CPE Catalog
Note
AICPA On-Demand & Self-Study courses take up to 24 hours to process.
Preparing to be a Forensic Accountant - Focus on Computer Forensics - Part 2 (Cryptology)
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Online
1.00 Credits
This is a continuing part of our series on forensic accounting. Within this segment we discuss the concepts that are part of computer forensics known as cryptology. The term cryptography is from Ancient Greek and means “hidden secret”. It is the practice and study of techniques for secure communications in the presence of adversarial behavior. Cryptography is about constructing and analyzing protocols that prevent third parties or the public from reading private messages. Cryptography starts with secrets. Various aspects in information security such as data confidentiality, data integrity, authentication and non-repudiation (where a statement’s author cannot successfully dispute its authorship) are central to modern cryptography.
It Is Legal, But Is It Really Ethical?, featuring Rob Berry and Bob Mims
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Online
1.00 Credits
This discussion outlines situations where ‘legal’ and ‘ethical’ are not necessarily in alignment. How should you handle these issues? We will detail a better thought process to help you avoid ‘crossing the line.’ Each topic and each day stand on its own. If you are not sure about making a multi-day commitment, sign up for just a single day. We think you will come back for more!
Awful Ethical Dilemmas - Bringing it to Life, featuring J. Michael Inzina and Don Minges
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Online
1.00 Credits
Professional Codes of Conduct make Ethics seem easy and clear cut. However, this is not so in real life. This session discusses five cases where the ethics is not so clear cut. What should be considered? We will explain how you can be more diligent and maintain awareness of ethical issues to become more effective and enhance the reputation of the profession.
IFRS vs. US GAAP - Major Accounting Differences
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Online
2.00 Credits
Whether a financial statement preparer or user is more familiar with IFRS or U.S. GAAP, it is important to be familiar with the important differences between the two financial reporting frameworks. This course will highlight some of the more significant differences between the standards.
Dashboard and Report Design Principles Using Excel
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Online
4.00 Credits
Transform your data presentation skills with our comprehensive course on creating impactful dashboards and reports using Excel. This workshop is tailored for professionals who: Regularly produce or update dashboards and reports Struggle with confusing or overly complex reporting tools Seek to streamline varied reporting styles across their organization Aim to establish a consistent, replicable "house style" for reporting Want to impress stakeholders with clear, user-friendly data presentations Through a combination of theory and hands-on practice, you'll learn the fundamental principles that make reports and dashboards easy to understand. We'll distill these concepts into a set of practical rules and guide you through their application in Excel.
Assessing the Real Ethics of an Organization?, featuring Joe Oringel, MBA, CPA, CIA and Don Minges, MBA
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Online
1.00 Credits
Every organization claims to be ethical, but words and deeds do not always jibe. How do you assess the real Ethics of an organization? What are the key factors and behaviors to be aware of? Many organizations lack prescriptive policies, but is that an excuse to deviate from the spirit of doing the right thing? How can professionals abuse ‘what is right’ and circumvent policies for their personal benefit. What are some egregious examples of violating policies? How allowing exceptions invites abuse. This seminar outlines steps to gauge the ethics of an organization.
Global Internal Audit Standards (GIAS) Domain II - Part 2
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Online
2.00 Credits
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
Avoiding Legal Liability and Peer Review Deficiencies in Nonaudit Services, Including Bookkeeping and Preparin
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Online
8.00 Credits
The majority of peer review deficiencies and malpractice claims result from nonaudit services. This course will provide best practices for avoiding legal liability and quality control concerns.
Walkin', Talkin', Lookin' & Listenin' - Or Things Most of Us Don't Do Well
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Online
2.00 Credits
You often can perform an audit in accordance with all of the standards, and still have a substandard audit IF you did not get out among the clients employees (let them know you are there and where you located), talk to as many people as you can regardless as to whether you may think that they may have any helpful information; constantly observe your surrounding where ever you are at (you never now what you might see) and lastly, listen to not only what people are saying to you but are also saying around you. This presentation is designed to illustrate the importance of making yourself available to your client’s employees, let them know that you are there and where you can be found. Talk with them because if there is a problem, somebody knows and they will often tell you all about it IF you just ask them. Look at your surrounding everywhere you go. What are you looking for? I don’t know but I’ll know it when I see it. Lastly, listen to what they have to say. Every word is important because they may say something that you had not asked about. Remember, you never want to discover something and go to an individual who you determined knew about it and ask, why didn’t you tell me about this and their response was, you never asked me!
Cash Management: Strategies for Long-Term Success
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Online
2.00 Credits
Many finance departments spend considerable time managing cash, particularly if the organization is highly leveraged or cash rich. Many opportunities exist to reduce your financing costs or increase short-term cash returns if you manage cash effectively. This session will cover a wide variety of day-to-day cash management tools.
Let's End Business Ethics
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Online
2.00 Credits
Most ethics courses focus on unethical individuals and their terrible misdeeds. We don't need another course on lessons from Enron or individuals committing fraud. Most unethical failures result from unethical individuals. Instead, this session will focus on how good people can do better, why there is no such thing as business ethics and why we only need one rule to lead ethical lives.
