Professional Development and Event Catalog
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Surgent's Top 10 Celebrity Estate Mistakes and How to Avoid Them
Thursday, Feb. 11 10:00am - 12:00pm
Online
2.00 Credits
Member Price: $99
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This course uses the lives of the rich and famous as a template to better understand the realm of estate planning. With stories ripped from the headlines, we will examine pitfalls and best practices. Did you know that Prince died without a will, opening the door for 45 people claiming to be his beneficiaries? Or that Michael Jackson was not careful in properly funding his trust, leading to delays and legal battles in the administration of his estate? Even Abraham Lincoln, it turns out, did not have a will. In discussing an array of celebrities, from Jackie Kennedy, Joan Rivers, Jimi Hendrix, and Whitney Houston to Aretha Franklin, Barry White, Leona Helmsley, and Florence Griffith Joyner, the course is designed as an enjoyable learning experience with tips for all levels of expertise. We may not have their fame or fortune, but we can certainly walk the red carpet when it comes to estate planning.
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Audit Skills for Beginners
Thursday, Feb. 11 10:00am - 1:38pm
Online
4.00 Credits
Member Price: $149
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Learn the basic skills new staff need to hit the ground running and efficiently complete assigned tasks, including what new auditors are expected to know and do, including the nature, timing, and extent of common audit procedures. Focus on why certain procedures are performed and perform typical procedures.
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Business Longevity: Stabilize, Strengthen, and Succeed
Thursday, Feb. 11 10:00am - 1:43pm
Online
4.00 Credits
Member Price: $149
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Almost 50% of businesses that started five years ago are no longer in operation today. Controllers and CFOs can and must influence the longevity of their organization to improve their success rate. Jim will help you be aware and understand the answers to these issues: Can you describe the financial health of your company? Can you also explain what the financial health of your industry is? Do you know your Business Cycle compared to the industry business cycle? Do you have an executable plan? Do you know what the competitive, legal and technological landscape is currently, and for the future? Is your organization aligned and incentivize to be successful? Jim has developed his groundbreaking Business Longevity concept as a keynote and a workshop, and would be happy to speak to your organization on this topic. This session will focus on assessment (financial health, competitive environment), determination (effective business planning, including the future landscape), and execution (gettin’ it done!)
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Partnership and S Corporations: How to Calculate Basis
Thursday, Feb. 11 10:00am - 1:45pm
Online
4.00 Credits
Member Price: $149
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The IRS has recently increased the pressure on how to calculate and report partner and shareholder basis. Changes in the forms reflect these developments. This program provides a detailed analysis of the calculations related to determining tax basis for a partnership interest and S corporation shareholder shares and loans. How to use the Form 1065, Schedule K-1 and Form 1120S, Schedule K-1 information for basis determination. Illustrated examples with filled in forms will demonstrate how the process works and their many potential pitfalls. *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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Preparing and Reviewing Workpapers – Essential Tips for Avoiding Deficient Audit and Other Attest Engagements
Thursday, Feb. 11 10:00am - 5:40pm
Online
8.00 Credits
Member Price: $250
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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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You Don't Know What You Don't Know About Microsoft Excel
Thursday, Feb. 11 10:00am - 6:00pm
Online
8.00 Credits
Member Price: $239
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Many Excel users have received little or no formal training to help them use the ubiquitous productivity application. This session can help users that wish to improve their Excel skills to increase their productivity. The material starts by covering basic topics such as time saving tips and keyboard shortcuts and then moves to more advanced areas like conditional formatting and complex formula building. Users that find themselves looking at the spreadsheets that others design and wishing they could do as much with Excel will benefit greatly by taking this course. 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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Professional Ethical Considerations for CPAs
Thursday, Feb. 11 10:30am - 12:30pm
Online
2.00 Credits
Member Price: $89
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Every CPA must comply with a Code of Professional Conduct, which is a hallmark of the CPA designation. CPAs in public practice must overcome higher barriers, such as when attest service providers must also retain independence. This course will provide an overview of the core principles from which the CPA profession is built upon. 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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Optimize Your Staff's Performance
Thursday, Feb. 11 10:45am - 2:32pm
Online
4.00 Credits
Member Price: $149
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A chain is only as strong as its weakest link. The same theory applies to departmental performance—the overall result is only as strong as its weakest contributor. Leave our interactive and entertaining session with insight for developing and sustaining the best team you can possibly assemble. The four elements in this process are (1) development, (2) leadership, (3) hiring and (4) environment. Discuss how to effectively use these elements in your creation of an outstanding organization. Discover the power of the 10 Attributes for Leadership Success and the negative impact of Leadership’s Fatal 13. Above all, learn how to combine these four elements as a successful catalyst for sustained high-quality output and results.
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Behavioral Finance Biases
Thursday, Feb. 11 11:00am - 12:00pm
Online
1.00 Credits
Member Price: $55
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If you have been a practitioner for any length of time, you know that there is often a difference between what clients should do and what they actually do. Have you ever wondered why that is? In this course, we will explore how we make decisions with less-than-perfect information. Through real-life examples and case studies, we will examine common behavioral biases and how to deal with them. 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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Defining Lines: Advanced Professional Boundaries
Thursday, Feb. 11 11:00am - 12:47pm
Online
2.00 Credits
Member Price: $89
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This is a specialized course designed for experienced accounting professionals who are looking to strengthen their interpersonal and professional skills in maintaining appropriate boundaries within and beyond the workplace. This course delves deep into the complexities of workplace relationships, personal practices, & ethical dilemmas, providing participants with advanced strategies to effectively manage professional distances and avoid problematic conflicts of all kinds. Through interactive sessions, case studies, and expert guidance, attendees will learn how to navigate sensitive situations with tact and integrity, ensuring that their professional conduct remains impeccable, and their careers continue to thrive in an increasingly complex business environment.
