CPE Catalog
Note
AICPA On-Demand & Self-Study courses take up to 24 hours to process.
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.
A Fox in the Henhouse/Courthouse
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Online
1.00 Credits
The ancient Romans had a saying about using caution when appointing someone to a position of trust, "don't set a wolf to watch the sheep". That saying is in use today and has changed to include "don't put a fox to guard the henhouses";. The thought is similar, but the wolf and fox are vastly different animals. Wolves rely upon their strength to survive while foxes rely on their cunning. Like foxes, fraudsters rely upon their cunning to defeat or circumvent internal controls. This session reviews the investigation of a deputy court clerk who exploited a weakness in internal controls and committed fraud in the courthouse.
The Controller Function - Inventory Part 2 - Valuation, Inventory Methods and Inventory Fraud
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Online
1.50 Credits
This course is one of the courses dedicated to our Controllership Series. This series of courses is dedicated to exploring the traditional controller role and stepping out of the box to identify areas where the controller can continue to add strategic value to their organizations. Within this segment of our controllership series, we continue our discussion on inventory from segment one. This specific segment focuses on areas of inventory valuation, the types of physical inventory methods, and inventory fraud. These areas are critical for the controller to have a strong comprehension of and also participate in the development of policies and procedures.
The AB5s of Employees and Independent Contractors
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Online
2.00 Credits
This course explores the tests used to determine whether a worker is properly characterized as an employee or an independent contractor for tax purposes, with a focus on the cost of getting it wrong and possible Section 530 relief. The game changing impact of the Dynamex case and AB5 will also be discussed. **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.
Unlocking Deep Secrets: Case Studies in Financial Analysis
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Online
2.00 Credits
Unlock the secrets to understanding a company's financial health and management performance through comprehensive financial analysis. This seminar will guide you through essential tools such as vertical analysis, horizontal analysis, and ratio analysis to gain deep insights into business performance. - Vertical Analysis: Learn how to express each line item of financial statements as a percentage, making it easier to compare companies of different sizes and identify key trends. - Horizontal Analysis: Discover how to compare financial information over multiple periods to spot significant changes and trends, providing a clearer picture of a company's growth and performance. - Ratio Analysis: Dive into calculating and interpreting financial ratios to assess profitability, liquidity, and solvency. Understand how these ratios reveal the effectiveness of management and the potential of the business. This seminar goes beyond just teaching terms and formulas. We will apply these analytical tools to real-world financial data, demonstrating how to derive meaningful insights and make informed decisions. Join us to enhance your financial analysis skills and gain a competitive edge in evaluating business performance. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.
Everyday Ethics at Work: Don't be the Next News Story!
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Online
2.00 Credits
When asked, most people would say they are an ethical person. So why is it that every month there are reports of ethical breaches at major companies? The concept of ethics is easy to understand, easy to talk about, but incredibly hard to implement on a consistent basis. In this course, we will discuss current ethical issues, and walk-through a nine-step ethical decision-making model. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.
Combatting Sexual Harassment in the Workplace
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Online
1.00 Credits
This presentation will review what sex harassment is under the law, company compliance obligations, and describe how promoting a positive company culture can prevent sexual harassment in the workplace.
Mastering the Excel Lookup Functions
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Online
2.00 Credits
In today's data-driven world, Microsoft Excel has become an essential tool for professionals in any organization. To harness the full potential of Excel, it is crucial to understand and master its lookup functions. This course is designed to equip participants with the knowledge and skills needed to effectively utilize Excel's lookup functions and enhance their data analysis capabilities. Throughout this comprehensive course, participants will dive deep into the world of lookup functions and gain experience through practical exercises and real-world scenarios. Whether you're a seasoned Excel user looking to fine-tune your skills or a beginner eager to unlock Excel's full potential, this course is tailored to meet your learning needs. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.
Best Practices in Obligating Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds
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Online
1.00 Credits
Obligating Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds (SLFRF) by December 31, 2024 is essential to ensure a recipient does not have to return funds to the Treasury. There are a number of requirements to properly obligate SLFRF funds and opportunities to make changes to projects after the obligation deadline. In this course, we will define what an obligation is under SLFRF, review guidance from the Treasury, learn how to meet the SLFRF obligation deadline in multiple areas, and identify when changes can be made to estimates, contracts, and subawards after the obligation deadline.
SECURE Act 2.0: What You Need to Know
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Online
1.00 Credits
Signed by President Biden on December 29, 2022 as part of the Consolidation Appropriations Act, this program provides an explanation of the Secure Act 2.0 provisions impacting individuals and business taxpayers. Learn what you need to know for this filing season and how to plan for future years for your clients. **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.
Business Tax Update for Industry
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Online
2.00 Credits
This course focuses on the key federal tax issues affecting businesses from the internal accountant's point of view, with a focus on recent tax legislation and developments. Planning alternatives and the potential risks associated with those strategies will also be discussed. **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.
