WICPA CPE & Special Event Catalog
The Future of Audit: Technology, Talent & Transformation
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Online
1.00 Credits
Member Price: $55
The audit profession stands at a critical inflection point, facing unprecedented challenges from technological disruption, evolving regulatory landscapes and workforce transformation. This comprehensive course, based on the Pennsylvania Institute of CPAs' groundbreaking research report "The Future of the Audit: Building Relevance and Sustaining Quality," provides auditors with essential insights and actionable strategies to navigate these seismic shifts. Through expert perspectives from industry leaders including PCAOB board members, Big Four executives and audit committee chairs, participants will explore how artificial intelligence, blockchain and data analytics are fundamentally reshaping audit practices while creating new opportunities for value creation and risk assessment. Beyond technology adoption, this course addresses the pressing talent crisis facing the profession and offers practical solutions for building a future-ready workforce. Participants will learn how to leverage emerging technologies to enhance audit quality, understand the implications of regulatory modernization including the concept of "regulatory sandboxes," and develop strategies for attracting and retaining top talent in an increasingly competitive market. Whether you're a partner in a small firm, a manager in a large organization, or an audit professional seeking to future-proof your career, this course provides the roadmap for maintaining relevance, ensuring quality and thriving in the evolving audit landscape. You'll leave with concrete action steps for immediate implementation and a clear vision for transforming your audit practice to meet the demands of tomorrow's financial ecosystem. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.
The Controllership Series: The Controller's Role in Pro Forma Financial Statements
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Online
1.00 Credits
Member Price: $39
Pro forma statements are used by businesses to make decisions on planning & control, as well as for external reporting to owners, investors & creditors. For example, giving financial estimates for a given period in a standardized manner is known as "presenting pro forma," a Latin phrase that means "as a matter of form." Pro forma statements can be helpful tools for business owners, investors, creditors, or decision-makers to analyze various scenarios of future events based on certain financial assumptions. It might aid in making predictions performance of the company. A pro forma income statement displays a firm's anticipated sales & revenue. It also highlights anticipated fixed or variable operational expenses and, in the end, displays the potential profits & retained earnings for a future financial quarter. There are various types of pro-forma statements & methods to develop them. The responsibilities/competencies of the Financial Controller position (FC) has changed in recent years. However, the creation of pro forma financial statements is still a core part of their responsibility.
Accounting for Revenue Under ASC 606 & Final PIR Report Findings
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Online
2.00 Credits
Member Price: $119
Revenue under FASB ASC 606 is one of the most important financial statement line items companies present to stakeholders. It is also one of the most complex standards under US GAAP Because of those two factors, there will always be a need for a comprehensive review of the accounting related to revenue recognition, including recently issued changes to this guidance, best practices, and ongoing case studies. Whether you are looking to improve your revenue recognition processes, better understand the accounting standards that guide recognition, or benchmark your financial statement disclosures against your peer group, this course will provide you with the information you need to apply Topic 606 at your firm and assess revenue recognition at your client. This course will review the basic Topic 606 five-step model and provide helpful case studies and examples. It will cover the presentation and disclosure requirements for Topic 606, including the private company disclosure relief available under Topic 606, and provide disclosure examples. Lastly, the course will discuss best practices, lessons learned, and ways to improve the business process when recognizing revenue going forward. Lastly, as the standard is fully implemented and the FASB's Post-Implementation Review (PIR) Process has been completed, we will review the final Stage 3 report issued by the FASB and address its main findings and recommendations.
Cost of Capital: What It Is & How to Use It
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Online
2.00 Credits
Member Price: $89
Every business needs capital & capital has a cost. Providers of debt & equity demand a return & the combination is the cost of capital for the business. This session discusses how to calculate the cost of capital, how to use it to make superior business decisions every day & some common ways organizations misuse this number. Who should understand your organization's cost of capital? Even if you are not yet the CFO, you need to thoroughly understand the cost of capital & its use. The cost of capital allows managers to, Get the biggest bang for the buck. If you want to enhance your corporate finance skills, this session is for you.
Improve Spreadsheets by Building Controls in Excel
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Online
2.00 Credits
Member Price: $89
In today's data-driven world, spreadsheets serve as the backbone of business and personal productivity. However, creating complex and error-prone spreadsheets can lead to critical mistakes and inefficiencies. This course aims to equip you with the knowledge and tools to build robust spreadsheets, implementing a range of controls and safeguards to ensure data integrity, streamline processes and maximize accuracy. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.
