CPE Catalog & Events

Changing Role of Financial Professionals: Priorities Change in mission Valued-added actions Strategic Measurements: Common errors and guidelines for improvement Balanced scorecard Strategy development and implementation Budgeting basics and next steps Risk Management: Recent lessons, including Black Swan events Defining Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) Implementation Developing a Financial Leadership Pipeline: Changing employment environment Retaining the right employees Compensation Hiring process Capital Projects: Types of projects Factors affecting capacity Valuation techniques Cash management M&A Activity: Current environment Controller’s role Strategic questions Sample transactions Due diligence Implementation Introducing Improvements/Innovation: Getting started Establishing an environment Potential first projects Organizational structure

Technology and workstation arrangements Maximizing productivity Establishing procedures that can be implemented throughout the organization Understanding the relationship between remote work and employee retention Effective communication strategies for staying connected with colleagues and clients The productivity challenges unique to working from home Time management The importance of distinguishing between the “home office” and “home” Data privacy concerns Other ethical considerations that arise when working from home

Explore the function that sums better than the SUM function Discover a variety of time-saving features, functions, and techniques Learn the workaround to a major Excel pitfall

How the application of policies and employment laws within the workplace can reduce employee complaints, and protect your company from claims of discrimination or wrongful behavior Examining wage and pay practices, FMLA examples, and other challenging workplace questions, to insure actions are consistent with laws/policies Key functions of employment including recruitment, interviewing and selection

Automatic enrollment requirements for 401(k) plans Change in the credit for small employer pension plan startup costs $2,000 saver’s match Changes in pooled employer plans Multiple employer 403(b) plans Increase in age for required beginning date for mandatory distributions Indexing IRA catch-up limit Higher catch-up limit to apply at age 60, 61, 62, and 63 Treatment of student loan payments as elective deferrals for purposes of matching contributions Application of credit for small employer pension startup costs to employers who join an existing plan Small immediate financial incentives for contributing to a plan Withdrawals for certain emergency expenses Starter 401(k) plans for employers with no retirement plans Improving coverage for part-time workers Recovery of retirement plan overpayments Tax treatment of IRAs involved in a prohibited transaction Clarification of substantially equal periodic payment rule

Understanding who millennials are and what distinguishes them from other sectors of the workforce Changes millennials seek in the workplace Suggestions on engaging and developing millennials Best practices by organizations who have successfully integrated millennials Expectations as to learning, development and training Work environments and schedules School to work transitions Views on salary, benefits and corporate ethics Whether millennials’ expectations are significantly different from any other generation Strengths millennials offer which set them apart from others Common myths pertaining to millennials Definitions of success

Elements of inventory cost and full-absorption costing Valuation methodologies, including LIFO, FIFO, weighted average, and specific identification Obsolescence reserves LIFO accounting Differences between book and tax cost capitalization and related income tax accounting Retail inventory valuation methodology Physical inventory observation approaches Accounting issues related to consigned inventory Other challenging issues related to inventory accounting

How to optimize cash flow Qualitative evaluations: core earnings and sustainable growth Quantitative evaluations: liquidity ratios Increasing customer base vs. payment terms Business cycle and cash Behavioral finance biases Managing head count Other potential areas of excess cost

Understanding the time commitment required to start and run a business Selecting a corporate structure to protect your personal assets Building your product or service Sales and marketing in your business Establishing your owners, investors, managers, and employees Accounting, recording-keeping, and other software programs Leases, contracts, and employee agreements Protecting intellectual property Insurance Business plans Financing Market position

The keys that develop a plan into an actionable document The major difference between planning and budgeting Strategic planning The business plan The people plan The marketing plan Capital and technology plans

AICPA hot topics and standard setting initiatives Discussion of suite of nine integrated SASs effective for years ended December 31, 2021 Discussion of the standard on audit evidence effective for years ended December 31, 2022 Discussion of the standard on auditing accounting estimates and disclosures effective as of December 31, 2023 Discussion of the two standards on use of specialists and information from a pricing service, and the newly updated risk assessment standard effective for years ended December 31, 2023 Discussion of standards that are effective beginning in 2025, including those dealing with client acceptance and questions asked of the predecessor auditor, the partner’s responsibility for engagement quality, group audits, conforming changes to compliance auditing, and more

Key requirements of recently issued SASs Changes affecting 401(k) plans Audit strategy and improving overall efficiency Common mistakes as noted in peer reviews and DOL inspections

How SECURE Act 1.0 and SECURE Act 2.0 changed the RMD rules What is an RMD? Who is subject to RMDs? The types of accounts subject to RMDs How to calculate an RMD How to determine if a distribution can be an RMD How to determine which life expectancy table must be used when calculating an RMD The rollover and transfer rules during an RMD year IRS penalties for non-compliance with RMD regulations Applying RMD strategies to different plan types When RMDs can and cannot be aggregated How to correct an RMD shortfall How to get a waiver of the excise tax on an RMD failure The tax implication of an RMD How to donate an RMD tax-free How to determine the RMD rules that apply to a beneficiary

Communicating financial results The role of the accountant in communication The challenges accountants face in communication Creating better awareness of a company’s financials Behavioral biases of stakeholders Tips for staying on-point in communication Case study

Nonqualified deferred compensation (NQDC) Nonqualified stock options (NQSOs) Incentive stock options (ISOs) Restricted stock/restricted stock units (RSUs) Stock appreciation rights (SARs) and phantom stock Employee stock purchase plans (ESPPs) Applicable tax forms and schedules Stock sale reporting Estimated taxes Filing deadlines and extensions State taxation

What are AI tools? Where are we with AI tool development? What is ChatGPT? ChatGPT – what kind of queries are possible? Copyright and intellectual property issues Benefits of AI tools Concerns with AI tools Impact on business use of AI Policy on AI tools

What is a transaction of interest? Reporting transactions of interest on Form 8886 Why make a Section 754 election? Adjustments under Sections 743(b), 734(b), and 732 Applicable threshold amounts for reporting What is a basis shift? Who is a material advisor and why is that status important? Section 755 rules for allocating the Section 743(b) and Section 734(b) basis adjustments Transfers of a partnership interest on death What is a substantially similar transaction? Who is a “tax-indifferent” party in a partnership?

The sources of deferred tax assets and liabilities Calculating the deferred tax asset or liability Reporting income-tax expense and balance sheet items CARES Act accounting implications Defining, analyzing, and reporting uncertain tax positions Classification of deferred tax assets and liabilities Disclosure requirements Recent and proposed changes to the accounting and disclosure requirements for income taxes

Residency status for U.S. federal income tax purposes Key provisions of U.S. income tax treaties Overview of the taxation of income from foreign entities Understanding Foreign Tax Credit Identifying foreign-source and U.S.-source income Foreign earned income and housing exclusion Foreign informational form filing requirements

Audit process and planning Materiality, performance materiality, and tolerable misstatement Assessing the risk of material misstatement Understanding internal controls and when the auditor must evaluate the design and implementation of internal controls Designing procedures to test the effectiveness of controls Issues noted related to performing substantive procedures Documentation Communication with the Client and Governance