CPE Catalog & Events

An introduction to special purpose frameworks Authoritative and non-authoritative guidance used to prepare SPF financial statements Common issues in preparing SPF financial statements Cash basis and modified cash basis financial statements Income tax basis financial statements The AICPA's special purpose framework - FRF for SMEsTM

Best practices for creating and working with Excel workbooks Effectively using Excel functions when creating formulas The importance of PivotTables in modern reporting environments Best practices for formatting your workbooks

Emerging technologies all business professionals should know Considerations associated with upgrading to Windows 11 Practical options for protecting your data New features in commonly-used applications such as Excel and Adobe Acrobat DC

Module 1: Incentive Compensation Plans That Incentivize - Design Plans That Work! What are incentive plans trying to achieve? Types of incentive plans commonly found - What are the advantages and disadvantages of each? What makes a plan work or fail? Compensation methods - stock, options, cash, etc. Specific issues in design - The unequal challenge, upper and lower limits, and tying to objectives How to test a plan to ensure that it will work Module 2: Beyond the Boardroom: Corporate Governance Best Practices Accountability in the workplace Leadership, governance and ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) The role of the Board in governance Setting ethical standards The keys to true governance best practices Practical applications in smaller organizations Module 3: Developing a Great Internal Audit Department: The Process? The six factors required for Internal Audit to deliver value - The most important factor - Implementing Internal Audit guidelines How to measure value and progress What distinguishes a good department from a great department? - Key skills for excellent Internal Auditors - The proper mindset and goals - Getting and keeping the right staff How to cost-justify Internal Audit - Making the business case Effectively communicating with the Board and other leaders Module 4: Ethical Dilemmas: Navigating Blurred Lines: Ethical Decisions Making Made Easy Understanding ethics and moral principles Identifying ethical dilemmas Analyzing consequences and the impact on stakeholders Applying ethical decision-making models - Effectively using the Code of Professional Conduct Managing ethical conflicts and resolutions

Relevant sections of SSARS No. 21, Clarification and Recodification SSARS No. 21, Clarification and Recodification, and updates to SSARS No. 21 due to the issuance of SSARS No. 23, Omnibus Statement on Standards for Accounting and Review Services SSARS No. 22, Compilation of Pro Forma Financial Information SSARS No. 24, Omnibus Statement on Standards for Accounting and Review Services - 2018 SSARS No. 26, Quality Management for an Engagement Conducted in Accordance With Statements on Standards for Accounting and Review Services Proposed changes to the SSARS guidance Comprehensive sample engagement work programs for preparation and compilation engagements Prescribed form, specified line item, pro forma, and other engagement variations Complete illustrations of relevant engagement letters, reporting and other required communications for preparation and compilation engagements

Project management is a way of thinking and managing Identifying projects, needs, objectives, and deliverables Project feasibility evaluation Life cycle of a project What causes projects to fail Establishing the project scope and preventing "project creep" Defining and managing stakeholders Organizational politics and conflict management Establishing the detailed schedule Introduction to project management software

Understanding the Microsoft 365/Office 365 subscription model Working with vital 365-based apps and services Using Teams as your primary collaboration tool Taking advantage of lesser-known features and services in a Microsoft 365/Office 365 subscription

Recently issued but newly implemented Accounting Standards Updates (ASUs), the PCC Update, and items on the FASB’s Technical Agenda New ASUs covering disaggregated expenses, crypto assets (e.g., cryptocurrency), and business combinations Results and findings of the FASB’s Final (Stage 3) Post-Implementation Review (PIR) Report on Topic 606 Recently issued SASs and other AICPA activity through SAS No. 149 Detailed review of the three new Statement on Quality Management Standards (SQMS 1, SQMS 2, and SQMS 3) Other important A&A practice matters

Retirement benefits: What the amount of benefits is in various circumstances Spousal benefits: Should a spouse return to work? What benefits does a spouse have and when and how do they relate to benefits decisions by the client? Claiming Social Security: Advantages and disadvantages at ages 62, full retirement age, and 70 Planning: What clients approaching retirement age should consider now with respect to benefits for them, their spouses, and their children Coordinating benefits: Should you take Social Security first and higher-balance IRA distributions later, or take IRA balances first and enhanced Social Security benefits later?

