CPE + Events Catalog

Positive client relationships require work. Miscommunication, unrealistic expectations, and differing personality styles may strain a client's relationship with professional advisors. Fortunately, there are tested strategies that foster and strengthen client relationships. Creating appropriate boundaries early on is one of many effective strategies that can help. This course explores actions accounting and finance professionals can take to create and grow their client relationships. This webinar provides actionable insights on how to engage new and old clients alike. Strained client relationships can harm both the client and the firm's profitability. Yet automation, for example, allows some firms to remain more engaged while others miss the mark. There is a science underlying client retention that involves understanding the client journey, ensuring consistent client interactions, and equipping employees with the tools needed to satisfy client needs. Understanding these skills should help you protect the relationships that sustain your business.

Even though the current transfer tax exemption is extremely high to the point that few decedents have a federal estate tax liability, administering an estate is a burden for many family members. In many cases, the family members will look to their professional advisors for help in estate planning and administering an estate. The purpose of this program is to discuss those issues that practitioners with clients involved in estate planning administration need to know so as to be able to advise those clients. Lack of planning and preparedness in estate issues can cost the heirs time and money upon a decedent's death.

The Not-for-Profit Advisory Committee has been busy discussing several projects that the FASB is working on and their impact on nonprofits. In this course, we will review the key issues and discussions from recent NAC meetings. We'll also take a look at ASUs issued by the FASB that may impact nonprofit financial statements. After a break, we then transition from accounting to auditing with a look at the common deficiencies found in nonprofit Yellow Book audits with a focus on CPE, reporting, and independence.

This course is designed to provide an overview of the IRS Strategic Plan 2023-2026 and its impacts on the accounting profession and regulatory ethics. The course will cover the key goals and priorities of the IRS Strategic Plan, including improving service to taxpayers, enforcing the tax law fairly, transforming IRS operations, and fostering an inclusive and well-equipped workforce. Participants will learn about the specific measures the IRS plans to take to achieve these goals and the implications of these measures for tax professionals. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

Since the early 2000s, the estate tax burden on taxpayers has gradually decreased along with the number of practitioners specializing in the field. Nevertheless, some of your most wealthy clients will owe estate tax and this issue will eventually be thrust upon you. Finding an affordable, competent specialist who you trust to work with you and your client may be difficult. Learning the basics of the tax and how to complete the form will give you confidence to help your clients navigate that difficult time.

Every organization today is facing an onslaught of pressure to master Artificial Intelligence “AI” strategies across their enterprises. Never before have we witnessed such a steep expectation for how a “technology” can transform a business, and never before have we been expected to leverage a technology so quickly and so completely.  There is no denying AI presents perhaps the opportunity of a lifetime to transform and improve operations, but to date few plans or roadmaps on how to unlock the promise of AI exist. In this class, Steve Cadigan, a globally renowned future of work expert, will present a practical plan for how you can build your own AI strategy, and how you can thrive in the AI revolution. Steve will show present a roadmap of how to build your confidence with AI to address this massive change management challenge.

Manage distractions, decrease stress and improve productivity. This training is designed to help business professionals improve their productivity and work performance by learning how to prioritize time, decrease distractions and lower stress. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

Leading change now ranks in the top three leader skills of the future. As audit, risk management, and governance are relied on more and more in organizational decision-making, the need to lead change is paramount. Leaders and practitioners at all levels must oversee or manage change in today's environment. Whether you are a CEO, small business owner, or individual practitioner, you lead change in your environment. In this session, learn how to lead change BETTER because everyone is a leader of someone. Build alignment with those you lead and work with, motivate and inspire, and model the behaviors that drive change. This session breaks down strategies into manageable steps that anyone can cultivate. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

This course will provide an overview of 6 key areas of automation that accounting firms can leverage to effectively increase their lead generation and client retention efforts while reducing the burden on their time and budget. These areas include: 1. Social media 2. Content development. 3. Email marketing. 4. Text (SMS) marketing. 5. Chatbots and other interactive AI tools. 6. Drip marketing campaigns. Attendees will receive a practical guide to the technologies and tactics needed to improve marketing efforts with efficiency and ease! This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

This course focuses on recent FASB updates with an emphasis on implications for private entities. We will also explore significant elements of the FASB’s technical agenda.

