CPE & Event Calendar

The QuickBooks platform - including the desktop and online environments - is one of the leading accounting solutions for small and growing businesses. Further, Intuit has incorporated numerous advanced features and changes into the tools over the past few releases. This seminar will teach you how to use many new and advanced features in the desktop and online environments to help you solve critical issues. For example, you will learn advanced inventory management techniques, including changing the default costing methodology and implementing lot and serial number tracking. You will also learn how to build complete sets of financial statements in Excel that link in real-time to underlying QuickBooks data files and how to create multi-company financial statements. Additionally, you will learn how to use the Client Data Review feature to streamline how to identify and correct errors and close accounting periods in QuickBooks. Knowing how to take advantage of the advanced tools and features available can determine your level of success when working with QuickBooks. So, take advantage of this opportunity to learn about QuickBooks' "deep" features to maximize your effectiveness with QuickBooks.

You could pay $0 for this course!This course qualifies for reimbursement through the State Workforce Training Express Fund. Firms/companies with fewer than 100 staff will receive 100% of the cost of training reimbursed. You must register for this course and apply for reimbursement through the Workforce Training Express Fund website a minimum of three weeks before the start date of the course to be eligible. The course code for this program is C-3097. To learn more click here or contact Julia Ekelund at jekelund@mscpaonline.org..This course qualifies for EA/IRS and CFP credit. If you need EA/IRS credit, please contact Tyler Dion (tdion@masscpas.org) after you have registered and provide him your PTIN number.Required minimum distributions (RMDs) from employer retirement plans and IRAs must be made or steep penalties will be incurred. Planning opportunities exist in certain situations to minimize distributions. Also, special rules exist for inherited retirement funds. Your clients depend on you to help them navigate the rules regarding required minimum distributions and the taxation of distributions. This course addresses compliance issues and planning opportunities regarding required minimum distributions.

ChatGPT is the fastest growing application in the history of technology with over 100 million users adopting it in within two months. It is a revolutionary technology that boosts the quality and efficiency of business processes in every industry. As "knowledge workers", CPAs and CFOs are positioned to be prime beneficiaries of this technology. This half day hands-on course will get you well on your way to becoming a ChatGPT expert. John Higgins, a nationally recognized advisor and educator on CPA technology, will guide you through the process of accessing ChatGPT and applying it to a variety of practical accounting, finance and tax scenarios. This course will catapult you to the top of the pyramid of CPAs who are knowledgeable in ChatGPT and you will be ready to put it to use in your day-to-day tasks. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

During this presentation, the most common mistakes made by employee benefit plan auditors, as well as plan sponsors will be identified. Best practices for handling specific issues that arise during the course of the engagement will also be explored. This discussion will help auditors recognize potential pitfalls in audit procedures/documentation and assist plan sponsors with compliance issues. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

Are you using Excel to keep track of progress and task completion for your engagements? Or, are you using a sophisticated engagement management app that takes too much time or requires too much information to keep your task completion progress up to date? Worst of all, are you relying primarily on email communications to keep track of your engagement task completion progress? If any of these scenarios apply to your practice, this course will show you a better way to manage engagements from simple 1040 tax preparation to comprehensive audits. The Microsoft 365 Planner app, which you are likely already paying for as part of your Microsoft 365 subscription, provides a comprehensive, yet simple solution for all of your client engagements and internal projects. John Higgins, a nationally recognized strategic accounting technology advisor will guide you through the process of how to deploy this app to effectively manage all your projects. This app is effective for sole practitioners and firms of all sizes. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

Due to IRS issue focused examinations, Accounting and Finance Professionals need to understand what types of returns are selected for examination and ways to help clients survive an IRS audit with little or no change. As a result of issue focused examinations, Accounting and Finance Professionals must understand what the high audit risk area issues are and what the IRS is focusing on when a return is examined. In addition, because tax-related identity theft is a common issue for many taxpayers, it is critical for Accounting and Finance Professionals to understand the procedures necessary to resolve this matter for their clients.

Reviewing Workpapers - Embracing Responsibilities for Quality Control will provide the tips and tools for satisfying important workpaper reviewer responsibilities. Audit documentation provides the principal support for an auditor's report. Therefore, it is critical for workpaper reviewers to perform quality control procedures to ensure that technical, professional, and regulatory standards are met. In addition, the workpaper review process should be used as a tool for professional development and promoting efficient audits. Note: This course is recommended as a part of a 16-hour audit skills curriculum for in-charge or supervisor auditors, while it is also appropriate for anyone who has workpaper review responsibilities. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

The auditor's responsibilities related to risk assessment have changed! This power-packed course will empower you with the working knowledge of SAS No. 145, Understanding the Entity and Its Environment and Assessing the Risks of Material Misstatement, to successfully apply the standard.

