Professional Development and Event Catalog

Creating a culture of safety in a workplace requires attention in many different areas.  We will bring these areas into focus and provide attendees with information on how to make their individual workplaces safer for everyone. 

In this innovative course, participants will learn to combine the power of artificial intelligence with the functionality of Microsoft Excel. You will learn how to leverage ChatGPT, OpenAI's powerful language model, to improve your Excel skills and decrease the time it takes to build spreadsheets. The course will include a quick introduction to ChatGPT but the majority of the time will be spent using ChatGPT to create an Excel spreadsheet. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

Literally thousands of individual taxpayers may have increased deductions or exclusions from gross income as a result of the Disaster Relief Act of 2024! Casualty provisions of the Act are retroactive to December 19, 2019 through early 2025. Both low and high income taxpayers may benefit from the Act through exclusions of payments received as compensation for wildfire damages - retroactive to 2014! This course will review the provisions of this new act. 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 on ethics in communication and reporting covers essential topics to ensure integrity and professionalism in our interactions. We begin with the fundamentals of ethical communication, emphasizing the importance of honesty, transparency, and respect. We then explore four must-have communication skills crucial for effective and ethical exchanges. The session also provides practical application steps on how to improve these ethical communication skills in daily practice. Finally, we discuss the problems associated with unethical behavior in reporting and communication, highlighting the potential consequences and the importance of maintaining ethical standards to build trust and credibility.

The updated revenue recognition standard outlines five steps for proper compliance. At the surface, these steps seem simplistic. However, there are many considerations that should be considered within each step based on your process and industry.  

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The employer-employee relationship strains both sides in uncertain times, and businesses need CPAs, controllers, and other advisors to provide understanding of the complex legal, tax, and health care issues associated with all aspects of employment. This course provides in-depth coverage of this critical area. It will be updated and supplemented throughout the year to cover breaking developments.

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This course provides an update of the recent changes that have occurred in the financial reporting frameworks commonly used by small and medium-sized entities (SMEs). Troublesome areas in these financial reporting frameworks as identified in peer reviews and litigation will be highlighted. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

This comprehensive course provides the essential updates for professionals working with governments and not-for-profit organizations. We'll begin with an in-depth review of recent GASB standards, including compensated absences, certain asset disclosures, risk and uncertainty disclosures, and financial reporting model improvements. For each standard, we'll cover its background, potential impact, and practical strategies for implementation to ensure you're fully prepared. Next, we'll shift focus to the FASB and its implications for nonprofit organizations. While there haven't been recent nonprofit-specific standards, several Accounting Standard Updates (ASUs) significantly impact NFPs. We'll explore these ASUs, evaluate changes to programmatic investments, and discuss their interplay with the CECL standard. Additionally, we'll highlight the movement in IFR4NPO, a global initiative to develop universal financial reporting standards for nonprofits, offering insights into its potential worldwide impact. In the second half, we'll turn to governmental auditing. Key topics include the 2024 Yellow Book updates, the transition from quality control to quality management, and the implementation timelines. For Single Audits, we'll cover the 2024 Uniform Guidance changes, the 2025 Compliance Supplement, GAO reports on improper payments and fraud, the Financial Data Transparency Act (FDTA), and recent Department of Education guidance on related parties.  

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This comprehensive case-driven training is designed to get the accountant up to speed quickly in the area of basis calculations and distribution planning for the owners of pass-thru entities (i.e., S corporations, partnerships, and limited liability companies (LLCs)). The cornerstone of this course is the line-by-line analysis of the Schedule K-1s and how it affects the basis calculations.  **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

QuickBooks Online’s (QBO) market share continues to expand, and the Cloud-based accounting platform now dominates the small business market. Yet, most accounting and financial professionals have not participated in any formal training on the Cloud-based accounting service. Thus, they are unaware of many of the tool’s available features and do not work with QuickBooks Online as efficiently and effectively as they should. This course teaches you how to set up QBO and convert QuickBooks Desktop files into a QBO instance. You will learn how to process all types of transactions, including accounts payable, accounts receivable, bank feeds, inventory, and payroll. Further, you will learn how to implement appropriate internal controls and how to capitalize on advanced features such as workflow management and management reports. Join us in this session to learn how to set up QBO properly and take full advantage of all it offers while avoiding common errors and mistakes.

