CPE Catalog & Events

Auditor independence and its importance to the public accounting profession Common threats to auditor independence AICPA’s framework for assessing conflicts of interest Unique threats related to non-attest services to attest clients Common safeguards to help assure compliance with relevant rules and regulations

The CPA’s role in today’s economy The similarities and differences between individual and business ethics The link between ethics, integrity and scruples The basic attributes of ethics and professional conduct The history of the CPA profession and the CPA’s requirement to adhere to ethics policies and codes of conduct The AICPA’s Code of Professional Conduct and a CPA’s responsibility to the public, clients, and colleagues The common rules and statutes faced daily in the CPA profession. Case studies may also be utilized to present potential ethical dilemmas CPAs may face during their careers

Examine the CPA's role in today's economy Compare similarities and differences between individual and business ethics Explore the link between ethics, integrity and scruples Discuss the basic attributes of ethics and professional conduct Review the history of the CPA profession and the CPA's requirement to adhere to ethics policies and codes of conduct Review the AICPA's Code of Professional Conduct and a CPA's responsibilities to the public, clients and colleagues Discuss the common rules and statutes faced daily in the CPA profession. Case studies may also be utilized to present potential ethical dilemmas CPAs may face during their careers Review CPA Independence violations by current legal case examples

What does practicing before the IRS mean? Who may practice before the IRS? What should a tax preparer do if he or she has knowledge of a client's omission of income from a tax return? May a tax preparer rely on the work of other tax return preparers? May a tax preparer rely on and use client-provided information? Standards associated with giving advice to clients Abolition of the disclaimer requirement When must a tax preparer examine a client’s books and records?

What are ethics? Why study ethics? Ethical responsibilities of CPAs Professional code of ethics and conduct AICPA Codification – updated Ethical dilemmas CPA vision Real disciplinary cases to illustrate critical points

ASU No. 2016-02, Leases (Topic 842) Overall lease accounting guidance Lessor Accounting 101 Lessee Accounting 101 Detailed review of accounting by lessees and lessors Sale and leaseback transactions Other operational issues Recently issued updates to the lease accounting guidance ASU No. 2023-01, Common Control Arrangements

Navigating around worksheets Selecting cells and ranges How to use custom number formatting How to leverage Views How to build better formulas with referenced variables and defined names How to quickly format cells with Cell Styles Proper worksheet structure

Overview of setting up spreadsheets for data analysis and how Excel tables can help Learning the importance of consistent column calculations How to use conditional formatting to highlight important information How to leverage Excel tables by analyzing them in PivotTables Learning to leverage array formulas

The steps for creating professional and functional  Best practices for compiling and cleaning data for accurate analysis Applying formulas and functions to calculate meaningful insights Strategies for using formatting tools to create  Data accuracy verification and potential error troubleshooting Methods for distributing reports effectively within your organization

Demonstration in Excel: where to locate the data tools of Power Query and Power Pivot Data skills demonstrated: data preparation and data modeling Demonstrations in Power Query – the Extract Transform and Load tool for data preparation of the Power BI ecosystem, including data sources Power Query can connect to; transformations; load options; operations; and sample of use cases Demonstrations in Power Pivot, the data modeling tool of the Power BI ecosystem, including query organization; custom columns; parameters; and database capabilities

What does value mean? Technical vs. fundamental analysis Intrinsic value Other discounted cash flow models Assumptions in the Gordon Growth Model Valuations using free cash flows Residual income model Enterprise value Value in mergers and acquisitions Small business valuations and discounts Advanced valuation models

Estimated taxes and deadlines Tax due dates for common returns and filings Potential penalties and interest Information return penalties Penalties applicable to pass-through entities Accuracy-related penalties First-time abatement (FTA) FTA eligible returns Reasonable cause Nexus: sales tax vs. income tax Sales tax nexus with state specific examples Remote work and sales tax nexus Income tax nexus with state-specific examples Remote work and income tax nexus Sales factor: throwback rules

Private company standard setting activities FASB Accounting Standards Updates (ASUs) relevant to smaller businesses Lease accounting implementation guidance ASC 326, Credit Losses Accounting for income taxes Accounting for debt instruments