Preparing to be a Forensic Accountant - Focus on Computer Forensics - Part 3 (Steganography)
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Online
1.60 Credits
This course is a complement to our series on Becoming a Forensic Accountant and the focus of the course is on steganography techniques. Steganography is the art and science of embedding secret messages in a cover message in such a way that no one, apart from the sender and intended recipient, suspects the existence of the message. The first use of steganography can be traced to 440 BC when ancient Greece, people wrote messages on wood and covered it with wax, that acted as a covering medium Romans used forms of Invisible Inks, to decipher those hidden messages light or heat were used. During World War II the Germans introduced microdots, which were complete documents, pictures, and plans reduced in size to the size of a dot and were attached to normal paperwork. Null Ciphers were also used to hide unencrypted secret messages in an innocent looking message. Given the amount of data being generated and transmitted electronically, it’s no surprise that numerous methods of protecting that data have evolved. There are various types of steganography: Text Steganography - Hiding information inside the text files. This involves changing format of existing text, changing words in a text, generating random character sequences or using context-free grammars to generate readable texts. Image Steganography - Process of hiding text in an image without distorting the picture. Video Steganography - Technique to hide any kind of files into a cover video file. Audio Steganography - The secret message is embedded into an audio signal which alters the binary sequence of the corresponding audio file. Network Steganography - The process of utilizing active network protocols as carriers to transmit a covert message, undetectable by an uninformed party, from a host to its destination. This session will review these methods and also discuss relevant software.
Fraud Unmasked: Understanding and Preventing White-Collar Crime with Dr. Richard G. Brody
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Online
2.00 Credits
Fraud poses a significant risk to businesses, organizations, and individuals, leading to financial losses, reputational damage, and legal consequences. This comprehensive course, led by Dr. Richard G. Brody, an esteemed expert in forensic accounting and fraud prevention, explores the underlying mechanisms, motivations, and methods of fraudulent behavior. Through real-world case studies, expert analysis, and interactive discussions, participants will gain critical insights into the psychology of fraud, organizational vulnerabilities, and ethical breakdowns that enable misconduct. The course equips attendees with the latest fraud detection techniques, risk assessment strategies, and internal control best practices to proactively identify and mitigate fraud risks while fostering a culture of integrity and accountability.
Profitability Pricing: Boost your Bottom Line
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Online
2.00 Credits
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.
K2's AI - Security And Privacy Issues
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Online
1.00 Credits
Security and privacy issues must be top-of-mind concerns for business professionals using AI. Yet, for far too many of these K2’s AI – Security And Privacy Issues professionals, no concern is given for the potential security and privacy risks associated with AI, setting the stage for potentially disastrous results! In this session, you will learn about AI security and privacy risks and how to manage them. This session includes discussions of the major AI companies’ security and privacy policies, how AI platforms might use your data, and how you can stay in control. Given how quickly AI is spreading, this is one session you simply cannot afford to miss.
K2's The ABCs of Automation With Microsoft's Power Platform
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Online
2.00 Credits
Automation and standardization are two of the keys to productivity, but most people who are not programmers are unsure where to start. Microsoft’s Power Platform is a comprehensive platform for creating automated workflows, integrations, and data-driven reports. Components include Power BI, Power Apps, Power Automate, Power Pages, and Power Virtual Agents. Attend this session to learn about this platform and how everyone can use its low-code, no-code environment to solve process challenges.
Building Your Personal Net Worth: Invest in Your Future
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Online
2.00 Credits
By the nature of our work and training, financial professionals have more personal finance knowledge than the general population. However, sometimes we spend so much time planning our company's future that we neglect or defer taking steps to build our own personal net worth. If you are dissatisfied about the speed that you are accumulating savings, this session will help put you on the right track. Even if you are meeting your goals, this session will provide insights and ideas which will add to and reinforce what you may already be doing.
Why Auditors Fail To Detect Fraud
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Online
2.00 Credits
Prior to the original SAS No. 82 on Consideration of Fraud In A Financial Statement Audit (now codified as SAS No. 122, AU 240), the word fraud never appeared in a single SAS, nor was it described anywhere. SAS No. 82 stated that auditors failed to detect fraud for two reasons: 1) They did not know what it looked like and 2) They had not been trained to look for it. Although the SASs did not provide any guidance, auditors have always been responsible for the detection of anything that would cause a material misstatement of the financial statements whether caused by error or irregularities. (They would not even say the word fraud until it appeared in SAS No. 82) The standards were replete with guidance on the detection of an error but silent on how to detect irregularities. Now auditors are required to document in every financial statement audit their process of determining the risk of financial misstatement due to fraud. This presentation is designed to focus on frauds that were missed by the auditors and, in some cases, why it was missed. There will also be discussion as to what the auditor must do in order to improve their track record on detecting fraud. As reported on the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners Occupational Fraud 2022: A Report to the Nations, only 4% of frauds were initially discovered by the external auditor. It was reported that more frauds were discovered by accident, (5%) then was discovered by the external auditor.
Better Forecasts: Be a Better Predictor
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Online
2.00 Credits
Imagine being able to see into the future with confidence. The ability to be a great forecaster is not innate but learned. By examining great forecasters, we can learn to improve our ability to predict the future. We will examine best practices and current research to improve our ability to predict events that will affect our business.
CPAs and Addictions: Finding Hope and Healing
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Online
2.00 Credits
Substance abuse and mental health issues among CPAs has become of great concern among many state boards and the AICPA in recent years. This program will cover the factors that push CPAs to unhealthy behaviors, the prevalence of drug and alcohol abuse, and possible options in addressing the situation. We will also discuss steps that friends and family can take to support their struggling CPA find hope and healing.