Professional Development and Event Catalog

This  session provides HR Professionals with scripts for and tactics for coaching leaders in handling an array of employee relations situations with sensitivity, good judgment, and high confidence.  Topics include employee complaints, personality & attitude problems,  performance counseling, personal hygiene problems, disability-related performance issues, misconduct due to mental conditions. You will learn how to use a unique process, “Reset the Clock,” that prevents attorneys from taking something leaders did wrong or did not do in the past and using it to support legal challenges in the future.  Liability is replaced with credibility. Lawsuits are then avoided rather than won.  Financial assets are protected, morale stays high, and bad publicity is averted. HR Professionals avoid hearing from senior leaders:  “You should have anticipated this” after an avoidable legal claim.

Our session will include a discussion regarding indirect rate strategies for cost recovery.  We will cover negotiating indirect rates with pass-through entities and alternative indirect cost recovery methods. A look at applying the PPP Loan Forgiveness credit.  Understanding the definition of sub-awards and the MTDC allocation base, and where best  to allocate bonus expense.  Included in this session will be a selected review of the Uniform Guidance FAQs regarding indirect rates for States and Municipalities, as well as recently issued FAQs that impact indirect rates and cost recovery.  

In 2020, 96% of the world’s largest 250 companies published reports on their sustainability performance in accordance with national and international standards.   Now many more companies are committing to sustainability, and Net Zero emissions in particular.   This creates a new responsibility and opportunity for HR leaders.   Staff must be trained in new policies, goals and procedures.  Executives need help as leaders in this new approach.  This one-hour course summarizes SHRM research into HR and sustainability, plus other expert sources and the instructor's own 30-year journey helping companies become more sustainable.   The course presents key concepts, tools and sources to help HR find its role.

The annual budgeting process is often criticized as an accounting exercise that is obsolete soon after it is published, prone to gamesmanship, cumbersome, not volume sensitive, and disconnected from the organization's strategy and risk management processes. You can resolve these deficiencies using capacity-sensitive driver-based projections. Driver-based budgeting allows for quick scenario planning and far easier analysis of a growing organization whose future may look nothing like today. The driver-based budgets can be periodically refreshed to create rolling financial forecasts extending well beyond the fiscal year end. Learn how managerial accounting can become managerial economics.

The budgeting process can be a time consuming and frustrating process for accountants.  The constraints and pressures can lead to poor decisions in both the technical and human components.  This session will cover: Budgeting:  Presenting and Communicating your Numbers •    Now that the budget is complete, how we communicate our plan is critical.  this session reveals some key guidelines in budget presentation and will identify key problems in how people often communicate financial plans. 

Two seemingly similar products can have very different costs, yet many companies are completely oblivious to these differences causing them to lose money or competitive bids.  When companies compete, those with good information win the “gravy” contracts and those with bad information lose money on “dog” jobs.  Attend this session to gain insights on how to win bids for the best opportunities and give the money-losers to your competitors.  Achieve your target profitability in the process.  

In today's fast-paced world, maintaining a healthy work-life balance is essential for mental wellness. This course is designed to provide practical tools and strategies to help you create a balanced, fulfilling life. You'll learn actionable techniques for improving sleep hygiene, incorporating proper nutrition, fostering open communication, and managing stress. Whether you're struggling with burnout, seeking better work-life harmony, or simply looking to improve your overall well-being, this course offers valuable insights and tools to help you thrive. Designed to fit into your busy schedule, it delivers the guidance you need to make practical, sustainable changes in your life, starting today. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

In this webinar we will explore the powerful concept of splitting data from reports and dig into the mechanics that enable this technique. The key feature discussed is the Tables feature, and the key function discussed is the multiple-condition summing function. We will illustrate these items in a variety of ways, including building crosstab style reports and mapping tables.

This course provides a comprehensive analysis of the SECURE 2.0 Act. The principal focus of the Act is to expand retirement coverage and increase retirement savings. As such, the Act has many important changes relating to IRAs and qualified plans. This legislation alters the landscape of retirement planning for taxpayers of all ages. Make sure you are up to date with the latest information available in order to effectively advise your clients on these important changes.