Surgent's Elder Fraud
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Online
2.00 Credits
Member Price: $119
When we leave our jobs, we also leave the protection our employer provides us with regards to internet and Wi-Fi security. Hired people may be able to help with the newest applications, but they may not understand the security risks posed. This session will cover some basic information about cybersecurity weaknesses and some of the scams that target older, retired people. Many times, the perpetrator is someone close and someone who we think we can trust. In this course, you will learn some basic tools to protect against those who wish to perpetrate fraud.
Surgent's Engaging & Managing Young Professionals
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Online
2.00 Credits
Member Price: $99
Younger professionals comprise a significant part of the accounting and finance workforce. Whether you are an owner of a small accounting practice or a manager in a multinational accounting firm, it is important to understand the characteristics and expectations of this large segment of the workforce. Research reveals that many of the common stereotypes surrounding young professionals are unfounded and counterproductive. This course provides an understanding of who young professionals are in comparison to their predecessors, the Gen-Xers and baby boomers. Equally important, the presentation will look at common myths regarding young professionals and why understanding this class of employees provides opportunities for your organization to grow and succeed.
Surgent's Tax Research - Intermediate Concepts
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Online
2.00 Credits
Member Price: $119
Answering clients' tax questions accurately and on time is a key challenge for tax practitioners. Through simple, plain language explanations and examples, this course will help practitioners perform tax research more efficiently by describing the structure of the primary sources, highlighting the difference between primary and secondary sources and describing the steps in the tax research process.
Disrupt to Dominate: Mastering Change Leadership
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Online
4.00 Credits
Member Price: $149
In an era defined by rapid change and uncertainty, effective leadership requires more than just managing teams; it demands the courage to disrupt and innovate. This course is your blueprint for transforming potential chaos into a strategic advantage and is designed for leaders at all levels-whether you're a seasoned CEO, an ambitious small business owner, or an individual contributor aspiring to influence greater change. You'll gain the insights and tools needed to not only adapt to change but to lead it effectively and confidently. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.
Ethics: Avoiding the Slippery Slope of Ethical Pressures
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Online
4.00 Credits
Member Price: $139
Maintaining an ethical climate. Being on prime-time news might seem exciting, but not when the story is an ethics breach you committed. You may say, "that will never happen to me". And those were the words spoken by Wells Fargo, United Airlines, Senator Al Franken and Steve Wynn. A claim of an ethical failure can stay in the news for almost five years. That's long enough to damage your reputation and lower your profitability. Upholding high ethical standards for yourself and your team requires constant care and feeding. Note: This course qualifies to count toward the WICPA membership Ethics CPE requirement.
What You Can Learn From the Statement of Cash Flows
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Online
2.00 Credits
Member Price: $89
This course allows you to get reacquainted with the statement of cash flows. We will refresh your skills regarding both the preparation and utilization of the statement of cash flows. Significant emphasis will be placed on the informational role of the statement of cash flows and insights that can be obtained using the statement of cash flows in concert with the other elements of a company's accrual-basis financial statements. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.
Surgent's Avoiding Deficiencies in Peer Reviews: Focus on Engagement Quality
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Online
4.00 Credits
Member Price: $159
With the AICPA's heightened focus on enhancing audit quality, increased oversight of the peer review process and the auditor's overall responsibility to provide high quality services, the focus on compliance with professional standards has never been greater. Add to that the requirement to implement the revised risk assessment standards (SAS 145) and it's easy to see why it's more important than ever to ensure that auditors have a good understanding of the requirements and comply with documentation standards. Recent peer reviews have indicated that auditors are often failing to perform and/or document certain critical components of an audit such as the auditor's assessment of risk and linking the results of the assessment to substantive procedures performed. In addition, auditors are not adequately documenting their consideration of fraud, expectations in analytical procedures and the appropriate level of work needed to understand an entity's internal control. Firms were required to implement the AICPA's Revised Quality Management Standards by December 15, 2025. And the firm's evaluation of the System of Quality Management is required within one year after that. This is not just a matter of tweaking the firm's existing QM document, the standard requires a risk assessment process to identify risk and there are new quality objectives that are specified in SQMS 1-3. The AICPA further issued a SAS, SSARS and SSAE that set forth requirements for quality at the engagement level. The objective of the course is to provide the insights necessary to help auditors and accountants improve not just the quality of their work but also the perception of the accounting profession as a whole. We will focus on the most significant items resulting in deficiencies identified in the peer review process. We will also discuss the applicable audit standards, documentation requirements and best practices. We will address the new QM standards.
Surgent's The Most Critical Challenges in Governmental Accounting Today
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Online
4.00 Credits
Member Price: $159
With the constant churning of governmental accounting standards, now is the time to know more than just what the standards say; we need to know what they mean and how they will affect governmental entities. This course is designed to do just that! The course materials utilize a highly illustrative and innovative format. Over 15 focused exercises are included to provide an enhanced working knowledge of the most critical challenges in governmental accounting today.
