Calendar of Events - North Dakota CPA Society

Do you struggle to keep budgets current in the face of an ever-changing business climate?  Do you recognize that actual spending can be far from what a department’s spending should be?  Twenty-first century performance metrics reduce work, reduce politics, provide flexibility and substantially improve the performance management process.  This valuable session will show you how to drive organizational performance using these powerful techniques.

This session provides a refresher regarding the fundamentals of activity-based costing (ABC). We will examine theoretical concepts before exploring practical possibilities for implementing ABC. A major focus of the course will be factors to consider when determining whether this managerial accounting tool is an appropriate resource for an organization.

Penalty abatement is a technique that tax practitioners can utilize to help their clients reduce penalties and interest they owe to the IRS if the taxpayer can prove “reasonable cause.”

This informative and insightful webinar will provide you with some insider tips, practical steps and effective strategies to help your client manage IRS tax penalties and interest. Learn about various types of penalties that you may face and the various forms and procedures used for requesting penalty and interest abatement, including First Time and Reasonable Cause abatement. Plus, learn about the procedure to follow when requesting refund of paid penalties.

**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 leighanne.conroy@acpen.com.
 

Business Intelligence (BI) is perhaps the hottest topic in most professional circles in today’s business climate. Increasingly, organizations of all sizes seek to take advantage of the data available to them to identify previously undiscovered insights and gain competitive advantages thought to be out-of-reach just a few short years ago. A growing array of tools – ranging from Excel add-ins to dedicated solutions such as Power BI – now allow you to leverage your existing knowledge and skills to create powerful, interactive dashboards and analyses unthinkable until recently.

In this program, you will learn how to implement “do it yourself business intelligence” using various techniques and tools. You will learn how to work with some of the advanced data query and summarization features in Excel to create Excel-based dashboards. You will then learn how to leverage that knowledge to build even more powerful BI objects using Microsoft’s Power BI tools. If gaining better insights into your data to make better decisions is of interest to you, then join us for a fast-paced look at how you can take advantage of these fantastic tools.

Microsoft Office 365 continues to grow and evolve, yet most Office 365 utilize only a fraction of the tools available in their subscription. Powerful resources such as SharePoint Online and Skype for Business can change how your entire organization communicates and collaborates. In contrast, more personal apps such as Teams, Planner, Flow, and Sway allow individuals to work more efficiently and effectively in virtually all facets of their jobs. Further, security enhancements to Office 365 mean that your organization can take advantage of all these features in a highly secure environment.

Isn’t it time you learned how to move beyond the traditional Office 365 applications such as Excel, Word, and Outlook and unleash all the Office 365 has to offer? Join us in this fast-paced and highly interactive seminar where you will learn the things you need to know to be truly successful with Office 365.

This course focuses on the key federal tax issues affecting business from the internal accountant's point of view, with a focus on the major ramifications of the TCJA and other recent tax legislation and developments.  Planning alternatives and the potential risks associated with those strategies will also be discussed.   

What do people say about you when you leave the room? Is it what you want them to say? How you show up in the room, get listened to, build trust, and are known amongst your colleagues are all critical components of your future success. In this workshop Michelle Tillis Lederman, CEO and Founder of Executive Essentials, will discuss how to determine you brand attributes, demonstrate the nuances of body language on your professional presence, and discuss how to strengthen trust and the lasting impressions you make on your network, expanding upon lessons from her books The Connectors’ Advantage and The 11 Laws of Likability. 

Many finance departments spend considerable time managing cash, particularly if the organization is highly leveraged or cash rich.  Many opportunities exist to reduce your financing costs or increase short-term cash returns if you manage cash effectively.  This session will cover a wide variety of day-to-day cash management tools.  

If a great leader is someone we are willing to sacrifice for – what do those leaders do that makes us want to do more? Many of us work in dysfunctional organizations that want followers, but have no leaders that lead. What makes a leader effective? True leaders sacrifice, they are trustworthy and they empathize. We discuss the steps to take so you can become a true leader: including, integrity, humility, communication, self-control and self-awareness. With diligence, you can become a better leader and we will discuss how.  

Did you know that AI can now write your marketing copy? Create videos with your digital likeness? Provide subjective advice to your clients? Produce training for your employees? Even if you're on the fence about trusting artificial intelligence tools, knowing about these technologies, especially when combined with forms of synthetic media (think deep fakes, but not nefarious), is important for any business leader. Imagine being able to have your likeness communicate in over 40 languages. Think about how amazing it would be to create customized content for every situation without building each piece from scratch. Marvel at how that *perfect* image can manifest from typing just a few keywords. In this session you'll learn about the evolution of communication technologies, how artificial intelligence has expanded our range of connective possibilities, and what possibilities exist for leveraging these channels of communication in your business.

Thankfully, Jan Fraser is your Reinvention expert! Jan has developed the 7 step process for reinventing.  In this course, Jan will introduce you to the steps and show you how you can emerge successfully on the other side of Reinvention, creating your best life and feeling good about yourself in the process!

Microsoft’s Power BI Desktop puts business intelligence in your hands! Offered as a free tool, Power BI allows you to create compelling reports in mere minutes. Participate in this session to embark upon a guided tour of linking data into Power BI, creating stunning and powerful visualizations, and building interactive reports, all with the free version of Power BI. Additionally, you will learn how you can extend these capabilities with a Power BI Pro subscription.

This session explores managerial accounting techniques with an emphasis on internal decision-making tools. You will appreciate a reminder regarding concepts you may not have considered since your college days. We will revisit managerial accounting concepts by illustrating practical examples that you can immediately bring back to the office!

The speed of technology change has been accelerating. But unfortunately, we can’t keep up, and we don’t know what to do about it. This visionary session provides insights, choices, and recommendations to help you decide how rapidly to move, which technologies will affect your business, and how to separate sales pitches from innovative ideas.

This session will explore emerging and evolving technologies important to accounting professionals. We will cover the benefits and risks of adopting new technologies in areas ranging from software applications to hardware devices. You’ll also learn how to develop a balanced technology strategy that includes current, emerging, and future technology choices for your firm or business.

The ability to influence people is the one fundamental skill that every professional needs. All managers know how hard it can be to make views heard despite having persuasive points to make. The program gives participants all the techniques necessary to increase their influence and put the power of persuasion to work for them.

If you are efficient and want to learn lessons from the best in a short time, this seminar is for you.  Popular speaker Don Minges will review the key lessons from five fantastic business books that will help you become more effective.  The topics are; leadership, how to create a valuable business, how to turnaround a business, how to make terrific presentations and how do humans think?  These lessons are valuable for every business leader. 

The field of estate planning is increasingly complex. Finding appropriate solutions to a client’s estate issues upon his/her death are critical to a number of areas, including the estate tax return of the decedent, the decedent’s final income tax return, the income tax return of the estate of the decedent, and the estate and financial planning issues of the heirs of the decedent. This course provides the practitioner an understanding of after-death planning issues of a decedent’s estate.

**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 leighanne.conroy@acpen.com.

This  session provides HR Professionals with scripts for and tactics for coaching leaders in handling an array of employee relations situations with sensitivity, good judgment, and high confidence.  Topics include employee complaints, personality & attitude problems,  performance counseling, personal hygiene problems, disability-related performance issues, misconduct due to mental conditions.

You will learn how to use a unique process, “Reset the Clock,” that prevents attorneys from taking something leaders did wrong or did not do in the past and using it to support legal challenges in the future.  Liability is replaced with credibility.

Lawsuits are then avoided rather than won.  Financial assets are protected, morale stays high, and bad publicity is averted. HR Professionals avoid hearing from senior leaders:  “You should have anticipated this” after an avoidable legal claim.

This session explores tools and techniques that can enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of client engagements and business processes using data analysis tools. We will introduce some of today’s popular and software tools and examine the AICPA’s Five-step approach to incorporating data analytics into public accounting engagements.

Like most Microsoft Word users, you can get through the basics of creating a document and applying some formatting characteristics without issue. But, do you use Word Styles or Quick Parts? Do you know how to generate a Table of Contents automatically from a document? Can you insert Excel-like formulas into Word Tables? If your answer to any one of these questions is “no,” then don’t miss this opportunity to improve your knowledge, skill, and productivity in using Microsoft Word.

This program addresses the most recent developments impacting taxpayers incurring research and experimentation costs.  Emphasis will be placed on compliance with the 2022 change in Section 174 Amortization of research and experimental expenditures.

**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 leighanne.conroy@acpen.com.

In the fast moving world where everyone is communicating through email, text and instant messaging we have forgotten the power of face-to-face conversation. Communication and connection is the foundation for building a thriving network and business.

During this talk, The Connector’s Advantage author, Michelle Tillis Lederman will inspire you to leverage the power of personal connection in the digital age while still incorporating the efficiency of virtual communication.
 

This is not your average CPE course--Part 2! In this second part course (which is equally fun and engaging), you will learn how to feel confident--even in highly stressful situations. You will learn new secrets to great health that take under 10 minutes per week, and you will learn how to know what is most important to you--so you can be happier and healthier in the long run. Tune in for techniques to relieve stress and tips on incorpating meditation into your daily routine. All of which will help improve your memory and overall mental health and wellbeing. In addition, you'll learn an unsurpassed method for making sure you stay consistent with actually implementing these methods in your daily life.

Most organizations manage their income statement, but many virtually ignore the balance sheet until balance sheet problems create seemingly insurmountable emergencies. This session discusses how to analyze and manage your financial statements more holistically, allowing you to identify and correct balance sheet issues early. How do you choose whether to raise debt or equity? What are the key considerations and the advantages of each? What is the cost of capital? What are the ‘hidden’ balance sheet risks? We will also examine several crucial ideas you can incorporate into your analyses to enhance performance and reduce risk. If you want to enhance your corporate finance skills, this session is for you.

Understanding how you prefer to communicate impacts how you lead, solve problems, make decisions, form relationships, collaborate, provide feedback, influence, and motivate. It also indicates what is influential and motivating to you. In this program you will learn your own communication preferences, how to identify others' preferences, and how to flex your style.

It’s a whole new world for lessees under ASC topic 842.  Soon nearly all leases will need to be disclosed as a liability on the balance sheet – from buildings right down to autos and copiers.  Although the greatest impact will be on large entities, this will affect the financial statements of small and mid-size entities as well.  This program will dive into the new standard on leases, effective dates, and address what you need to know now.

Financial accounting for trusts and estates is one of the least understood branches of accounting. It is not particularly concerned with recording income and expenses but is obsessed with determining whether receipts and expenditures are assigned to income or principal/corpus. This course will dive into this tricky area and provide a reporting guide for fiduciary accounting.

Over the past two years, ransomware has surged as a major threat to individuals and organizations of all sizes. Ransomware's annual cost to businesses is now estimated at over $8 billion, up from $1 billion in 2016. Most businesses are at risk. Avoid becoming yet another victim by attending this session. The survival of your business may depend on it!

Are you looking to take your PivotTables to the next level? Many experts consider PivotTables to be Excel’s most powerful feature. Yet, most who create and work with them barely scratch the surface of all that PivotTables can do. In this session, you’ll learn eight powerful features you may have missed. From user-defined calculations to consolidating reports and adding KPIs, we’ll show you how to get the most out of your PivotTables. These are just some examples of the great things you can do with PivotTables, and in this session, you will learn these and other techniques to make your PivotTables even more powerful.

In the course of legal actions, payments may be made pursuant to a final disposition of a court case or a mutually agreed-upon settlement.  This course will cover the tax implications for payments made for personal injury, emotional distress, lost wages, punitive awards, pre- and post-judgement interest, contract claims, among other damages.

**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 leighanne.conroy@acpen.com.
 

With approximately 500 functions already present, Excel seemingly has a function for every need. But sometimes the function YOU need just simply isn’t available. For example, Excel does not have functions to calculate income tax expense or, in many cases, depreciation expense. To solve these shortcomings, you can create User Defined Functions (UDFs). UDFs provide you with the opportunity to create functions for use in any of your formulas and automate your most complex calculations. Join us to learn how to put the power of UDFs to work to simplify and automate even your most complex calculations.

Most organizations manage their income statement, but many virtually ignore the balance sheet until balance sheet problems create seemingly insurmountable emergencies. This session discusses how to analyze and manage your financial statements more holistically, allowing you to identify and correct balance sheet issues early. How do you choose whether to raise debt or equity? What are the key considerations and the advantages of each? What is the cost of capital? What are the ‘hidden’ balance sheet risks? We will also examine several crucial ideas you can incorporate into your analyses to enhance performance and reduce risk. If you want to enhance your corporate finance skills, this session is for you.

Your ability to create meaningful and lasting relationships directly impacts your success from hiring, to being a trustworthy leader, to shaping the organizational culture. Growing a larger network with stronger relationships increases your value, influence and impact.

Discover how you can become a leader who attracts and engages an eager, committed team.  Expand your role, build loyalty, and close deals on relationships not price.  And when opportunities arise, be first in mind and someone they want to say ‘yes’ to!
 

The AICPA has determined than 1 in 10 firms are not compliant with the risk assessment standards. This course will discuss how to properly identify risks and assess risks under AU-C 315. We will then review how to respond to identified risks under AU-C 330. The course will focus on the inherent risk model. We will also review common deficiencies and how a proper risk assessment can drive a more efficient and effective audit. 

Welcome to a management course that helps CFOs and Controllers lead the Accounting Department. It is essential that the Accounting Department have a Vision which is aligned with the Business goals. Controllers must also be comfortable with wearing multiple 'hats' in the business. The head of the Accounting Department must be skilled in a variety of leadership skills, technical skills, managerial skills and current management techniquest.

Unhealthy conflict in the workplace can create a drama-laden environment, negatively impact productivity and increase turnover. When team members are focused on how they can one-up their counterparts – they are NOT focused on reaching your company’s goals.  This interactive session will help staff to understand the difference between healthy vs. destructive conflict. Attendees, from administrative staff to management, will learn fun, practical, and creative ways to manage their response to potential workplace warfare.
 

The next five years are going to be eventful for CPA firms. The profession has never seen such rapid change, with new and changing technologies appearing almost daily! So, what will your firm do?

How can you keep up without getting overwhelmed by these fast-paced transformations in the profession and stay profitable during this turmoil? What are the best technologies to handle client interactions, PBC lists, electronic signatures, and Advisory services? How do the cloud, next-generation accounting software, and client demands affect partner profitability? Attend this session to get an independent overview of the state of technology in the profession.

This course is designed to equip HR leaders, managers and business owners with the knowledge and skills needed to effectively minimize conflicts in the workplace. Participants will learn about the various sources of workplace conflict, how to identify and address conflicts before they escalate, and how to implement effective conflict resolution strategies. The course will also cover topics such as communication skills, active listening, and conflict management techniques. By the end of the course, leaders will be able to create a more positive and productive work environment, reduce turnover, and promote employee satisfaction.