Accounting for Leases
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Online
2.60 Credits
In February 2016, FASB issued ASU 2016-02, Leases, which provides new guidelines that change the accounting for leasing arrangements. To be able to properly account for leases, financial professionals must understand ASU 2016-02 (also referred to as Topic 842). This guidance covers information on how leases should be accounted for. The previous leasing standard (ASC 840) had been in existence for almost 40 years. Under ASC Topic 842, lessors continue to classify leases as operating, direct financing, or sales-type. While lessees now classify leases as operating or financing leases. Previous guidance only required capital leases to be reflected on the BS. The new guidance requires all leases to be reflected on the BS. This is a major change for organizations and will cause their balance sheets to swell as leases must now be disclosed on the balance sheet. The standards original effective dates were prior to 2019. In April 2020, due to COVID-19, FASB voted to defer the effective date for ASC 842 for private companies and certain not-for-profit's for one year. For private companies and private not-for-profits, the leasing standard will be effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2021, and interim periods within fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2022. For public companies the leasing standard is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2019, including interim periods within those fiscal years. The course covers elements of lease classification for both lessees and lessors. Also, numerous examples are incorporated as reference.
Ethics - Keeping the Good from Breaking Bad
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Online
1.00 Credits
Ethics are how groups define right from wrong. Codes of Ethics define good behavior from bad behavior for professionals. When we break those codes, we "break bad." For five seasons, the popular television show "Breaking Bad" explored the transformation of one good man breaking bad. This session provides an overview of ethics and why people break bad, while using examples from the TV show as well as case studies of good people who broke bad.
There is NO Such Thing as `Business Ethics' featuring John Levy and Don Minges
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Online
1.00 Credits
What happens when businesspeople think they can lie and cheat at work, as long as it makes a profit? Some believe that business is like war, and there are no rules! Do you really want to behave differently in business than in your personal life? Can, or should, ethics be ‘switched on’ or off?
Accounting & Auditing for Cryptocurrency
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Online
1.00 Credits
Bitcoin and crypto have been in the news recently for a variety of reasons. This course will cover the basics of accounting and auditing for cryptocurrency, including recent standard setting by the FASB as well as a look at the AICPA's Accounting for and Auditing of Digital Assets practice aid.
Maximizing the Tax Benefits of an Installment Sale
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Online
1.00 Credits
This course will explore the many complex rules of installment sales, with a focus on the tax treatment and strategies to maximize the benefits. *Please Note: If you need credit reported to the IRS for this IRS approved program, please download the IRS CE request form on the Handout Tab and submit to kori.herrera@acpen.com
Top Employment Tools to Protect Your Business and Recommend to Business Clients
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Online
1.00 Credits
Overview of the most important labor and employment policies and practices that every business should have. The review will go over confidentiality agreements, arbitration agreements, restrictive covenants, training, and severance agreements, as well as compliance issues related to each of them.
The Controller Function - Cash and Investments
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Online
1.40 Credits
This course corresponds to our Controllership series. This course is dedicated to exploring the traditional controller role and stepping out of the box to identify areas where the controller can continue to add strategic value to their organizations. Within this segment of our controllership series, we discuss the area of cash and investments and explore how the controller can move these responsibilities into more of a strategic role. In today’s world, the role of cash management is often a pivotal role in the organization. In economically difficult times, controllers may find that they spend a great deal of their time on understanding and managing the organizations' cash position. This is certainly important and, in some areas, can be seen as a staple of the lifeblood of the organization’s ongoing viability. This course takes a look at some of the typical objectives involved in cash management and then evaluates how those objectives can be further stretched into strategic pillars of the organization.
A Guide to Sampling - Part 1
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Online
2.00 Credits
Sampling is often identified as a common audit deficiency in peer review. This course will review when is sampling applicable and basics of planning a sample. We'll then focus on the application of sampling in financial statement audits with a look at sampling for substantive procedures. We'll look at the use of monetary unit sampling and tools that can be leveraged to reduce bias in sampling.
Inventory, Expense and Payroll Fraud
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Online
2.00 Credits
Inventory is a wonderful place to both hide fraud and commit fraud. The reasons that inventory is subject to so much fraud is the it is often very large, spread out over a large area, and many people have access to it. When there are little or no internal controls related to inventory control, you are begging employees to steal it. No with so many ways to dispose of stolen inventory via the internet, i.e., EBAY, inventory fraud is much more appealing to a lot of individuals. The more common ways to commit expense fraud and how to cover it up will also be discussed. Travel and entertainment are some of the favorite areas of committing expense fraud. In addition, payroll fraud will be discussed. Although there are many ways to commit payroll fraud, it is very easy to prevent. This presentation is designed to familiarize the participants with the many ways to commit inventory, expense and payroll fraud, how to detect it, and more importantly, how to prevent it.