CPE + Events Catalog

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. **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 hands-on workshop offers an analytical approach for designing, executing, and communicating results of a comprehensive financial statement analysis. We will explore numerous techniques and approaches that facilitate in-depth financial statement analysis. Accountants in public practice will obtain insight regarding analytical procedures, additional client services, and enhanced compliance with professional standards. Accountants in private enterprises will develop more robust techniques for understanding their organization’s financial statements to facilitate forward-thinking decisions and communication to internal and external stakeholders.

Loans, rental agreements, business combinations – what do these all have in common? They all have the potential of creating a related party transaction.  This program presents a detailed analysis of the financial accounting rules for transactions with related parties, as well as compares and contrasts those rules with the AICPA financial reporting framework for small and medium-sized entities.

You are likely familiar with and/or have experience with IRS summonses. BUT - Did you know there's a lot of procedure and decorum that goes into issuing a summons that you can leverage to help your client? This program will focus on the basics of an administrative summons, what the IRS can summons for, how you should comply with a summons, summons referral criteria, and common errors and misnomers the IRS can make in generating/serving a summons. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

Why do for profit organizations exist??? To make money!!!!! What a great concept. But if the organization does not have the proper collections and credit procedures in place, they may not be able to access that money. Hence the importance of the credit and collection process.Credit and collections are critical areas for the financial statement controllers. Customer credit is a form of payment that allows small business customers to purchase a product or service before paying for it in full. The process works similarly to the way a credit card does - you procure something and pay it back later. Collections is a term used by a business when referring to money owed to that business by a customer. When a customer does not pay within the terms specified, the amount of the bill becomes past due and is sometimes submitted to a collection agency. The sales and collection process includes business activities related to selling products and services, maintaining customer records, billing customers, and recording payments from customers. It also includes activities necessary to manage accounts receivable, such as aging accounts and authorizing credit. This course delves into the topics that impact the sales, credit and collections process for management. We discuss strategic steps management can take to ensure their processes are efficient and that they are able to actually collect their revenue.  

This course dives 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.

Conflict is often avoided, or dealt with in a passive manner. When ignored, conflict often escalates and can become polarizing. In this session, participants will gain insights for enhancing their natural responses to conflict, learn healthy communication styles, and build constructive behaviors to manage conflict. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

Unlock the full potential of your data with our specialized course, "Create Measures in Power BI that Define Your Metrics". Designed for professionals who aspire to excel in the dynamic world of data analysis, this 4-hour intensive training delves deep into the advanced functionalities of Microsoft Power BI. You'll embark on a journey to master the art of Data Analysis Expressions (DAX), a powerful tool in the Power BI suite to create metrics. This course is meticulously crafted to transform you into a proficient user, capable of harnessing complex DAX calculations to bring your data to life. The course content is thoughtfully structured to ensure a comprehensive learning experience. Starting with the foundational elements of DAX, you'll rapidly progress to tackle advanced formulas and time-intelligent functions, essential for nuanced data analysis. The highlight of the course is the emphasis on the DAX calculation process, a crucial aspect for validating measures in Power BI. Additionally, the practical application of PivotTables for measure validation will equip you with the skills to confirm the accuracy and effectiveness of your data measures. These advanced techniques are not just theoretical concepts but are presented through engaging, real-world scenarios, enabling you to apply your learning immediately to your daily tasks. This course is an invaluable step towards mastering Power BI and making data-driven decisions with confidence. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

This is indeed another year of significant change in the world of government and nonprofit accounting and auditing. Time is valuable, and it's hard to stay current in today's rapidly changing environment. Let us save you time and effort with this informative update course. The course materials utilize a highly illustrative and innovative format. Over 30 focused exercises are included to provide an enhanced working knowledge of the latest developments in government and nonprofit accounting and auditing.