This program presents a detailed analysis of the self-rental passive activity rules, 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 leighanne.conroy@acpen.com.

Over the last few years, mental health has become more of a mainstream issue. In fact, statistics indicate that approximately one in four adults experience a mental health condition.  Therefore, it is more important now than ever for organizations to make mental health and wellness a priority, given all the rapid changes leading to higher levels of stress and uncertainty in the post-COVID workplace. 

The goal of this course is to outline the signs of mental health challenges in the workplace, such as changes in behavior, mood, or performance, while providing practical strategies for HR Professionals and Business Leaders to build and implement accommodations for a mentally healthy work environment.

Sustainability Accounting is now a recognized professional skill of increasing importance in larger organizations. It is the process of finding, measuring and managing the material metrics for sustainable performance and risk management. The goal is to bring these metrics into regular financial statements so leaders can act on them.  This course teaches Sustainability Accounting basics with example from the restaurant industry.   It is suitable for any professional or student who wants to learn fast about sustainability issues in specific industry sectors and how to integrate sustainability metrics into financial accounting and reporting.

We know that effective communication is essential to growing a career and a business. But we often don't take time to think through, concsiously, about how we communicate and how small changes could change the trajectory of our messages. This workshop is designed to give you a survey of multiple communication strategies and mistakes to avoid. We start by discussing how people make decisions--which is important to understand in the context of business communication and communication in the workplace. We then transition into common communication mistakes and actionable tools and tactics that you can use to overcome and avoid these mishaps.

Often times as HR professionals, we can get caught up in the laws, the processes, the paperwork, and the “rules”. How do we keep the HUMAN in HR and have heart, all while respecting the law, the processes, and the paperwork? In this session, we’ll talk about dealing with difficult employee relations issues while balancing the need for process and procedures. How do you deal with an employee who walks into your office and tells you they’re diagnosed with cancer? How do you handle an employee who just lost a loved one and is grieving in the workplace? What is appropriate and not appropriate to say to someone who is dealing with a difficult situation? What are some practical, tangible, and helpful ways to help employees during crisis and keep the HUMAN and the HEART in HR? Learn how to walk away with strategies that you can implement in the workplace right away.  

Proper workflow optimizes a business for profitability. Once your workflow is optimized you can automate it with a variety of software tools. In this session, you will learn how to setup workflow processes properly. You will also learn about a variety of tools that you can use to achieve automated workflow. We’ll review Zoho Flow, Power Automate, XCM, Automation Anywhere, as well as other robotic process automation (RPA) tools. This session will provide a road map on workflow technologies and choices you can implement now.

Leaders Eat Last

Don Minges, The Knowledge Institute, LLC

Trust is essential, because without trust, there can be no teamwork.  Trust is like oxygen, when it is gone - we suffocate.  This session provides a 15-step action plan to gain commitment from your team members, build trust, hold each person accountable and create results for your organization. 

Managing Information Technology (IT) is difficult when team members, contractors, and others all sound alike. If you manage IT, wouldn’t it be nice to know the questions you should ask? Join us in this session to learn the questions to ask your technology providers and how to identify some warning flags. The session materials can serve as a starting point for your discussions with your providers.  Attend this session and learn many of the things you need to know as you navigate your journey through the world of technology.

Blockchain is one of the most-watched emerging technologies. Yet, few accountants understand how to use this technology to make existing ledger-based systems more efficient, effective, and tamper-resistant. In this session, you will learn the basics of blockchain-based ledgers. You will also learn about the fundamentals of cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin and Ripple. Additionally, you will learn about emerging issues in these fields, such as stablecoins, central bank-issued digital currencies, smart contracts, and sovereign identity management. By attending this session, you will see how blockchain-based technologies will change your work with others.

Tax Season can be a daunting time for tax preparers, but it doesn’t have to be with the help of tax automation software tools and other innovative technology. This session will provide an overview of the latest technologies and tools that can help automate your workflow and make the entire tax return preparation process smoother and more efficient. From client portals, workflow management, and e-signatures to robotic process automation, you’ll learn about all the options available to help streamline your tax preparation process. So don’t dread Tax Season - attend this session and arm yourself with the tools you need to succeed!

When asked the question, “What would you like to improve about your leadership and communication style?” more than 65% of leaders say they want to be more confident and assertive in their communication. Confidence and clarity communicate leadership. If you are responsible for growing a profitable company or a productive team, you want team members who have the ability to reach goals, make sales, finish projects, and serve customers. Being a confident, compelling leader helps to inspire better relationships, promotes trust, and reduces stress in the workplace.
Lack of confidence and assertiveness can lead to resentment, depression, low self-esteem, and loss of respect from colleagues and employers. Confident communication cultivates cooperation, goal achievement, and a more respectful work environment. Clear and compelling leaders are better equipped to move projects forward and make things happen while improving cooperation and respect from partners and subordinates.
 

Unlike a traditional financial audit objective (Are the financial statements materially misstated?), performance auditing can address a wide variety of objectives (Is this program working? Can it be improved? Where can we save money? How can we operate more efficiently and effectively?).  This session will explain what a performance audit is, describe the standards that must be followed, and provide examples that indicate the value of a performance audit.  Performance audits can add value to any entity and practitioners can profit from adding these assurance services to their practices.

Social media has become a ubiquitous phenomenon in our business world. However, just because it exists is not a good reason to use it. This workshop is designed to give you an overview of the social media landscape to help you decide if you want to engage with and on social media and, if so, what channel(s) are most strategic for you and your business. The workshop ends with a simple framework to help you use social media as a credibility strategy for your business, giving you a strategy for creating a year's worth of social media content in a single day.

Non-fungible Tokens (NFTs), unique, identifiable digital assets based on blockchain technologies, have become a fast-growing industry. This course will provide a background on how NFTs came into the mainstream marketplace.  These materials will assist the practitioner to understand the tax implications of the creation, purchase and sale of these assets. 

**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 leighanne.conroy@acpen.com.

Every presenter has to deal with a difficult audience or audience member at one time or another. Professionals, however, because of topics or situations that are inherently uncomfortable, or because of mandated/resistant audience members, will face these audiences more frequently.

It can be difficult to get a resistant audience/member to resonate with your message, but if they leave angry, uninspired, unmotivated or unlikely to act on your call to action, you don't get the results you need or want.
 

The Secure Act 2.0 was passed in a flurry of year-end legislation. This one hour program will cover the important changes that employers need to know about company retirement plans. Employers will also need to consider how Secure Act 2.0 will the administration of existing plans or the creation of new ones.  This course will provide a concise look at these hot topics. 

 **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 leighanne.conroy@acpen.com.

Seismic changes in tax legislation is currently taking place, and the well-informed tax practitioner will want to attend this eight hour program in order to stay abreast of these developments.  This program will cover new court decisions, recent IRS publications, and the latest tax legislation that will impact businesses and individuals.  The remaining time will be spent on IRS procedure and other issues. This course will provide a concise look at the hottest topics affecting every tax practitioner.  

**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 leighanne.conroy@acpen.com.

Often times as HR professionals, we can get caught up in the laws, the processes, the paperwork, and the “rules”. How do we keep the HUMAN in HR and have heart, all while respecting the law, the processes, and the paperwork? In this session, we’ll talk about dealing with difficult employee relations issues while balancing the need for process and procedures. How do you deal with an employee who walks into your office and tells you they’re diagnosed with cancer? How do you handle an employee who just lost a loved one and is grieving in the workplace? What is appropriate and not appropriate to say to someone who is dealing with a difficult situation? What are some practical, tangible, and helpful ways to help employees during crisis and keep the HUMAN and the HEART in HR? Learn how to walk away with strategies that you can implement in the workplace right away.  

Excel errors continue to plague organizations of all sizes – estimates peg the error rate at approximately 90%. As spreadsheets become ever-more common, testing and auditing Excel workbooks becomes more necessary than ever to mitigate the effects these errors could have on virtually every Excel user and those who rely on Excel-based data and analyses. Fortunately, that need not be the case because many options exist to prevent, identify, and correct spreadsheet errors before they adversely affect reports and decision-making processes and in this session you will learn procedures for testing and auditing Excel workbooks.

In this session you will learn how to apply best practices to reduce the error rate in workbooks that you and others on your team create and edit. Equally important, you will learn how to take advantage of add-ins for Excel that can programmatically scan and audit your spreadsheets to identify potentially disastrous errors while there is still time to correct them. You do not want to miss this opportunity to learn how tools such as PerfectXL, ClusterSeven, and ActiveData can help you and your team to identify and correct potentially disastrous spreadsheet errors.

Many businesses are being held back by legacy solutions. The old way of doing things doesn't work anymore. Instead, Software as a Service (SaaS) has transformed many mid-market companies. In this new world of cloud-based, workflow-enabled, data-centric, and connected solutions, you can solve existing and future business problems in new ways without being bogged down by paper-centric environments. This session covers integrated and ERP solutions that should work for businesses in the $10 Million to $1 Billion range. If your existing system has been in place for seven or more years, it is time to consider upgrading or replacing it. Leverage your instructor's knowledge of the market to minimize your risk.

The AICPA has determined than 1 in 10 firms are not compliant with the risk assessment standards. This course will discuss how to properly identify risks and assess risks under AU-C 315. We will then review how to respond to identified risks under AU-C 330. The course will focus on the inherent risk model. We will also review common deficiencies and how a proper risk assessment can drive a more efficient and effective audit. 

This course will walk you through Strategic Planning for Small and Medium Sized Businesses, and how to move your ideas into action. 

Every business has risks, but some myths seem to damage or kill more enterprises than others do. This session will review ten of the most problematic myths that may doom a business and discuss action steps to prevent these myths from holding your business back. This session discusses the common myths, mistakes, risks, and hidden landmines inherent in every business. We will learn from the mistakes of others who often paid a steep price so that we may learn valuable lessons. If you are a leader who wants your business to become even more successful, this session is for you.

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.

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.

Communication is the glue that connects people, but it doesn’t come easy for many of us. If you want to quickly and effectively handle problems with co-workers or clients, and you want people to do what you want without a lot of hassle, this seminar is for you. The bottom line will be better client and co-worker relationships, leading to increased enjoyment and productivity at work.

Have you ever met an accountant who exhibits solid technical prowess but possesses lackluster communication skills? It is not unusual to meet a savvy accountant who is a technical expert, but could enhance the delivery of written and spoken words. This course is designed to help CPAs improve their written and verbal communication skills. Participants will learn how to tailor communication to their audience, with particular emphasis on techniques for crafting a message that effectively conveys technical information in an engaging manner. The course’s author will share personal success tips gleaned from more than two decades of experience communicating myriad topics to a variety of audiences.

Financial Acumen for the HR Professional is a part of the series "The HR Professional's Guide to Evolving Business Strategy, Finance and Development." This course identifies how HR Professionals can increase their financial understanding to participate more effectively with management as well as understand the financial results and implications for the business.

Fraud continues to plague businesses at epidemic levels, and technology control failures are a significant reason fraud occurs. Using a case study approach, in this session, you will learn about the pervasiveness of fraud, the control failures that contribute to fraud, and what you can do to mitigate fraud risk.

A specific focus of this course is the application of information technology general controls and information technology application controls. In this course, you will examine numerous reported fraud cases and identify the general control and application control failures that contributed to each of these frauds. By learning through these real-world case studies, you will be positioned better to reduce fraud risk.

As spreadsheets continue to evolve, so too must your practices for creating, editing, and auditing them. In this program, you will gain an in-depth understanding of the best ways to work with Excel by learning best practices associated with Excel spreadsheets in each of the following areas: creating and editing Excel workbooks, securing Excel workbooks, collaborating with others in Excel, and reporting on data contained inExcel.Today’s best practices for Excel differ significantly from those used in the past,and you will learn the best ways to work with Excel spreadsheets in this “must-see” CPE program. Course materials include relevant examples to enhance your learning experience. Participate in this program to help ensure that you utilize Excel to its fullest potential.

This course covers features found in Excel versions2013and newer.

Would you like to find important documents in 10 seconds or less? Would you like to ensure that all your digital information is safe and secure? Would you like to improve workflow efficiency? Of course you would, and with a bit of planning and guidance, you will be on your way to realizing these and other benefits associated with a paperless office. Of course, no one expects a completely “paperless” office, but reducing the amount of paper we shuffle can lead to tremendous rewards. In this course, you will learn best practices and proven processes for effective document management.

By participating in this program, you will learn how to implement simple, inexpensive document management systems at an individual, workgroup, or small business level. You will also learn how to implement more sophisticated and comprehensive document management systems – complete with automated workflow processing – appropriate for larger offices and organizations. Your instructor will guide you through issues such as digitizing paper files, exporting and importing data from specialized applications into a document management system, essential hardware and software considerations, and the policies necessary to facilitate a successful office. Upon completing this course, you will have a comprehensive understanding of your options and a clear direction for implementing your version of the Paperless Office.

Internal controls are more important than ever, and their importance increases seemingly daily. However, internal controls present a challenge for many smaller organizations. In this program, you will learn how to evaluate, develop, and implement an effective internal control structure in a small business environment. You will identify how to assess risk in smaller organizations and implement preventive, detective, deterrent, and compensating controls to mitigate these risks, even without proper segregation of duties. Additionally, by participating in this program, you will learn technology-focused techniques for preventing and detecting fraud and securing information systems and sensitive data.

For small organizations, maintaining an effective system of internal controls presents a significant challenge. Implementing many of the theoretical concepts surrounding internal controls may not be possible in some cases. Consequently, many small businesses' current internal control structure fosters an environment in which too much risk is present. This factor, coupled with the presence of uncontrolled information systems, can often lead to disastrous results. Participate in this program to learn the necessary insights and tools to design, implement, and monitor effective internal controls, security, and anti-fraud measures in small organizations.

This course reviews and discusses the latest items on the FASB agenda, focusing on recent updates to revenue recognition and lease accounting standards.  A Special Purpose Framework overview will be provided, which may reveal salient alternatives to U.S. GAAP for certain entities. We will also explore significant elements of the FASB’s technical agenda.

Combatting today’s cybercriminals takes all of us working together. The Internal Revenue Service works with state tax agencies and the tax industry to fight these 21st-century identity thieves. Unfortunately, data thefts at tax professionals’ offices are on the rise. Online providers also must follow the six security and privacy standards in Publication 1345, Handbook for Authorized IRS e-file Providers of Individual Income Tax Returns. In addition, you fall under the PTIN and 4557 considerations if you prepare tax returns. Learn how to fulfill your obligations by participating in this session.

