Professional Development and Event Catalog
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Tax Practice Ethical Challenges and Circular 230
Friday, Feb. 5 10:00am - 11:49am
Online
2.00 Credits
Member Price: $89
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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. *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 terri.storer@acpen.com
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The Three Million Dollar Ribbon
Friday, Feb. 5 10:00am - 11:53am
Online
2.00 Credits
Member Price: $89
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Two conmen used lies and falsified documents to convince the State of Tennessee to give them a $3,000,000 economic development grant to create 1,000 jobs by purchasing and rehabilitating a vacant factory in rural Tennessee. Instead, they spent most of the money on an extravagant lifestyle and invested over $1M in a scheme to defraud the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) out of over $30,000,000 pursuant to a contract to provide the tarps for areas such as Puerto Rico, affected by hurricanes. This session provides a detailed case study of how the investigators accumulated, organized, and analyzed hundreds of documents, identified the falsifications and misrepresentations, conducted multiple interviews, and ultimately convicted the conmen. This case study provides multiple takeaways for detecting and investigating grant fraud, which is especially relevant in light of the numerous federal stimulus programs in recent years.
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ChatGPT and Advanced Accounting Research
Friday, Feb. 5 10:00am - 12:00pm
Online
2.00 Credits
Member Price: $89
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This course provides a concise overview of how artificial intelligence, particularly ChatGPT and other AI tools, is transforming accounting research methodologies and practices. Students will explore the shift from traditional search engine-based research to AI-driven insights, learning how to leverage various AI platforms for enhanced financial analysis, regulatory compliance, and strategic decision-making. The course emphasizes practical applications of AI in accounting contexts while addressing critical considerations such as data verification, ethical usage, and professional judgment. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.
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Surgent's Skills to Enhance Personal and Professional Networks
Friday, Feb. 5 10:00am - 12:00pm
Online
2.00 Credits
Member Price: $99
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Managing a strong network is one of the most important things you can do to grow professionally. Yet despite its importance, maintaining an effective network is often not taught in undergraduate and graduate schools. The good news is that managing and growing a network is easier than it sounds. In fact, most professionals have some level of basic networking skills simply from helping someone find a job, attending an industry conference, or seeking professional connections through social media. Effective networking involves more than simply collecting contacts. Strong networks should be relevant to your career and consist of people you trust. Personal networks are just as important as professional networks and the two often overlap. In this course, we explore ways to strengthen and grow networks by examining proven strategies that have helped individuals meet their personal and professional goals.
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Surgent's What Tax Practitioners Need to Know About Medicare
Friday, Feb. 5 10:00am - 12:00pm
Online
2.00 Credits
Member Price: $99
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Accounting and finance professionals often receive questions concerning all facets of Medicare. How does Medicare work? How do I apply? How much does it cost? Is Medicare optional or required? This program provides a basic introduction to the Medicare program and covers many of the areas of the Medicare program that clients are most interested in. If you, or some of your clients, have questions relating to Medicare, this program is a must for you.
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What's Going on at the GASB (2026/27)
Friday, Feb. 5 10:00am - 12:00pm
Online
2.00 Credits
Member Price: $89
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This course provides a focused update on major recent pronouncements issued by the Governmental Accounting Standards Board. Coverage includes GASB Statement No. 103 (financial reporting model improvements), GASB Statement No. 104 (enhanced disclosures for capital assets), and GASB Statement No. 105 (subsequent events). Participants will also receive a high-level overview of active GASB exposure drafts and ongoing projects. The course is designed to help auditors, preparers, and financial leaders understand how these developments affect audits, financial statement preparation, and board reporting.
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Where to Hide Fraud Inventory – Expenses – Payroll
Friday, Feb. 5 10:00am - 12:00pm
Online
2.00 Credits
Member Price: $89
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Imagine you have one hundred boxes that are all supposed to be full of manufactured inventory. How do you obtain reasonable assurance—now defined as a high level of assurance—that each box is full without opening every one? You begin by assessing risk. If the client has strong internal controls over manufacturing, packing, and transport to the warehouse, there is reasonable assurance the boxes are properly filled. Next, evaluate warehouse security and controls over access, as well as procedures for removing inventory. Once satisfied that controls are both adequate and operating effectively, you can observe and count the boxes and selectively test a sample—ensuring you do not only choose the most accessible ones, as fraud is often concealed within the middle of the inventory. Based on this risk assessment and targeted testing, you can conclude with reasonable assurance that the inventory is properly stated without inspecting every box. This same approach applies to expenses and payroll: evaluate internal controls, observe processes, and perform independent test procedures. Weak internal controls in inventory, expenses, and payroll create opportunities for fraud that may lead to material misstatements. In this session, we will explore how these vulnerabilities arise and how to recognize and address them through effective audit procedures.
