CPE Catalog & Events

Common risks and pitfalls associated with defined contribution plans Nuances of the fair value disclosures New reporting and disclosure requirements for the current year Results of DOL Audit Quality Study

Why forecasts and budgets are frequently wrong: behavioral finance; improper goal setting, games, continuing the status quo, traditional budgeting techniques Incorporating strategy into budgets: improving measurement systems; common errors, developing strategies and appropriate measurements Expanding the budgeting framework: rolling forecasts; mission-based budgeting, zero-based budgeting, post-completion evaluations, contingency planning, black swan events, identifying improvements Big data: definition, challenges, goals, current uses/examples, sources of information Analytical tools: ration analysis, benchmarking, Pareto analysis, trend analysis, regression, simulation, dashboards

Passive activity rules for trusts including the NIIT The different types of trusts for income tax purposes (e.g. simple, complex, grantor, charitable) The critical categorization of income (taxable income vs. fiduciary accounting income) Distributable net income (DNI) and how it works The “Tier” Rules The Separate Share Rule IRC 663(b) “65-Day” Rule IRC §691(c) Deduction QSST and EBST elections How to treat excess deductions on termination Grantor trust rules and how they impact planning and return preparation The income tax side of Domestic Asset Protection Trusts

Pattern recognition and interconnectedness Foresight Emergence Complexity System mapping

The major topics that will be covered in this class include:Recent cybersecurity attacks, their implications, and how weak cybersecurity controls enabled their successSpecific cybersecurity controls that help prevent fraud and support data integrity of financial reportsHow an effective cybersecurity program is needed to reduce losses, prevent fraud, avoid reputational damage, and protect critical data assets

Tolerations Goal setting Gratitude Setting a 'tone' of success Priorities as a means to mindful living Reflection & Planning as tools to generate clarity & intention Connecting with the wise resource often overlooked in business models  

SSARS No. 21, Clarification and Recodification, and updates to SSARS No. 21 due to the issuance of SSARS No. 23, Omnibus Statement on Standards for Accounting and Review Services SSARS No. 22, Compilation of Pro Forma Financial Information SSARS No. 24, Omnibus Statement on Standards for Accounting and Review Services -- 2018 SSARS No. 25, Materiality in a Review of Financial Statements and Adverse Conclusions Sample comprehensive engagement work programs for preparation, compilation, and review engagements

Using Power Query to link data into Excel Manipulating Excel data with data transformations Creating data models using Power Query Examples of common and useful transformations

Form 1120-S Schedule K-1 Schedule L Schedules M-1 and M-2 Form 4562 Form 4797

The major topics covered in this course include:The importance of professional skepticism, especially when performing audit or other attest servicesSpecific fraud responsibilities in a financial statement auditThe varying levels of persuasiveness of evidence to support assurance conclusions or opinions

The major topics that will be covered in this class include:Overview of the Form 990's design and goals in play upon the Core Form and tack-on SchedulesAddress of the definition's key factors that make a third-party organization a "related organization"Exploring the definitions of parties who are to be disclosed as managers at Part VII-A (i.e., as a TDOKE -- a Trustee/Director (TD)/Officer (O)/Key Employee (KE) - or as a High 5) and understanding what is the definition and measure of "reportable compensation"Working with the definitions of "family member" and "independence" as same are used in Parts VI and Schedule LApplying the definition of "business relationship" as same is used in Part VISequencing of the form's preparation tasks and who to go to for informationWorking with the Board of Directors to have them understand what the completed Form 990 conveys to the public/regulators

The key requirements and audit areas that peer reviewers hone in on when reviewing Yellow Book and single audit engagements Avoiding common pitfalls seen in Yellow Book and single audits How to improve your performance on Yellow Book and single audits while staying in good graces with your peer reviewer

Culture Trust

A taxonomy of accounting: tax, financial, managerial A spectrum of direct and indirect absorption costing Fact-based Data with Activity Based Costing (ABC ) Why do we need advanced management accounting techniques, such as ABC? How the ABC cost assignment network structure connects costs to products and sales channels Learn to use ABC to manage product, service-line, channel, and customer profitability Understand two views of costs: (1) process view versus (2) product view Comparing ABC with time-driven ABC, resource consumption accounting (RCA), lean accounting, and other costing techniques Operational Costing to Optimize Process Costs - How driver-based budgets and rolling financial forecasts lead to productivity improvement and cost reduction Applying “Attributes” to assess ”value-added costs” and “costs of quality (COQ)” The Shift in ROI’s Source from Tangible to Intangible Assets Increasing the ROI from information – with Corporate Performance Management (CPM) as a Value-Multiplier Accelerating the Rate of Adoption for Implementing and CPM Understand the barriers that slow the adoption rate of CPM: technical, misperceptions, model design, and social / cultural How to overcome behavioral resistance to change

Enterprise risk management ISO 31000:2018 principles COSO ERM framework Tools and techniques in risk awareness and management Value stream perspective for enterprise risk management

The major topics covered in this course include:Pervasive best practices for effective communicationSpecific strategies for written materialsUnique considerations for verbal presentationsThe importance of recursive revisionTips for successPitfalls to avoid

How to design charts for fastest possible user understanding and ease of use Review of case studies for group critique Developing a design standard for your organization Designing tables for rapid understanding and efficient space use How to use commentary, maintaining a consistent style and level of detail Using layout to support long-term memory and improve understanding The impact of trend methods on user understanding and a brief introduction to a statistically valid method for trend analysis. How to apply these techniques using Excel

Accounting Leadership Management

The major topics that will be covered in this class include:Limitations in roles and responsibilities an auditor can accept without impairing independenceAssessing the strength of your auditor's ability to think critically, strategically, and creatively in appropriate circumstancesEvaluating your auditor's time and project management stillsGrading your auditor's communication and interpersonal skills, in exceeding your expectations on an audit