In order not to perform an excessive number of audit procedures (over audit) auditors must perform procedures in order to determine in what areas are there weak internal controls that could result in a risk that the financial statements would be materially misstated and not be detected.  SAS No. 122, AU 300 – 499, Measuring Audit Risk provides guidance as well as required procedures that must be performed in every audit in order to determine the risk of material misstatement.  No longer can the auditor state that they assess the risk of material misstatement at maximum without having a basis for making such assessment.  As a result, the standards now require that the auditor make such an assessment of a material misstatement of the financial statement on every audit in order to have a basis for such assessment.  This program is an overview of the statement documentation requirements in assessing such a risk.

Employees, now more than ever, are experiencing stress, anxiety and other mental health challenges and all of those come with them each day to the workplace. In order to ensure the safety and security of their workplace, employers need to address these issues and support their employees. Join us to discuss the challenges to providing mental health support to employees, the potential risks of deprioritizing mental health, and tangible actions employers can take to support the mental health of their work group. The cost of providing mental health resources and support pales in comparison to the cost of NOT providing it. Make a plan. Be ProActive.

How do you engage a workforce that is diverse in culture and location?
Julie Ann’s unique perspective brings you strategic ideas to implement regarding the relationship between intention, purpose and closure in the workday. This trifecta can be utilized with every member in your organization to boost engagement, productivity and retention. 

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. 

In today’s real estate market, IRC §1031 tax-deferred exchanges can be one of the most important planning tools available to the real estate investor. The use of this technique is filled with pitfalls and traps. This new course will assist the practitioner in understanding the mechanics of a tax-deferred exchange and the value of a tax-deferred exchange in both tax and financial planning.

Updated August 2022

Do you often hear people complaining about coworkers or other departments? Do you have talented people with the right skills who struggle to collaborate and cooperate as a team? You’re not alone. This can be a common situation when people’s values, beliefs and their approach to solving problems differ. The key is to help everyone understand that our differences aren't bad – they’re interesting and extremely valuable. 

In this course, Tina guides you through tools and activities you can use to help your people (and yourself) broaden their perspective so they can more easily cooperate, collaborate, and communicate with the people around them. This program explores ways to help them connect, from personality assessments to team building activities. When coworkers or team-members understand each other better, it's easier to appreciate their differences.
 

Unlike technologies we use every day, many currently emerging technologies can change how we work in the future.  This session covers an assortment of technologies that are nearing mainstream adoption and helps you understand what they do, how they work, and some of the potential risks and rewards they offer.

Attend this course, and learn the basics of blockchain, cryptocurrencies, big data, artificial intelligence, and machine learning, as well as some of the uses, benefits, risks, and threats posed to legacy businesses by these innovative yet disruptive platforms.

Microsoft Teams is one of the most exciting personal and organizationally productivity tools to ever appear on the business landscape. With Teams, you can communicate and collaborate easily and securely with others, including colleagues outside your organization. Further, you can extend the already-robust functionality in Teams by incorporating add-in solutions with just a few clicks of the mouse. Unfortunately, despite Teams’ power and relatively simple interface, many organizations struggle with deploying and using Teams. 

In this session, you will learn how you can get up and running quickly in Teams so that you can take full advantage of this powerful tool. More specifically, you will learn how you can get started in Teams and critical decisions that will affect your deployment. Also, you will learn how to work in Teams, including how to take advantage of the chat, voice, and video call services and how to share documents securely with others. Moreover, you will learn how to extend your Teams platform to external organizations for improved communication and collaboration. Additionally, you will identify how you can add other applications into Teams and optimize Team's configuration for the best overall efficiency and security. If you are working with Teams or plan to do so, this is one CPE session you can’t afford to miss!

Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) has become a hot topic among standard setters. This session will look at the work of the FASB, GASB, and AICPA in the areas of ESG. We’ll also look at the types of engagements CPAs can provide to entities who want assurance around their ESG reporting.

Working with a small business, you know that keeping the company's finances in order is critical to success. While numerous software programs and tools are available to help you do this, they vary substantially in many significant aspects. In addition to conventional options like QuickBooks and Sage 50, you can choose from Cloud-based tools such as Zoho Books, QuickBooks Online, Spire Systems, Xero, Accounting Suite, Accounting Power, and many more. In this session, we'll look at the best accounting tools for small businesses and discuss the benefits of each one. This session covers accounting solutions that should work for startups and companies with up to $10 million in annual revenue. We also cover various add-on solutions that can enhance the overall functionality of your accounting platform. Join us to learn your options for achieving your small business management financial goals.

With over 4.3 employees leaving their jobs as of early 2022, The Great Resignation presents a huge challenge for companies as they attract and retain talent. During this course, you'll learn practical strategies you can implement immediately to ensure you have the right tools in your toolbox to win the war on talent. 

Yes, taking an ethics course is a requirement to keep your CPA license.  But that doesn’t mean that an ethics course can’t be practical and meaningful.  This update course is meant to give the CPA four hours of ethics CPE but at the same time provide a detailed analysis of the Circular 230 rules for conduct of a tax practice.  Best practices and guidance issues will also be provided.  

**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 leighanne.conroy@acpen.com.

Emerging from the pandemic is a workplace culture governed by values. Far from a soft approach, it can drive significant business results. Organizations that embrace an empathetic culture increase performance and decrease turnover, while their customers report a more positive experience. Additionally, being more “person-focused” strongly correlates with more effective ethics and compliance programs. These insights can provide a roadmap for the "new normal" as the world emerges from the crisis. How employees and management move forward from this experience will shape the workplace for decades to come.

Other people’s negativity, whether it’s from disgruntled customers, grumpy coworkers or challenging family members, can drain our energy and bring us down. Changing other people is hard, but we do have the power to change the situation by how we respond. This dynamic program uses Tina’s proprietary five-step “Immunity to Negativity Formula™” to show people how they can use simple tools to help them stay calm and choose to respond as their best self. This is a key skill we can build to optimize our customer service, teamwork, and relationships while enjoying less stress and frustration.

In a world where employers are struggling to get the talent they need, it’s more important than ever to create a culture that affects everything from job postings to exit interviews. The future of your business depends on it. Recruiting and retaining great talent, efficiency and customer loyalty benefit from the culture you design. Julie Ann Sullivan’s unique perspective, interactive delivery and humor can help you make it happen.

Automation is a great way to save time and improve accuracy and effectiveness. It also allows you to get more value from your workday. This session will teach you how to automate the tasks that are mundane or take up too much energy, so you complete them automatically instead. One of the best things a person can do is invest time into automating their workday to help them achieve more work, reduce daily stress, and provide better mental clarity.

This session focuses on various tools and services you can use to help promote personal automation. In it, you will learn about technologies such as integration platform tools, Amazon Alexa and Google Home, and the Elgato Stream Deck.

Increasingly, accountants and auditors are called upon to use data analytics to understand and improve results. Yet, many professionals struggle with the concept of data analytics and remain unaware of how to obtain the results needed using tools they already own.

In this session, you will learn about the four primary types of data analytics and when to use each. Further, you will learn how to generate meaningful analytical measurements using Excel, Power BI, and other tools and, more importantly, how to interpret the results. If you seek to use data analytics – and who isn’t – this session is for you.

Many entities look to their CPA as a trusted advisor when tackling complex accounting topics. This is more relevant now than ever. The FASB's big three accounting pronouncements involving revenue recognition, leasing and credit losses have placed a magnifying glass on this reality. Practitioners need to exercise caution to ensure they maintain independence as they assist their review and audit clients with such matters, as well as with compilation engagements. This course addresses these issues and explores best practices and guidance provided by the AICPA's Code of Professional Conduct.

When performing a financial statement audit, auditors have always been responsible for the detection of anything that would cause a material misstatement of the financial statements whether caused by error of fraud.  However, in the past the audit profession focused on material misstatements due to errors and more or less ignored the possibility of misstatements due to fraud.  Now, SAS No. 122, AU 240 requires significant documentation as to what the auditor did in order to determine if there any material risk of a misstatement of the financial statements.  This presentation is an overview of what the auditor is to document in there working papers on every financial audit as to the procedures they performed in order to determine the risk of a material misstatement.  If a material risk is discovered, they are then required to document what they did in order to determine if the financial statements were misstated.

Business ethics is not just something “nice to do” but can mean the difference between success, failure, and survival in today’s increasingly competitive environment.  This seminar outlines steps to create an ethical business culture and provides specific ways for financial managers to make better ethical decisions.

We encounter pressure from many varied sources every day. We will focus on one of the more overlooked areas where fraud can be found.  Employees respond to pressure, and sometime the pressure leads to unethical actions. Where should you look and what should you look for? Risk assessment is not something ‘nice to do’, but it is required for internal audits, external audits, and every leader. If you are in a leadership position, learn where to look?

This course focuses on the individual taking ownership for their career.  It provides tools and methods to assist and guide the individual to develop the collateral necessary in navigating their career.  It provides a Personal Marketing Plan that can be customized to fit the career objectives and goals of the individual. It also focuses on character self-awareness, crucial for long-tern career success.

The new field of Positive Psychology offers many methods and ideas for helping people be happier, healthier, and better at what they do.  Nowadays, the ability to be at your best and get clients to enjoy working with you is critical to growing your business or getting ahead.   Studies show that happy people make $750,000 more over the course of their life than unhappy people, have half the number of sick days, and live 9 years longer.  In this fun and fascinating seminar, you’ll learn how to not only be happier, but help your clients be happier in working with you.

Every business needs capital, and capital has a cost. Providers of debt and equity demand a return and the combination is the cost of capital for the business. This session discusses how to calculate the cost of capital, how to use it to make superior business decisions every day and some common ways organizations misuse this number.

Who should understand your organization’s cost of capital? Even if you are not yet the CFO, you need to thoroughly understand the cost of capital and its use. The cost of capital allows managers to, “Get the biggest bang for the buck.” If you want to enhance your corporate finance skills, this session is for you.

Demands for an excellent user experience are at an all-time high. But how do you solve for easy collaboration, compliance, and workflow? What features do you need to be effective? How do you integrate payments, eSignatures, and other technologies to make interaction convenient? This session will explain the necessary features, provide an overview of the best technologies for collaboration, and help you think through how to solve your business problems. You'll learn about the options available from client portals, workflow management, payments, eSignatures, and more. Attend this session and arm yourself with the tools you need to succeed!

How you onboard a new employee is critical in ensuring they understand your company culture and are immersed properly in your organization. On the flipside, in the event you are dealing with an employee termination, this too is critical in handling with care and sensitivity.  

The market for accounting solutions designed for small businesses has never been better! From traditional desktop applications to newer Cloud-based solutions, small businesses have affordable options available today that were unthinkable for many just a few years ago. In this seminar, you will learn about these options and receive the benefit of an unbiased comparison of many of today’s leading solutions, helping you make an informed decision about the future direction of your accounting platform.

Solutions from Intuit, Sage, Xero, Wave, and others will be reviewed and compared to help you decide whether you should remain with your current platform or perhaps switch to a different one. Additionally, you will learn about various third-party add-ins to help you make informed decisions about issues such as automated data entry, sales tax processing, reporting, and business intelligence. In sum, if you are the least bit curious about the accounting options available for smaller businesses, this is the most critical session in which you will participate this year.

Getting rich requires many things.  First, you need to know how to overcome previous limitations you may have had about making a lot of money.  Second, you need to know and use the best financial strategies for becoming wealthy--including the latest investment and marketing strategies.   And third, you need to be able to enjoy your lifestyle, and look at what obstacles get in the way of you being rich and fully contented.  By exploring the latest methods for achieving financial and personal success, you'll be able to make a lot more money and have a great time doing it.

The Accountant role is morphing from data aggregation to knowledge extraction.  It is essential that accountants understand this change, learn the tools and integrate BI and DA in their organization and daily practices.  This course will focus on raising the accountant's awareness of BI and DA practices and how it can benefit their organization.

This course explores the coaching principles, concepts, frameworks, techniques and competencies that will lead to a management style that  emphasizes coaching as a style in lieu of a more autocratic or even more participative approach.  The course illustrates how a coaching style leads to a highly desired company culture.  This process takes the attendee through a coaching process that can be applied to various situations.  Results from coaching are covered as are measuring the success of coaching.  The attendee will walk away with the skills necessary to begin leading their company towards a coaching culture that will leave employees motivated and driven to higher levels of innovation from the empowerment of the new coaching culture.

You don’t need an accounting degree to harness the power of Microsoft Excel. This course shows how Excel makes sense beyond dollars and cents. We will focus on fundamental concepts for creating, editing, and utilizing Excel content. Participants will learn how to use Excel’s menus and other functions to craft Excel workbooks. Because this course is designed for newer users, we intentionally offer a broad overview of Excel’s numerous capabilities with in-depth coverage of selected resources tailored for non-accounting applications.

This course explores the increasingly complex features of Excel that facilitate efficient data analysis.  We will introduce numerous analytical methods and techniques by using practical examples to illustrate how to unleash the power of Excel when manipulating, analyzing and reporting information and dive into the powerful, but potentially under-utilized, capabilities of Microsoft Excel.  Designed for sophisticated users willing to approach spreadsheets from a unique perspective, this program encourages users to challenge the status quo by considering opportunities to take acceptable spreadsheets to a new level.

The Uniform Guidance identifies COSO and Green Book as best practices in internal control. This course will cover the background on COSO and its 2013 update. We’ll also review the application of COSO to Green Book. Attendees will learn how to leverage Part 6 of the Compliance Supplement for documentation of internal controls.

We’re all familiar with the headlines describing how criminals use new and creative approaches to commit their crimes. But what you may not know is that these same criminal elements also target accounting professionals. Unfortunately, accountants are one of the most targeted groups on the Internet!

In this session, you will learn how high-profile failures occurred due to control malfunctions. In turn, hackers gained full reign over entire networks that contained sensitive information such as financial data stored online. Attend this session so you can be more effective at preventing crimes such as theft, malware, ransomware, phishing, and hacking.

If you do not understand the entity that you are auditing, you won’t know what type of transactions they should be entering into.  As a result, you won’t recognize those transactions they should not be there.  In other words, you will be performing the audit without having any idea of what you should be looking at.  This statement requires that the auditor document their understanding of the entity and its environment that it operates in as well as assessing the risks of material misstatement.

Prior to this statement, auditors often assessed risk at maximum and did not evaluate internal controls.  A big change made by this statement is that, while it allowed the auditor to continue to assess risk at maximum, they now must first evaluate internal controls in order to have a basis for making such an assumption.  As a result, auditors are now required to document their evaluation of internal controls on every financial statement audit.

This presentation is an overview of the many procedures auditors are now required to perform and document on every audit related to their understanding of the entity and its environment and the basis for assessing the risk of material misstatement.

Do you find it difficult to interact with certain people at work? Have you noticed tension between certain team members in your department?

This can be a common situation when our approach to problems, our values, and our beliefs differ. When we can understand that we all have our own perspective, shaped by different backgrounds and personalities, we can realize that these differences aren’t bad – but interesting and valuable.

Learning how to broaden our perspective improves our ability to connect, collaborate, and communicate with the people around us. This program uses neuroscience and DiSC personality styles to help people understand their perspectives, and identify and adapt to the perspectives of others.