Issues involved when settling an estate - marshaling of assets, payment of creditors, and distribution and accounting to beneficiaries Explaining the needs and limitations of durable powers of attorney, health care directives, and living wills Why a will is probated, and on what grounds it may be challenged Comprehensive checklists on how to read a will, duties of an executor and trustee, and much more Identification and report of estate assets What to do and what not to do as a fiduciary, executor, or trustee - duty of care, investment, informing, payment of debts and taxes, & defending a will contest How executors and trustees interact with beneficiaries Elective shares, and when a spouse might make that choice What a trustee needs to know about incompetents and minors Rights of creditors, third parties, and beneficiaries Key issues in transferring property to a trust and from a trust or estate to a beneficiary Identifying income, estate, and inheritance taxes Fiduciary accounting - principal and income concepts An introduction to drafting an account, and why it is relevant Administration of revocable trusts Estate basis reporting

Identifying weaknesses in traditional reporting processes Using leading-edge features in Excel to improve reporting practices How to work with Power Query to solve common reporting challenges Adding Slicers and Timelines to your Excel-based reports

Overview of preparation, compilation, and review guidance Accounting and reporting issues Current practice issues Common deficiencies in peer reviews Current and future standard setting projects

Comprehensive coverage of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act  Guidance on the impact of recent legislation on S corporations and partnership entities  Principles and considerations for nonresident withholding, composite payments, and passthrough entity taxes Partnership Distributions, Form 7217, and S Corporation Redemptions  Decentralized Autonomous Organizations (DAOs) A review of the key cases, rulings, and tax law changes affecting S corporations, partnerships, limited liability companies, and limited liability partnerships

ERISA compliance: employee welfare plans and qualified plans Fringe benefit issues: COBRA, Family and Medical Leave Act, and new developments in health care Health care plans: HRAs, HSAs, and other employer-sponsored plans Qualified plan requirements: eligibility, coverage, and vesting

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

Retirement planning using variables such as desired lifestyle, travel plans, housing plans, medical needs, and family needs to customize a retirement plan unique to the client Using a residence and other real estate as retirement assets through equity and rent Using a small business as a retirement resource through creative retirement plans Overview of asset allocation, portfolio management, portfolio rebalancing, and investment selection concepts, before and after retirement The three-legged retirement stool: employer retirement, savings, and Social Security Planning with the new retirement provisions of SECURE Act 2.0 Distribution/asset liquidation planning Analysis of the most current/important research on retirement planning and sustaining retirement income levels

Understanding your QBO subscription and licensing options Recording routine and non-routine transactions in QBO Importing and exporting data to/from QBO Creating effective reports Describing the process for integrating third-party applications with QBO Troubleshooting issues with QBO reports and data

Private company standard setting activities Recent FASB Accounting Standards Updates (ASUs), including those addressing crypto assets (i.e., cryptocurrency) Topic 842, Leases ASC 326: CECL

Timely coverage of breaking tax legislation, including the SECURE 2.0 Act and Inflation Reduction Act provisions applicable to individuals Changes to the lifetime estate tax exemption by the TCJA in light of April 2022 proposed regulations Considerations when selling a principal residence Tax benefits of HSAs An overview of the mechanics and practical considerations of Donor Advised Funds Virtual currency and digital assets The Corporate Transparency Act and FinCEN Beneficial Ownership Information reporting An update on income tax and estate-planning ideas, including any recent changes Tax ideas for the current year Miscellaneous tax-planning techniques that can add up to significant tax savings How to use the whole family for tax savings Up-to-the-minute ideas reflecting new tax law changes in cases, regulations, and rulings