Comprehensive coverage of individual provisions of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, including but not limited to: TCJA provisions made permanent New Tip Income Deduction New Overtime Pay Deduction New Car Loan Interest Deduction New Temporary Senior Deduction Expanded SALT Cap Trump Accounts Comprehensive coverage of business provisions of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, including but not limited to: Bonus Depreciation made permanent Increased §179 deduction Changes to §174 R&E Expenditures Changes to §163(j) Form 1099/1099-K changes Qualified Small Business Stock Exclusion  The Gig Economy - examine key tax implications for gig workers, including Independent Contractor vs. Employee classification challenges and employer reporting responsibilities Timely coverage of breaking tax legislation Advanced practice, reporting, and other issues intertwined with advanced planning and discussion ideas

Comprehensive coverage of individual provisions of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, including but not limited to: TCJA provisions made permanent New Tip Income Deduction New Overtime Pay Deduction New Car Loan Interest Deduction New Temporary Senior Deduction Expanded SALT Cap Trump Accounts Comprehensive coverage of business provisions of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, including but not limited to: Bonus Depreciation made permanent Increased §179 deduction Changes to §174 R&E Expenditures Changes to §163(j) Form 1099/1099-K changes Qualified Small Business Stock Exclusion  The Gig Economy - examine key tax implications for gig workers, including Independent Contractor vs. Employee classification challenges and employer reporting responsibilities Timely coverage of breaking tax legislation Advanced practice, reporting, and other issues intertwined with advanced planning and discussion ideas

Classifying receipts between “income” and “corpus” under the Uniform Principal and Income Act Calculation of DNI utilizing three different methods, a “forms” method (Schedule B), a “code” method, and a “shortcut” method, utilizing a worksheet of common income and expenses Proper W-2 preparation and procedures in the year of death Taxpayer passes before taking a required minimum distribution; what must be done?  Forgetful fiduciaries of simple trusts Fluctuating trusts – Simple one year, complex the next Dividing income in the year of death Overview of Subchapter J Form preparation issues – Filing requirements and line-by-line explanations of Form 1041 Taxable income of estates and trusts and expense allocation issues Specific deductions and miscellaneous itemized deductions Income in respect of a decedent The income distribution deduction calculation Relation of principal and income law to DNI Understanding how to handle capital gains and losses Allocating tax items to beneficiaries: another K-1 Other considerations: excess deductions on termination Comprehensive DNI case study, with principal (cost and FMV) and income reconciliation Comprehensive trust and estate case studies, with filled-in forms

Classifying receipts between “income” and “corpus” under the Uniform Principal and Income Act Calculation of DNI utilizing three different methods, a “forms” method (Schedule B), a “code” method, and a “shortcut” method, utilizing a worksheet of common income and expenses Proper W-2 preparation and procedures in the year of death Taxpayer passes before taking a required minimum distribution; what must be done?  Forgetful fiduciaries of simple trusts Fluctuating trusts – Simple one year, complex the next Dividing income in the year of death Overview of Subchapter J Form preparation issues – Filing requirements and line-by-line explanations of Form 1041 Taxable income of estates and trusts and expense allocation issues Specific deductions and miscellaneous itemized deductions Income in respect of a decedent The income distribution deduction calculation Relation of principal and income law to DNI Understanding how to handle capital gains and losses Allocating tax items to beneficiaries: another K-1 Other considerations: excess deductions on termination Comprehensive DNI case study, with principal (cost and FMV) and income reconciliation Comprehensive trust and estate case studies, with filled-in forms

Recent standard setting and consulting activities at the FASB Proposed updates to income tax accounting and financial statement disclosures Tax basis financial statements Recently issued Statements on Auditing Standards and other audit-related hot topics

Financial statement disclosures for small and medium-sized businesses Balance sheet, income statement, and statement of cash flows presentation and disclosure issues Disclosure examples from all-sized entities that you can use to base your disclosures on Developing disclosure issues, including disclosures related to the adoption of ASC 606 and ASC 842

Common Excel errors, including formula errors, reference errors, and logic errors Advanced Excel functions and formulas that are crucial for error detection and data analysis Data validation techniques, including setting up data validation rules and using conditional formatting to highlight potential inaccuracies Error tracing and auditing tools, including Trace Precedents, Trace Dependents, and the Error Checking tool