Following on Part 1 of this course, in Part 2 you will learn advanced ways to solve problems without bruising egos, how to create profound trust quickly, and how to motivate clients and co-workers to do your bidding with a minimal amount of wasted time or hassles.    The bottom line will be better client and co-worker relationships, leading to increased enjoyment and productivity at work.

Small businesses have unique and specific technology needs, including those around remote access. Whether team members need remote access to desktops, data, voice services, instant messaging, or Cloud-based services, the list of available options can sometimes be overwhelming!

In this course, you will learn about practical solutions for facilitating remote access in small businesses. Among other items included in this program is a detailed review of various solutions to enable remote access to a desktop, work securely from remote locations, key considerations when selecting Cloud-based solutions, and communicate and collaborate in remote environments.

In a competitive economy, CPA's  and their firms need a way to stand out. The best way to do this is to give outstanding service to your clients. In this experiential workshop, you’ll learn skills that lead to dramatic client satisfaction. In addition, you'll learn several specific ways to guarantee you'll get a lot of word of mouth referrals that will lead to a dramatic increase in your number of clients.

In a surprise twist, Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) was passed in short order after secret negotiations were revealed in late July, 2022. Seismic changes in tax legislation is currently taking place, and the well-informed tax practitioner will want to attend this two hour program in order to stay abreast of these developments!  This course will provide a concise look at these hot topics. 

Who should Attend:  This course is suitable for Corporate tax and finance executives, directors, managers and staff, CPAs, CAs Enrolled Agents, accountants, attorneys and business/financial advisors who work with and advise businesses that have these tax implications.  All in-house and public practice tax professionals will benefit from this timely and insightful seminar

**Please Note:  If you need credit reported to the IRS for this IRS approved program (2 Hours only), please download the IRS CE request form on the Course Materials Tab and submit to leighanne.conroy@acpen.com.

This course will discuss the impact of IFRS Adoption, Convergence Completion and Private Company Reporting Options on U.S. Financial Reporting.

Imagine being able to see into the future with confidence.  The ability to be a great forecaster is not innate but learned.  By examining great forecasters, we can learn to improve our ability to predict the future.  We will examine best practices and current research to improve our ability to predict events that will affect our business.  

Fraud continues to plague businesses at epidemic levels, and technology control failures are a big reason fraud occurs. Using a case study approach, in this session, you will learn about the pervasiveness of fraud, the control failures that contribute to fraud, and what you can do to mitigate fraud risk.

A specific focus of this course is the application of information technology general controls and information technology application controls. In this course, you will examine numerous reported fraud cases and identify the general control and application control failures that contributed to each of these frauds. By learning through these real-world case studies, you will be better positioned to reduce fraud risk.

It's an exciting time to manage a public practice accounting firm! In addition to technical knowledge in tax, auditing, and accounting, we need to understand data analytics and security options in an advisory context. Beyond that, we must manage the practice and people while profitably delivering excellent client service in a competitive environment for the owners. Further, portals, CAS stacks, PBC lists, electronic signatures, Cloud, and robotic process automation are technologies we need to understand beyond our tax, audit, practice management, document management, and workflow systems. This CPA Firm Update session independently covers significant trends and technologies for CPA firms, which will help you understand your current and future choices. With such rapid change, what will your firm do?

When we verbally communicate with an individual, we must make a conscious decision as to whether we believe what we have heard.  Little do we realize that we are not making a decision based on what we have heard; rather we make a subconscious decision based primarily on what we have seen, or how the body was behaving when the subject was speaking.  We often walk away from a conversation with a gut feeling that the person was not telling the truth.  That gut feeling is your subconscious.  Yet we often have no idea as to why we have that feeling.

This presentation is designed to provide the participant with the tools to identify those both verbal and nonverbal indicators that we all give off when we are under stress.  Normally, telling the truth does not create stress.  When we lie, we know that we are not supposed to and that creates stress, and it will manifest itself in some manner, and that is what a trained interviewer is looking to observe.

When we observe indicators of deception, how do we deal with it?  How do we get the subject to admit to a wrong-doing when it is not in their best interest to do so?  That is one of the many things that will be addressed in this presentation.  Whether you are a parent dealing with you kids; an employer dealing with employees or and investigation interviewing a suspect, this presentation will provide you with the tools to assist you in finding the truth.

Negativity hurts performance, productivity and profitability. This program focuses on two key factors that can shift a work culture towards more positivity: work environment and individual perspectives. Tina shares actionable strategies you can use to help employees (and yourself) develop a more positive perspective that leads to greater teamwork, engagement and resilience.

You will also learn the 5 factors needed to create an environment that makes it easier for your people to bring their best. Studies show the importance of these factors for motivation and engagement in the workplace. You will leave with ideas on how you can improve these areas in your own organization.

A burning question on the minds of many is, “What features should I use in Windows 11?” Presented with end-users in mind, in this session, you will get the answer you need to that question and others, all delivered in the context of improving productivity and security.

Among other topics, you will learn about improvements in virtual desktops, changes to the user interface, customization options, and more. If you’re using Windows 11 now or plan to upgrade soon, this is a must-see session to help you make the most of your upgrade.

SAS 145, Understanding the Entity and Its Environment and Assessing the Risks of Material Misstatement, was issued in October 2021. This audit standard amends AU-C 315, making many changes to address common audit deficiencies. This course will provide an overview of SAS 145 and its changes to AU-C 315.

Many entities look to their CPA as a trusted advisor when tackling complex accounting topics. This is more relevant now than ever. The FASB's big three accounting pronouncements involving revenue recognition, leasing and credit losses have placed a magnifying glass on this reality. Practitioners need to exercise caution to ensure they maintain independence as they assist their review and audit clients with such matters, as well as with compilation engagements. This course addresses these issues and explores best practices and guidance provided by the AICPA's Code of Professional Conduct.

Due to the constant stress of a fast paced life, overwork, and family demands, it’s easy to feel one’s life is out of balance. When this happens, all areas of your life can suffer. By learning key methods for setting priorities and goals, overcoming stress, and deciding what’s most important to you, you can achieve new levels of balance and greater results. Having more balance in your life will allow you to do less of what you don’t want and more of what is truly important to you.

Being consistently ethical is a challenge. Most of us have had to make tough choices.  This session will discuss real world cases involving thorny ethical dilemmas and how to resolve them.

Being ethical is not the same as complying with the law and ethical issues are not always black and white. This session will review different professional ethical standards.  What does integrity mean in the office? If you want to learn lessons from the best in a short time, this session is for you.  Participate in engaging dialogue about how to prepare for the inevitable ethical situations.  These lessons are valuable for every business leader.

This course explores the multitude of issues that taking on a new client can bring with it, and then interprets them using three sets of ethical rules.  A group of “players” reveal real-life challenges faced by the CPA firm in bringing the new client into compliance, as well as proper financial and tax compliance issues.

This program provides an update to the latest tax developments, rules and regulations impacting and individual taxpayers, with a review and integration of the numerous recent legislation. 

**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 leighanne.conroy@acpen.com.

Much has been written recently about value pricing with some authors implying that understanding your product's value is the most important and perhaps only requirement for superior profitability.  While every company should understand product value, understanding cost, competition, and capacity utilization are far more important for most organizations.

Left unchecked to "value price" products, incentive programs usually motivate sales personnel to set price at the lowest allowable number.  Finance can influence profit in a big way by getting involved in pricing.  This session will show you how.

Breaking the Wall of blind acceptance;  avoiding Habitual complacency and Yoking the dots between cause and effect.

The COVID-19 pandemic has altered corporate and public accounting in ways we could never have imagined. This broad-based course will discuss accounting and auditing implications that have arisen as a result of the pandemic.

The TCJA made turning business losses into tax refunds far more difficult.  The CARES Act suspended and modified many of these changes.  This course will address the revised rules for deducting business losses and discuss planning ideas and 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 leighanne.conroy@acpen.com.

The tools for managing performance and addressing misconduct are not identical. The failure to point this out to leaders has often resulted in the use of the wrong tool. Reinforcing good performance and securing improvements in performance requires skill in coaching employees, making effective requests, and providing effective feedback   This course provides practical knowledge and scripts for setting, communicating, and enforcing performance expectations, such that personal and employer liability is avoided.

Your ability to create meaningful and lasting relationships directly impacts your success from hiring, to being a trustworthy leader, to shaping the organizational culture. Growing a larger network with stronger relationships increases your value, influence and impact.

Discover how you can become a leader who attracts and engages an eager, committed team.  Expand your role, build loyalty, and close deals on relationships not price.  And when opportunities arise, be first in mind and someone they want to say ‘yes’ to!
 

American businesses report losing $400 billion a year to unclear writing that wastes time, kills contracts and turns off customers.  Optimize your time spent in communications as a writer and a reader.  Prevent your readers from deleting your email or sending your document to the circular file because they are too much work to decipher.  Write with clear purpose and enjoy the results and time saved.

Be part of the solution, not part of the problem – write it right the first time.

Yes, taking an ethics course is a requirement to keep your license.  But that doesn’t mean that an ethics course can’t be practical and meaningful.  This update course is meant to give the tax practitioner two hours of ethics CPE but at the same time provide a detailed analysis of the Circular 230 rules for conduct of a tax practice.  Best practices and guidance issues will also be provided.  

**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 leighanne.conroy@acpen.com.

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."

Nonprofits face unique accounting challenges. This course will introduce attendees to the financial statements and unique accounting principles applicable to not-for-profit organizations. Specifically, we will focus on the typical transactions and account balances unique to NFPs, including net assets, agency transactions, contributions, endowments, and programmatic investments.

Fraud continues to plague businesses at epidemic levels, and technology control failures are a significant reason fraud occurs. Using a case study approach, in this session, you will learn about the pervasiveness of fraud, the control failures that contribute to fraud, and what you can do to mitigate fraud risk.

A specific focus of this course is the application of information technology general controls and information technology application controls. In this course, you will examine numerous reported fraud cases and identify the general control and application control failures that contributed to each of these frauds. By learning through these real-world case studies, you will be positioned better to reduce fraud risk.

Would you like to find important documents in 10 seconds or less? Would you like to ensure that all your digital information is safe and secure? Would you like to improve workflow efficiency? Of course you would, and with a bit of planning and guidance, you will be on your way to realizing these and other benefits associated with a paperless office. Of course, no one expects a completely “paperless” office, but reducing the amount of paper we shuffle can lead to tremendous rewards. In this course, you will learn best practices and proven processes for effective document management.

By participating in this program, you will learn how to implement simple, inexpensive document management systems at an individual, workgroup, or small business level. You will also learn how to implement more sophisticated and comprehensive document management systems – complete with automated workflow processing – appropriate for larger offices and organizations. Your instructor will guide you through issues such as digitizing paper files, exporting and importing data from specialized applications into a document management system, essential hardware and software considerations, and the policies necessary to facilitate a successful office. Upon completing this course, you will have a comprehensive understanding of your options and a clear direction for implementing your version of the Paperless Office.

Cloud-based options of familiar Microsoft Office applications have been available for over a decade. Moreover, these tools have matured to the point where their functionality rivals desktop-based options. Further, the ease of deploying, accessing, and using these tools is striking.

In this session, you will learn about Cloud-based alternatives to everyday desktop applications and why you should consider adding them to your toolbox. You will also learn about the relative strengths of competitive services available from Zoho and Google and why you should consider these tools. Knowing all your options is imperative in the new cloud-connected world! 

With approximately 500 functions now available in Excel, it is easy to overlook some of the newer and more powerful tools available. But, if you do that, your productivity will suffer. In this session, you will learn how to take advantage of many of Excel’s more advanced features – some new and some legacy – to elevate your productivity to higher levels.

In this session, you will learn about many of Excel’s newer tools, including  XLOOKUP, SUMIFS, SWITCH, and STOCKHISTORY. Also included in this session are discussions of advanced financial functions, such as IPMT and PPMT, and how to retrieve summarized data easily using GETPIVOTDATA and CUBEVALUE.  Additionally, you will learn how to make sophisticated calculations easier with Dynamic Array formulas, how to harness the power of the AGGREGATE function, and how to create more accurate forecasts with Excel’s FORECAST.ETS function.  No matter your level of experience working with Excel, participating in this course is sure to help you work more efficiently and effectively in Excel. 

Yes, taking an ethics course is a requirement to keep your CPA license.  But that doesn’t mean that an ethics course can’t be practical and meaningful.  This update course is meant to give the CPA four hours of ethics CPE but at the same time provide a detailed analysis of the Circular 230 rules for conduct of a tax practice.  Best practices and guidance issues will also be provided.  

**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 leighanne.conroy@acpen.com.

What if being nice, or specifically being a positive best version of yourself, made you a more effective leader?  Ethical leadership, is effective leadership. That’s what Dr. Cohen, noted psychologist, transformational speaker, executive coach, and author of Be The Sun, Not The Salt, has been teaching organizations to do for years. Dr. Cohen’s work is based on scientific studies of human behavior broken down into simple, easily digestible pillars structured around the Heliotropic Effect. In this webcast we will discuss Dr. Cohen’s path to this work, what the Heliotropic Effect is, and how Be The Sun, Not The Salt is the perfect reminder to Do More of That every day.

The objective of corrective action is to change conduct through teaching.  Corrective action may be sequential, out of order, repetitive, or not appropriate to take at all.  The action selected should reflect the type, frequency, and severity of the misconduct.  Changing conduct through teaching requires effective employee relations skills. This course provides practical knowledge and scripts for handling a wide array of sensitive misconduct situations with good judgment, such that personal and employer liability is avoided.

If sales increase, so should profits.  Yet, the opposite result often leaves executives scratching their heads.  When organizations work with inferior cost information, they make mistakes in four specific situations.  Bad information causes sellers to overprice easy, high-volume work and underprice difficult, low-volume work. 

This session discusses how to use activity-based costing data to build accurate costing models that consider far more than just the labor and materials necessary to provide goods and services.  

This program compares and contrasts the financial accounting for partnerships and LLCs, as well as discusses the tax accounting for these entities. It includes a thorough discussion of the important differences between financial accounting for partnership capital accounts and the tax accounting for partnership capital accounts. Financial accounting for operations of a partnership will also be addressed.

Most ethics courses focus on unethical individuals and their terrible misdeeds. We don’t need another course on lessons from Enron or individuals committing fraud.  Most unethical failures result from unethical individuals.  Instead, this session will focus on how good people can do better, why there is no such thing as business ethics and why we only need one rule to lead ethical lives.

This program provides an update to the latest tax developments, rules and regulations impacting businesses, including a review and integration of latest COVID-19 relief legislation. 