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Proper Financial Accounting for S Corporations
Friday, Feb. 5 10:00am - 1:41pm
Online
4.00 Credits
Member Price: $149
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Proper financial accounting for S corporations involves adhering to specific accounting principles and tax regulations designed for this unique business structure. This course examines the proper financial accounting for S Corporations.
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Building a Better Budget in a Time of Uncertainty
Friday, Feb. 5 10:00am - 2:00pm
Online
4.00 Credits
Member Price: $149
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Most financial leaders would agree that budgeting is easy when business and the economy are stable. When revenues and expenses are expected to remain the same, the process becomes merely an exercise in carrying over what was done before to the current year. However, what happens when we are not sure about how the market will react to our product? What happens when the competitive landscape changes? In this course, we will discuss budgeting techniques and considerations when business lacks stability. Through a combination of theory and real-world examples, we will explore how to build flexibility into our budget - so that it can inform and drive decision-making when we don't quite know what is ahead. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.
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Estate Planning for Today and Beyond
Friday, Feb. 5 10:00am - 5:42pm
Online
8.00 Credits
Member Price: $250
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Estate planning continues to evolve, and staying informed about the latest trends and strategies is crucial for professionals in the field. This forward-looking course delves into the intricacies of estate planning, with a specific focus on current issues. Participants will explore cutting-edge techniques, emerging legal considerations, and industry developments to ensure they are equipped with the knowledge and skills to create effective estate plans that withstand the test of time and safeguard their clients' legacies. *Please Note: If you need credit reported to the IRS for this IRS approved program, please download the IRS CE request form on the Handouts Tab and submit to kori.herrera@acpen.com
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ACPEN Signature 2026: Managing the Risk of Fraud, and Artificial Intelligence
Friday, Feb. 5 10:00am - 6:00pm
Online
8.00 Credits
Member Price: $250
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Accountability professionals are the first line of defense against fraud. Consequently, accountants, internal auditors, external auditors, fraud examiners, and risk management professionals need to develop the skills needed to prevent, detect, and deter fraud and need to be proactive in promoting and effecting organizational change. The fight to deter, prevent, and detect fraud continues. Accountability professionals need all the help they can get. Artificial intelligence (AI) might be able to help in this fight. In fact, AI has the potential to be a fraud-prevention game-changer. When viewed against the backdrop of the COSO/ACFE Fraud Risk Management Guide, the AI applications and potential are near limitless. AI can assist in fraud risk governance by, for example, drafting policies and procedures and maintaining dashboards showing the status of the organization’s fraud risk management programs. The fraud risk assessment might be where the AI light shines brightest. AI can identify an organization’s risk exposures, assess the likelihood and significance of these exposures, identify and assess existing controls, and determine residual risk. Better still, it can do the assessment on a continuous basis, alerting the organization to new threats as they arise. AI can identify and implement additional overt and covert fraud control activities designed to mitigate residual fraud risk. In terms of information and communication, AI can monitor and triage the hotline reporting system and assist in investigations. Finally, AI can monitor the fraud risk management process on a continuous basis. In addition to a deep dive into AI and fraud risk management, the 2026 Business Fraud Update is another fast-moving seminar that will provide a comprehensive look at the latest developments about fraud from the technical, legal, and operational perspectives and update participants on the most recent legal and regulatory developments in this important area of professional responsibility.
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S Corporations: Comprehensive Walk Through of Form 1120S
Friday, Feb. 5 10:00am - 6:00pm
Online
8.00 Credits
Member Price: $239
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This course is designed for financial professionals looking to understand Form 1120S. It covers the essential aspects of S corporation taxation, including the preparation of Form 1120S, determining taxable income, and accurately reporting and allocating income, deductions, and credits. Electing Subchapter S status as well as reviewing the mechanics of electing Subchapter S status will be discussed. It will further compare the S Corporation to other forms of entities, along with compliance with corporate formalities. Highlights of Form 1120S will be discussed, including build-in capital gains, accountable plans, taxable fringe benefits, officer reasonable compensation and audit strategies. Schedules K-1, K-2, K-3, and effectively connected income will be reviewed in this course as well. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.
