CPE & Event Calendar

Retaining Talent in a Competitive Marketplace -Creating a Benefits Program Employees Care About In today's competitive marketplace, retaining talented employees is becoming increasingly difficult. A solid benefits program can make a difference in the fight for talent - but only if those benefits matter to the employees you are trying to hire! Through statistics and case studies, this course will explore what benefits are most valuable to employees. We will also explore the basic types of retirement and health insurance plans and discuss what financial leaders should consider before adopting a benefits package. 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 offers a comprehensive exploration of the cannabis industry, delving into essential topics such as cannabis regulations, business models, financial management, and ethical considerations. A key focus is on distinguishing between Marijuana and Industrial Hemp, including their respective tax treatments. Participants will gain a thorough understanding of the unique challenges and opportunities within the cannabis sector, covering federal and state tax implications, licensing requirements, and market trends. 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 corresponds to our Controllership series. Within this course, we specifically address the Controllers role and pro-active potentials in organization Strategic and Annual Planning. 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 add strategic value to their organizations. Controllers are essential to the day-to-day accounting for organizations. Yet, the role is not often readily understood. In today’s world of acronyms such as CFO, CEO, COO, CAO, etc. the Controller function may get lost in the shuffle. However, they are a critical group of professionals who ensure the adequacy and transparency of accounting and financial reporting information. When it comes to the task of strategic planning, many feel this role is primarily the responsibility of the executive team and board. However, in this course, we delve into the various steps of the strategic plan and explore where the Controller can add strategic value through providing functional input and insight. Strategic planning is a process used to identify goals, the strategies necessary to accomplish those goals, and the internal performance management system that will be used to monitor and evaluate progress.  

Joshua, a CFO from Chicago, did not go to prison for stealing the $2 million in liquid cash he had access to on a daily basis. Instead, Joshua ended up in prison by rationalizing that he was entitled to a few small perks of the profession. This course explores Joshua's story and covers how and why executives with high annual incomes make short-sighted decisions that can cost them their job and freedom. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

In the past talking about mental issues in the workplace was taboo. Not anymore!!! So many of us suffer with mental health issues at some point in our lives. Poor mental health impacts, from a work perspective, productivity, absenteeism, retention and more. On a personal level it often causes personal distress and hopelessness. The Society of Human Resource Management (SHRM) is addressing mental illness as a critical factor for the wellbeing of organizations. Additionally, the EEOC is cracking down on mental health discrimination. It is a very important topic for any functional business! This ethics-based webinar will bring awareness to this issue and offer suggestions on managing mental health issues in ethical, compassionate and healthy ways. It will offer suggestions on managing mental health issues for leaders, managers and all staff to create and environment of safety and belonging. This webinar will also address the topic of suicide talking about warning signs and resources. 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 five part master series, class participants will gain a comprehensive view into the world of forensic data analytics (FDA). From understanding practical use cases of FDA in the audit, internal audit, investigations and proactive monitoring to understanding necessary data sources, validation proceudres, success factors and pitfalls to avoid. We will also explore hundreds of leading anti-fraud tests around corruption, conflicts of interest, fake vendor schemes, segregation of duties, revenue recognition and sales abuse, among dozens of other schemes.  Participants will develop their own library of anti-fraud tests from various open source locations and apply them in relevant contexts such as the COSO Fraud Risk Management Guide. Finally, participants will also peek into future innovations in FDA and how technologies such as ChatGPT, data visualization, machine learning, AI and cryptocurrencies are all impacting the discipline.  We can't promise you'll be a programmer after this course, but you will certainly be armed with the information needed to project manage an FDA project and "direct" the programmers to accomplish your fraud risk / FDA objectives.  

The IRS recently released the new Form 7217 for 2024, designed for a partner to report distributions of property received from a partnership. This course dives into the complexity of the partnership distribution rules and their application to the new form, as well as discuss liquidating a partner's interest, Section 751 and the Section 754 election. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

In 2006, Congress passed the Tax Relief and Health Care Act. Prior to the Act's passage, rewards to individuals who provided information to the IRS regarding tax fraud were capped at $10 million. The Tax Relief and Health Care Act authorized the IRS to create a Whistleblower Office dedicated to investigating, processing and recovering claims concerning the underpayment of taxes. Under the IRS' new program, whistleblowers may recover 15 to 30 percent of the amount collected provided the taxes and amounts in dispute exceed $2 million. If the whistleblower's claim does not meet these criteria, the IRS may still consider granting an award under its pre-2006 Tax Relief Act discretionary authority. Given the rapid growth of this program, practitioners should have a basic understanding of the procedure and content for IRS Whistleblower claims, both from the perspective of a claimant's potential to recover and a taxpayer's exposure to liability.