We are now officially in the era of digital communications, collaboration and knowledge sharing. Is your organization prepared to embrace it? This course will show you how to do just that by strategically deploying the Microsoft Office 365 ecosystem of applications with the Teams app at the core. Office 365 provides the tools to digitally transform your workflows to increase efficiency, as well as to provide the ability for your team to work from anywhere, at any time, on any device. We will review how you can leverage specific Office 365 apps to foster online communication, collaboration and knowledge sharing among your team members, as well as externally with clients, customers and service providers. You will leave this course with a solid understanding of how to tap into Office 365 to take your business digital. 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 dives 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. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

Forensic accounting, forensic accountancy or financial forensics is the specialty practice area of accounting that investigates whether firms engage in financial reporting misconduct. Forensic accountants apply a range of skills and methods to determine whether there has been financial reporting misconduct. Financial forensic engagements may fall into several categories.  Economic damages calculations, whether suffered through tort or breach of contract. Post-acquisition disputes such as earnouts or breaches of warranties Bankruptcy, insolvency and reorganization Securities and tax fraud Money laundering Business valuation Computer forensics/e-discovery This session is designed to delve a bit deeper into the world of forensic accounting and identify some of the specific areas of expertise required to become a forensic accountant. We will then first delve deeper into the art of document analysis and handwriting analysis.  

What actions can financial professionals take to increase the odds of a successful system implementation? This session will show you how to be a key player on the team by focusing on specific areas in the project planning and delivery process that improve results. Learn how to use components of a project plan to transparently manage a project from the planning phase through embedment. These actions can be applied to small system changes, system upgrades, or large ERP systems. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

The IRS believes, perhaps with some justification, that many workers classified as independent contractors are actually employees and should be treated as such for tax purposes. The result is that worker classification audits are frequent and often costly for business clients, both in terms of time as well as money expended. This program prepares tax practitioners to assist their clients with worker classification audits, and to avoid them if possible, by discussing and explaining the circumstances under which workers will most likely be characterized as employees or as independent contractors. The program also deals with the first line of defense against the IRS in worker classification audits - Section 530, as well as the common law factors distinguishing an employee from an independent contractor. This program also explores the IRS Voluntary Classification Settlement Program and discusses whether a practitioner should advise a client to request admission into this program.

Understanding unconscious bias is key to creating an inclusive workplace and to making the best business decisions. This course explores the concept of unconscious bias, the science behind it, and how it can affect the way employers hire, evaluate, and treat employees. We will also discuss strategies employers can use to reduce unconscious bias and create a more inclusive workplace.

Ethical behavior continues to be a problem in society and even in the CPA ranks. "Ethics - A Line in the Sand" looks at the behavioral issues that influence how CPA's act. The course will address why individuals make ethical blunders, the state of ethical conduct in business organizations, the relationship between strong cultures, policy and procedures and successful ethical work environments. In addition, the course will highlight the one behavior to watch for as an indicator of potential ethical violations.

To believe or disbelieve ... that is the question often faced by CPAs in public accounting and by accountants and financial professionals in business and industry. This workshop addresses the mindset of professional skepticism that is often required in a variety of settings. 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 participants with an Update of the national and California cannabis markets. In addition to discussing the industry's current state and key trends, speakers will also discuss significant federal and state tax issues and identify key considerations for CPAs who are either serving or interested in serving the industry.

This course corresponds to our Controllership series. This course is dedicated to exploring the traditional controller role and stepping out of the box to identify areas where the controller can continue to add strategic value to their organizations. Within this segment of our controllership series, we discuss the area of cash and investments and explore how the controller can move these responsibilities into more of a strategic role. In today’s world, the role of cash management is often a pivotal role in the organization. In economically difficult times, controllers may find that they spend a great deal of their time on understanding and managing the organizations' cash position. This is certainly important and, in some areas, can be seen as a staple of the lifeblood of the organization’s ongoing viability. This course takes a look at some of the typical objectives involved in Cash management and then evaluates how those objectives can be further stretched into strategic pillars of the organization.   

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.