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Adobe Acrobat Tips for Working with PDF Files
Thursday, Feb. 11 11:00am - 1:00pm
Online
2.00 Credits
Member Price: $89
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If you find yourself working with PDF files consistently throughout the day, this course will teach you how to review, annotate, format and organize PDF files more effectively and in less time. You will also learn how to use Adobe Acrobat for e-signatures to reduce document processing time significantly and enhance confidentiality. Adobe Acrobat has many features that you can take advantage of and this course will explain and demonstrate how to use them. 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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K2's AI Accounting and Fraud Detection
Thursday, Feb. 11 11:00am - 1:00pm
Online
2.00 Credits
Member Price: $89
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As accounting software evolves, AI-native systems are transforming how firms manage data and measure results. This session explores emerging AI-integrated general ledger platforms such as Digits, Puzzle.io, and Docyt. It examines how new technologies, like vibe coding and low-code/no-code automation, are reshaping efficiency and improving fraud detection. Attendees will learn to assess ROI across accounting tools, identify key performance metrics, and develop an automation strategy that enhances accuracy, productivity, and profitability. This course equips professionals to make smarter technology investments and prepare for the next wave of AI-driven accounting transformation.
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Numbers to Narrative: Storytelling in Business Communication
Thursday, Feb. 11 12:00pm - 1:00pm
Online
1.00 Credits
Member Price: $55
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Information becomes influential when it is structured. In this 1-CPE session (Professional Development), participants explore narrative frameworks presented in the course materials, including situation-complication-resolution and hero-based narrative arcs. Using business-oriented examples, the session demonstrates how structured storytelling enhances clarity and impact without sacrificing rigor. Participants will examine how to define context, introduce tension, present evidence, and guide audiences toward resolution. The emphasis is on logical flow and disciplined narrative construction rather than dramatization. The course concludes with application of a structured storytelling model to a professional scenario. 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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GASB 96 –SBITA, GASB 94 P3, and GASB 87 Leases (Year 2)
Thursday, Feb. 11 12:00pm - 1:46pm
Online
2.00 Credits
Member Price: $89
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This is a 2 hour webcast that will focus on the similarities between all three of these GASB accounting standards that deal with contractual arrangements such as leases, Subscription-Based Information Technology Arrangements (SBITA) and P3s. Compare and contrast these standards as you prepare for implementation this year of GASB 94 and GASB 96, and review the implementation efforts of Leases in Year 2.
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HR’s Role in Business Evolution: Strategy, Finance, and Growth
Thursday, Feb. 11 12:00pm - 1:49pm
Online
2.00 Credits
Member Price: $89
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This course is tailored for business leaders and HR professionals who want to enhance their strategic management skills and create actionable plans for success. You’ll learn the overall strategic management process, how to develop both simplified and detailed business and strategic plans, and the crucial role of corporate culture, leadership, and staff development in driving or hindering strategic outcomes. Additionally, you’ll explore how to leverage ChatGPT (Generative AI) as a powerful tool to improve your performance as a key business partner to the management team, helping you make data-driven decisions and enhance organizational effectiveness.
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About the TIGTA: Who Watches the IRS?
Thursday, Feb. 11 12:00pm - 2:00pm
Online
2.00 Credits
Member Price: $89
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This course will provide an overview of the work and impact of the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA) on the US tax system, regulatory ethics, and accounting profession. TIGTA is an independent organization that provides oversight of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and conducts audits, investigations, and inspections and evaluations to promote integrity, economy, and efficiency in the administration of the nation's tax system. The course will explore the role of TIGTA in improving the efficiency and effectiveness of the IRS, identifying opportunities to improve the administration of tax laws, and upholding ethical standards in the accounting profession. 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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Erase the Mark: Best Practices in Penalty Abatement
Thursday, Feb. 11 12:00pm - 2:00pm
Online
2.00 Credits
Member Price: $89
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If there is a potential error, the IRS will assess a tax and add a hefty penalty, without even knowing the facts. As a tax professional, you will be exposed to the IRS and their methods of penalizing taxpayers for the smallest of violations. This presentation will focus on the rules and regulations that create the penalty, and the reasons that exist that the IRS will consider to remove those 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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Ethics with a Dash of Courage
Thursday, Feb. 11 12:00pm - 2:00pm
Online
2.00 Credits
Member Price: $89
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Getting ethics right is a big deal, and ethics often requires courage. An organization's ethics is directly connected to its reputation in the community, and solid ethical principles are crucial for the long-term success of any organization. This facilitated discussion goes beyond a lecture on ethical principles - it is a series of executive level case studies that offer participants "real time" practice in resolving dilemmas, with participants sharpening their critical thinking skills.
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Preparing and Reviewing Workpapers for Higher Quality Audits
Thursday, Feb. 11 12:00pm - 3:37pm
Online
4.00 Credits
Member Price: $149
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This course will focus on preparing financial statement audit documentation critical for high quality audits that can pass peer review.
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The Ethic of Self-Esteem For Women
Thursday, Feb. 11 12:30pm - 2:30pm
Online
2.00 Credits
Member Price: $89
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Ethics is ultimately about our relationship to ourself, others, and the world in which we live. Therefore, to enhance our relationships with those around us, we must first start with the regard we hold for ourselves. From an ethical vantage, it can be said that we have a moral obligation to work toward self-love, honor, and respect. Matters of self-esteem are important in every aspect of life including goal setting, relationships, establishing boundaries, handling conflict, levels of productivity, and expressing our needs in respectful and dignified ways. This course explores traps of low self-esteem and ways to minimize those traps. We also explore components of high self-esteem and actions to foster higher regard for self. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.