CPE & Event Calendar

Analytical Procedures - Comprehending Financial Statement Audit Fundamentals will provide the tips and techniques necessary to gather sufficient appropriate audit evidence to support conclusions using analytic procedures common to financial statement audits. Properly designing, documenting and evaluating results of analytic review procedures is critical for performing an effective and efficient audit engagement. Note: This course is recommended as a part of a 16-hour audit skills curriculum for experienced staff auditors, while it is also appropriate for anyone who has responsibilities for performing financial statement audit analytics. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

A detailed analysis of the calculations related to determining a shareholder's tax basis for S corporation shares and loans. How to use the Form 1120S, Schedule K-1 information for basis determination, as well as an update on Schedules K-2 and K-3. An illustrative example demonstrates how the process works, as well as the many potential pitfalls. **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.

Embracing and cultivating Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) in the workplace IS Ethics at Work! This session explores ethical values and principles related to these initiatives and examines workplace behaviors, individually and collectively, that foster and promote organizational well being. Robbie offers findings on strategies that work to improve DEI efforts based on best practices and interviews with experts in the field. Please note that for those of you who have taken courses from Robbie there will be some duplication and much new content. This session is designed for people who wish for a more fair and just world and workplace. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

Manage distractions, decrease stress and improve productivity. This training is designed to help business professionals improve their productivity and work performance by learning how to prioritize time, decrease distractions and lower stress. 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 examines actual fraud circumstances through the lens of potential prevention. We will examine how selected frauds were accomplished and consider what internal controls may have prevented fraudsters’ ability to accomplish their nefarious acts.

Accountants in business and industry face ethical conflicts almost daily. This workshop (re-)introduces the revised AICPA Code of Professional Conduct and walks through the five basic rules of conduct and the related professional ethical principles applicable to accountants in business and industry. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

CPA's are responsible for understanding (1) the presence of fraudulent activity, (2) that financial reports are complete and accurate, and (3) applying the going concern principle to a business. Appropriate cybersecurity controls, processes and oversight directly impact these three areas. Fraud Bad actors can exploit systems with weak security controls to perform fraud. The increasing prevalence of hacked systems reflect this. Bad actors are stealing data, intellectual property, financial assets, and other information. Digital fraud is becoming more prevalent and can be substantially more damaging than historical types of fraud. Not only can digital fraud result in financial loss, but it can subject companies to expensive lawsuits, damage reputations and can even put a company out of business. Complete & Accurate Financial Reports Having cybersecurity controls on systems and networks is critical to ensure information reported in financial statements is complete and accurate. Data residing in financial reports is processed, stored and transmitted using IT Systems. It is important for CPA's to understand the required cybersecurity controls to prevent or detect inaccurate data in financial reports. Going Concern With an increasing volume of system hacks (e.g. Target, Experian, Sony, and most recently the US Government), it is no longer "if" you're going to get hacked, it is "When." If organizations do not have appropriate cybersecurity controls in place to protect against an attack, then a malicious hack can put them out of business. An organization's cybersecurity posture should be a factor in evaluating the Principle of Going Concern. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

Award winning discussion leader Mark Hugh discusses both nexus basics and new developments in the dynamic, ever changing world of state income and sales tax nexus. This valuable course answers your frequently asked questions, reviews key factors in examining potential nexus consequences, takes a tour through the rules in states comprising 50% of the US, and identifies free, online multistate resources. 

The Professional Ethics Executive Committee (PEEC) of the AICPA has been very busy issuing new and updating existing ethics rules. This course will provide an overview of recently issued and soon to be effective ethics rules that CPAs in both industry and public accounting need to know to be compliant. 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 focuses on the key federal tax issues affecting businesses from the internal accountant's point of view, with a focus on recent tax legislation and developments.  Planning alternatives and the potential risks associated with those strategies will also be discussed.  **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 will provide a detailed analysis of the real estate professional passive activity rules, including forms reporting examples, and integrates those rules with when real estate is considered a "business" under the Section 199A flow-through entity deduction. A detailed analysis of the self-rental passive activity rules will be given, including forms reporting examples and integrates them with the flow-through entity rules related to self-rental. **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 course will provide an overview of 6 key areas of automation that accounting firms can leverage to effectively increase their lead generation and client retention efforts while reducing the burden on their time and budget. These areas include: 1. Social media 2. Content development. 3. Email marketing. 4. Text (SMS) marketing. 5. Chatbots and other interactive AI tools. 6. Drip marketing campaigns. Attendees will receive a practical guide to the technologies and tactics needed to improve marketing efforts with efficiency and ease! 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 one of the courses dedicated to our Controllership Series. This series of courses 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 continue our discussion on inventory from segment one. This specific segment focuses on areas of inventory valuation, the types of physical inventory methods, and inventory fraud. These areas are critical for the controller to have a strong comprehension of and also participate in the development of policies and procedures.      

