CPE & Event Calendar

The Accounting and Auditing Update is designed to provide its participants with a comprehensive, in-depth review of what’s happening at the FASB, AICPA, and other professional bodies who may impact accounting and auditing this year, including FASB Statements and Interpretations, Statements on Auditing Standards, Statements of Position, Statements on Standards for Accounting and Review Services, Ethics Interpretations, exposure drafts and projects in progress, with emphasis on the practical application and impact on practitioners in small to medium sized firms and members in industry. Special attention this year will be focused on the emerging use of data analytics related to audit evidence.  

Develop your soft skills in training courses that benefit both the person attending and their organization. This course, part four of the five-course series, is applicable for various accounting departments (i.e. audit, tax, consulting, and accounting services) but because these are universal leadership concepts, they are equally applicable to other professional business leaders. AHI soft skills training will help improve efficiency, make managers and senior managers more effective with others, and increase the organization's bottom line. Also, as these courses often include other industries besides accounting, there is an opportunity to work and network with leadership professionals from other industries. Per NASBA's rules effective January 1, 2024, participants are required to be on camera and participate in the full and small group discussions to earn CPE credits for this Group Live - Virtual course. As such, please make sure you are set up properly with reliable internet (hard wired is best), a working camera, and a working microphone.

Many courses highlight ethical failures - this course goes beyond that. This course identifies the many barriers to ethical behavior, focuses on habits and techniques that improve ethics and offer ways to practice so that the ethical "muscle" is ready for any dilemma. This course incorporates ideas from leading ethical authors and includes data from the ACFE Report to the Nations. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

The new revenue recognition standard outlines five steps for proper compliance. At the surface, these steps seem simplistic. However, there are many considerations that should be considered within each step based on your process and industry. Previous courses in this series have covered the standard at a high level and evaluated step one and two of the standard. They are: Understanding the Revenue Recognition Standard Revenue Recognition: Identify the Contract - Part One Revenue Recognition: Identify the Contract - Part Two Revenue Recognition: Identify Performance Obligations – Part One Revenue Recognition: Identify Performance Obligations – Part Two Revenue Recognition: Determine Transaction Price - Part 1 Revenue Recognition: Determine Transaction Price - Part 2 Revenue Recognition: Allocate the Transaction Price Revenue Recognition: Recognize Revenue      This segment is designed to evaluate Step Three of the new model dealing with Determining the Transaction Price.

This course addresses the most recent legislative developments impacting business taxpayers, with a focus on important provisions, rules and concepts to apply when preparing client returns.    *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

For the past two decades the trend has been to move away from brick and mortar offices and have a greater number of people work or telecommute from home. Because of the upheaval caused by recent events, the rate of this move has been accelerated. This has and will continue to create control challenges and organizations must work to address these. Such things as moving from time based employee value to task completion based measurement and the ability to drive needed inter-company communication are just a sample of the issues with which entities must contend. This session looks at the benefits and pitfalls of workers that telecommute. It then discusses important risks and controls to consider as this trend continues and evolves in the business world. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

Keep current on ethical requirements imposed by standards-setting organizations and legislative action. Discuss regulatory, legal and ethical requirements affecting the profession. Take a pragmatic approach to ethics, recognize potential regulatory problems, and avoid liability.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is mainstream, and most people have a basic understanding of it, but few know the depth and breadth of its capabilities. AI is making an impact in just about everything in business and our lives. The operation of an internal control system is also changing because of this incredible advancement. This course explains what AI is and how it works and goes into detail about how it can be applied to an internal control system. This course explores changes occurring in today?s world as well as what?s coming.

Join us for an enlightening presentation where we delve into the pivotal technology trends reshaping the accounting profession. This course covers an array of topics including cloud computing, big data, data analytics, Robotic Process Automation (RPA), Machine Learning (ML), Artificial Intelligence (AI), cryptocurrency, blockchain technology, and the metaverse. We will also cover provide an update on the current market for cloud based accounting / ERP and personal productivity software. Designed for forward-thinking professionals, this session offers insights into how these technologies impact your business, your firm, your clients and most importantly, your career. Stay ahead in your field by understanding these emerging technologies and their practical applications in business. 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 introduces theories on human nature and organizational factors affecting ethical choices. Robbie examines the role of gossip in the workplace, provides tools for ethical decision making and offers concrete actions for creating and sustaining an ethical work environment. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

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.

