CPE Catalog
Note
AICPA On-Demand & Self-Study courses take up to 24 hours to process.
ACPEN: The Many Faces of Fraud
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Online
2.00 Credits
What does fraud look like? It depends. What may appear to be an indicator of fraud in one client’s operation could be normal in another, making it critical to understand your client and the transactions you expect to see. Look for what should be present but isn’t—and for what is present but shouldn’t be. This course emphasizes the importance of professional skepticism, which has no on/off switch—it must be applied continuously. As auditors, our role is to independently verify, yet too often we rely on client representations without sufficient validation, increasing the risk of missing fraud. Many auditors recognize, in hindsight, that they have encountered fraud indicators but failed to identify them at the time. This session will provide you with the tools to recognize those indicators and strengthen your ability to detect fraud—so you are better prepared for what you may find. Presented by: Dennis DycusType: Live Webcast Replay
Advanced Excel for Staff - Build Reports and Analyze Data
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Online
2.00 Credits
Advanced Excel for Staff - Build Reports and Analyze Data is a comprehensive, 2-hour course tailored for professionals looking to enhance their Microsoft Excel skills in creating reports and performing data analysis. This course bridges the gap between basic Excel functionality and the advanced techniques required for effective data-driven reports. Participants will learn to efficiently gather, organize, and structure data, apply calculations to derive key metrics, and create professional-grade reports that are both visually appealing and actionable. The course emphasizes practical application, providing participants with guidance on Excel's advanced tools and functions. By mastering workflows and best practices, learners will gain the confidence to tackle complex data challenges and streamline reporting processes. Additionally, participants will explore methods to validate and share their work, ensuring that reports are accurate, insightful, and easily communicated across teams. Whether you are tasked with preparing financial summaries, tracking performance metrics, or generating operational insights, this course will equip you with the tools to maximize Excel's potential, saving time and improving the quality of your outputs. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.
Surgent's Employee Stock Options: What Financial Professionals Should Know When Advising Their Clients
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Online
2.00 Credits
Companies often offer stock options as an additional form of compensation to attract and retain the best talent. Used appropriately, stock options can generate significant wealth, yet many employees are unfamiliar with how stock options work and why options serve as a valuable opportunity for employees to establish and grow their wealth. Unfortunately, employees who receive stock options are often unaware of their inherent risks. Research has shown that over 76% of employees have never exercised their stock options. Almost half of these individuals (48%), say they held off on selling their options due to fear of making a mistake. This course provides accounting and finance professionals with a broad overview of employee stock options. The webinar is designed to help participants better understand the fundamentals behind these investments and, in turn, better advise their clients.
Surgent's Hiring New Workers and Payroll Taxes
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Online
2.00 Credits
When a new employee is hired, there are a lot of things the employer needs to take care of. Aside from getting employment contracts signed, training lined up, and the new hire breakfast planned, employers are tasked with making sure all of the payroll forms are filled out. For many small business owners, this can be a source of anxiety. They often wonder if they have everything they need. They also hear horror stories about potential IRS penalties for not having all of the boxes checked. In this course, we will explore the payroll compliance side of hiring new employees. From the alphabet soup of forms that need to be filled out to the initial payroll tax forms, we have you covered if you are a new practitioner or new business owner. We will even discuss the surprisingly difficult-to-navigate world of unemployment insurance.