**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 leighanne.conroy@acpen.com.

A comprehensive review of the July 2018 version of the U.S. Government Accountability Office’s Government Auditing Standards, otherwise known as “the Yellow Book.”  The standard will affect all auditors who perform audits of government and nonprofit organizations who receive federal funds, or where application of GAO standards is required by law, regulation or contract.  It does not address the standards applicable to performance audits.

Major Changes to the financial reporting package.

It is the role of a leader to build and maintain a great culture in the organization. The culture is the driving force that shapes the attitudes and behaviors of everyone in the organization. A relationship driven organization is built on trust and is the most effective way to improve productivity, engagement, and the bottom line. Understand the components that enable trust to  be created and maintained throughout teams and organizations.

In this course, we will explore the various types of data - both structured and unstructured - used in conducting fraud risk investigations and proactive monitoring. We will explore the various tools available on the market and techniques to confirm completeness and accuracy of the data before the analysis begins.  The course will cover the process for selecting the right data sources to align with the various risks as well as pitfalls to avoid when preparing the data for analysis. 

This course will address recent tax legislation, rules, and developments related to capitalization and depreciation; Section 179 and 168(k) 100 % bonus deduction; Depreciation of automobiles, including new luxury auto limits; ADS depreciation for electing farm and real estate business.

**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 leighanne.conroy@acpen.com.

This course will allow you to get reacquainted with the statement of cash flows. We will refresher your skills regarding both the preparation and utilization of the statement of cash flows. Significant emphasis will be placed on the informational role of the statement of cash flows and insights that can be obtained using the statement of cash flows in concert with the other elements of a company’s accrual-basis financial statements.

Many businesses are being held back by legacy solutions. The old way of doing things just doesn’t work anymore. Instead, Software as a Service (SaaS) has transformed many mid-market companies. In this new world of cloud-based, workflow-enabled, data-centric, and connected solutions, you can solve existing and future business problems in new ways without being bogged down by paper-centric environments.

This session covers integrated and ERP solutions that should work for businesses in the $10 Million to $1 Billion range. If your existing system has been in place for seven or more years, it is time to consider upgrading or replacing it. Leverage your instructor’s knowledge of the market to minimize your risk.

Data Loss Prevention (DLP) is a means of creating and enforcing security policies in an organization. For example, you can create DLP rules that programmatically block all outbound email messages containing Social Security or credit card numbers. Unfortunately, most business professionals have yet to discover DLP and how it improves security.

In this session, you will learn the fundamentals of DLP and, through demonstrations, see how you can use DLP to enhance organizational security. You do not want to miss this chance to learn how to take advantage of one of the most innovative security options available to you!

Over 80% of all employment-related lawsuits relate to termination.  Every termination should be treated as a potential lawsuit.  The facts supporting a leader's recommendation of discharge must be fully investigated. The discharge of an employee  requires prior review and approval.  Narrow self-interest, spite, or personal animosity must not play a part in making termination decisions.  This course provides practical knowledge and scripts for handling discharges with good judgment such that personal and employer liability is avoided.

A team member is not performing satisfactorily.  Tried several corrective actions – none worked.  We must dig to determine the root causes.  We will review a 15-step process to assess all the reasons why they are not performing, so you can reduce and hopefully eliminate performance issues.  Proper planning is essential.  If none of the remedies or suggestions work, we will review how to part ways.  The sooner you address the issues, the sooner the situation can improve.  If you have had one employee problem, this session is for you.

This program addresses the many complex financial and tax accounting issues that are common in S corporation transactions, with discussion of common pitfalls and the new AICPA "small" GAAP accounting standards.

This program provides an update to the latest tax developments, rules and regulations impacting both individual and business taxpayers, with a review and integration of the numerous recent legislation.

**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 leighanne.conroy@acpen.com.

Tax compliance issues for fiduciary entities are sometimes confusing to practitioners due to the fact that many lack experience in this area. This course provides the practitioner with a practical understanding of the issues involved in preparing the U.S. Income Tax Return for Estates and Trusts (Form 1041), including a Line-by-Line presentation of the form.  The practitioner will have a better understanding of entities and the basics of Subchapter J of the Internal Revenue Code.  Understanding these areas will allow the practitioner to start their understanding of tax compliance in preparing the U.S. Income Tax Return for Estates and Trusts (Form 1041).

**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 leighanne.conroy@acpen.com.

This course helps the practitioner understand planning considerations and potential problems when certain “bad situations” happen to his/her client. Updated for COVID-19 issues, this course will explore a variety of bad situations and provide the practitioner an understanding of the tax and non-tax circumstances to be considered when advising a client who is experiencing a bad situation in these trying times.

**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 leighanne.conroy@acpen.com.

Good judgment works well in handling most employee relations matters.  However, there are special situations where legal requirements dictate specific handling to avoid significant personal and employer liability.   This course provides practical knowledge and scripts for responding to requests for accommodations regarding religious practices or disabilities, confronting employees in substance abuse situations, and handling disclosures of contagious infections so that individual is properly helped, and the health of your workforce is protected.

In trying to achieve life balance, various internal and external obstacles arise.  In this course we will look at these obstacles and provide specific ways to overcome them.  In addition, we will look at how to excel in every area of your life including your relationships, finances, sense of purpose, level of  happiness, and your physical health and leisure time pursuits.  You will leave this course with powerful methods and a specific plan to move forward in your life in a balanced, healthy, and productive manner.  Don't forget to take Part 1 of this amazing course.

This session explores the nature of analytical procedures, with significant emphasis placed upon professional standards involving the use of analytical procedures in audit and review engagements. Practical examples to illustrate the application process will also be given.

Performing engagements in accordance with Generally Accepted Government Auditing Standards (GAGAS or “Yellow Book”) requires additional reporting, ethics, and performance requirements. This course will identify and review the guidance found in the Yellow Book and analyze the relationship between Government Auditing Standards and the AICPA Code of Professional Conduct. We will review the Yellow Book requirements for financial statement audits while also touching upon ethical principles and independence

The thought of bartering, bickering, negotiating, even compromising often produce a negative connotation, and frequently fear, in one's mind. Each of us however, has to negotiate daily in every aspect of our lives. Negotiation is an integral part of creating value for the organization and your success depends on your skills as a negotiator.  This course will give you with a new perspective on the art of negotiation by equipping you with techniques, counter-techniques, and a framework for mutually beneficial results.

This course examines the critical issues and special opportunities facing partnerships and their partners, with a focus on reporting tax basis capital accounts. 

**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 leighanne.conroy@acpen.com.

Collaboration is a key to productivity and success. But remote work can make collaboration more challenging, including collaborating on spreadsheets. Fortunately, tools such as portals with check-in/check-out capabilities, version control, comment tracking, and co-authoring can enable online spreadsheet collaboration. Further, Excel’s Inquire tool can facilitate spreadsheet collaboration in offline environments.

Don’t let remote work hamper your spreadsheet collaboration needs! Participate in this session to learn how to collaborate on spreadsheets effectively from anywhere using tools you already own or license.

The world of work changed radically and became much more virtual after the pandemic’s onset in 2020.  Over two years into the “new normal,” our team has compiled a list of the top technology productivity tips, tricks, and traps.  In this session, you will learn about shortcuts and hacks to help you accomplish more in Excel, Teams, Outlook, virtual meetings, and many other applications you use every day. Attend this session and learn the best tips to help you and your team accomplish more in less time.

You have used Excel for years and Lotus prior to that. During this time, you have said repeatedly, “One day, I’ll learn how to write macros.” Well, that time has arrived because this four-hour program will introduce you to the wide world of macros and Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) in Excel.

Designed for those with little, if any, experience working with macros, this course will teach the fundamentals of creating and working with macros in Excel. More specifically, you will learn how to use Excel’s Macro Recorder to write simple, yet effective, macros; how to secure and share macros with other Excel users; how to create user-defined functions to solve specific accountant-centric problems in Excel; and how to create macros that run automatically when a user opens a workbook. You will also learn the basics of VBA, including many necessary elements to write macros that can make you and your team more effective and productive with Excel. Don’t miss this unique opportunity to learn how to begin working with macros – one of Excel’s most powerful tools.

Leaders have the right to exercise customary management functions.  Employees have the right to be kept free from discrimination.  Neither employer rights nor employee rights are absolute.  The courts are equally protective of the rights of employees and employers.  A courtroom is the wrong place for anyone to find this out.  This course provides practical knowledge on how to effectively balancing these two sets of rights, such that employees and leaders stay out of court. Employers avoid lawsuits, rather than win lawsuits.

This program addresses the many issues impacting CPA practice with a world in crisis.  The unique challenges facing practitioners are related through actual practice situations – and then analyzed for their ethical implications. Based on real life experiences.

Award winning and entertaining discussion leader, former state accountancy board chair, and lifelong tax practitioner Mark Hugh will review ethics for tax professionals: the AICPA Code of Professional Conduct and interpretations; the Statements on Standards for Tax Services; the rules for practice with and before the IRS, including IRS Circular 230; other tax preparer requirements; new developments in regulation at the national and state level; and discuss examples of best practices and case studies.

The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 has made significant changes to the Internal Revenue Code. Due to these changes, fringe benefit planning has become one of the most important areas of planning for your client’s business and personal needs.  There are a variety of tools and techniques to meet a client’s fringe benefit planning objectives. This course takes a look at those various tools and techniques and provides the practitioner with a basic understanding of how to use each one. This course also features a review of some complex areas of employee benefit planning, including ERISA reporting and disclosure requirements.

**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 leighanne.conroy@acpen.com.

Performance management's impact on an organization can be directly felt in the bottom line. Companies with high turnover and poor employee retention rates experience lower employee morale and increased expenses in recruiting and training. Understanding the strengths and development needs of staff can guide employees toward a long-term career track. Communicating the keys to success is even more critical in long-term productivity and retention. This course will provide methodologies for each phase from goal setting to coaching to feedback. Exercises offer an opportunity for participants to begin developing their personal objectives as well as imparting techniques to manage the monitoring, coaching, and appraisal feedback phases of the process.

Governmental accounting is very unique. This course will introduce the financial reporting basics for governments, including fund accounting and the modified accrual basis of accounting. Attendees will analyze the layouts of the fund financial statements as well as the government-wide financial statements. The course will also cover the concept of component units, Management Discussion & Analysis (MD&A), and the Annual Comprehensive Financial Report.

Why can it be hard to automate accounting? Because many accountants don’t know their options and, therefore, fail to reap the rewards of accounting automation.

This session will teach you how easy and profitable accounting automation can be. In it, you will learn how to automate many traditional accounting processes, often with technology you already own. In addition to bank feeds, you will learn about automation options for processing accounts payable and receivable, approving transactions, and linking data from one platform to another. If you are serious about improving efficiency and accuracy, you should make plans to attend this session.

Privacy should be everywhere, yet every day seemingly brings a new story about a privacy violation. While it can be frustrating and sometimes scary to think about mishandling our personal information, it’s important to remember that we can take steps to protect our privacy.

This session will teach you where your critical threats are and what information you may already have at risk. More importantly, you will learn how to manage and mitigate privacy risks. In an era of increasing connectivity – and by extension, risk – this session should be high on your list to take as soon as possible.

This program addresses the critical issues and special opportunities facing S-corporations, with a focus on reporting shareholder basis and distributions. 

**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 leighanne.conroy@acpen.com.

This session will explore newly-issued auditing standards. Particular emphasis will be devoted to the reformatted audit report and key audit matters.

In a competitive economy, CPA's  and their firms need a way to stand out. The best way to do this is to give outstanding service to your clients. In this experiential workshop, you’ll learn skills that lead to dramatic client satisfaction. In addition, you'll learn several specific ways to guarantee you'll get a lot of word of mouth referrals that will lead to a dramatic increase in your number of clients.

In this course, participants will learn about the five principals of COSO's Fraud Risk Management Guide and the linkages each principal has to the use of forensic data analytics to measurably demonstrate effectiveness and ROI.  We will also explore key elements to a successful program that is sustainable as well as pitfalls to avoid. Finally, we will cover several case studies that demonstrate the key concepts discussed. 

Does your firm have interest in expanding its’ services beyond traditional CPA services?  Do you have staff with the expertise to compete against non-CPA firms? Welcome to a course that will lead you through the maze of creating a successful Consulting Business Practice for your CPA firm. The course will help you understand: where consulting business opportunities exist, what are the firm’s professional responsibilities and most importantly how to recognize the needs of the client.

In this course, participants will gain a broad understanding of the various anti-fraud preventive and detective tests available to practitioners and take initial steps in building their own library of tests unique to their business or industry risks. Specific discussions and examples will include vendor analysis to look for potentially improper payments around conflicts of interests, fake vendor schemes, bribery & corruption, sanctions and trade compliance, anomalous payments, segregation of duties, among other risk categories.  Participants will also explore tests around customers or distributors that include margin analysis, free goods, discounts and revenue recognition. Further, we will explore employee related test to mitigate travel & entertainment expense abuses. We will also point out various online and public resources for participants to start building their own library of tests to support both reactive investigations as well as proactive prevention and detection.

Being consistently ethical is a challenge. Most of us have had to make tough choices.  This session will discuss real world cases involving thorny ethical dilemmas and how to resolve them.

Being ethical is not the same as complying with the law and ethical issues are not always black and white. This session will review different professional ethical standards.  What does integrity mean in the office? If you want to learn lessons from the best in a short time, this session is for you.  Participate in engaging dialogue about how to prepare for the inevitable ethical situations.  These lessons are valuable for every business leader.

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.

This course reviews and discusses the latest items on the FASB agenda, focusing on recent updates to revenue recognition and lease accounting standards.  A Special Purpose Framework overview will be provided, which may reveal salient alternatives to U.S. GAAP for certain entities. We will also explore significant elements of the FASB’s technical agenda.

This program addresses the critical issues and special opportunities facing S-corporations, with a focus on reporting shareholder basis and distributions. 

**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 leighanne.conroy@acpen.com.

Major Changes to the financial reporting package.

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 this seminar you'll learn the best ways to get more done in less time, how to stay sane with all you have to do, and how to get other people to do some of "your" work by building great relationships.

Selecting the right KPIs for your organization can be complex and stressful. Rather than resorting to brainstorming and internet searches, there is a better way to discover the best KPIs for your organization - the ROKS method. In this session Bernie Smith, creator of the ROKS method, walks you through the first five steps of this powerful approach, using real-world stories to bring each step to life.  

Appreciation affects your bottom line and your workplace culture. Don’t think so? Think again! Your customers, clients, and co-workers want and need to know they are appreciated. How do you show them appreciation? You show them in their preferred appreciation style. 

You have a bias for how you like to receive appreciation, and so do the people with whom you work.

In this program, we will build on the research of Gary Chapman and Paul White on appreciation languages – words, time, service, and gifts. 

Appreciation is a skill and practice that promises to influence your work life positively. You will experience strategies you can employ in your day-to-day lives to improve your team culture and manage work relationships.