You could pay $0 for this course!This qualifies for reimbursement through the State Workforce Training Express Fund. Firms/companies with fewer than 100 staff will receive 100% reimbusement, and firms/companies with over 100 staff will receive 50% reimbursement. You must register for this course and apply for reimbursement through the Workforce Training Express Fund website three weeks in advance to be eligible. The course code for this program is C-8899. To learn more click here or contact Julia Ekelund at jekelund@mscpaonline.org. This four-topic event focuses on three separate, proven tactics to increase profitability, including cost reductions, revenue enhancements, reducing investment, avoiding waste and taking a more integrated look at avoiding risk. We also look at methods to optimize the return from the marketing function. The focus is simple – getting the most bang for the buck with proven approaches to increase profitability and to improve the organization.Tactics to Improve Bottom Line: 1st Improve ROI2 Finance credits What do investors want? They actively pursue three key strategies; 1) improve profit (most over used strategy), 2) reduce investment (an under used strategy), and 3) reduce risk (a much-neglected strategy). In this the first of three sessions, see 1) above, we will explore successful strategies to improve pricing, increase volume, and reduce risk. We will discuss proven techniques to help your organization thrive.Tactics to Reduce Investment: 2nd Strategy ROI 2 Finance credits What do investors want? They actively pursue three key strategies; 1) improve profit (most over used strategy), 2) reduce investment (an under used strategy), and 3) reduce risk (a much-neglected strategy). In this second of three sessions, see 2) above, we will explore strategies to improve asset utilization and reduce investment. We will discuss proven techniques to help your organization thrive.Tactics to Reduce Risk: 3rd Strategy to Help ROI 2 Auditing credits What do investors want? They actively pursue three key strategies; 1) improve profit (most over used strategy), 2) reduce investment (an under used strategy), and 3) reduce risk (a much-neglected strategy). In this third of three sessions, see 3) above, we will explore strategies to reduce risk. When risks are exhibited on the income statement – it is too late. Risk is silent and insidious. We must plan, as we have seen what happens when risk becomes real and reduces net income. We will discuss proven techniques to help your organization plan for risk before the next miscalculation. Be prepared! Bridging the Gap with Marketing Management: The Four Ps 2 Business Management & Organization credits What should we know about marketing and what are the four ‘P’s of marketing? Many financial leaders are not sufficiently knowledgeable about the marketing function, marketing management, and measuring marketing results. When we know more, both functions can work collaboratively to help drive a superior bottom line. We can more accurately measure success, for example, in order to approve a cost-effective strategy to maintain and grow the business organically. We will discuss proven techniques to help your organization grow and thrive. Finance and marketing can and should help each other – we will show you how.

Please join us for our bimonthly Marketing committee meeting. Committee meetings are open to all MassCPAs members. If you have any questions, please contact Jill at jfoley@masscpas.org.

Designed especially for CPAs, this class is a practical call to action that provides CPAs with the tools and inspiration they need to be better thinkers. You'll learn habits and strategies you can use every day to dramatically improve judgment and decision-making. You'll learn how to break down mental barriers and alleviate mental fatigue. You'll achieve new levels of mental clarity, flexibility, and resilience. You will also benefit from better overall mental well-being and be more resistant to stress and burnout. Attendees leave as more powerful and confident thinkers and better communicators and problem-solvers. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

This segment will focus on the analytical process required to derive a logical and supportable estimate of value for a regulated marijuana businesses and related intellectual property rights. Valuing recreational and medical license rights for marijuana cultivation, processing or retailing will be emphasized with a focus on use of the income and market approaches to value. A sample sanitized appraisal report will be provided and discussed. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

Required minimum distributions (RMDs) from employer retirement plans and IRAs must be made or steep penalties will be incurred. Planning opportunities exist in certain situations to minimize distributions. Also, special rules exist for inherited retirement funds. Your clients depend on you to help them navigate the rules regarding required minimum distributions and the taxation of distributions. This course addresses compliance issues and planning opportunities regarding required minimum distributions.

In a competitive market, every company is looking for anyway to differentiate themselves from their competition. While we often look to new markets and data for a competitive advantage, ethics can be the factor that makes the biggest difference to customers, employees, and the public at large. Using surveys, research, case studies, and examples, this course will explore why the CPA credential and the AICPA Code of Professional Conduct is so different. We will discuss why CPA's are in a unique position of trust and how this can put their companies ahead. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

New Technology, the move toward telecommuting, the widespread adoption of electronic documentation, and a wide range of other factors have significantly and forever changed the way business is conducted. It should go without saying that changes in tools and methods lead to upheaval in any organizations internal control system. In this session, we look at all the changes that are occurring and discuss what's coming in the not too distant future. The material then looks at how internal controls have been affected and what other updates are on the horizon. Anyone trying to use controls to keep their organization efficient and secure should consider this session because the rate of change to both operational methods and control processes has been and will continue to be incredible. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.