CPE Catalog & Events

Introduction to ChatGPT and other AI (Artificial Intelligence) language models. Discussion of best practices for using ChatGPT with Excel. Use ChatGPT to create, debug and explain formulas. Use ChatGPT to learn how to use Excel features. Use ChatGPT to automate repetitive tasks in Excel. Use ChatGPT to easily create macros.

Latest state of the economy. Expense control that works. Understanding our changing workforce and working environment. Financial risk analysis. Enterprise risk management. Improving bank relationships.

The advantages of PivotTable for Data Analysis. Step-by-Step PivotTable creation. Creating Pivot Charts.

Overview of the fringe benefit planning process. Understanding the needs of business owners and employees. Options available under IRC Schedule 132 fringe benefit plans. Cafeteria plans: when to use them. Tax rules governing timing of income and deductions in cash compensation planning. Tax implications of dependent care and educational assistance plans. Flexible spending account plans: design and implementation. Design features of group term life insurance plans. Medical savings accounts: regulations and usage. Various options for financing retiree medical benefits. Comparison of health care benefits under an insured plan versus an HMO. In-depth overview of major ERISA reporting and disclosure requirements. Understanding IRC common control rules. Overview of age and sex discrimination rules.

Federal laws providing greater visibility of sexual harassment and sexual assault claims. Agency rulings curtailing confidentiality and non-disparagement clauses in agreements.

Classification of workers as employees or independent contractors.

Overview of the key Teams apps. Everything there is to know about composing messages in Teams. Using Teams to manage files, email messages and other content. Best practices for structuring your teams and channels. How to use "private" channels. How to use Teams as your primary phone system. Managing your Teams settings. Establishing links to other Microsoft 365 applications. Hosting a Teams meeting from A to Z.

Why the brain can remember some things a hundred times better than others. Why we typically forget names and faces, and what can be done about it. How our emotions follow the motion of our body, and how that can be used to instill instant confidence. How to tap into a completely relaxed and/or confident state of mind in 10 seconds or less using advanced hypnotic conditioning and Neuro-Linguistic Programming techniques. How to prevent dementia and brain "fog" using specific supplements and exercise. How to stay motivated to use the methods outlined in this course to advance your career and achieve a higher quality of life. How to use the concept of constant learning to help you maintain a balanced and fulfilling.

Learning the art of nesting formulas. Techniques to troubleshoot complex formulas Review of the 9 built-in error checking options. Techniques to resolve rounding errors.

Key changes made by the 2024 Revision to Government Auditing Standards. Review when the GAGAS requirements are applicable to a financial statement audit. When reporting on key audit matters may apply in a GAGAS audit. Clarifications related to the independence requirements in a financial statement audit imposed by the 2024 Yellow Book. Review the impact of the Quality Management Standards to a financial statement audit conducted under the 2024 Revision to Government Auditing Standards. Other important matters contained in the 2024 Government Auditing Standards related to financial statement audits.

Top cloud security threats and how to protect against them. Data security best practices and how to implement them. Types of cloud services and how to choose a good vendor. Effective password management and multi-factor authentication for accounts. Home network and device security practices.

Trust obstacles and pitfalls. Revoking irrevocable trusts. Trust protectors. Estate planning through trusts. Tax planning with trusts. INGs and IDGTs. Asset protection through domestic and foreign trusts.

Like-kind exchanges have been hailed as one of the few legal tax shelters still available for real property investments, but it is really a result of favored tax policy. These relatively straight-forward concepts can help a company significantly improve cash flow by deferring its tax liability. These concepts will be illustrated by real-life examples that present a novel approach to like-kind exchanges as a useful and practical tax-planning idea.

Review of the different aspects of forensic accounting. The civil litigation process as it relates to forensic accounting. Litigation services provided by forensic accountants. Fraud detection and prevention. Various types of fraud. Training and certifications in forensic accounting. Forensic accounting in bankruptcy proceedings. Forensic accounting in family law proceedings. Calculating damages for use in litigation. Valuations.

Why an open mind and the ability to doubt helps make great predictions. Why it is better to be a fox than a hedgehog. How non-conformists change the world. How to focus on what matters. How to learn from the past without hindsight bias.

The shift to "predictive accounting" for Decision Making, Planning, and Budgeting. Problems with traditional annual budget processes. Develop a driver-based "operational budget" based on resource capacity planning. Classify resource capacities and their expenses as sunk, fixed, step-variable, and variable. Create closed loop capacity plans. Forecast demand for budgeting and rolling financial forecasts. Integrating enterprise risk management (ERM) with management accounting. Applying target costing for cost estimating.

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, social, and cultural. How to overcome behavioral resistance to change.

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.

Strategies for tax savings. Business entity changes. IRS administrative issues, compliance, and new forms. Court cases settled in the last year that provide tax return guidance. Position authority. IRS rulings, procedures, and notices for the last year. New, updated, and expiring tax deductions and credits.

Introduction to cryptocurrency. Understanding the term "blockchain". Various types of cryptocurrencies. Why cryptocurrency is popular. Investment attributes of cryptocurrency. Tax aspects of cryptocurrency. Position of the Internal Revenue Service. Understanding Notice 2014-21 (IRS Virtual Currency Guidance). Understanding Notice 2014-21 FAQs. Compliance issues. Charitable issues. Internal Revenue Service enforcement.