It’s a whole new world for lessees under ASC topic 842.  Soon nearly all leases will need to be disclosed as a liability on the balance sheet – from buildings right down to autos and copiers.  Although the greatest impact will be on large entities, this will affect the financial statements of small and mid-size entities as well.  This program will dive into the new standard on leases, effective dates, and address what you need to know now.

When we’re going through change and life feels out of balance, it’s normal to get stuck focused on all the problems and challenges that stress us out. How will the changes impact our team, our job, our lives? It doesn’t help that our brains are wired to anticipate the worst possible outcome. This wiring can make it difficult to be our best; to provide our best teamwork, our best ideas, and our best leadership. However, studies show that there are things we can do to shift our thinking so we can spend more time in positive emotions, like curiosity, enthusiasm, and optimism. Now everything gets easier and better, including:

~ Productivity
~ Customer relations
~ Change management
~ Teamwork
~ Leadership

Join Tina to learn and apply The Path for Positivity™ framework based in Positive Psychology. You will learn strategies and insights to help you experience less stress, a smoother transition, and higher productivity even when the future seems uncertain. Share the framework and strategies with your team, too.

This program compares and contrasts the financial accounting for partnerships and LLCs, as well as discusses the tax accounting for these entities. It includes a thorough discussion of the important differences between financial accounting for partnership capital accounts and the tax accounting for partnership capital accounts. Financial accounting for operations of a partnership will also be addressed.

Many people, when they hear about feedbcak in organizations and the workplace, think immediately of performance reviews. But feedback should not be isolated to these formal structures. This workshop is about the more informal methods of feedback that managers and coworkers can use to have more productive conversations that drive behavioral change. Through understanding the importance of dialogue, strategic questions to drive conversation, and mistakes to avoid, you'll be able to have more productive feedback conversations in your workplace (and maybe even at home, too).

Single Audits are an area of focus for the AICPA's Enhancing Audit Quality Initiative. The Uniform Guidance provides very unique audit requirements when auditing federal funds. This course will look into the unique performance and reporting requirements in Single Audits. Participants will have a basic understanding of internal controls over compliance, compliance requirements, how to use the Compliance Supplement, and the elements of a finding in a Single Audit.

This course introduces practical ways that public accountants can use Excel to enhance both the efficiency and effectiveness of client engagements. We will reinforce core concepts by illustrating ways that Excel is a tool for analysis and reporting. We will introduce numerous analytical methods and techniques by using practical examples to illustrate how to unleash the power of Excel when obtaining, analyzing, and reporting information.

Working with a small business, you know that keeping the company’s finances in order is critical to success. While numerous software programs and tools are available to help you do this, they vary substantially in many significant aspects. In addition to conventional options like QuickBooks and Sage 50, you can choose from Cloud-based tools such as Zoho Books, QuickBooks Online, Spire Systems, Xero, Accounting Suite, Accounting Power, and many more.

In this session, we’ll look at the best accounting tools for small businesses and discuss the benefits of each one. This session covers accounting solutions that should work for startups and companies with up to $10 million in annual revenue. So, whether you work with a startup or an established small business, attend this session to find out which tools can help you achieve your financial goals.

Networking strikes fear into the heart of even the most confident business leader. 

What if you don't know anyone? How do you introduce yourself? How do you enter a group conversation in progress, and how do you exit when you're ready to move on? How soon should you follow up and what's the best way to stay in touch? 

And: “Can't I just stay home, sit at my computer, and network on LinkedIn?”

Networking is a critical tool for spreading your message and growing your organization, yet many business and nonprofit leaders don't represent themselves or their companies effectively. 

This workshop covers the nitty gritty of talking to strangers and building relationships and partnerships through networking.

Many entities look to their CPA as a trusted advisor when tackling complex accounting topics. This is more relevant now than ever. The FASB's big three accounting pronouncements involving revenue recognition, leasing and credit losses have placed a magnifying glass on this reality. Practitioners need to exercise caution to ensure they maintain independence as they assist their review and audit clients with such matters, as well as with compilation engagements. This course addresses these issues and explores best practices and guidance provided by the AICPA's Code of Professional Conduct.

The Secure Act 2.0 was passed in a flurry of year-end legislation. This one hour program will cover the important changes that individuals need to know about contributions to accounts and new ways of accessing these funds.  This course will provide a concise look at these hot topics.  

**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 leighanne.conroy@acpen.com.

How do you keep your team connected with the limitations of virtual meetings? Suddenly, it’s more important than ever for each member to understand and appreciate their differences; to see beyond the screen and see each other’s human-side to maintain trust. In this session, Tina Hallis, Ph.D., will explore the neuroscience of trust and why it’s critical for optimum teamwork. But more importantly, you will leave with specific strategies and tools that you can choose from to use with your people. 

The Uniform Guidance (2 CFR 200) is revised effective November 12, 2020.  The greatest changes occur to the procurement standards and particularly he methods of procurement.  A delineation between the informal and formal procurement processes is the threshold for competition.  The ability to increase the Micro Purchase Threshold (MPT) and limitation on the Simplified Acquisition Threshold (SAT) requires a careful look at this OMB update to the Uniform Guidance.

When you're working with clients, it's not always smooth sailing (though we wish it was). Often we need to have difficult conversations. Whether it's to overcome objections, negotiate a new contract, or manage a conflict, these conversations can be navigated successfully with the right tools. This workshop gives you those tools and an understanding how how the human mind works when it comes to processing communication in difficult situations.

Good people believe everyone else is just like them. They cannot imagine someone could con them or their company and have no guilt or remorse about what they have done. Lack of guilt and empathy are key traits of a psychopath. Most of us envision psychopaths to be cold-blooded serial killers who are locked away in prison. However, experts estimate that 4% of corporate executives are psychopaths who may initially appear to be more normal than the rest of us. Psychopaths may present a convincing picture of virtue while helping themselves to money, status and sex while leaving a path of shattered expectations, empty wallets, and broken hearts in their wake. Learn how to recognize and deal with others who have no conscience. 

Become a data analytics “rock star”! Audit technology and the use of data analytics to drive better business transparency is now a key component of an effective audits – both large and small. Auditors effectively deploying these analytics, particularly with the use of AI, data visualization, and risk scoring techniques, can measurably demonstrate audit effectiveness while also moving beyond just sample selections. In this course, we will explore the application of technology across the full spectrum of audit activities including planning and risk assessment, internal controls assessment, substantive testing, and reporting.  ACPEN has assembled a panel expert accountants and technology professionals to discuss leading applications, trends and technologies in the audit.

Does your firm have interest in expanding its’ services beyond traditional CPA services?  Do you have staff with the expertise to compete against non-CPA firms? Welcome to a course that will lead you through the maze of creating a successful Consulting Business Practice for your CPA firm. The course will help you understand: where consulting business opportunities exist, what are the firm’s professional responsibilities and most importantly how to recognize the needs of the client.

Understanding how you prefer to communicate impacts how you lead, solve problems, make decisions, form relationships, collaborate, provide feedback, influence, and motivate. It also indicates what is influential and motivating to you. In this program you will learn your own communication preferences, how to identify others' preferences, and how to flex your style.

Following on Part 1 of this course, in Part 2 you will learn advanced ways to solve problems without bruising egos, how to create profound trust quickly, and how to motivate clients and co-workers to do your bidding with a minimal amount of wasted time or hassles.    The bottom line will be better client and co-worker relationships, leading to increased enjoyment and productivity at work.

Award winning and entertaining discussion leader Mark Hugh discusses how to create value for clients and your firm with consulting services. Whether you want to consult a little or full time, this valuable course reviews identifying a specialty, growing a practice, capturing value, creating deliverables, and effective marketing strategies whether within a firm or out in the marketplace.  

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. 

Financial accounting for trusts and estates is one of the least understood branches of accounting. It is not particularly concerned with recording income and expenses but is obsessed with determining whether receipts and expenditures are assigned to income or principal/corpus. This course will dive into this tricky area and provide a reporting guide for fiduciary accounting.

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.  

Are you and your team members prepared for a business disruption? Natural disasters, technology glitches, human failures, and even sabotage and terrorism threaten businesses of all sizes today. In this course, you will learn how to develop and implement a business continuity plan (BCP) to help manage the risks associated with business interruptions. In addition, you will learn how to address critical issues related to staffing, how virtualization can speed recovery times, and how Cloud-based storage, synchronization, and mirrored databases can help ensure that you always have access to your critical data and applications. Most importantly, you will learn how to identify your organization’s significant risks and create an effective plan to address these contingencies.

Today’s technology-dependent organizations must have a plan for how they will operate when facilities, power, communications, or technology fail or become compromised.  Unfortunately, many companies learn about critical weaknesses in their infrastructure only after experiencing a critical outage.  Participate in this course and learn how to identify, understand, and develop strategies for mitigating business interruption risks.

PivotTables are widely considered the most powerful feature in Excel, yet most accounting and financial professionals do not use them in their day-to-day activities. If you are ready to learn how to take advantage of PivotTables or how to extend your existing knowledge of PivotTables, then you should make time to participate in this course. In this program, you will learn how to build PivotTables, how to group data inside PivotTables–including grouping options for fiscal periods–and how to create user-defined calculations in your PivotTables. You will also learn advanced PivotTable techniques, including building PivotTables that consolidate data from multiple data ranges and PivotTables dynamically connected to external databases and financial accounting systems. Additionally, you will learn how to take advantage of other Excel features associated with PivotTables, including Slicers, Power Query, and Power Pivot. At the end of the day, you willbe a master of Excel PivotTables!If you have been leery of working with PivotTables or have struggled to realize their many benefits, this course is for you. With abit of information, guidance, and coaching from your K2 instructor, you will be ready to use PivotTables to analyze and report on extensive data sets in a fraction of the time you are spending presently to complete such tasks.

The number of accounting applications available today can be staggering for businesses with up to $15 million in annual revenue! In addition, cloud-based solutions such as QuickBooks Online, Xero, Accounting Power, and Wave are growing in breadth and depth. At the same time, traditional desktop and client-server applications continue to add more features, including hosted options. On top of all of this, financial reporting and other add-on solutions can further complicate your decision as to which tools you/your clients should use. In this course, we will take a deep look into setting up a Quickbooks Online Accountant (QBOA) account. We will examine all the various firm, staff, and client configuration options for getting this to work inside your organization. This session focuses specifically on the configuration options for the financial professional. QBO is an extensive application, requiring you to ensure you’ve correctly set up your firm and client files. Additionally, we will look at the various import/export functionality for getting your data into or out of QBO and some of the best 3rd party tools in the Intuit App Marketplace. Participants will leave this class supercharged with the knowledge of getting the most out of their QBOA subscription.

Many Office 365/Microsoft 365 subscriptions include robust cloud services for improving productivity. Foundational services, such as SharePoint Online, OneDrive for Business, and Exchange Online, join with other powerful tools such as Teams, Planner, Power Automate, Forms, and Power Apps to provide a productivity platform second to none. Unfortunately, most users will never benefit from working with these tools simply because they remain unaware of these features.

Make plans now to attend this session so that you can learn about the “rest” of Office 365 and how these cloud-based applications can enhance personal and team productivity while simultaneously facilitating remote working arrangements.  Don’t miss this opportunity to get all the knowledge and guidance necessary to take full advantage of your investment in Office 365.

Welcome to a management course that helps CFOs and Controllers lead the Accounting Department. It is essential that the Accounting Department have a Vision which is aligned with the Business goals. Controllers must also be comfortable with wearing multiple 'hats' in the business. The head of the Accounting Department must be skilled in a variety of leadership skills, technical skills, managerial skills and current management techniquest.

This program addresses the most recent developments impacting taxpayers incurring research and experimentation costs.  Emphasis will be placed on compliance with the 2022 change in Section 174 Amortization of research and experimental expenditures.

**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 leighanne.conroy@acpen.com.

When a company has poor financial performance, the financial person is often the first to go.  Proactive efforts by financial managers can prevent the need for a company to “catch up.”  

This course initially explores 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 from achieving their nefarious acts. Then we will switch gears to an interactive, case-based discussion that asks participants to reach their own conclusions by analyzing facts in concert with the AICPA Code of Professional Conduct and other sources of ethical guidance. This course ultimately provides practical, action-oriented insight that can be implemented by accounting professionals in both public practice and industry.

Tax compliance issues in estate and gift taxation are sometimes confusing to practitioners because many lack experiences in this area. This course, the second part of a 2-part series (6 CPE hours in total), provides the practitioner with a “hands-on” understanding as to how to prepare both the Federal Form 706 (Estate Tax return) and the Federal Form 709 (Gift Tax return). The participants will be shown how to properly prepare these returns “line-by-line”.    Mastering this course will allow the practitioner to gain confidence in preparing these difficult tax 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 leighanne.conroy@acpen.com.

Tax compliance issues in estate and gift taxation are sometimes confusing to practitioners because many lack experiences in this area. This course, is a the entire 2-part series (6 CPE hours in total).  It provides the practitioner with a practical understanding of Federal estate and gift tax law, as well as provide the practitioner with a “hands-on” understanding as to how to prepare both the Federal Form 706 (Estate Tax return) and the Federal Form 709 (Gift Tax return) line by line.  Emphasis will be given on the various of the Internal Revenue Code Sections that deal with this topic (income taxation of estates and trusts).    Mastering these sections of the Internal Revenue Code areas will allow the practitioner to start their understanding of tax compliance in preparing Federal Forms 706 and 709 and gain confidence in preparing these difficult tax 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 leighanne.conroy@acpen.com.

Do you ever get tired of other people's complaining and negativity? How can you stay calm, upbeat, and motivated despite other people’s grumpiness, rudeness, or pessimism? This program is all about helping you be your best. Even though you may not be able to change your colleagues, customers, or even your boss, you can reduce your stress and frustration by changing how you respond. Staying positive and calm is easier when you learn how to build your immunity.

This course teaches you Tina’s proprietary five-step “Immunity to Negativity Formula™”. You’ll learn simple techniques for staying calm and choosing to respond as your best self. This is a key skill you can build for yourself so you can enjoy less stress and frustration. You can even teach others so they can improve customer service, teamwork, and relationships within your company. 
 

Prior to the original SAS No. 82 on Consideration of Fraud In A Financial Statement Audit (now codified as SAS No. 122, AU 240), the word fraud never appeared in a single SAS, nor was it described anywhere.  SAS No. 82 stated that auditors failed to detect fraud for two reasons:  1) They did not know what it looked like and 2) They had not been trained to look for it.  Although the SASs did not provide any guidance, auditors have always been responsible for the detection of anything that would cause a material misstatement of the financial statements whether caused by error or irregularities.  (They would not even say the word fraud until it appeared in SAS No. 82) The standards were replete with guidance on the detection of an error but silent on how to detect irregularities.  Now auditors are required to document in every financial statement audit their process of determining the risk of financial misstatement due to fraud.