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The Single Audit from Beginning to End Update
Friday, Feb. 5 10:00am - 6:00pm
Online
8.00 Credits
Member Price: $250
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This course is an updated overview of the single audit of state and local governments and not-for-profit organizations under the OMB Unified Circular, as well as the applicable AICPA standards for compliance audits.
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Reasonable Compensation for S Corps
Friday, Feb. 5 10:30am - 12:30pm
Online
2.00 Credits
Member Price: $89
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Between 2010 and 2020 a parade of Court Cases, IRS Factsheets, Job Aids and Internal Memos, plus Heightened IRS scrutiny and Preparer Penalties has brought the issue of 'Reasonable Compensation for S Corp's out of the shadows and placed it forefront as a priority issue for CPA's, EA's, Tax and Financial advisors to cover with their clients. We will explore key court cases, IRS guidelines, preparer penalties and some of the obscure tools the IRS has put in place. We debunk common myths and fiction on how reasonable compensation should be calculated and replace it with facts and methodologies that the IRS relies on. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.
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Key Financial and Economic Issues Facing the Financial Executive
Friday, Feb. 5 11:00am - 12:00pm
Online
1.00 Credits
Member Price: $49
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The webcast explores the challenges of the current economic trends and analyzes their impact on you as the financial executive in areas of human resource management; credit markets and banking; risk management and pandemic style disruptions; cash flow planning strategies; debt and equity mix impacts in uncertain markets; globalization of the market in times of uncertainty; retirement planning and social security funding; and acquiring distressed companies and assets. Specific recommendations and insights will be offered to you to deal with the challenges.
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Understand Yours and Other People's Styles: Meet Them in the Middle and Be More Effective in Generating Great Results!
Friday, Feb. 5 11:00am - 12:00pm
Online
1.00 Credits
Member Price: $39
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Understanding your own and the people style of others whom you are dealing with which can establish rapport more easily, help you become more persuasive, and avoid miscommunication with the possibility of rubbing someone the wrong way. In our session, you will gain insights into your people style, ways to improve communication connectivity and how to understand your team's functionality (or more likely dysfunctionality).
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Business Etiquette and Mindfulness
Friday, Feb. 5 11:00am - 12:10pm
Online
1.20 Credits
Member Price: $39
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In today's fast-paced and interconnected workplace, success depends as much on how we show up as what we know. Business Etiquette and Mindfulness is a training designed to help professionals strengthen their communication, presence, and emotional intelligence. Participants will learn practical strategies to demonstrate professionalism, navigate workplace relationships with respect, and stay composed under pressure. Through engaging discussions, real-world scenarios, and mindfulness exercises, this course helps individuals build the awareness and confidence needed to lead with empathy, manage stress effectively, and represent their organization with excellence. Whether you're an emerging professional or an experienced leader, this session provides actionable tools to enhance focus, foster collaboration, and create a more mindful, inclusive workplace culture.
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SAS 145: Modern Risk-Based Auditing
Friday, Feb. 5 11:00am - 12:48pm
Online
2.00 Credits
Member Price: $89
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This program provides in-depth coverage of SAS 145, a major standard that helps auditors enhance risk assessment procedures through improved techniques for identifying and assessing risks of material misstatement. This session is essential for CPAs that perform audits. The discussion will also be insightful for auditees and other professionals who want to maintain awareness of current auditing guidance.
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How to Audit Expenses and Payables
Friday, Feb. 5 11:00am - 1:00pm
Online
2.00 Credits
Member Price: $89
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It is imperative that audit staff understand the fundamentals of expenses & payables. This course will cover the basics of auditing expenses, accrued liabilities, and other payables, including the related audit assertions, risks, & threats to the expenses & payables balances. During this course, we will also highlight the various substantive auditing procedures that staff should perform, and also walk through some real-world examples. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.
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Avoiding Peer Review Deficiencies and Professional Liability in Public Accounting
Friday, Feb. 5 11:00am - 2:39pm
Online
4.00 Credits
Member Price: $149
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Peer review deficiencies and professional liability claims result from both audit and nonaudit services. This course will provide best practices for avoiding legal liability and quality control concerns for a wide variety of professional services offered by public accountants.