CPE & Event Calendar

The budgeting process can be a time consuming and frustrating process for accountants.  The constraints and pressures can lead to poor decisions in both the technical and human components.  This session will cover: Budgeting:  Presenting and Communicating your Numbers •    Now that the budget is complete, how we communicate our plan is critical.  this session reveals some key guidelines in budget presentation and will identify key problems in how people often communicate financial plans. 

Please join us for a discussion on Treasury Circular 230 and other ethical issues faced by enrolled agents and other tax preparers.  In addition to covering the practice standards espoused by Treasury Circular 230, there will also be an overview of the applicable provisions in the Internal Revenue Code (IRC) and common law which will affect tax preparers.  The discussion will conclude with other ethical issues, such as avoiding conflicts of interest, proper fee structure and maintaining competency.  Also included will be case studies illustrating dilemmas faced by tax practitioners.   **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.  

Anytime someone says "I want," "I need," or "Will you," you are in a negotiation. For decades, the negotiation techniques described in "Getting to Yes" by Fisher and Ury of the Harvard Negotiations Project were the world's standard negotiation methods. These techniques involved collaborative methods for discovering how to make the "pie" bigger and then split it. More recent research on human psychology has revealed new methods that will allow you to do even better. Sometimes, you can't settle for getting half of what you want. Sometimes you have to have it all. This webinar explores negotiation's human side, to give you powerful people skills that will let you get more. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

If you are familiar with the Office 365 Teams app, you know it is an extremely powerful tool to transform the way you communicate, collaborate and share knowledge. What you may not know is how to configure Teams to optimize your ROI and how effectively your team members use it. This course takes you on a tour of the important setup and configuration settings you need to be familiar with to ensure the best Teams experience for your organization. Whether you are already using Teams, in the process of deploying it, or are contemplating whether or not to bring it into your organization, this course will prove to be invaluable. The information shared in this course is sure to help you avoid costly mistakes in your Teams app deployment. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

Looking to improve the quality of your 401(k) benefit plan audits? This is the course for you. Based on recent data from the U.S. Department of Labor and peer reviews on employee benefit plan audits, we know auditors need to up their game to meet stakeholder demands and provide the best possible audit services. In this advanced course, we will discuss the audit and reporting requirements in accordance with SAS 136 and other recently issued SASs. We will also discuss laws and regulations (such as ERISA) that are unique to employee benefit plans and provide practical guidance on their application. Course topics will focus on the most common compliance issues identified in 401(k) audits by the Department of Labor and peer reviews, as well as recommended corrections. Auditors will identify best practices for auditing areas such as payroll and compensation, participant loans, hardship distributions, investments, and plan mergers and acquisitions.

This course includes an analysis of all of the relevant authoritative pronouncements that a CPA must have an understanding of in order to properly perform preparation, compilation and review engagements. Troublesome areas as identified in peer reviews and litigation will be addressed. This course is loaded with practical aids to enable CPAs to comply with the standards! Participants who take this course will enjoy a smooth sailing in their peer reviews...guaranteed! 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.

Please join us for our monthly Government Accounting & Auditing 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 

The title of this webinar is NOT a joke. If you consistently apply the five principles of ethical intelligence that Forbes Contributor Bruce Weinstein, The Ethics Guy, presents, your business will prosper, you will take better care of yourself and lose that weight, and either find or keep the love of your life. However, you are the one that will have to do the work, day in and day out. All Bruce can do is show you the way. If you are willing to commit (or renew your commitment) to leading your business and your personal life with ethical intelligence, this is the perfect webinar for you. The work you put in during and after the webinar will help to make you a better CPA and a better person. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

Mergers, acquisitions and alliances have been and continue to be major avenues to organizational growth and increased competitive advantage. Despite the great initial promise of many mergers and alliances, few seem to yield the anticipated results. Numerous studies indicate that between 55% and 77% of mergers fail to accomplish their intended purpose. This course helps financial professionals, and their advisors identify, execute, and consummate mergers and acquisitions that create shareholder value while avoiding the many traps that can cause post-acquisition failure.