This presentation is designed to focus on frauds that were missed by the auditors and, in some cases, why it was missed.  There will also be discussion as to what the auditor must do in order to improve their track record on detecting fraud.  As reported on the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners Occupational Fraud 2022: A Report to the Nations, only 4% of frauds were initially discovered by the external auditor.  It was reported that more frauds were discovered by accident, (5%) then was discovered by the external auditor.

We will cover the steps for preparing a Federal grant application budget and budget narrative.  We will go through a complete, sample application budget that includes the SF 424 summary, detailed backup for each line items budgeted, and the associated budget narrative. The session will include best practices in the development of a budget as well as monitoring tools.

Remote work environments have created many new opportunities for cybercriminals and other fraudsters to exploit, and accounting professionals are some of the most commonly targeted individuals. This session is a series of case studies that examine actual criminal filings and news accounts and use them to highlight some of the actions you can take to limit your exposure to similar schemes. Attend this session and learn more about how high-profile control failures occurred so you can be more effective at preventing crimes in your organization.

Conflict is inevitable whenever you have more than one person working together. But conflict doesn't have to be a bad thing. In fact, it's through conflict that some of the most productive conversations, changes, and innovations can occur in organizations...when they're navigated through effective communication. This workshop is designed to help you more strategically approach difficult conversations in the workplace and will arm you with both an understanding of how our minds approach these tough conversations and tools that you can use to approach these conversations more impactfully.

Social media has become a ubiquitous phenomenon in our business world. However, just because it exists is not a good reason to use it. This workshop is designed to give you an overview of the social media landscape to help you decide if you want to engage with and on social media and, if so, what channel(s) are most strategic for you and your business. The workshop ends with a simple framework to help you use social media as a credibility strategy for your business, giving you a strategy for creating a year's worth of social media content in a single day.

This is not your average CPE course! In this fun and practical course, you'll learn how to remember names, where you put things, what you read, or anything else 300% (or more) effectively than before. You will also learn how to prevent dementia, and halve your stress by using exercises that take under two minutes a day to do. Additionally, you'll receive information on ways to improve your memory by improving your overall health and wellness. This course will give you an overview of natural supplements to enhance your memory as well as share tips to improve your sleep. This course will change your life both now and in the future by making sure you know the best ways to remember information, handle stress and keep your mind sharp until the day you die. The information in this course to help increase your professional efficiency and improve your overall quality of life.

This course will start with a review of the impact of the 2023 Compliance Supplement on Single Audits. We will also review common audit deficiencies found in Single Audits with an emphasis on COVID-related funding.

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 leighanne.conroy@acpen.com.

Sustainability Accounting is now a recognized professional skill of increasing importance in larger organizations. It is the process of finding, measuring and managing the material metrics for sustainable performance and risk management. The goal is to bring these metrics into regular financial statements so leaders can act on them.  This course teaches Sustainability Accounting basics with example from the restaurant industry.   It is suitable for any professional or student who wants to learn fast about sustainability issues in specific industry sectors and how to integrate sustainability metrics into financial accounting and reporting.

Technology is a business-critical business capability in today’s day and age. Any interruption to an organization’s ability to use its information system poses a significant risk to its viability. Data breaches, cyber-attacks, and ransomware are examples of the most significant existential risks facing businesses today. There are threat actors worldwide that entirely focus on stealing organizational data, stealing economic resources, and disrupting commerce. They use complex social engineering attacks, pervasive phishing messages, intricate malware, and other highly effective techniques. For example, publically reported data breaches now exceed 100k annually. These breaches resulted in releasing the personal information of millions of people worldwide, billions of dollars of compromised organizational assets, and putting countless people in harm’s way. This course covers recent major security breaches, including Solarwinds, Ubiquity, Colonial Pipeline, Tecnimont SpA, Citrix, and LabCorp. It will discuss how these breaches occurred, why they occurred, and how organizations can prevent similar incidents from impacting them. Each case study examines a different form of security vulnerability and how to avoid it. The topics will include social engineering, auditing processes for IT Security systems, forensic accounting, password, two-factor authentication, and improvements for managerial oversight. Participants will gain real-world knowledge from the mistakes of other organizations and, from that experience, develop their own security best practices for their organizations.

We could work with team members at all levels and in all locations with today’s collaboration and meeting tools. While the COVID-19 pandemic may have been the trigger event that forced many to use these tools for the first time, we discovered the advantages and capabilities. Which tools make sense for your organization?

In this session, we will cover the leading meeting and collaboration tools. We will note the features and benefits of options available and will provide a comparison of critical items. We will also explain deployment and control considerations from a management perspective, citing questions you can pose to technical consultants. If you want to improve your team’s productivity, this session will give you independent guidance.

Unlike a traditional financial audit objective (Are the financial statements materially misstated?), performance auditing can address a wide variety of objectives (Is this program working? Can it be improved? Where can we save money? How can we operate more efficiently and effectively?).  This session will explain what a performance audit is, describe the standards that must be followed, and provide examples that indicate the value of a performance audit.  Performance audits can add value to any entity and practitioners can profit from adding these assurance services to their practices.

The course will start with the Accounting Standard Updates effective in 2023 for public entities, private entities, and nonprofits. We will also review significant changes to common control lease arrangements issued early in 2023. After a break, we switch our attention to the items coming down the pike, including a look at the projects identified by the FASB's Invitation to Comment: Agenda Consultation.

This course highlights significant updates that affect financial reporting and related attestation services. We will explore novel FASB pronouncements while examining the enduring impact of lease accounting and revenue recognition standards. This course will provide reminders regarding both GAAP and non-GAAP financial reporting alternatives for closely held entities. We will also explore selected guidance regarding audit, review, and compilation engagements.

The audit standards state that one of the reasons auditors fail to detect fraud is that they don’t know what it looks like.  Prior to the original SAS No. 82, Consideration of Fraud In A Financial Statement Audit, nowhere in any SAS was there a description of what fraud looked like.  So, as they say, if you don’t know what you are looking for, you can often look right at it and not recognize it!

This presentation illustrates some of the more common indicators of fraud they most individuals would overlook unless they 1) knew what they were looking for and were 2) actually looking for it.  Contrary to what the standards say about fraud being concealed, I have found that fraud is often laying on the table right in front of you; but no one has discovered it because they have no idea what the indicators of fraud are.

What do people say about you when you leave the room? Is it what you want them to say? How you show up in the room, get listened to, build trust, and are known amongst your colleagues are all critical components of your future success. In this workshop Michelle Tillis Lederman, CEO and Founder of Executive Essentials, will discuss how to determine you brand attributes, demonstrate the nuances of body language on your professional presence, and discuss how to strengthen trust and the lasting impressions you make on your network, expanding upon lessons from her books The Connectors’ Advantage and The 11 Laws of Likability. 

Most small and mid-sized businesses are at least considering cloud-based suites for business management, performance management, and productivity. Unfortunately, many owners and accounting professionals need to learn the difference between using cloud-native tools, employing a managed service provider, and utilizing a desktop hosting provider. This session helps participants understand the differences in the levels of service provided by these offerings and will also highlight some of the regulatory barriers which could create problems for your organization. Attend this session and learn what you need to know before saying “see ya” to your servers.

Sustainability Accounting is now a recognized professional skill of increasing importance in larger organizations. It is the process of finding, measuring and managing the material metrics for sustainable performance and risk management. The goal is to bring these metrics into regular financial statements so leaders can act on them.  This course teaches Sustainability Accounting basics with example from the restaurant industry.   It is suitable for any professional or student who wants to learn fast about sustainability issues in specific industry sectors and how to integrate sustainability metrics into financial accounting and reporting.

Become a data analytics “rock star”! Audit technology and the use of data analytics to drive better business transparency is now a key component of an effective audits – both large and small. Auditors effectively deploying these analytics, particularly with the use of AI, data visualization, and risk scoring techniques, can measurably demonstrate audit effectiveness while also moving beyond just sample selections. In this course, we will explore the application of technology across the full spectrum of audit activities including planning and risk assessment, internal controls assessment, substantive testing, and reporting.  ACPEN has assembled a panel expert accountants and technology professionals to discuss leading applications, trends and technologies in the audit.

Blockchain technology offers the promise of digital truth. It provides a transparent, permanent, immutable, and high-speed record-keeping system when appropriately implemented. The possibilities are endless, from managing the logistics of supply chain networks to facilitating international commerce. The adoption of this technology is growing, with millions of new users every year. Organizations adopt this technology every day to help improve their existing operations through its ledger capabilities or executing smart contracts. Cryptocurrency is one example of blockchain technology. Its growth and value have exploded to over $2 trillion in the last few years. This growth has helped to fuel widespread adoption amongst Wall Street and regular investors alike. While more popular than ever, few business professionals understand these technologies, their capabilities, risks, and potential impacts on business operations and processes, such as contract execution, recording and maintaining real estate ownership records, and supply chains. In fact, this incredible technology is a mystery for most accounting professionals. This course will provide a detailed and in-depth look at this technology, including a detailed overview of the underlying technology, the benefits, the risks, the major players, and many practical applications. By participating in this session, you will gain a deeper understanding of the inner workings of this technology and recommendations on getting started.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is no longer just a theoretical concept! Instead, AI is a practical tool available today to help you address and solve real-world problems. In this course, you will learn about the fundamentals of AI and how you can put this amazing technology to work today to help you and your team work more efficiently and effectively. Participate in this course to learn about the fundamentals of AI and specific types of problems AI can help you address. You will learn about AI features available in everyday applications – including Excel – and how you can use these features in situations such as detecting fraud and identifying potential errors in transactions. You will also learn how AI is changing how accounting and financial professionals work, both today and in the future.

ProActive Response Group's Active Shooter Response Training course educates participants in current trends of active shooter incidents, how to recognize early warning signs of violence, appropriate actions to increase chances of survival in an active shooter event, and how to use basic medical equipment to save the lives of victims.  

*****(Warning: This video contains simulated graphic scenes that some viewers may find disturbing)*****

This program presents a detailed analysis of the self-rental passive activity rules, 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 leighanne.conroy@acpen.com.

This course explores the tests used to determine whether a worker is properly characterized as an employee or an independent contractor for tax purposes, with a focus on the cost of getting it wrong and possible Section 530 relief.  The game changing impact of the Dynamex case and AB5 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 leighanne.conroy@acpen.com.

Participants will learn about what exactly revenue officers do, how they work their cases, how the IRS collects payroll tax, and civil/criminal enforcement.

The ability to influence people is the one fundamental skill that every professional needs. All managers know how hard it can be to make views heard despite having persuasive points to make. The program gives participants all the techniques necessary to increase their influence and put the power of persuasion to work for them.

According to the FBI, “white-collar crime is … synonymous with the full range of frauds committed by business and government professionals … characterized by deceit, concealment, or violation of trust …. The motivation behind these crimes is financial—to obtain or avoid losing money, property, or services or to secure a personal or business advantage.”  CPAs can and should play a crucial role in preventing and detecting white collar crime, as well as in prosecuting the perpetrators.  This session will explore whether we are up to this challenge, heighten awareness regarding the CPA’s role as a front-line defender of the public interest, and assess whether we are deserving of the public trust we enjoy.

Communication is the glue that connects people, but it doesn’t come easy for many of us. If you want to quickly and effectively handle problems with co-workers or clients, and you want people to do what you want without a lot of hassle, this seminar is for you. The bottom line will be better client and co-worker relationships, leading to increased enjoyment and productivity at work.

The term “automate” has been an industry buzzword for at least a decade. Yet, few organizations have embarked on successful automation journeys, leading to greater efficiencies, reduced errors, and happier team members. In this session, you will learn how to crank up your automation projects and see first-hand how easy and effective automation can be. More specifically, this session shows you exactly how you can work with tools from Zoho, Zapier, and Microsoft to enable powerful routines that will allow you and your team to get more done in less time.

In today’s business climate, data is king! Organizations of all sizes collect and manage more data than ever, and that trend is sure to continue. The number of apps, services, and platforms we use also increases every year in this environment. Thus, there is a need to standardize, streamline, and optimize our ability to manage the ever-growing list of systems and their data, and in this session, you will learn how to do precisely that.

Conquering your data can help improve efficiency and effectiveness and reduce costs and errors within your organization. In this course, you will learn various ways of sharing data easily between different applications, platforms, and services. Further, you will learn about various tools, desktop application functionalities, and programming tools to manage this process. Participate in this session so that you can truly integrate your data and reap the benefits of improved efficiency and control.

The Uniform Guidance (2 CFR 200) is revised effective November 12, 2020. The Uniform Guidance provides the rules for grants and cooperative agreements funded by the U.S. Government. The revision reflects a foundational shift to focus on enhanced results-oriented accountability for grants and cooperative agreements based on performance. As a part of President’s management agenda, the revision will improve stewardship and ensure the American people receive value for Federal funds spent on various grant programs. This update will provide an example of performance initiates by demonstrating performance-based payments using unit cost rates in lieu of cost reimbursable invoicing.

This is not your average CPE course--Part 2! In this second part course (which is equally fun and engaging), you will learn how to feel confident--even in highly stressful situations. You will learn new secrets to great health that take under 10 minutes per week, and you will learn how to know what is most important to you--so you can be happier and healthier in the long run. Tune in for techniques to relieve stress and tips on incorpating meditation into your daily routine. All of which will help improve your memory and overall mental health and wellbeing. In addition, you'll learn an unsurpassed method for making sure you stay consistent with actually implementing these methods in your daily life.

Understanding Tax Fraud is key to recognizing when a client’s audit is snowballing into a criminal case. Expert Tax Attorney, Venar Ayar discusses best practices on handling a sensitive audit and how the IRS conducts its investigations to determine if fraud has occurred.

The standard audit report will soon receive an overhaul. This course investigates major changes to the contents and format of audit reports for private entities while exploring the influence of changes to audit reports for public companies. 

The Internet and mobile technologies have revolutionized the way that businesses operate. We are no longer constrained by working from a specific location or during typical business hours. Instead, organizations can now effectively communicate and do business with customers and staff based anywhere in the world. One of the most critical aspects of this changing workplace is the virtual office, which allows a user to work anywhere in the world. This course helps you identify how an organization can improve collaboration, communication, and operations by implementing virtual office technology. We’ll look at solutions to simplify and streamline communications, business process management, going paperless, and more. We’ll also cover the benefits and risks of implementing a virtual workplace and discuss innovative technologies you can use to revolutionize your organization.