We see change every day, but we ignore it as a key risk. Even though change is natural, it is also natural for humans to fight it. Why do humans think we can control everything? What are the steps we can take to adapt to change? Learn more about how we can become better at recognizing change and how we can embrace and adapt to the many changes we see every day. Change is inevitable. We can adapt to it or be replaced. We will discuss practical insights that will help you be even more successful in the office and in life. Effective leaders should not miss this course. 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 corresponds to our Controllership series. Within this course, we specifically address the Controllers role and pro-active potentials in organization Strategic and Annual Planning. 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 add strategic value to their organizations. Controllers are essential to the day-to-day accounting for organizations. Yet, the role is not often readily understood. In today’s world of acronyms such as CFO, CEO, COO, CAO, etc. the Controller function may get lost in the shuffle. However, they are a critical group of professionals who ensure the adequacy and transparency of accounting and financial reporting information. When it comes to the task of strategic planning, many feel this role is primarily the responsibility of the executive team and board. However, in this course, we delve into the various steps of the strategic plan and explore where the Controller can add strategic value through providing functional input and insight. Strategic planning is a process used to identify goals, the strategies necessary to accomplish those goals, and the internal performance management system that will be used to monitor and evaluate progress.  

Network forensics - defined as the investigation of network traffic patterns and data captured in transit between computing devices - can provide insight into the source and extent of an attack. It is used in forensic accounting and with the expansion of information technology it has become a growing field. Network forensics is a relatively new field of forensic science. Computing has become network centric. Data is now available outside of disk-based digital evidence. Network forensics can be performed as a standalone investigation or alongside a computer forensics analysis. When used alongside a computer forensic analysis it is used to reveal links between digital devices or reconstruct how a crime was committed. Network investigations deal with volatile and dynamic information and is a sub-branch of digital forensics. It relates to the monitoring and analysis of computer network traffic for information gathering, legal evidence, or intrusion detection. This course is a complement to our other courses in the series on becoming a forensic accountant.  

Following the ever-changing tax deprecation rules is not a game for the faint hearted!  This course analyzes the current landscape of depreciating, capitalizing and disposing of business assets, with examples and illustrated case studies to enhance the CPAs understanding of the most current tax depreciation provisions.  **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.

This course is an extension of the Power BI series of courses that specifically explores using OLAP formulas and advanced time intelligent functions. OLAP formulas provide the ability to create a calculation in a cell that is based upon the measure in the data model. This powerful tool provides the ability to create calculations in an Excel worksheet without using a PivotTable to perform the calculation. Gone are the days of creating a PivotTable, then using those values in the PivotTable for additional calculations. When using Power BI to build a data model that connects to data files, you may want to know the date of these files. This class teaches you how to create a measure based upon the refresh date of your data. In the class "Power BI - Use Advanced Calculations with DAX Formulas," you learned the basics of time intelligent functions, the ability to calculate measures based upon dates. In THIS course, we will take it to the next step and teach you how to perform many more date-based calculations. 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.

Considers the sale of the stock of both C corporations and S corporations to accomplish the sale of a business. Discuss the use of compensation for services, covenants not to compete, personal goodwill and contingent consideration, and installment sales. Expertise in the sale of a corporate business by selling corporate stock can result in effective tax planning, reducing the tax cost to both the buyer and the seller. Also, consider the possible application of IRC 1202, 1042 and 1045. The possible value of a Section 338, 338(h)(10) or when 336(e) elections are considered.

The course provides a concise overview of how accountants can use ChatGPT to assist with communications involving intricate and often sensitive topics that require a deep understanding of both financial principles and human resource policies. These conversations can range from budgeting and compensation to ethical considerations and regulatory compliance. The course also explores the use of ChatGPT in crafting clear, accurate, and empathetic responses to complex queries related to financial audits, tax planning, and employee benefits. It emphasizes the importance of balancing technical financial knowledge with effective communication skills to address diverse stakeholders' needs in various scenarios, from internal team discussions to client consultations. 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 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.  

With governments worldwide pushing the automotive industry towards electric vehicles (EVs), there might be an EV in your future or for your corporate fleet. Today, some vehicles are all gas, all electric or hybrid. How much do EVs cost to purchase, maintain and charge? Most EV owners charge at home but need public charging when venturing beyond their vehicle's range. Not all EVs can use every public charger and various charger types recharge at different speeds. This session will simplify the issues and tell you what you'll want to know if there is an EV in your future. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

This program will address recent legislation, rulings and developments affecting individual taxpayers and provide practitioners with a comprehensive update for the upcoming tax season. **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.

This session focuses on the power of pivot tables within Microsoft Excel. We initially discuss the creation of pivot tables and various ways to summarize information. Then we explore ways to utilize summarized pivot table data. The course uses several practical examples that should inspire participants to find their own creative uses for pivot tables. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

Cloud computing has become a source of cyber-crime. “Cloud forensics is the application of digital forensics in cloud computing as a subset of network forensics to gather and preserve evidence in a way that is suitable for presentation in a court of law.” Cloud forensics is a combination of the varied types of accounting forensics including: •    Digital forensics •    Network forensics. •    Hardware forensics In cloud crime, the cloud is considered the object when the target of the crime is the cloud service provider they are directly affected by the act. It is considered the subject of the crime when the criminal act is committed within the cloud environment. It is considered the tool when it is used to plan or conduct a crime. This course will delve into the many concepts involved in cloud forensics. The course complements other courses in the series of Becoming a Forensic Accountant.