CPE & Event Calendar

Effective teamwork pays its own way by creating greater productivity and profitability in any accounting organization. A team of people working cooperatively can produce more than the sum of individual members working alone. One good idea stimulates another — but only if the team members are engaged and motivated to do so. Teamwork is inhibited in today's high-stress and changing accounting regulatory environment. Integrated into this informative yet pragmatic seminar are tried-and-true motivational principles for the realities of today's changing accounting workplace. It's not easy, but it can be done. You will learn how to form, motivate, steer, and get greater results from all team members by understanding what makes them tick and strategizing approaches to engage all team members.

Required minimum distributions (RMDs) must be taken from certain tax-deferred retirement accounts, starting when the account owner reaches their applicable age. The RMD rules are complex and must be simplified to help ensure clients understand them. Accounting and finance professionals must understand the basics of RMDs for IRAs and employer plan accounts so as to help IRA owners, plan participants, and beneficiaries meet their RMD obligations and avoid penalties that apply to RMDs not taken by their applicable deadline. Accounting and finance professionals should also be able to demonstrate tax-efficient solutions for RMDs. This course will walk accounting and finance professionals through the fundamental concepts and rules that apply to RMDs, demonstrate how to calculate RMDs, and explain how to correct RMD errors. It can be taken by anyone, including those without any experience working with RMDs. The course will include cases to promote understanding of the rules.

Do you want to build stronger relationships with your clients, improve client retention, and drive growth in your practice? This course delves into the essential strategies for effective client management in today's competitive landscape. Client relationships, like any relationship, can be challenging to manage. Miscommunication, differing work styles, and unrealistic expectations are some of the challenges accounting and finance professionals routinely encounter. However, when accounting clients and members of your team are on the same page, client loyalty and profitability improve while conflict is minimized. This webinar explores proven strategies to improve relationships between accounting and finance professionals and their clients.

This course examines the critical issues and special opportunities facing partnerships and their partners, as well as the relationship between limited liability companies and partnerships, with a focus on reporting tax basis capital accounts.   *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    

Finance technology decisions (ERP, FP&A, AP/expense automation, close/consolidation, bank integrations, and AI-enabled tools) can dramatically improve close speed, forecasting, and control execution-but vendor demos and "AI" marketing often hide integration complexity, data readiness gaps, governance risk, and long-term total cost. This course provides a practical, vendor-neutral approach for CPAs and finance leaders to evaluate and implement corporate finance technology with an audit-ready mindset. Participants learn how to cut through AI claims using an AI capability framework, apply a weighted vendor evaluation scorecard focused on controls and assurance, build a five-year total cost model that captures hidden and ongoing costs, and follow an implementation roadmap with checkpoints and red flags to reduce failure risk and improve ROI realization. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

Often a simple situation may seem innocent, but it can lead to large complications quickly. Conflicts of interest are unavoidable and occur frequently for CPAs in business and industry. What will you do when they happen? Will you take the necessary steps to remain ethical and to protect your license? We will show you how in detail. You and I have a responsibility to our organizations and to the public to be ethical. If you do not follow the prescribed steps, as detailed in the Code of Professional Conduct, there will be problems. Do not forget your duty to the public.

Whether a financial statement preparer or user is more familiar with IFRS or U.S. GAAP, it is important to be familiar with the important differences between the two financial reporting frameworks. This course will highlight some of the more significant differences between the standards.

Are you ready to take your productivity to the next level? Join our exclusive two-hour CPE course designed for accounting professionals and technology enthusiasts. Discover how to harness the power of Microsoft 365's versatile applications to streamline your workflows and enhance collaboration. In this course, you'll explore ten essential apps, including Shared Mailboxes, Planner, Lists, To Do, Stream, Viva Learning, Forms, Bookings, Approvals, and Places. Discover how to effectively integrate these tools into your daily tasks and experience immediate improvements in your efficiency. Don't miss out on this opportunity to unlock the full potential of Microsoft 365 and transform the way you work. Sign up now and take the first step towards a more productive and collaborative work environment!

This course will explore some of the most essential tools for measuring financial and operational success, as well as improving results. Appendices will be provided to give students hands-on applicable materials that can be utilized after completion of the course.

If there is a potential error, the IRS will assess a tax and add a hefty penalty, without even knowing the facts. As a tax professional, you will be exposed to the IRS and their methods of penalizing taxpayers for the smallest of violations. This presentation will focus on the rules and regulations that create the penalty, and the reasons that exist that the IRS will consider to remove those penalties. 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 Our Next Community Meeting All NECPAs members are welcome to attend. Community meetings are a great way to connect with peers, share insights and stay engaged with the profession. CPE Credit Information To receive CPE credit, you must: Be in attendance for at least 50 minutes Respond to required attendance check polling questions Please note: We recommend using the email address linked to your NECPAs profile when logging into Zoom. Join the Community Roster By joining the community roster, you'll gain access to this group's forum on The HUB—an exclusive space where members can: Connect with other community members Post questions and messages Access meeting materials and resources Questions? Contact Melissa Nystedt at mnystedt@necpas.org.