Today's CPAs can expect their prospects, clients, referral partners, and candidates to research them on LinkedIn. The good news is that you can leverage LinkedIn to craft a digital presence that demonstrates your expertise, showcases your personal brand, and aligns with your values. Learn how to create a LinkedIn profile that is not just a resume but a valuable marketing tool for your CPA business. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

At its core, insurance is risk management. What insurance does the organization need? What types? What limits should we buy? How large of a deductible should we accept? What is the difference between a deductible and a self-insured retention? What do I need to know about insurance contracts? What should I expect of my insurance broker? What coverage is available and what do I need to buy? Specifically designed for any leader responsible for insurance and risk, the insurance function is critical to the ongoing viability of an organization. We will review a practical approach to managing insurance.

Over the years, Excel has added MANY new features and functionality, yet most people still use it the same way they first learned it. Many of the features were added to Excel to enhance your ability to create spreadsheets more efficiently and with more accuracy. However, if you aren't aware of these new features, how can you use them? This class will focus on walking through each ribbon (menu) to explain the capability of various features in Excel. It is a great overview for both new and advanced Excel users to make sure you know all the capabilities of Excel. You may have seen many of the features but had no idea what they could do for you. This class will help you to understand these features and determine how you might take advantage of their capabilities. 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.

Join us for an insightful presentation featuring John Higgins, a renowned technology advisor to the CPA profession, who has assisted many firms with Microsoft 365 (M365) deployment. Discover how to leverage the M365 suite of apps to unlock new efficiencies and opportunities within your firm. Don't miss this chance to supercharge your practice with cutting-edge tools! Whether you are a solo practitioner or larger firm, this "bootcamp" will provide you with an ROI many times greater than your investment to attend. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

Internal Control Deficiencies and Other Matters - Adding Value Through Required Auditor Communications will help the auditor with understanding how to improve required internal control communications to be more value-added from the perspective of the client. Professional and regulatory audit standards require communication of internal control matters noted in a financial statement audit. This assists management and those charged with governance with satisfying responsibilities for designing, implementing, maintaining, and monitoring internal controls. In addition, in order to retain existing clients, lower fee pressures and gain invaluable referral sources, financial statement auditors must place a priority on being a value-added business advisor. 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 responsibilities for communicating internal control related matters to the client. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

Conflict is often avoided, or dealt with in a passive manner. When ignored, conflict often escalates and can become polarizing. In this session, participants will gain insights for enhancing their natural responses to conflict, learn healthy communication styles, and build constructive behaviors to manage conflict. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

How well do you understand your organization’s cash flow? Good cash management techniques can provide a competitive advantage! This session shows you how to effectively measure and manage your cash conversion cycle. With a more complete understanding of how cash flows through your organization, you can eliminate impediments. Better cash management lowers your borrowing costs, reduces financing needs, and creates financial flexibility in your organization.

How well do you accept criticism? How might it enrich your business - and you - if you did a better job of it? This distinctive webinar will show you why it is in your best interest to accept criticism with gratitude. It's even better to welcome criticism. It's also a good idea to learn how to give criticism the right way. A related topic is the art of giving and receiving apologies, and we'll do a deep dive into this area as well. You'll leave with clear guidelines for how to criticize others, accept criticism from them, give meaningful apologies, and accept apologies with grace and ethical intelligence. The result will be a stronger CPA practice and a better you. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

Employee discipline is always challenging. Training on proper progressive discipline is critical to avoiding potential lawsuits while also trying to bring out the best possible employee performance. This webinar is designed to assist human resources professionals and managers in understanding the best ways to use progressive discipline as both a management and risk reduction tool. The webinar also will address best practices with regard to the employee termination process.

Ethical behavior continues to be a problem in society and even in the CPA ranks. "Ethics - A Line in the Sand" looks at the behavioral issues that influence how CPA's act. The course will address why individuals make ethical blunders, the state of ethical conduct in business organizations, the relationship between strong cultures, policy and procedures and successful ethical work environments. In addition, the course will highlight the one behavior to watch for as an indicator of potential ethical violations.