CPE & Event Calendar

One of the most talked about emerging technologies that has the potential to significantly disrupt the accounting profession is blockchain. This course is designed to bring you up to speed on what this revolutionary technology is all about. You will learn about the concepts, nomenclature, technology and potential applications related to blockchain. This will prepare you to participate in conversations about blockchain technology with your colleagues, peers and others. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

Artificial intelligence (AI) and ChatGPT are hot topics in the news, but what exactly are they? How might AI enhance your accounting practice? What are some dangers it presents and how can you avoid getting trapped in them? This engaging, timely and fun webinar will help you appreciate the benefits and ethical challenges of using AI in general and ChatGPT in particular in your work as a CPA. You'll come away with clear guidelines about what you need to consider if you decide to incorporate AI into your business. Note: this program qualities for one CPE credit in behavioral ethics! Also, it will be useful to you, even if you're not a CPA. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

Fraud in the workplace is not new. However, statistics show that the number of internally actuated fraud schemes is increasing. Additionally, fraud risk is at an all-time high because of the recent disruption. This course starts by reviewing the many reasons that fraud occurs. Then, it looks at ways to detect internal fraud and explores control measures that can help reduce the risk. Those who take this class will learn just how invasive and damaging internal fraud can be. You'll also know ways to detect and prevent fraudulent activity.

You don’t need an accounting degree to harness the power of Microsoft Excel. This course shows how Excel makes sense beyond dollars and cents. We will focus on fundamental concepts for creating, editing, and utilizing Excel content. Participants will learn how to use Excel’s menus and other functions to craft Excel workbooks. Because this course is designed for newer users, we intentionally offer a broad overview of Excel’s numerous capabilities with in-depth coverage of selected resources tailored for non-accounting applications.

Audit Risk Assessment in Plain English, is a 2 hour webcast highlighting the AICPA’s clarified risk assessment standards, along with a new Statement on Auditing Standard (SAS 145) related to understanding the entity, the entity’s environment, the entity’s internal controls, and assessing the risks of material misstatement.  This session will attempt to simplify the requirements using common sense examples and language.

This course will dive into the fundamentals of fiduciary accounting and provide a reporting guide for determining whether receipts and expenditures are assigned to income or principal/corpus. 

Please join us for our quarterly Young Professionals Committee meeting. Committee meetings are open to all MassCPAs members. CPE Credit: In order to verify your attendance, you must log into zoom using the same email address used to register for this event and linked to your MassCPAs profile Join the committee roster? If you want to join this committee roster, to have access to the MassCPAs online community and be kept up to date with future events, let us know.If you have any questions, contact Melissa at MNystedt@masscpas.org 

Key factors and considerations for organizations seeking to implement a cryptocurrency-based payment system. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

In today's rapidly changing world, finance professionals are required to wear many hats and are often the keys to the success of the organization. On one hand, they need to be abreast of the latest proven financial skills for making the best decisions, and on the other hand they need the best skills to motivate, manage, and lead people. Being pigeon-holed into one area or another is neither good for career building nor good for the organization. This reality has proven to be even more true with the advent of COVID-19. We'll cover the latest issues that all CFOs and controllers need to know about and provide how-to guidance to allow for immediate use in their organizations. The program is focused on organizational success and will concentrate on ways to manage risk and achieve greater productivity.

While ethics training is required by many states, the true value of the CPA license is in understanding how critically important ethical behavior is to our customers, our firms, and the public. This course will explore the basic tenets of ethical behavior and use case studies to explore ethical dilemmas in various companies and organizations with a focus on dilemmas that may face CPAs in the industry.

How does a forensic accountant calculate financial losses? Federal courts have approved various ways to calculate losses ranging from net worth method of proof to the expenditures method. Each method of proof depends on the available facts to the forensic accountant. This presentation will focus on the various court approved methods of proof, when to use them, and how to calculate the total loss. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

This course will provide an overview of the work and impact of the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA) on the US tax system, regulatory ethics, and accounting profession. TIGTA is an independent organization that provides oversight of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and conducts audits, investigations, and inspections and evaluations to promote integrity, economy, and efficiency in the administration of the nation's tax system. The course will explore the role of TIGTA in improving the efficiency and effectiveness of the IRS, identifying opportunities to improve the administration of tax laws, and upholding ethical standards in the accounting profession. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

