Professional Development and Event Catalog

This course will look at the various rules related to Independence and compare and contrast the requirements. This overview course will help auditors understand the nuances of independence and ensure they meet the requirements to perform attest services for their clients. We will review the requirements for the AICPA, GAO, DOL, and PCAOB.

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Organizations are challenged with identifying, evaluating, and responding to a wide variety of risks. This course will discuss tips and best practices for enterprise-wide risk management for accounting and finance professionals. 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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This comprehensive training is designed to get the accountant up to speed quickly with S corporation formation and preparation issues as well as a complete understanding of calculating a shareholder’s stock and debt basis. The cornerstone of this course is the in-depth line-by-line analysis of the Form 1120S Schedule K and K-1 and how these items affect the shareholder’s Federal individual income tax return. **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

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Workpapers are the primary support for findings, conclusions and opinions on any audit or other attest engagement.  This course will provide the essential tips and techniques for ensuring workpaper documentation is of a high quality, yet efficient, nature.

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This course will provide a detailed analysis of how to determine a partner's tax basis for a partnership interest, with an explanation of the use of both "inside" and "outside" basis determination. An illustrated example with filled in forms will demonstrate how the process works and the potential pitfalls. 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 field of accounting is undergoing rapid evolution in response to a complex interplay of technological advancements, regulatory reforms, economic fluctuations, and shifting societal dynamics. In this course, we will explore the major challenges and opportunities currently facing accountants, and we will equip you with the knowledge and skills needed to excel in this dynamic environment.

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At its core, insurance is risk management. What insurance does the organization need? What types? What limits should we buy? How large of a deductible should we accept? What is the difference between a deductible and a self-insured retention? What do I need to know about insurance contracts? What should I expect of my insurance broker? What coverage is available and what do I need to buy? Specifically designed for any leader responsible for insurance and risk, the insurance function is critical to the ongoing viability of an organization. We will review a practical approach to managing insurance.

Preparation, compilation and review engagements continue to be a hot topic for peer review despite SSARS 21 having been around for nearly a decade. This course will concentrate on the most common peer review findings with a focus on how to comply in an efficient but practical perspective. This course will discuss the root cause of noncompliance so that overall engagement quality increases.

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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. 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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In today's dynamic economic landscape, staying ahead with effective fringe benefit planning is more critical than ever for both businesses and individual clients. With evolving tax laws and shifting market dynamics, understanding the intricacies of fringe benefit planning is essential to ensure financial well-being and compliance. This course offers a comprehensive overview of essential tools and techniques tailored for financial professionals, allowing them to navigate the complexities of fringe benefit planning with confidence and precision. By attending this course, practitioners will gain invaluable insights into various planning tools and techniques essential for meeting fringe benefit planning objectives. From mastering the subtleties of employee benefit planning, including ERISA reporting and disclosure requirements, to unraveling the complexities of IRC §132 fringe benefit options, attendees will enhance their expertise to deliver superior advisory services. The curriculum also delves into the practical aspects of cafeteria plans, flexible spending accounts, group term life insurance plans, and strategies for financing retiree medical benefits, among others. With a focus on practical application and real-world scenarios, this course equips participants to tackle fringe benefit planning challenges head-on, providing them with the tools and knowledge needed to optimize benefits for both business and personal needs, now and in the future. **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.

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Human Resources professionals are often tasked with investigating allegations of employee misconduct, discrimination, and others. Investigation training is traditionally presented from the position of an outsider looking in, such as a governmental agency, law firm, or private investigator. HR investigations require similar skills, but the environment and the approach are quite different. This session is an introduction to these differences and provides best practices for assessing allegations of employee misconduct and planning the investigation. Attendees will end the session with takeaways to immediately implement in future HR investigations. Episodes 2 and 3 complete the series.

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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?

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What were they thinking?  Why do some people make horrible decisions that severely damage themselves and their organizations?  It is tempting to assume that a poor choice must be due to a leader’s incompetence, inexperience, bad character, or low intelligence – but such easily attributed factors generally aren’t the true cause when leaders blunder.  In such situations, many turn to finance and accounting professionals for evaluation, answers, remedies, and solutions for improved decision-making.

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Many accountants desire to have a quick overview of only the most current issues in accounting and financial reporting. This course will provide an executive summary of the most important changes in U.S. GAAP. 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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In an era defined by rapid change and uncertainty, effective leadership requires more than just managing teams; it demands the courage to disrupt and innovate. This course is your blueprint for transforming potential chaos into a strategic advantage and is designed for leaders at all levels-whether you're a seasoned CEO, an ambitious small business owner, or an individual contributor aspiring to influence greater change. You'll gain the insights and tools needed to not only adapt to change but to lead it effectively and confidently. 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 issue of civility, or lack thereof, has garnered much attention from leaders, Human Resource professionals and employees at large. The cost of incivility is high not only to the bottom line but to the human spirit. This webinar, based on ethical principles and values, is designed to look at the fundamental relationship skills that foster workplace civility. Understanding that workplace civility is far more than manners, we will dive into behaviors that help promote a workplace where each individual feels respected and valued. 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 new Global Internal Audit Standards were released on January 9, 2024, and will become effective January 9, 2025. The previous version, the International Standards for the Professional Practice of Internal Auditing, released in 2017, remains approved for use during a one-year transition period. The Global Internal Audit Standards guide the worldwide professional practice of internal audit. They serve as a basis for evaluating and elevating the quality of the internal audit function. The Standards use 15 guiding principles with five separate domains that enable effective internal audit implementation and examples of evidence of conformance. The Global Standards are organized into five domains. Domain I: Purpose of Internal Auditing Domain II: Ethics and Professionalism Domain III: Governing the Internal Audit Function Domain IV: Managing the Internal Audit Function Domain V: Performing Internal Audit Service

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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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The course provides general information on how to identify money laundering activities during the conduct of normal tax audits. Discover key resources and tools available for effective detection and deterrence. Explore the impact of money laundering on ethical decision-making, and how examiners and auditors can assist criminal investigators in countering money laundering. 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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This one-day course will teach effective skills for coaching and training employees. You'll learn how to identify the characteristics of effective coaches and develop coaching strategies to support and assist your team, with the goal of helping them improve morale, productivity and quality. And, you'll learn a five-step approach for giving constructive criticism while managing defensive reactions.

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