ACPEN: Contract and Procurement Fraud
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Online
2.00 Credits
This session will focus on the most common types of fraud in the procurement and contracting arena, with a focus on fraud in construction. The session will examine fraud vulnerabilities in the four key phases of the procurement process: Presolicitation. Negotiation. Performance. Closeout and Claims. Within each phase, “red flags” will be discussed. These are the indicia of possible fraud that managers should be alert for. Also, within each phase, the most common fraud schemes will be highlighted and discussed. Finally, the session will describe the generally accepted safeguards or controls that should be established to prevent the various fraud schemes that can occur. This part of the program will make extensive use of actual fraud case studies designed to demonstrate fraud risks and fraud detection strategies. Presented by: David CottonType: Live Webcast Replay
ACPEN: OBBA 2025 Unpacked: Impact for Taxpayers and Business Owners
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Online
4.00 Credits
Whether you asked for it (or not) and its here! The One Big Beautiful Bill Act was signed on July 4. This program will dig into the meat of the Act that will matter to your clients, including No Tax on Tips, No Tax on Overtime, increased Section 199A Deduction, 100% Section 168(k) Bonus and much, much more! *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 Presented by: Doug Van Der AaType: Live Webcast Replay
ACPEN: Business Longevity: Stabilize, Strengthen, and Succeed
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Online
4.00 Credits
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!) Presented by: James LindellType: Live Webcast Replay
Building a Better Budget in a Time of Uncertainty
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Online
4.00 Credits
Most financial leaders would agree that budgeting is easy when business and the economy are stable. When revenues and expenses are expected to remain the same, the process becomes merely an exercise in carrying over what was done before to the current year. However, what happens when we are not sure about how the market will react to our product? What happens when the competitive landscape changes? In this course, we will discuss budgeting techniques and considerations when business lacks stability. Through a combination of theory and real-world examples, we will explore how to build flexibility into our budget - so that it can inform and drive decision-making when we don't quite know what is ahead. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.
ACPEN: S Corporation (Form 1120S) – Formation to Liquidation
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Online
8.00 Credits
With the increasing complexity and ever-changing nature of tax laws and issues, today’s accountant needs a S corporation course focusing on the birth, growth, maturity, and death of a closely held S corporation. This case driven course will deal with S corporation income tax laws from formation to liquidation. *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 terri.storer@acpen.com Presented by: J. Patrick GarverickType: Live Webcast Replay
ACPEN: Estate and Financial Planning for the Older Client
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Online
8.00 Credits
Enter the complex world of elder planning with this comprehensive course tailored for financial professionals. Gain invaluable insights into estate and financial strategies designed specifically for older clients, equipping you with the knowledge and skills to address their unique needs and challenges. Throughout the course, participants will explore a wide range of topics, from understanding the complexities of Medicare and various life insurance types to navigating Social Security considerations and exploring Medicaid planning details. With a focus on practical application, attendees will learn to customize estate planning strategies, explore housing and care alternatives, and address gifting complexities relevant to older clients. By the end of the program, you'll develop expertise in executing specialized planning requirements for mature clients, ensuring you're well-prepared to provide informed counsel and support in this important aspect of financial practice. Join us and enhance your knowledge in estate and financial planning for the older client today. *Please Note: If you need credit reported to the IRS for this IRS approved program, please download the IRS CE request form on the Handouts Tab and submit to kori.herrera@acpen.com Presented by: Arthur WernerType: Live Webcast Replay
ACPEN Signature 2026: Partnership and LLCs Update
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Online
8.00 Credits
LLCs and partnerships continue to present some of the greatest challenges for return preparers and advisors. This program addresses the latest developments affecting these entities, including new IRS audit initiatives, updates on self-employment tax for LLCs and partnerships, disregarded entity rules and transactions, and common allocation issues. Participants will also review how to properly identify various types of partnership debt for basis purposes, understand the use of the §754 election in the sale of interests and at death, and explore reporting requirements for LLC and partnership interests on gift and estate tax returns, including valuation considerations for closely held businesses and minority interests. The session also examines the impact of the recent Sirius Solutions decision. Join us for the course! And as with all ACPEN courses, your questions to the panelists are encouraged. 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 terri.storer@acpen.com Presented by: C. Clinton Davis, James Smith, Matthew Beard, Matthew Roberts, Mary McNultyType: Live Webcast Replay
Implementing and Maintaining an Internal Control System
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Online
8.00 Credits
Many organizations are successful as they create a system of internal controls, however some fail to properly implement the measures that are established. Moreover, entities regularly neglect the important process of testing, monitoring, and updating control procedures, which weakens the entire internal control structure. This session provides an overview of control creation methods and discusses ways to successfully implement policies and procedures. Additionally, it includes an array of control maintenance checklists that participants can take and adapt to their organization as they work to improve policies and procedures. Finally, it provides an understanding of the need for dynamic, fluid controls that adapt to changes in business tools and methods. Participants that take this course will have a strengthened ability to implement and maintain an internal control system. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.