This course is a 'deep dive' into many aspects involving the taxation of real estate for the mid-level practitioner moving into this complex area. You will deepen your understanding of the complex considerations and strategies that individuals must navigate in acquiring, operating, and selling real estate. You will leave the course able to navigate critical issues associated with the relevant returns and plan strategically for your company or clients. We will discuss in detail the impact that recent tax changes have had on the real estate industry, as well as new credits that are available after the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022.

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.

The well-informed tax practitioner will want to attend this two hour program in order to stay current on recent updates on partnership tax! Content includes recent court decisions on partnership tax issues as well as current IRS procedural updates for passthroughs. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

Recent legislation in Congress has provided the IRS with substantially increased funding to bolster its human staff and purchase software that will allow the IRS to audit many more taxpayers in a more effective way. The IRS believes it can target the right kinds of taxpayers for audits so that it will not waste its time on audits that produce little, if any, revenue. The purpose of this program is to discuss the current state of IRS audits and the anticipated increases in the IRS's ability to audit wealthier taxpayers in an efficient way. The course will discuss the state of the IRS's current audits and where the IRS is headed with audits in the coming years. Tax practitioners should also be aware of the state of the IRS's efforts to target efficiencies so as to produce the most revenue.

How does a forensic accountant calculate financial losses? Federal courts have approved various ways to calculate losses ranging from net worth method of proof to the expenditures method. Each method of proof depends on the available facts to the forensic accountant. This presentation will focus on the various court approved methods of proof, when to use them, and how to calculate the total loss. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

Over the next decade, the area of “Advisory Services” has the greatest potential for growth in your practice.  Complexities within your clients’ financial, estate, and asset protection plans coupled with the ever-changing Internal Revenue Code has created an opportunity for the CPA, the EA, and other advisors to expand their client offerings. This course provides the practitioner with the framework for practice expansion as well as an understanding of a variety of necessary issues and techniques.  

Explore the ethical implications of using generative AI. This course addresses potential risks and dilemmas, providing guidelines to ensure responsible and compliant integration. Learn how to balance innovation with ethical obligations to maintain trust and integrity. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

Employees, now more than ever, are experiencing stress, anxiety and other mental health challenges and all of those come with them each day to the workplace. In order to ensure the safety and security of their workplace, employers need to address these issues and support their employees. Join us to discuss the challenges to providing mental health support to employees, the potential risks of deprioritizing mental health, and tangible actions employers can take to support the mental health of their work group. The cost of providing mental health resources and support pales in comparison to the cost of NOT providing it. Make a plan. Be ProActive.

Have you ever found yourself wondering why people won't just listen to you? Or maybe you have found yourself surrounded by people that make your jaw clench...you know the people...the challenging people.  HR Professionals walk a tight rope of being strong, but not aggressive, polite, but not a push over. It is exhausting! In this session, you will uncover the secrets to working with (and overcoming) challenging people derived from the decades of experience Summer brings from her time on the frontlines and as an HR Professional working with companies such as Walt Disney World, H-E-B and even a dude ranch.  

Appreciation affects your bottom line and your workplace culture. Don’t think so? Think again! Your customers, clients, and co-workers want and need to know they are appreciated. How do you show them appreciation? You show them in their preferred appreciation style.  You have a bias for how you like to receive appreciation, and so do the people with whom you work. In this program, we will build on the research of Gary Chapman and Paul White on appreciation languages – words, time, service, and gifts.  Appreciation is a skill and practice that promises to influence your work life positively. You will experience strategies you can employ in your day-to-day lives to improve your team culture and manage work relationships.

The budgeting process can be a time consuming and frustrating process for accountants.  The constraints and pressures can lead to poor decisions in both the technical and human components.  This session will cover: Understanding and Preventing Budget Calamities •    Most of us lead or participate in the budget process at least annually.  Inherent flaws exist in the standard budget building process that you can solved by recognizing them and committing to solutions.