Data security and privacy issues persist as a significant concern for businesses of all sizes. No matter where you look, the numbers are bad - really bad! But that doesn't mean you can't take steps to reduce these risks. In this session, you will learn about the key security and privacy risks facing businesses today and the steps you can take to mitigate these risks. This session begins with a review of how cybercriminals target businesses of all sizes and the associated costs of these attacks. From there, you will progress to discussions of practical tools, policies, and other solutions that can be used to mitigate cybersecurity risks to prudently acceptable levels. This is a "must-see" session for all concerned about data security and how to mitigate threats to sensitive and confidential data.

AU-C Section 315 requires the auditor to gain an understanding of the entity and its environment and the entity's internal controls in order to design appropriate audit procedures. This course will review the key requirements of COSO which is one of the most widely used internal control frameworks. We'll also review the limitations of internal controls. Additionally, this course will introduce the risk assessment process and the various audit procedures to evaluate controls and to determine whether to test the operating effectiveness of controls. 

This course will allow you to get reacquainted with the statement of cash flows. We will refresher your skills regarding both the preparation and utilization of the statement of cash flows. Significant emphasis will be placed on the informational role of the statement of cash flows and insights that can be obtained using the statement of cash flows in concert with the other elements of a company’s accrual-basis financial statements.

Understanding the complexities of estate and gift taxation can be challenging for many financial professionals, especially those who lack direct experience in this area. In this comprehensive course, participants will gain a solid foundation in Federal estate and gift tax law, providing them with the necessary tools to confidently handle tax compliance issues related to Forms 706 and 709. By exploring the details of the Internal Revenue Code sections pertinent to estate and gift taxation, attendees will gain a thorough understanding of key concepts, including deductions, valuations, and tax credits. This practical knowledge will not only enhance their expertise but also empower them to provide effective tax planning strategies for their clients. Throughout the course, participants will investigate essential topics such as the valuation of assets, deductions for funeral and administrative expenses, charitable and marital deductions, and the calculation of tax credits. By mastering these critical areas, financial professionals will be better equipped to navigate the challenges of estate and gift taxation, ultimately enabling them to provide comprehensive and effective tax planning services for their clients. Whether you're looking to expand your expertise or deepen your understanding of tax compliance issues, this course offers invaluable insights and practical knowledge that can immediately be applied in your practice. **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.

Each year, more states legalize cannabis (i.e., marijuana) for medical or recreational purposes. As legalization grows, so too does the cannabis industry. While some financial professionals have stayed away from this growing sector of the economy, others have embraced the opportunities the cannabis industry has to offer. The legalization of cannabis brings with it a complex regulatory landscape, which includes strict compliance with federal and state regulations. However, the complexity of this emerging market provides opportunities for accountants and other financial professionals. Behind the cannabis dispensaries are scores of related business sectors including food production, retail, farming, and chemical production, as well as facilities, design, and construction. Simply stated, the commercialization of marijuana offers financial professionals an opportunity to participate in an industry expected to reach $73 billion worldwide within six years.

A discussion of recent law changes that impact capitalization, depreciation, and disposition of assets. 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 introduces the new OBBA standards that redefine how research and experimentation are reported. Participants will learn key regulatory updates, compliance expectations, and best practices for aligning research activities with OBBA's principles of transparency, accountability, and innovation. **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.

Stay informed and ahead of the curve with this timely update on ethics and independence developments from the AICPA Professional Ethics Executive Committee (PEEC). The pace of change in ethics regulation has accelerated, and PEEC has been especially active with new interpretations, revised guidance, and significant modernization initiatives. In this interactive course, we'll walk through the most important recent developments shaping ethical requirements for the profession, including updates affecting recruiting practices, CPE programs, and tax advisory services. Participants will gain practical clarity on how these changes impact both public practitioners and professionals in industry. The course also looks ahead to proposed and ongoing projects on PEEC's agenda, providing insight into potential future changes and what they may mean for compliance planning in an evolving ethical landscape. 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 challenging talent market, accounting firms face unprecedented pressure to retain their best performers. This course provides actionable, research-backed strategies to help firms keep their top talent from leaving. Based on comprehensive surveys of both current accounting professionals and those who have recently left the profession, participants will learn the real reasons employees stay or go-and what firms can do about it. The course goes beyond simple solutions like "pay more, expect less" to explore comprehensive retention strategies including whole-person compensation, work-life balance improvements, career development pathways, and necessary business model transformations. Participants will discover why 73% of surveyed professionals want to stay with their current firm, yet many still leave-and how to bridge that gap. Key topics include understanding the true cost of turnover versus retention, implementing flexible work arrangements that actually work, creating meaningful career paths for non-partner track professionals, and transforming firm operations to support both profitability and employee satisfaction. Special attention is given to retaining diverse talent and adapting to the expectations of younger professionals who will comprise 27% of the workforce by 2025. Whether you're a firm leader, HR professional, or manager responsible for team retention, this course provides the insights and tools needed to build a sustainable talent strategy in an evolving profession. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.