In the "Excel - Formatting Spreadsheets for Beginners" class, you learned basic formatting of a spreadsheet. In this class, we take you to the next level by teaching you how to customize many of the formatting options. Learn to customize cell styles and how to use these styles in other workbooks. Most Excel users know how to select number formats but this class shows how to leverage the Custom Number Formatting option to create special formatting options. Many of the formatting options are applied manually, cell-by-cell or by range. This can be tedious if there is a condition by which you want to apply a format. You will learn to use Conditional Formatting to format based upon a criteria. Have you ever finalized a spreadsheet, only to accidently make changes over the top? This action is something that is very easy to do. This class demonstrates various options to prevent this from happening and will look at various security options within Excel. This session is presented using Excel 2019/Office 365. Regardless of the version you are using, most concepts covered in this course apply to all versions of Excel. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

Fraud Trends - Applying Real-life Lessons to Small- and Mid-Size Entities will focus on real-life and practical examples of fraud in smaller- and mid-size environments, including nonprofits. Fraud involves an intentional act to deceive, which may result in material misstatement in the financial statements due to fraudulent financial reporting or misappropriation of assets. Management's responsibility is to design, implement, maintain and monitor a system of internal control to prevent, or detect and correct, fraud. Note: This is a part of the suggested 16-hour Audit Skills Level 4 curriculum for experienced in-charges or seniors. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

We all know what we would like to do and achieve, but how realistic are those expectations? Are your clients' goals and objectives truly attainable? Do you feel like you can help your clients accomplish their financial planning goals? This session focuses on developing real-world applications in a new era-The Roaring 20s. This past year, we've experienced swings in the market and other critical financial issues that have impacted our clients. Being prepared is crucial! Similar comparisons have been made to the Roaring 20s of the last century. The economic game may change positively and negatively during the decade and it is more important than ever to help us relay the importance for our clients to stay focused.

In recent history, even the most prestigious CPA firms have had ethical lapses and oversights that have cost them both financially and, at that moment, clouded their brand. This course will review the AICPA code of ethics for both accounting and tax practitioners and encourage you to examine your firm's policies and choices relative to those standards and common sense through thought-provoking and sometimes humorous Q&A and case studies. This course fulfills the four-hour ethics education requirement.

Organizations of all sizes often fail to successfully install needed foundational components of an internal control system. Whether large or small, entities must view policies, procedures, and all controls in a wholistic manner in order to develop a system of controls that will keep the entity on its intended course. Moreover, those that design policies and procedures benefit by knowing why control measures are necessary. This session sets forth internal control concepts and explains the importance of strong internal control policies. It provides an understanding of the interrelated nature of all controls created by any organization. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

The walking dead aren't the only threat to your business. So are several dangerous, even terrifying myths about what ethical leadership is and is not. This fun and distinctive webinar will present what Forbes contributor Bruce Weinstein, The Ethics Guy, calls "zombie ethics"-myths about accounting that hinder your ability to serve your clients and enjoy a thriving business. Taking a page from Nobel laureate Paul Krugman's recent work, zombie ethics are ideas about ethical leadership that deserve to remain buried but keep resurfacing from time to time. They walk the earth and wreak havoc. In this engaging webinar, The Ethics Guy will show you how to send them back to the cemetery for good. You can then fearlessly bring in new business--and watch your practice soar! This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

Individuals may cite retaliatory concerns when weighing their decision to report an issue; during an investigation; or, after an investigation’s conclusion. No matter the timing, when an individual raises a retaliation concern, their claims should be taken seriously and fully reviewed. Does your organization analyze retaliation allegations and investigate outcomes as part of their cultural assessment?   Most organizations track retaliation matters at a general, non-specific level. The type of retaliation and the perceived cause of the retaliatory act are not delineated. When a retaliation matter requires investigation, an organization should gather key data points for trending purposes and to fine tune future training and policy initiatives. This course offers recommendations for (1) framing responses to retaliation allegations (2) capturing key data points (3) developing specific metrics for retaliation matters

Modern technology solutions have enabled people to operate more effectively from home using cloud-based technologies and services. This course will cover cybersecurity best practices to help CPAs protect their data and devices while using internet-based cloud technologies. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.