As tax policies and economic conditions continue to evolve, staying ahead in fringe benefit planning is more essential than ever. This course provides financial professionals with a comprehensive update on fringe benefit strategies, ensuring compliance with evolving regulations while maximizing tax efficiency for businesses and individuals. Participants will explore the latest legislative and regulatory updates impacting employer-sponsored benefits, IRC §132 fringe benefits, cafeteria plans, and retirement healthcare strategies. This course also examines ERISA reporting requirements, tax-efficient compensation planning, and healthcare benefits, offering practical applications to help practitioners navigate compliance and optimize benefits for their 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

The new revenue recognition standard outlines five steps for proper compliance. At the surface, these steps seem simplistic. However, there are many considerations that should be considered within each step based on your process and industry. Previous courses in this series have covered the standard at a high level and evaluated step one and two of the standard. They are: Understanding the Revenue Recognition Standard Revenue Recognition: Identify the Contract - Part One Revenue Recognition: Identify the Contract - Part Two Revenue Recognition: Identify Performance Obligations – Part One Revenue Recognition: Identify Performance Obligations – Part Two Revenue Recognition: Determine Transaction Price - Part 1 Revenue Recognition: Determine Transaction Price - Part 2 Revenue Recognition: Allocate the Transaction Price Revenue Recognition: Recognize Revenue      This segment is designed to evaluate Step Three of the new model dealing with Determining the Transaction Price.

This course in part of our series on the Controllership Role. Internal control is relevant to everyone in the workplace. It represents our moral responsibility to understand and comply with organization policies and procedures. It also provides the means to hold individuals accountable for their work. The controller is an impactful position that affects a company's processes including financial, compliance and operational. Controller functions vary across companies often following the size and complexity of the business and the industry. Smaller companies require more versatility for the controller Larger companies are more able to segregate job responsibilities across other employees. The controller should be knowledgeable of the various controls to create a control system that will appropriately safeguard company assets and processes. Internal controls are typically comprised of control activities such as authorization, documentation, reconciliation, security and segregation of duties.

OneNote is a fantastic application included in your Microsoft 365 subscription. Yet, it is underutilized and misunderstood most of the time. If you genuinely want to change how you work, embrace OneNote. Stop using Outlook as a filing cabinet for essential emails and move them to OneNote instead. If you share a OneNote notebook with others, you can stop emailing altogether within your group and use OneNote as your collaboration and reference platform.

This course addresses the most recent legislative developments impacting individual taxpayers, with a focus on important provisions, rules and concepts to apply when preparing client returns.    *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

Inventory observations are often a right of passage for audit staff. This course will cover the basics of auditing inventory, including the related audit assertions, risks, & threats to inventory. During this course, we will also highlight the various substantive auditing procedures that staff should perform, and also walk through how to conduct a physical inventory observation. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

Clients often ask their tax advisors whether they have the "best" pension plan and whether they are using it to its maximum advantage. This program explains how various pension plans work and analyzes why a small or medium-sized business owner would choose one plan over another.

Working as a financial professional is an accomplishment that offers the potential for a good salary with long-term growth. Despite being a sought-after career, studies show that being overworked is the greatest source of anxiety and dissatisfaction among financial professionals. Left unchecked, a life centered exclusively around the demands of work can be both physically and emotionally detrimental. Establishing a work-life balance is difficult in any profession, yet financial professionals confront unique challenges that make this goal seem even more elusive. Technology results in being "always on," with no true time to disconnect and genuinely enjoy family, exercise, or hobbies. Lack of balance comes with costs, including poor health and lower productivity. Why are some professionals able to establish a successful balance between career demands and family while others are not? How are some firms able to achieve both high employee satisfaction and strong productivity? This course looks at research, surveys, and simple anecdotal information to provide a better understanding of how to achieve a realistic work-life balance in the modern world. The program also discusses the tax consequences that arise when professionals seek balance by working from home in one state while their employer is located in a different state.

Apportionment has never been more challenging. States use different methods and sourcing rules for the same transaction. Become the expert in your office on current issues affecting apportionment, such as the apportionment formulas used by other states. Understand sourcing rules, and most importantly, learn to structure transactions so clients aren't taxed on the same income in multiple states. Review how apportionment applies to flow-through entities and their owners. Companion Course: Multistate Nexus Requirements