New Tips & Overtime Tax Rules: Compliance & Best Practices
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Online
1.00 Credits
Member Price: $39
This program provides a comprehensive overview of the latest rules & regulations governing tips, overtime pay & related tax obligations. Participants will learn how to calculate, report & withhold taxes on tips; apply new overtime rules; & ensure compliance with the new federal law. Please Note: If you need credit reported to the IRS for this IRS approved program, please download the IRS CE request form on the Course Materials Tab & submit to terri.storer@acpen.com.
Sarbanes-Oxley Update: Accounting Risk Assessment considerations: 20 years later
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Online
1.80 Credits
Member Price: $79
It's been 20 years & counting since the Sarbanes-Oxley legislation was passed. In theory the legislative requirements outlined are still in place. Although the requirements haven't changed, time has changed & as a result, execution of the processes has most likely changed.
Form 7203: How to Calculate Shareholder Basis
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Online
2.00 Credits
Member Price: $89
Starting with tax year 2021, Form 7203, S Corporation Shareholder Stock & Debt Basis Limitation, may be required to accompany shareholders' Individual Income Tax Returns (Form 1040). This form is essential for reporting a shareholder's outside basis & debt basis to properly apply loss limitations under I.R.C. 461 & at-risk limitations. This course will provide a detailed overview of Form 7203, including its mechanics & strategies for completing it accurately. Additionally, strategies for reconstructing shareholder basis when it has not been maintained in the past will be discussed, helping practitioners handle these scenarios effectively. Please Note: If you need credit reported to the IRS for this IRS approved program, please download the IRS CE request form on the Course Materials Tab & submit to kori.herrera@acpen.com
Navigating IRS Correspondence: Responding to IRS Letters
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Online
2.00 Credits
Member Price: $89
Participants will learn how to interpret the most common IRS correspondence, adhere to response deadlines and effectively communicate with the IRS to resolve issues and minimize risks. It provides professionals with knowledge and strategies needed to handle the most common notices including audit requests, collections & return inquiries as well as error notices. Focusing on best practices to ensure compliance and avoiding penalties or escalation. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.
Surgent's A Complete Tax Guide to Exit Planning
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Online
2.00 Credits
Member Price: $99
When exit planning, it is important to weigh various issues, including tax implications, to achieve an effective management and/or ownership change. Many envision tax-free reorganizations being the most preferable structure to avoid capital gains tax, but the opportunities come at a cost to the seller. This course will provide a well-rounded discussion of the various strategies to consider when advising on exiting a business.
Surgent's Ethics for Tax Professionals
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Online
2.00 Credits
Member Price: $99
The purpose of this program is to discuss the ethical mandates that govern the conduct of tax practitioners. The program focuses on the ethical pronouncements of the IRS in Circular 230, as well as the preparer penalty provisions set forth in the Internal Revenue Code. Please note: This ethics course does not cover state-specific issues and so is not applicable in states that require ethics courses to include specific state laws and regulations. Please check with your state board prior to registering for this program if you are in doubt about whether this program satisfies your state's ethics requirements. Note: This course qualifies to count toward the WICPA membership Ethics CPE requirement.
The Controllership Series: Financial Statement Preparation
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Online
2.60 Credits
Member Price: $99
One of the important roles of any member of the financial team. Including the controller, may be involvement in the preparation of the company's financial statements. Even if that responsibility falls within the office of the CFO, the controller & other finance personnel must understand how their transitions recorded impact the financial statements. Financial statements (or financial reports) are formal records of the financial activities & position of a business, person, or other entity. Relevant financial information is presented in a structured manner & in a form which is easy to understand. They typically include four basic financial statements accompanied by a management discussion & analysis: A balance sheet or statement of financial position reports on a company's assets, liabilities & owners' equity at a given point in time. An income statement may have varying names including profit & loss report (P&L report), statement of comprehensive income, or statement of revenue & expenses. These report on a company's income, expenses & profits over a stated period. A profit & loss statement provides information on the operation of the enterprise. These include sales & the various expenses incurred during the stated period. A statement of changes in equity or "statement of equity" also called "statement of retained earnings" reports on the changes in equity of the company over a stated period. A cash flow statement reports on a company's cash flow, particularly its operating, investing & financing activities over a stated period. A balance sheet represents a single point in time, where the income statement, the statement of changes in equity & the cash flow statement each represent activities over a stated period. For large corporations, these statements may be complex & may include an extensive set of footnotes to the financial statements, management discussion & analysis & supplementary information. The notes typically describe each item on the balance sheet, income statement & cash flow statement in further detail. Notes to financial statements are considered an integral part of the financial statements.