Google is one of the largest, most widely used and vital technology companies on the planet. Their name has become synonymous with search, knowledge, and cutting-edge technology. Google developed and maintains a wide range of products that have changed how we learn, find things in our community, and communicate with the world. Further, Google offers a business-ready cloud productivity suite used by a growing number of businesses worldwide. Google brings together a wide range of communication and business tools under one roof to serve as the backbone of an organization’s technology infrastructure. Most users are familiar with Google’s search service or Gmail but are unaware of the other services they provide. Additionally, most users barely scratch the surface of the functionality of Google’s tools and services. This course looks at the most valuable features, apps, and services of Google that the busy working professional could better utilize. Course participants will learn to find better web results using search operators and tools. Further, they will understand Workspace and use it as an organization’s back office. They will learn to create dynamic, creative, and useful business documents using Google tools. They will learn to back up and sync their electronic documents to the Cloud using Google Drive. Finally, they will learn to grow their business and expand their marketing using Google’s marketing and website tools. This session finishes with a top-five list of Google's best-hidden secrets and functionalities. Beginners to advanced users of Google products will leave this course with a much deeper understanding of the services, time-saving tips to use the products more effectively, and practical advice on how to best leverage their incredible technology.

This presentation will provide a detailed analysis of the Circular 230 rules for conduct of a tax practice, with a review of the political, legislative and regulatory rules impacting every accounting and tax professional. Best practices and guidance provided by the AICPA’s Code of Professional Conduct will be discussed.

In the fast moving world where everyone is communicating through email, text and instant messaging we have forgotten the power of face-to-face conversation. Communication and connection is the foundation for building a thriving network and business.

During this talk, The Connector’s Advantage author, Michelle Tillis Lederman will inspire you to leverage the power of personal connection in the digital age while still incorporating the efficiency of virtual communication.
 

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.

In 2020, 96% of the world’s largest 250 companies published reports on their sustainability performance in accordance with national and international standards.   Now many more companies are committing to sustainability, and Net Zero emissions in particular.   This creates a new responsibility and opportunity for HR leaders.   Staff must be trained in new policies, goals and procedures.  Executives need help as leaders in this new approach.  This one-hour course summarizes SHRM research into HR and sustainability, plus other expert sources and the instructor's own 30-year journey helping companies become more sustainable.   The course presents key concepts, tools and sources to help HR find its role.

This session describes a state agency's quality review of a not-for-profit organization's A-133 audit.  The case study describes the organization audited, its Federally- and state-funded programs, and the CPA firm retained to do the audit.  Various anomalies in the financial statements alerted State officials to potential problems, and a detailed quality review followed.  Find out how the entity turned hundreds of thousands of dollars in bank overdrafts into hundreds of thousands of dollars of cash on its balance sheet.  Explore other “creative” ways to deal with fixed assets, accounts receivable, and related-party transactions.  Were the auditors just sloppy, ignorant, negligent?  Or were they active participants in producing fraudulent financial statements?  You be the judge.

You often can perform an audit in accordance with all of the standards, and still have a substandard audit IF you did not get out among the clients employees (let them know you are there and where you located), talk to as many people as you can regardless as to whether you may think that they may have any helpful information; constantly observe your surrounding where ever you are at (you never now what you might see) and lastly, listen to not only what people are saying to you but are also saying around you.

This presentation is designed to illustrate the importance of making yourself available to your client’s employees, let them know that you are there and where you can be found. Talk with them because if there is a problem, somebody knows and they will often tell you all about it IF you just ask them.  Look at your surrounding everywhere you go.  What are you looking for?  I don’t know but I’ll know it when I see it. Lastly, listen to what they have to say.  Every word is important because they may say something that you had not asked about. 

Remember, you never want to discover something and go to an individual who you determined knew about it and ask, why didn’t you tell me about this and their response was, you never asked me!

A comprehensive review of the July 2018 version of the U.S. Government Accountability Office’s Government Auditing Standards, otherwise known as “the Yellow Book.”  The standard will affect all auditors who perform audits of government and nonprofit organizations who receive federal funds, or where application of GAO standards is required by law, regulation or contract.  It does not address the standards applicable to performance audits.

In a surprise twist, Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) was passed in short order after secret negotiations were revealed in late July, 2022. Seismic changes in tax legislation is currently taking place, and the well-informed tax practitioner will want to attend this two hour program in order to stay abreast of these developments!  This course will provide a concise look at these hot topics. 

Who should Attend:  This course is suitable for Corporate tax and finance executives, directors, managers and staff, CPAs, CAs Enrolled Agents, accountants, attorneys and business/financial advisors who work with and advise businesses that have these tax implications.  All in-house and public practice tax professionals will benefit from this timely and insightful seminar

**Please Note:  If you need credit reported to the IRS for this IRS approved program (2 Hours only), please download the IRS CE request form on the Course Materials Tab and submit to leighanne.conroy@acpen.com.

Many people, when they hear about feedbcak in organizations and the workplace, think immediately of performance reviews. But feedback should not be isolated to these formal structures. This workshop is about the more informal methods of feedback that managers and coworkers can use to have more productive conversations that drive behavioral change. Through understanding the importance of dialogue, strategic questions to drive conversation, and mistakes to avoid, you'll be able to have more productive feedback conversations in your workplace (and maybe even at home, too).

Although Windows incorporates the OneDrive app, you may not have configured it correctly for your specific needs. Using the OneDrive app and the related Cloud storage service to their fullest potential means you can access your files when and where you need them. Further, sharing your files and collaborating with others is easy when using OneDrive correctly. In this session, you will learn best practices for taking full advantage of OneDrive.

Networking strikes fear into the heart of even the most confident business leader. 

What if you don't know anyone? How do you introduce yourself? How do you enter a group conversation in progress, and how do you exit when you're ready to move on? How soon should you follow up and what's the best way to stay in touch? 

And: “Can't I just stay home, sit at my computer, and network on LinkedIn?”

Networking is a critical tool for spreading your message and growing your organization, yet many business and nonprofit leaders don't represent themselves or their companies effectively. 

This workshop covers the nitty gritty of talking to strangers and building relationships and partnerships through networking.

The IRS has recently increased the pressure on how to calculate and report partner and shareholder basis.  Changes in the forms reflect these developments.  This program provides a detailed analysis of the calculations related to determining tax basis for a partnership interest and S corporation shareholder shares and loans. How to use the Form 1065, Schedule K-1  and Form 1120S, Schedule K-1 information for basis determination.  Illustrated examples with filled in forms will demonstrate how the processes works and their 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 leighanne.conroy@acpen.com.

Performance management's impact on an organization can be directly felt in the bottom line. Companies with high turnover and poor employee retention rates experience lower employee morale and increased expenses in recruiting and training. Understanding the strengths and development needs of staff can guide employees toward a long-term career track. Communicating the keys to success is even more critical in long-term productivity and retention. This course will provide methodologies for each phase from goal setting to coaching to feedback. Exercises offer an opportunity for participants to begin developing their personal objectives as well as imparting techniques to manage the monitoring, coaching, and appraisal feedback phases of the process.

This course will review common deficiencies identified by the AICPA and state boards of accountancy. It includes discussion on a variety of topics including auditing estimates, internal controls deficiencies, documentation deficiencies, and risk assessment. We will review the areas of concern, the profession’s response to these deficiencies including SASes 143 and 145, and how you can overcome them by employing best practice

You don’t need an accounting degree to harness the power of Microsoft Excel. This course shows how Excel makes sense beyond dollars and cents. We will focus on fundamental concepts for creating, editing, and utilizing Excel content. Participants will learn how to use Excel’s menus and other functions to craft Excel workbooks. Because this course is designed for newer users, we intentionally offer a broad overview of Excel’s numerous capabilities with in-depth coverage of selected resources tailored for non-accounting applications.

This course provides an in-depth exploration of Form 1120S, the tax return form used by S corporations. Students will learn the intricacies of preparing and analyzing this form, including how to determine the taxable income of the S corporation, how to properly report and allocate income, deductions, and credits, and how to calculate the shareholder's basis in the S corporation.

**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 is designed for accountants in public practice and industry that focus on nonprofit and governmental entities. We will cover the basics needed to understand what makes nonprofit and governmental accounting & auditing unique. We’ll start with the key financial reporting differences for governmental and nonprofit entities. Then we’ll switch focus and review the fundamentals of Yellow Book and Uniform Guidance audits. This foundational course is perfect for those getting started in the nonprofit and governmental arena and those looking for a refresher.

Inventory is a wonderful place to both hide fraud and commit fraud.  The reasons that inventory is subject to so much fraud is the it is often very large, spread out over a large area, and many people have access to it.  When there are little or no internal controls related to inventory control, you are begging employees to steal it.  No with so many ways to dispose of stolen inventory via the internet, i.e., EBAY, inventory fraud is much more appealing to a lot of individuals.

The more common ways to commit expense fraud and how to cover it up will also be discussed.  Travel and entertainment are some of the favorite areas of committing expense fraud.  In addition, payroll fraud will be discussed.  Although there are many ways to commit payroll fraud, it is very easy to prevent.

This presentation is designed to familiarize the participants with the many ways to commit inventory, expense and payroll fraud, how to detect it, and more importantly, how to prevent it.

Excel is the accountant’s tool of choice for analyzing and reporting financial data, yet many use time-consuming and error-prone processes to complete everyday tasks. Regardless of your level of experience, if you use Excel, you need this course to learn more efficient and effective ways to work with Excel. In this course, you will discover countless tips, tricks, and techniques to improve your general level of productivity, reduce the amount of time you spend on mundane tasks, such as formatting, and customize Excel for greater accuracy and efficiency. You will also learn valuable formula-building skills, best practices for linking Excel data from other worksheets and workbooks, and how to streamline report generation and printing processes.

Your K2 instructor will reinforce key learning points throughout the program with practical, real-world examples that will improve your understanding and comprehension of the topics presented. This highly acclaimed course draws on over twenty-five years of experience in delivering spreadsheet training to accounting and financial professionals, which assures you of the relevance and usefulness of the information and guidance provided during the program.

Internal controls are more important than ever, and their importance increases daily. However, internal controls present a challenge for many smaller organizations. This program will teach you how to evaluate, develop, and implement an effective internal control structure in a small business environment. You will identify how to assess risk in smaller organizations and implement preventive, detective, deterrent, and compensating controls to mitigate these risks, even without proper segregation of duties. Additionally, participating in this program will teach you technology-focused techniques for preventing and detecting fraud and securing information systems and sensitive data. For small organizations, maintaining an effective system of internal controls presents a significant challenge. Realistically, implementing many theoretical concepts surrounding internal controls may not be possible in some cases. Consequently, many internal control structures foster an environment where too much risk exists. This factor and uncontrolled information systems can often lead to disastrous results. Participate in this program to learn the necessary insights and tools to design, implement, and monitor effective internal controls, security, and anti-fraud measures in small organizations.

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.

Most people dislike capricious judgment, intolerance, crime, shaming, blaming, punishing, unequal treatment and predatory opportunism. Yet we witness, hear about or directly experience one or more of these uncivil behaviors daily. What’s going on?

It used to be that when incivility in our home, neighborhood, schools, or community spaces harmed us, we counted on shared ethical norms to guide and help. We confidently relied on societal guardrails like the law, regulations or corporate policies for fair remedy.

But can we still? These days it sometimes feels like up is down, down is up, right is wrong, wrong is right, the sun rises in the west and sets in the east. Even our ethical compass doesn’t seem as reliable as it used to.

We’re not crazy to feel unanchored or anxious. Americans live in a moment when our constitutional federal republic and Western ethics face enormous challenge from those who would prefer a different construct.

Desiring change is one thing, but abandoning civility in its pursuit results in ethical chaos, societal breakdown, and individual misery. This holds true for human groups small and large, from the family to the federal government. 

“How will I EVER get this all done?"  It’s a question I often hear from clients and on a particularly stressful day, I can hear myself saying these words!  Instead of helping us focus, it's a question that leads to stress, anxiety and overwhelm!

Regardless of where we are in business and in life, we will run into challenges and problems as we navigate business growth, leadership, work life balance and our quest for success and happiness. This workshop will explore the 7 HIGH QUALITY questions that lead to relief, enthusiasm and success.  It will be an interactive exploration that will leave you with a game plan to use right away, as well as an opportunity to practice the mindset that the most successful and happiest people use daily. 

This program is for both the entrepreneur who wants to be more effective in their day as well as team leaders who want to stand out in their organization.  For the business owner or staff member you can expect a new way to work with your day so that it's profitable, productive and happier.  For leaders, you will learn new up- leveled skills to increase your efficiency, communication and productivity.  You and your team will shine.  Your staff will feel appreciated and connected to their value as well as the company's goals.

Albert Einstein said 'we can't solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them'.  The quality of your question will impact the quality of your solution.  Learn the 7 questions that take you from confused and frustrated to creative and focused. 

This course helps the practitioner understand not only how to make the portability election, but how it can provide overall tax benefits to surviving spouses and beneficiary of estates that fall below the federal estate exclusion amount.  We will look at who should and can make the election, how the election is made and how to opt out, the requirements for filing Form 706, along with comparing the benefits of electing portability to conventional credit shelter trust planning.

**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 leighanne.conroy@acpen.com.
 

Due to the constant stress of a fast paced life, overwork, and family demands, it’s easy to feel one’s life is out of balance. When this happens, all areas of your life can suffer. By learning key methods for setting priorities and goals, overcoming stress, and deciding what’s most important to you, you can achieve new levels of balance and greater results. Having more balance in your life will allow you to do less of what you don’t want and more of what is truly important to you.

Individuals who work in a governmental environment have many rules of ethics that must be followed. The Government Accountability Office (GAO) issues Yellow Book providing rules related to ethics and independence, which received a significant update in 2018. We'll review some of the key elements of ethics relevant to governmental entities and auditors to prevent independence noncompliance.

We know that effective communication is essential to growing a career and a business. But we often don't take time to think through, concsiously, about how we communicate and how small changes could change the trajectory of our messages. This workshop is designed to give you a survey of multiple communication strategies and mistakes to avoid. We start by discussing how people make decisions--which is important to understand in the context of business communication and communication in the workplace. We then transition into common communication mistakes and actionable tools and tactics that you can use to overcome and avoid these mishaps.

Being consistently ethical is a challenge. Most of us have had to make tough choices.  This session will discuss real world cases involving thorny ethical dilemmas and how to resolve them.

Being ethical is not the same as complying with the law and ethical issues are not always black and white. This session will review different professional ethical standards.  What does integrity mean in the office? If you want to learn lessons from the best in a short time, this session is for you.  Participate in engaging dialogue about how to prepare for the inevitable ethical situations.  These lessons are valuable for every business leader.

Seismic changes in tax legislation is currently taking place, and the well-informed tax practitioner will want to attend this eight hour program in order to stay abreast of these developments.  This program will cover new court decisions, recent IRS publications, and the latest tax legislation that will impact businesses and individuals.  The remaining time will be spent on IRS procedure and other issues. This course will provide a concise look at the hottest topics affecting every tax practitioner.  

**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 leighanne.conroy@acpen.com.

To move beyond the HR realm it is essential for HR professionals to understand planning at the strategic and tactical level. This session is designed to help HR professionals understand the overall strategic planning process so they can contribute at the executive level.