, you'll learn the fundamentals of integrating forensic data analytics into your anti-fraud risk management program. We will cover key definitions, use cases, methodologies and some of the leading innovations and techniques driving this ever-evolving field of "finding hidden money."

In this course, participants will learn about key trends and innovations impacting the field of forensic data analytics.  From generative AI to ChatGPT, machine learning and transaction review, data sharing consortiums and cryptocurrency trends, this course is for the futurist who wants to be leading edge in compliance and anti-fraud technology innovation. 

Professional Athletes have multiple coaches - business people rarely utilize coaches. This course will focus on creating the coaching skills that are required to raise the performance of your employees. Coaching Model / Strategies Successful Communication Techniques Root Cause Analysis Performance Gap Analysis Personality impact on coaching model.

Running or advising a small business? KPI Bootcamp can help you quickly find and deploy the right KPIs to achieve your, or your client's, goals. Delivered by Bernie Smith, KPI specialist and overloaded small business owner, this course will help you quickly select a handful of powerful measures that apply to your business. The step-by-step approach helps you sharpen your objectives and select the right KPIs to drive growth and profit. Every one of the 412 included KPIs (as free PDF download for every participant) includes a full plain-English definition and also covers business benefits, case-study examples and practical tips.

Are you  looking to fortify your practice against the ever-growing threats in the digital landscape? Join us for the second installment of our exclusive webinar series, "Mastering Cybersecurity," brought to you by Practice Protect. In today's digitally connected world, the need for comprehensive cybersecurity is paramount. With cyberattacks becoming more sophisticated, it's crucial to stay ahead of the curve in protecting your sensitive client data.  This webinar series is designed to equip CPAs with the knowledge and tools needed to secure their practices and client information effectively.

In the modern corporate landscape, the challenge for lean HR departments isn't just managing administrative tasks—it's about curating a meaningful and enriching employee journey. Small HR teams are uniquely poised to offer a level of personalization and touch that larger departments might struggle to replicate. These compact teams have the potential to craft individualized experiences, ensuring that each step of an employee's journey, from onboarding to advancement, resonates deeply and positively. Yet, knowing the potential and harnessing it are two distinct tasks. This session provides attendees with a deep dive into three transformative engagement strategies tailored for lean HR environments. By placing the employee journey at the heart of these strategies, HR professionals can ensure every interaction, every milestone, and every touchpoint is optimized for engagement, satisfaction, and growth. Discover methods that don't just streamline processes, but elevate the entire employee experience, creating a lasting impact on both individual careers and the organization's culture.

This session will focus on the most common types of fraud in the procurement and contracting arena, with a focus on fraud in construction.  The session will examine fraud vulnerabilities in the four key phases of the procurement process: Presolicitation. Negotiation. Performance. Closeout and Claims.  Within each phase, “red flags” will be discussed.  These are the indicia of possible fraud that managers should be alert for.  Also, within each phase, the most common fraud schemes will be highlighted and discussed.  Finally, the session will describe the generally accepted safeguards or controls that should be established to prevent the various fraud schemes that can occur.  This part of the program will make extensive use of actual fraud case studies designed to demonstrate fraud risks and fraud detection strategies.

There is always too much to do and too little time to do it all.  Fortunately, if you know the right ways to manage people, projects and your time, you can get on top of everything by working smarter.  In Part 2 of this seminar we will go into more depth about how to get more done in less time, as well as how to not burnout from all the work you do.  We will discuss additional methods for working smarter through technology, communication, stress reduction, and creating smart and helpful goals.

Are you looking to fortify your practice against the ever-growing threats in the digital landscape? Join us for the third installment of our exclusive webinar series, "Mastering Cybersecurity," brought to you by Practice Protect.  In today's digitally connected world, the need for comprehensive cybersecurity is paramount. With cyberattacks becoming more sophisticated, it's crucial to stay ahead of the curve in protecting your sensitive client data. This webinar series is designed to equip CPAs with the knowledge and tools needed to secure their practices and client information effectively.

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 will review the Federal Trade Commission's proposed rule banning non-competes. It will also briefly go over the rule making process and timeline for the proposed rule to go into effect. In the second half, the presentation will review the patchwork quilt of state laws that have curtailed enforcement of non-competes, as well as best practices for businesses to consider when implementing non-competes in the workforce. 

To make more money in less time, all accountants need to learn to market themselves effectively to their clients or their firm. For better or worse, promotions and more money go to those who are the best marketers, rather than the most competent accountants.  In this fascinating and fun workshop, participants will learn seven key ways to get more clients and/or promotions through the art of marketing.

This course provides in-depth information to enable the practitioner to make a well-informed decision as to whether a trust is the appropriate vehicle for a client’s financial, estate, and/or asset protection plan, and, if so, how the trust can best be implemented and operated. Participants will learn about the many different types of trusts that can be harnessed to save clients income, estate, generation-skipping, and other taxes, at both the federal and state level.

Overview of the most important labor and employment policies and practices that every business should have. The review will go over confidentiality agreements, arbitration agreements, restrictive covenants, training, and severance agreements, as well as compliance issues related to each of them. 

When the leadership in any organizations carries out their responsibilities of establishing, maintaining and monitoring internal controls, it significantly reduces the possibility of fraud occurring.  When and if it does occur, a good system of internal controls will often detect it early on.  This presentation is an illustration of what can happen when top management fails to carry out their responsibility of protecting an entity’s assets through a good system of internal controls.

This webcast is dedicated to exploring innovative strategies in tax practice management, designed to help firms stay at the forefront of the industry. We'll focus on: Recruitment and retention strategies Building a more efficient practice Attracting top talent Fostering a culture of retention Our expert speakers will share insights on leveraging technology and implementing best practices. Don't miss this opportunity to future-proof your tax practice and gain a competitive edge in the industry.

We all want to be successful and deeply fulfilled, but most of us have not learned what really leads to a life of abundance, happiness, purpose, and great relationships.  In this seminar, you will learn the most effective methods for creating the life you really want.  In his interviews with such people as Oprah, the Dalai Lama, Deepak Chopra, Tony Robbins, Ted Turner, and dozens of others, Jonathan has learned what really works and what does not.  In this seminar you’ll learn the best personal and professional growth techniques he’s acquired over his career.  Once you know these great ideas and methods, you'll be able to take your life and career to a whole new level.