CPE Catalog & Events

The major topics that will be covered in this course include:Key changes to audit report elements intended to improve the understandability of the nature and results of financial statement auditsEnhanced required by-product communications with management and those charged with governance to promote more reliable financial statementsClarifications related to obtaining sufficient and appropriate audit evidence, including significant unusual transactions, related parties, going concern uncertainty, and accounting estimatesNew definitions and requirements related to identifying and evaluating risks of material misstatementOther important matters contained in recent SASs 

The major topics that will be covered in this class include:How accountant liability is a very real threat in today's litigious society.A discussion of scenarios in which accounting professionals can find themselves inadvertently involved in a lawsuit.Pitfalls in which the accountant may find him- or her- self while dealing with clients.Real-life examples from the speaker's extensive experience as a practitioner and as an expert witness in accounting malpractice cases.

Fundamentals of fiduciary accounting Uniform Principal and Income Act Mandatory and discretionary allocations and adjustments Address the trustees ability to override the fallback rules Review the contents of a proper set of trust accounting statements

Commencement of a bankruptcy proceeding Protections provided to debtors under the Bankruptcy Code Key procedural aspects of bankruptcy The automatic stay Differences between Chapters 7, 11, and 13 bankruptcy cases The bankruptcy discharge Proofs of claim Plans of reorganization Litigation that can arise during bankruptcy Creditor committees Bankruptcy trustees Avoidable preferences and fraudulent transfers Special rights afforded to landlords and secured creditors

Creating a data model/Power Pivot Building PivotTables from multiple tables Creating Measures Using named sets

Types of business entities (Sole proprietorship, Partnership, Corporation, Limited Liability Company and Limited Liability Partnership) Considerations in choosing a business entity, including taxes, limited liability protection, management & control, funding options & opportunities, tax consequences for the owners and the business. Future tax considerations that will impact various business entities.

The planning process – When it starts and when it ends Determining the audit objectives The importance of the nature, timing and extent of the audit process The importance of professional skepticism The preliminary engagement activities Documentation of audit risk Determining materiality

U.S.  GAAP and Special purpose frameworks Form and content of financial statements: Balance sheets Income statements; Statements of cash flows Retained earnings and/or owners’ equity statements Comprehensive income Supplementary information Comparative vs. single-period financial statements Sufficiency of disclosures Illustrative disclosures frequently encountered in small-to-medium reporting entities Industry-specific nuances

Update and review of recent and key tax developments impacting business and industry "Tax-mageddon" - the all-important impending expiration/extension/renewal of the TCJA Other recent legislative, judicial, and IRS developments impacting business taxpayers Current status of Research and Experimentation costs and Interest Expense Limitation Phaseout of Bonus Depreciation and MACRS issues Travel and entertainment expense rules Independent contractor vs. employee

Extensive review of the partnership income tax laws with an emphasis on any new legislative changes Comparison of partnerships, LLCs and LLPs Overview the formation of a partnership/LLC and the §704(c) pre-contribution gain or loss rules Schedule K analysis– determine if income statement items are separately (i.e. schedule K) or non-separately stated income and expense items How schedule K items get allocated to partners on schedule K-1s Look at detailed Schedule K-1 information reporting to partners needed for the qualified business income (QBI) deduction, 3.8% net investment income tax and business interest expense limitations Learn the special tax treatment of fringe benefits paid on behalf of the partners and LLC members Comparing the tax and §704(b) book capital account computations Discuss partner guaranteed payments and self-employment tax issues Schedule M-1 – reconciliation of income or loss per books with income or loss per income tax return Schedule M-2 – analysis of partners’ capital accounts Review the importance and basics of calculating a partner/member’s outside tax basis. Overview of the tax treatment of distributions, recourse and nonrecourse debt allocations, §754 election for optional basis adjustments and §743/§734 mandatory basis adjustments

Detailed coverage of the passive activity rules under IRC §469 (and related regulations), how the 3.8% net investment income tax under §1411 and qualified business income (QBI) deduction under §199A applies to rentals and passive activities, and what is a trade or business rental is under §162 How the PAL rules apply to rental real estate activities and investments in S corporations and partnerships Definition of an activity and the activity grouping and disclosure rules Real estate professional exception to the PAL rules for investments in non-passive rentals Special $25,000 loss allowance for rental real estate with active participation Material participation safe harbor rules Events that trigger suspended PALs Limitations on tax credits generated by passive activities Special rules that re-characterize passive income to non-passive income What rentals are subject to self-employment tax under §1402

The major topics that will be covered in this course include:Explore research for common answers to "what does ethics mean to you?" and examine whether those are valid.Identify common ethical barriers - reflecting the latest from the ACFE Report to the Nations.Discover ways to improve ethical response.Practice, using practical advice from leading thinkers in ethics.

Communication Confidence Leadership

How the CPA can meet the challenges presented by a new client AICPA Code of Professional Conduct AICPA Statements on Standards for Tax Services IRS Circular 230 Case study illustration of how to bring the new client into ethical, proper financial and tax compliance

Pledges and contributions Restrictions and conditions Special concerns with governmental funding Donated goods and services Special events Revenues earned through sales and services to customers, including the application of CECL

Cash flow management Insurance, investment, income tax, education, retirement and estate planning Understanding client issues, diagnosing client exposures and determining client solutions Closely held business owner strategies

Importance of tax basis capital accounts Reporting negative tax basis Tax accounting for property contributed to a partnership Effect of the Ceiling Rule Allocation of depreciation to partners Alternative and Remedial Methods Effect on financial capital accounts Form 1065, Schedule K-1

Why the IRS selects a tax return for audit What happens when the taxpayer disagrees with the results of the audit IRS employees who interact with taxpayers during an audit FATCA audits Types of IRS examinations Potential IRS audit outcomes Substitute for returns Large Partnership Compliance Program IRS’s shift in audit strategies Responding to IRS Notices online Audits of high income and high net-worth individuals The Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015 (BBA) and its impact on auditing partnerships IRS Letters of Concern

Review of the new AICPA Statement on Standards for Tax Services Reorganization of SSTS by type of work performed Discuss new standards on data protection, reliance on tools and representation of tax clients before taxing authorities