ACPEN: Excelling at Excel: The Magic of Power Query
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Online
2.00 Credits
Elevate your data analysis capabilities with our focused course on Power Query. Tailored for financial professionals, this training will show you how to get started using Power Query and teach you some of the ways to take advantage of its ability to handle messy data and automate repetitive tasks. Harness the efficiency of Power Query to revolutionize the way you work with data. Learn how to "program" your tasks once and set them on repeat, eliminating the need for repetitive, robotic work. This automation not only saves time but also ensures consistency and accuracy in your data processes. Whether you're dealing with complex datasets or simply looking to streamline your reporting processes, this course will equip you with the tools and knowledge to make Excel work for you like never before. Presented by: Tracy CooperType: Live Webcast Replay
Money Laundering Awareness for Accountants
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Online
2.00 Credits
The course provides general information on how to identify money laundering activities during the conduct of normal tax audits. Discover key resources and tools available for effective detection and deterrence. Explore the impact of money laundering on ethical decision-making, and how examiners and auditors can assist criminal investigators in countering money laundering. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.
Ethics, AI, and Music: What Every CPA Must Know
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Online
1.00 Credits
You may be surprised to learn how artificial intelligence is transforming the music you love. For example, what happens when AI creates songs based on other people's work without credit or payment? How should musicians disclose the role of AI in their recordings? The challenges that AI poses for music, such as threats to intellectual property, confidentiality, fairness, and professional reputations, are also front and center in accounting. This one-hour ethics course invites you to explore one of your favorite subjects outside of work. You'll discover how the five principles of ethical intelligence can help you listen to music in ways you never considered before. You'll also see how these same principles guide you in making the best decisions in your accounting practice. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.
ACPEN: The Role of Internal Audit in SOX Compliance
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Online
2.00 Credits
The Sarbanes Oxley Act (SOX) continues to pose challenges with compliance. Companies must continue to evaluate whether they have designed and implemented an adequate system of internal controls over financial reporting (ICFR). This course will address the best practices that ensure an effective and efficient approach to SOX compliance. Presented by: Jennifer LouisType: Live Webcast Replay
ACPEN: K2’s Office Scripts – The New Macros
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Online
2.00 Credits
Discover the power of Office Scripts, the game-changing feature that lets you automate tasks in Excel and other Office applications effortlessly. Unlike VBA, which is limited to Windows, Office Scripts run on any platform and device that supports Office on the web. With its modern and intuitive interface, you can easily create, edit, and share your scripts, all stored securely in the Cloud. Office Scripts seamlessly integrate with Office Online apps and Power Automate, enabling you to streamline processes and boost productivity like never before. Say goodbye to repetitive tasks and hello to efficiency with Office Scripts in Excel and beyond! Presented by: Thomas StephensType: Live Webcast Replay
ACPEN: Upholding Independence While Holding Your Client's Hand
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Online
2.00 Credits
Many entities look to their CPA as a trusted advisor when tackling complex accounting topics. This is more relevant now than ever. The FASB's big three accounting pronouncements involving revenue recognition, leasing and credit losses have placed a magnifying glass on this reality. Practitioners need to exercise caution to ensure they maintain independence as they assist their review and audit clients with such matters, as well as with compilation engagements. This course addresses these issues and explores best practices and guidance provided by the AICPA's Code of Professional Conduct. Presented by: Dr. Chris HarperType: Live Webcast Replay
ACPEN: Strategic CFO – Strategic Financial Communications
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Online
2.00 Credits
Financial professionals are expected to do more than report numbers-they must explain them in ways others understand and trust. This session focuses on improving financial communication by addressing financial literacy gaps, simplifying complex accounting concepts, and building compelling narratives around data. Participants will learn how to use stories, visuals, and language effectively to communicate strategy, performance, and risk. Through examples and interactive discussion, this session helps CPAs and CFOs become clearer, more confident communicators in both live and virtual environments. Also, some video clips will be used to add to the learning materials and research. Don't worry, they are pretty entertaining. Presented by: Bob MimsType: Live Webcast Replay
No Tax on Overtime: Payroll Compliance
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Online
2.00 Credits
This course provides tax and accounting professionals with a comprehensive overview of overtime requirements under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). Participants will explore the statutory definition of overtime, exemptions, and the calculation of the "regular rate of pay." Through practical examples and compliance-focused scenarios learners will gain the skills to identify risks, properly compute overtime pay, and advise clients or employers on best practices. The course emphasizes regulatory compliance, accurate application of rules, and strategies to avoid common pitfalls in wage and hour audits. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.