CPE Catalog & Events

Comprehensive coverage of the Inflation Reduction Act, including: The Clean Vehicle Credit, Credit for Previously Owned Clean Vehicles, Credit for Qualified Commercial Clean Vehicles, Residential Clean Energy Credit, Energy Efficient Home Improvement Credit, Premium Tax Credit, Elective Payment, Transferability, and Prevailing Wage and Apprenticeship Requirements Comprehensive coverage of the SECURE 2.0 Act, including: Expanding Enrollment in Retirement Plans, Increase in Age for Required Beginning Date for Mandatory Distributions, New Exceptions to Penalty-Free Withdrawal from Retirement Plans, and recent IRS guidance Timely coverage of breaking tax legislation Form 1099-K reporting requirements Detailed analysis and examples of Sale of Pass-through Entity Interest and Net Investment Income Tax The Gig Economy -- Tax implications, Independent Contractor vs. Employee Classification, and the 2024 DOL Final Rule New FinCEN reporting requirements under the Corporate Transparency Act in 2024 Employee Retention Tax Credit updates Practice aids, including all the numbers applicable for the current year -- inflation-adjusted amounts, mileage rates,retirement contributions, and more Advanced practice, reporting, and other issues intertwined with advanced planning and discussion ideas

The major topics covered in this course include:Excel shortcuts and time saversWorking with templates, formats, styles, and themesCustomizing and enhancing ExcelProtecting and securing workbooksFormula building and the Excel function libraryNote: This session is taught using a Hands-On methodology. We provide practice files that tie to the examples in the course materials so participants can undertake all the steps in unison with the instructor.

The major topics covered in this course include:Overview of the Planner app features and functionalityStep-by-step review and demonstration of how to deploy Planner in your practiceCreating a plan from scratch or use a templateCreating tasks with checklistsAssigning tasksScheduling tasksSetup recurring tasksAttach files to a taskMaintain a task activity journalManage task views with buckets and tagsIntegrate plan schedules with your Outlook calendar.Detailed review of plan / task progress reporting featuresUsing plan templates for recurring engagements

Performance target design Target testing  

Contract accounting Revenue recognition Leases

Data analytics Key fraud risk management guidance documents  Data analytics frameworks  Leading techniques and innovations for preventing and detecting fraud

AI and ChatGPT Machine learning & predictive transaction tagging Profiles of an improper or corrupt vendor payment Data Sharing Consortium and Split Learning Techniques Cryptocurrency trends and applications from an accountant's perspective

The 50% deduction for meals that are ordinary and necessary in carrying on a trade or business Elimination of the temporary rules that applied for 2021 and 2022 which allowed for 100% deductibility for ordinary and necessary business-related meals When meals are still 100% deductible IRS rules relating to the nondeducibility of activities considered entertainment or amusement What constitutes entertainment/amusement for tax purposes? When employers may deduct food and beverages provided to employees 50% deductibility for occasional employee meals and for overtime meals 50% deductibility for business meals during business meetings Business meals incurred during business travel Invoice meals separately from entertainment

Rental income and expense calculation and reporting Deciphering Schedule E (Form 1040) Nuances of vacation home rules Passive activity loss rules: foundations and implications Active vs. material participation in rental activities Tax reporting: how to group passive activities Limitations on passive losses: at-risk rules and deductions Classifying rental real estate activities Navigating exceptions in rental real estate taxation

Discuss how productivity strategies may improve work-life balance Understand the state tax consequences that may arise when working from home Identify and discuss challenges unique to financial professionals Review how some organizations are providing support to improve work-life balance Explore the role of alternative work arrangements  Examine challenges unique to auditors versus tax professionals A comparison of work-life balance between public and industry accountants How work-family conflict varies among financial professionals Recommendations for improving work-life balance

Recent tax legislation, rulings and developments impacting business taxpayers Deprecation update: Section 168(k) and Section 179 immediate expense deduction and bonus depreciation S corporation and partnership developments Travel, meals and entertainment expense reporting update

Why measure things? The ROKS Express method Goals check - identifying your business objectives and Key Results Selecting your KPI candidates using the KPI Definition Manual Shortlisting - Picking the very best KPIs from your KPI Candidates Tuning your KPI definitions Going Live

Review an error-prone "staff-prepared" Form 1040 from client-provided information. Where do you start? Get to know your client and ask the questions Several new reporting issues for the reviewer to consider, including the main credit provisions as enacted under the American Rescue Plan What are common errors preparers make and what are the areas generating malpractice claims? The importance of engagement letters, questionnaires, and §7216 permission statement Initial administrative groundwork Identifying organizing issues in the tax return to be reviewed Avoiding “willful blindness.” Handling ethical and moral dilemmas Efficient review of certain advanced issues for income, adjustments, deductions, and credits Effective procedures for delinquent clients, filing past-due tax returns First-time client issues requiring extra scrutiny Multiple checklists of efficient procedures to identify potential issues on a 1040 return Listing of schedules for staff to prepare to make a review easier, including basis issues for 1040 clients Reconciling time pressure with thoroughness and quality control Professionals acting professionally

Preparation by hand of a reasonably complicated Form 1120 U.S. corporate income tax return from trial balance to completed return The importance of Schedule M-1, including many adjustments in reconciling book income to tax income, and items preparation staff may look for on all business returns. Learn to self-review New tax-planning strategies for depreciation deductions, including changes to §179 and first-year depreciation (Section 168(k)) as a result of recent tax legislation Methods of accounting -- Application and choices In-depth analysis of Form 4797 dealing with depreciation recapture Deductible expenses -- including rules on meals and entertainment Section 163(j) Computation of tax liability Overview of many common business deductions; which are deductible and which are M-1 items? How to practically handle uniform capitalization and inventory accounting for a small manufacturing concern And much more

The major topics that will be covered in this class include:Recent tax legislation and developments related to various entities, including sole proprietorships, single member LLCs, partnership/LLCs, S corporations, and C corporations.Impact of the Section 199A deductionRamifications of the C to S election and the S to C electionCorporate tax rate to individual tax rate comparison examplesOther related topics

Title VII Americans With Disabilities Act Age Discrimination in Employment Act  Family Medical Leave Act  Fair Labor Standards Act  Equal Pay Act  National Labor Relations Act  Fair Credit Reporting Act 

Classification of workers as employees or independent contractors

Update on significant business tax developments related to cases and rulings Business provisions of any recent legislation impacting business entities Depreciation changes in Sec. 179 and Sec. 168(k) bonus depreciation Recent developments impacting partnership and S corporations, including any changes to Forms 1065 and 1120S

Why great predictions are not intuitive but the result of critical thinking, gathering information and updating predictions when needed How to separate correlation from causation How to recognize and overcome bias Who is Thomas Bayes and why he matters