Even though they have been around for several years, the tax laws pertaining to S corporations remain some of the more difficult areas of the Internal Revenue Code. In this course, we will examine how S corporations break away from the normal tax rules for flow-through entities. We will explore which employee benefits are disallowed for S corporation shareholders, as well as which taxes are assessed at the entity level. Finally, we will discuss how state level taxation may have changed permanently with the addition of PTE elections.

Today, more than ever, it is essential that employers have an ethical and effective recruiting strategy and selection process that fosters an environment of diversity and inclusion. This webinar focuses on identifying recruiting strategies that help to increase talent pools and employment interviewing that maximizes hiring success. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

One of the major transactions CPA clients are faced with is the purchase or disposition of a business. To help tax professionals advise those clients, this course offers a comprehensive analysis of the business and tax aspects of buying and selling a business. It is a practical guide to help practitioners and industry CPAs understand structuring techniques. All CPAs, including controllers and executives in industry, should understand how difficult the process of buying and selling a business has become.

In the ever-evolving world of data analytics and business intelligence, Microsoft Excel continues to be an indispensable tool for professionals across industries. With the introduction of Copilot, Microsoft has integrated the power of artificial intelligence directly into Excel, revolutionizing how users work with data. This 2-hour interactive course, Unlock the Power of AI with Copilot in Excel, provides a comprehensive overview of how Copilot transforms traditional Excel workflows into dynamic, AI-driven processes, enabling users to accomplish tasks faster, more accurately, and with less manual effort. During this course, you'll discover how Copilot leverages AI to enhance productivity and streamline operations. Whether you're a seasoned Excel user or just beginning your journey, this course will guide you through practical applications and best practices to make the most of Copilot's capabilities. Through hands-on demonstrations and real-world examples, you'll see how Copilot can save time, improve decision-making, and elevate your analytical skills to new heights. This course not only focuses on the technical aspects of Copilot but also highlights its potential to transform your day-to-day work, from automating repetitive tasks to uncovering trends and insights you might otherwise overlook. By the end of the session, you'll be equipped with the knowledge and confidence to integrate Copilot into your workflows and unlock its full potential in Microsoft Excel. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

This program provides an update to the latest tax developments, rules and regulations impacting business taxpayers, with a review and integration of the numerous 2021/22 legislation. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

Join us for our next bimonthly Human Resources & Firm Operations Committee meeting! All MassCPAs members are welcome and you don't have to be a member of the committee to attend a meeting. Join the committee! By joining the committee roster, you'll have special access to the Human Resources & Firm Operations Committee Online Community on The HUB-an exclusive space for committee members to connect, post messages and access meeting resources. If you have any questions, contact Melissa at MNystedt@masscpas.org

This course provides a concise overview of how artificial intelligence, particularly ChatGPT and other AI tools, is transforming accounting research methodologies and practices. Students will explore the shift from traditional search engine-based research to AI-driven insights, learning how to leverage various AI platforms for enhanced financial analysis, regulatory compliance, and strategic decision-making. The course emphasizes practical applications of AI in accounting contexts while addressing critical considerations such as data verification, ethical usage, and professional judgment. 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 is designed as a primer to introduce artificial intelligence (AI) and to discuss how it will impact accountants as they work. The material will briefly explain what AI is and then focus on ways that it is already serving those in the accounting realm. It will close with a look at future AI-centric developments that will have great potential to positively impact the accounting profession. Those wishing to gain an understanding of what artificial intelligence is and how it will be used by accountants should consider attending this session. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

Many clients end up selling one or more residences during their lifetimes. Tax practitioners must be aware of the tax rules that relate to such sales in order to assist their clients regarding these sales. This program provides general tax practitioners with the tax rules they need to know to help their clients when they sell a personal residence. This program is a comprehensive survey of the various tax issues associated with the sale of a residence.

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.

Develop financial reporting expertise to conduct an accounting analysis and detect distortions in financial statements. Accounting savvy permits the business analyst to leverage financial information to manage and implement business plans. Gain the tools necessary to become skilled at such analyses. Review the impact of financial and accounting data on the function of capital markets in relation to the changing economic landscape and globalization.

Organizations are challenged with identifying, evaluating, and responding to a wide variety of risks. This course will discuss tips and best practices for enterprise-wide risk management for accounting and finance professionals. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.