CPE & Event Calendar

An in-depth coverage of ASC Topic 842, Leases . Leasing is popular among corporations for needs including office space and equipment. Since ASC Topic 842, Leases has been adopted by most entities, it is time to review the topic, including any recently issued updates. Excerpts from publicly traded companies' recent disclosures on Leases are also examined.

This session provides insights for enhancing the preparation and utilization of budgets. Seasoned accountants will benefit from a refreshed awareness of popular techniques. Budding financial professionals will obtain novel insight regarding fundamental budgeting concepts. All participants will develop an appreciation for the holistic nature of budgeting as an integral tool for planning and control. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

In this webinar we will explore the powerful concept of splitting data from reports and dig into the mechanics that enable this technique. The key feature discussed is the Tables feature, and the key function discussed is the multiple-condition summing function. We will illustrate these items in a variety of ways, including building crosstab style reports and mapping tables.

Most financial leaders would agree that budgeting is easy when business and the economy are stable. When revenues and expenses are expected to remain the same, the process becomes merely an exercise in carrying over what was done before to the current year. However, what happens when we are not sure about how the market will react to our product? What happens when the competitive landscape changes? In this course, we will discuss budgeting techniques and considerations when business lacks stability. Through a combination of theory and real-world examples, we will explore how to build flexibility into our budget - so that it can inform and drive decision-making when we don't quite know what is ahead. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

Literally thousands of individual taxpayers may have increased deductions or exclusions from gross income as a result of the Disaster Relief Act of 2024! Casualty provisions of the Act are retroactive to December 19, 2019 through early 2025. Both low and high income taxpayers may benefit from the Act through exclusions of payments received as compensation for wildfire damages - retroactive to 2014! This course will review the provisions of this new act. 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 on ethics in communication and reporting covers essential topics to ensure integrity and professionalism in our interactions. We begin with the fundamentals of ethical communication, emphasizing the importance of honesty, transparency, and respect. We then explore four must-have communication skills crucial for effective and ethical exchanges. The session also provides practical application steps on how to improve these ethical communication skills in daily practice. Finally, we discuss the problems associated with unethical behavior in reporting and communication, highlighting the potential consequences and the importance of maintaining ethical standards to build trust and credibility.

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.   

As uncomfortable as some conversations are, keeping your silence won't resolve the issue and may in fact add to it. No matter which side of the table you find yourself at in a "hard to have" talk, you can learn to benefit from the conversation. In the workshop, you'll learn how to recognize when a conversation becomes critical, how to plan effectively for the conversation, and which communications strategies can help you create a win/win outcome.

IRS Form 7217 is an IRS tax form required for partners receiving distributions of property from partnerships. Starting for tax years beginning in 2024, a partner who receives property from a partnership must file Form 7217 with his or her annual income tax return. Form 7217 is filed by any partner receiving a distribution of property from a partnership to report the basis of the distributed property, including any basis adjustment to such property as required by Section 732(a)(2) or (b). This new IRS form is part of the IRS's general concern regarding basis shifting in favor of high marginal tax rate related partners. Form 7217 is now required and details the types of property distributed, the aggregate basis, and the allocation of basis to the distributed property. Form 7203 is designed to assist in tracking an S corporation shareholder's stock and debt basis. Form 7203 is a significant improvement from the worksheets the IRS provided formerly and over time will serve to help partners and partnerships keep track of their stock and debt basis. The course covers the structure and organization of Form 7203 as well as how an S corporation shareholder's stock and debt basis are calculated.

Do you want to build stronger relationships with your clients, improve client retention, and drive growth in your practice? This course delves into the essential strategies for effective client management in today's competitive landscape. Client relationships, like any relationship, can be challenging to manage. Miscommunication, differing work styles, and unrealistic expectations are some of the challenges accounting and finance professionals routinely encounter. However, when accounting clients and members of your team are on the same page, client loyalty and profitability improve while conflict is minimized. This webinar explores proven strategies to improve relationships between accounting and finance professionals and their clients.

This course profiles Brenda, a financial executive from the state of Washington. Despite earning her college degree, Brenda did not find employment in her area of study. Instead, she landed a series of dead-end jobs. Business reversals frequently led to the loss of employment. When a company that she knew to be unethical offered her an executive position that included bookkeeping tasks, including overseeing all finances, she accepted. While on the job, Brenda saw owners of the company misappropriating funds. Rather than reporting the fraud, she created an elaborate scheme to benefit herself - without the owner's knowledge. Her bad decisions led to a guilty plea for wire fraud, after authorities accused her of absconding with more than $600,000 in corporate funds. A prison term of 20 months followed. Listen and learn from Brenda's experience. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

Be the go-to person on financial statement compilation and preparation engagements. Specifically designed for those performing preparation and compilation engagements, this course will provide you with a hands-on application for performing preparation and compilation engagements under AR-C Section 70 and 80, respectively. You will learn the ins and outs of relevant sections of the SSARS related to preparation and compilation engagements with a focus on how recently issued updates to SSARS No. 21 impact these engagements. More importantly, you will be provided practical examples and illustrations to help you effectively and efficiently perform those engagements, including a detailed discussion of the reporting requirements under AR-C 80 related to compilation engagement. Lastly, the course will review recent peer review feedback on these types of engagements, highlighting areas where you can improve engagement quality.