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Many small to medium sized companies do not properly address the risk that arises related to fraud because these organizations do not have the resources needed to mitigate this risk or because owners or those in top level management underestimate the scope of the issue. All organizations, regardless of size, must be aware of the risks associated with intentional fraudulent acts and know that a significant and effective fraud scheme could even create going concern issues for some entities. In this session, we delve into the reasons that fraud takes place. The material discusses the types of defalcations that are often executed against smaller entities and then explores measures that organizations can implement to help stop fraud activities and add security. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

Would you like to find important documents in 10 seconds or less? Would you like to ensure your digital information is safe and secure? Would you like to improve workflow efficiency? Of course, you would, and with some planning and guidance, you will realize these and other benefits of a paperless office. Naturally, no one expects a fully “paperless” office, but reducing the amount of paper we shuffle can offer tremendous rewards. This course will teach you the best practices and proven processes for effective document management. Participating in this program will teach you how to implement simple, inexpensive document management systems at an individual, workgroup, or small business level. You will also learn about sophisticated and comprehensive document management systems appropriate for larger offices and organizations, including systems with automated workflow processing. 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 a Paperless Office.

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With approximately 500 functions now available in Excel, some newer and more powerful tools are easy to overlook. 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, harness the AGGREGATE function's power, and create more accurate forecasts with Excel’s FORECAST.ETS function. No matter your experience working with Excel, participating in this course will help you work more efficiently and effectively in Excel.

The President signed on July 4, 2025, one of most consequential tax legislation in recent years. The well-informed tax practitioner will want to stay abreast of these developments! This course will start with a short background of this legislation as it made its way through Congress and to the President's desk. We will then review the final provisions that was approved by the Senate and passed by the House. 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 review the Accounting Standard Updates issued by the FASB that impact nonprofit entities. We will also look at the work of the Not-for-Profit Advisory Committee (NAC) and the projects they are advising the FASB on. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event. 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 equips tax professionals with the knowledge and strategies needed to handle the most common IRS letters, including general notices, audit requests, collections, return inquiries, and error notices. Participants will learn how to interpret IRS correspondence, adhere to response deadlines, and effectively communicate with the IRS to resolve issues and minimize risks. The session also highlights best practices for ensuring compliance and avoiding penalties or escalation, empowering attendees to navigate IRS correspondence with confidence. *Please Note:  If you need credit reported to the IRS for this IRS approved program, please download the IRS CE request form on the Course Materials Tab and submit to kori.herrera@acpen.com

This program covers three topics: the Department of Labor's changes in overtime rules, the Federal Trade Commission's ban on most non-compete agreements, and the Department of Labor's new rules relating to differentiating between employees and independent contractors under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). Understanding these new changes will allow accounting and finance professionals to discuss these important business law changes with their clients.

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The Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) were implemented to improve the lives of employees. FMLA allows eligible employees to take job-protected leave for their own serious health conditions or to care for sick family members. The ADA was intended to ensure "equality of opportunity" and "economic self-sufficiency" for individuals with disabilities. Yet both laws have proven challenging for employers. These laws are complex with rules that can be confusing and often misunderstood. This webinar is designed to provide information, guidelines, and examples of the key concepts under both laws.

Congress passed on July 3, 2025, one of most consequential tax legislation in recent years. The well-informed tax practitioner will want to stay abreast of these developments! This course will start with a short background of this legislation as it made its way through Congress and to the President's desk. We will then review the final provisions that was approved by the Senate and passed by the House. We will also cover key issues that had been dropped from the initial House version and provide observations for possible future legislation.

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The new administration has proposed significant tax policy changes that may impact individual taxpayers and financial planning strategies. This course provides tax practitioners with essential updates on recent legislation, regulatory changes, and potential future reforms. Participants will explore the implications of proposed tax cuts, adjustments to Social Security and retirement taxation, and potential modifications to deductions and credits. The course also examines ongoing discussions about IRS restructuring and the expansion of tax incentives for American businesses and families. With a focus on practical strategies, this course equips tax professionals with the tools to help clients prepare for these changes before year-end. Whether addressing Form 1040 issues, capital gains planning, or income and estate tax considerations, participants will gain insights to help clients make informed decisions. *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