This course concisely explains the latest "see, hear, speak" multi-modal updates to ChatGPT and how they can be used in an accounting context. New features include vision processing, voice conversation, image generation, real-time Internet access, advanced data analysis, plugins and more. Discover how this technology can be used in mind-blowing ways to analyze financial data, optimize processes, and solve problems in the accounting domain. Through the lens of ChatGPT, practitioners can explore innovative solutions, automate routine tasks, and generate deeper insights and value to their clients and organizations in previously unimaginable workflows. You'll walk away with scores of advanced ChatGPT strategies and tips that can be immediately applied and deliver instant results to elevate the efficiency and effectiveness of your accounting projects and tasks. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

Budget methods are the key to allowing department managers to efficiently prepare their budget in Excel. For example, a budget method may be to spread prior year actuals or match prior year actuals, or match prior year actuals less 10%. In this webinar, we will explore how to allow users to pick a budget method from a drop-down list for each account and then have Excel perform different calculations depending on the budget method selected. We use several features and functions at the same time to pull this off. Even if you are not involved in the budgeting process, the underlying features and functions discussed have a wide range of uses.

George Washington once wrote, "We ought not to look back, unless it is to derive useful lessons from past errors, and for the purpose of profiting by dear bought experience." The cost of fraud, dearly paid by governments and nonprofits, is too severe not to learn and profit from. In this course, we will look back at real-world government and nonprofit frauds and derive useful controls to stop them. The course materials utilize a highly illustrative and innovative format. Over 15 focused exercises are included to provide an enhanced working knowledge of fraud and anti-fraud controls to both auditors and industry professionals.

Surveys show that the average North American company completes its monthly financial statement closing in six days. However, some companies can close their books in one day or less. You don't have to sacrifice accuracy for speed. This session will show you how to close month-end faster, better and cheaper. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

The Not-for-Profit Advisory Committee (NAC) has been meeting with FASB to discuss the impact of various standards on the nonprofit community. We'll look at the work of the NAC and the impact they've had. We'll then transition to the Accounting Standards Updates (ASUs) issued by the FASB that impact nonprofit entities. We'll review year 2 considerations of the leases standard. We'll also review common nonprofit deficiencies identified in peer review. Once we've wrapped up the accounting update, the course shifts to the audit side of the house with a look at what's going on at the AICPA. We'll review the impact of the changes to group audits as the changes coming down the pike for quality management. This course will keep auditors up to date on the work of the ASB. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

The purpose of this course is to provide an in-depth discussion of selected advanced-level issues affecting LLCs and LLPs.

It is easy for us to get caught up in our work, but it is better to examine the ‘big picture’ by studying the outside factors that impact our business beyond our internal processes and day to day responsibilities. We are sometimes so busy with our tasks that we miss new developments until the developments have a profound impact on us and the organization. This session is designed to review many of these current trends, while thinking and discussing how these trends can impact our organizations and us. This is a fun and lively session that is intended to be interactive with participants either live, virtual or both. Our ever-changing world is evolving more than many realize.

Job titles for individuals can vary in different organizations even though the work is the same. This webinar is designed for the individual whose role is to oversee the work of others. This webinar includes an overview of Aristotle's virtue ethics and its application to the responsibility and privilege of developing employees to be their best and for the success of the organization. We will also address issues such as going from "buddy to boss", how to manage if you are newly assigned to an existing employee that was previously supervised by someone else, and critical skill sets necessary for supervisory/managerial positions. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

Our guidance on ethics comes from the AICPA and other groups, but it does not fully address the “why” behind ethics. This session will examine and define what ethics is and what it means to varying people in the workplace. Understanding what motivates people and understanding those people are key to both solving ethical dilemmas and workplace issues that can lead to greater job satisfaction and efficiency. To correct an issue, you need to delve into the root cause – the why?

Health savings accounts (HSAs) are an effective way for employers to provide employees with financial help so they can pay their out-of-pocket medical expenses in a tax-efficient manner. Individuals who are not participating in an employer-funded HSA may set up their own HSA to achieve the same ends. Clients often ask tax practitioners about the mechanics of HSAs and whether they are beneficial. This program is a two-hour discussion of the topic led by Roy Ramthun, who will take you through the many rules and complexities of this challenging subject.