How to properly account for and audit digital records is increasingly gathering importance as more entities have cryptocurrency and other digital assets on their financial statements. This course will address common questions, risks, and challenges evolving in this area. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

Do you find yourself challenged to achieve the results you want? While leading employees can be one of the most challenging activities, it is also one of the most impactful leadership skills few seem to master. Inspirational leadership looks like lifelong employees reaching their full potential AND impactful business results that are repeated year after year. Striking the balance between these two critical aspects does not have to be rocket science. In this power-packed course, the formula to be an Inspirational leader has been masterfully developed and covers the soft skills of Inspirational leadership and the Results Model: Goal Setting + Coaching + Follow Up with proven results from dozens of both large and small companies. These cornerstones are simple but can be hard to execute because it is HOW you do it first, then WHAT you do second. This exciting course is designed to ignite your leadership skills by putting theory into practice; drilling into real live examples and experiencing first-hand what excellence sounds like through role-playing and building your action plan. Get ready to become an inspirational leader and learn the steps required to get the results you really want. 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 is designed for tax professionals seeking to understand and navigate the IRS collection process effectively. Participants will gain indepth knowledge of the various collection methods employed by the IRS, including liens, levies and wage garnishments. Additionall, participants will leand strategies to avoid or halt collection actions and the implications of the statute of limitations on tax collection. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

This is a compelling course designed to strengthen the ethical foundations of experienced accountants in leadership roles. This course delves into the challenges and responsibilities of maintaining high ethical standards in complex and pressure-filled business environments. Participants will explore key concepts of ethical decision- making, the impact of leadership on organizational integrity, and strategies for fostering an ethical culture even when external behaviors fall short of these standards. Through engaging lectures, dynamic discussions, and real-world scenarios, this course equips leaders with the skills necessary to act as ethical pillars within their organizations, ensuring their actions influence positive change and uphold the highest standards of professional conduct.

Almost 50% of businesses that started five years ago are no longer in operation today. Controllers and CFOs can and must influence the longevity of their organization to improve their success rate.  Jim will help you be aware and understand the answers to these issues: Can you describe the financial health of your company? Can you also explain what the financial health of your industry is? Do you know your Business Cycle compared to the industry business cycle? Do you have an executable plan? Do you know what the competitive, legal and technological landscape is currently, and for the future? Is your organization aligned and incentivize to be successful? Jim has developed his groundbreaking Business Longevity concept as a keynote and a workshop, and would be happy to speak to your organization on this topic. This session will focus on assessment (financial health, competitive environment), determination (effective business planning, including the future landscape), and execution (gettin’ it done!)

In today's rapidly evolving digital landscape, understanding the interplay between generative AI and data protection is not just an asset, but a necessity. This transformative course is designed to delve deep into the crucial privacy, security, and compliance aspects of working with Generative AI (GenAI) technologies. As accountants increasingly integrate AI tools into their workflows, the stakes for safeguarding sensitive information and ensuring ethical AI practices have never been higher. Our masterclass is tailored to meet the unique needs of modern accountants, providing a thorough and practical exploration of how to navigate the complexities of secure data sharing with GPT models, implement robust AI policies, and master the intricacies of AI copyright compliance. With a focus on real-world applications and emerging threats, such as deepfakes and their implications for fraud and misinformation, this course is your gateway to becoming a trusted expert in the field. Join us to future-proof your career and lead with confidence in the digital age. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

Unlock the power of artificial intelligence to transform your firm's marketing strategy. This course will explore how AI can revolutionize your marketing efforts, helping you to reach your target audience more effectively and boost your firm's growth. In this session, Gaynor Meilke will guide you through the steps to implement an AI-enabled marketing strategy tailored to your firm's needs. Key Takeaways: Understand the fundamental principles of AI and its applications in marketing. Learn how to leverage AI tools and technologies to enhance your marketing campaigns. Discover practical strategies for integrating AI into your firm's marketing workflow. Gain insights into measuring the effectiveness of your AI-driven marketing efforts. Explore real-life case studies and success stories of firms that have successfully implemented AI in their marketing strategies. By the end of this course, you will be equipped with the knowledge and tools to harness the power of AI, streamline your marketing processes, and achieve remarkable results for your firm. Don't miss this opportunity to stay ahead of the competition and lead your firm to new heights with AI-enabled marketing This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

A common challenge for the controller role is in closing the month-end and period-end books in preparation to issue financial statements. This duty requires precision, timing and efficiency. In today’s digital world, many organizations have access to financial accounting software that will assist with the steps in the financial close. However, even with this aid it is critical the accountant understand the various steps for the close process and how they inter-relate to other accounting processes. This course gives you an insight into the inter-relationships between many processes that impact the financial close. The closing process has traditionally been a slow one with many companies taking two weeks to close its subsidiary’s books and another two to three weeks to roll up and consolidated the results. With the introduction of technology much has been done to help accelerate that process with integrated enterprise resource planning systems and general ledger and consolidate software. Within this segment we will discuss the elements of the financial close and also important concepts to assist the controller in accelerating their close timeline. This includes addressing all functional areas of the close including payroll, invoicing, payables, inventory, cash, and the general ledger. We will also discuss important concepts of ensuring your financial close is accurate by discussing bank reconciliations, overhead allocations, bad debt reserves, unpaid wages and accruals for vacation time, account reconciliations, deprecation and overall financial statement review. Note: This course does not address utilizing technology in the financial close. Its focus is to understand the varied procedures involved in the financial close whether or not technology is utilized.