WICPA CPE & Special Event Catalog
Accounting for Leases
-
Online
2.60 Credits
Member Price: $99
In February 2016, FASB issued ASU 2016-02, Leases, which provides new guidelines that change the accounting for leasing arrangements. To be able to properly account for leases, financial professionals must understand ASU 2016-02 (also referred to as Topic 842). This guidance covers information on how leases should be accounted for. The previous leasing standard (ASC 840) had been in existence for almost 40 years. Under ASC Topic 842, lessors continue to classify leases as operating, direct financing, or sales-type. While lessees now classify leases as operating or financing leases. Previous guidance only required capital leases to be reflected on the BS. The new guidance requires all leases to be reflected on the BS. This is a major change for organizations & will cause their balance sheets to swell as leases must now be disclosed on the balance sheet. The standards original effective dates were prior to 2019. In April 2020, due to COVID-19, FASB voted to defer the effective date for ASC 842 for private companies & certain not-for-profit's for one year. For private companies & private not-for-profits, the leasing standard will be effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2021 & interim periods within fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2022. For public companies the leasing standard is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2019, including interim periods within those fiscal years. The course covers elements of lease classification for both lessees & lessors. Also, numerous examples are incorporated as reference.
Will Your Ethics Be Burned by Burnout?
-
Online
2.00 Credits
Member Price: $89
Ethical behavior is not a destination it is a journey with twists, turns and bumps in the road. We are faced with ethical dilemmas every day. Do I speed to make it to a meeting? Do I call in sick because I need a break? When does "helping my child with their homework" become "doing it for them"? CPAs are ethical most of the time, but staying ethical is hard. It gets harder when we are under stress. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.Note: This course qualifies to count toward the WICPA membership Ethics CPE requirement.
Resistance to Resilience: Strive for Tech Change Acceptance
-
Online
1.00 Credits
Member Price: $55
Technology adoption often comes with resistance, but it's possible to transform this challenge into an opportunity for growth. This course explores the journey from resistance to resilience in embracing new technologies, focusing on overcoming barriers and ensuring successful implementation. Participants will examine cutting-edge audit technologies, including AI, data analytics and automation and learn how to align these innovations with both organizational and personal goals. Through case studies, insights into the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) and practical discussions, participants will gain the tools and strategies to foster acceptance, driving seamless integration of new technology into both individual tasks and team workflows. 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 Future Role of the Controller Part I
-
Online
1.50 Credits
Member Price: $79
This is a two-part series that discuss new trends & concepts the financial controller should begin to execute in order to truly become a valued member of the senior leadership team. The rapid pace of the evolving technological landscape has promoted changes in how accountants & financial professionals focus attention on strategy & modernize their roles to leverage digital technology. There is increased demand for enhancing flexibility into finance cycles & initiating real-time reporting & insights. These are the core attributes that will assist in transforming the work that controllership function performs. Is the financial controllership prepared to meet future business demands? The IMA® (Institute of Management Accountants) & Deloitte's Center for Controllership aimed to better understand the current state of controllership & expectations of future demands for controllers & accounting professionals. They conducted a survey in late 2022 & identified several trends. The survey takes a look at how prepared controllership is to meet future business demands. It also highlights some insights for leaders to consider that may increase their preparedness. It also identified areas of additional insight & questions to answer on the controllership transformation journey. In this segment one, we go through numerous concepts in detail & the remaining concepts will be covered in segment two.
Creating Terrific Equity Compensation Plans: Beware of the Pitfalls
-
Online
2.00 Credits
Member Price: $89
In today's business world, there is a war for talent & organizations with the best talent will win. We clearly need to motivate talented personnel. Equity compensation plans are useful to retain, reward & recruit. The GAAP & tax accounting for equity compensation plans is not static & decisions that you make during plan set-up can have major consequences to your organization's bottom line & your management team's personal tax situations. We will review nuances & details that impact proper accounting. Whether you are the CFO or CEO who has not been happy with prior equity compensation plans or the accountant who performs the intricate analysis & detailed accounting for these plans: this session will help you understand the issues & get it right the first time.
How to Choose the Right Business Entity for Your Client
-
Online
2.00 Credits
Member Price: $89
Tax rates, personal liability, operations: these are all factors to be weighed when advising clients about their choice of entity decision. This session provides a comparison of the multiple entity choices to start the discussion with clients & selecting the best tax efficient option for them. 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
Securing Your Data with a Password Management App: Updated
-
Online
2.00 Credits
Member Price: $89
Cybersecurity protection is one of the most important responsibilities of every CPA professional to protect the confidentiality of sensitive client information. While there are many aspects of cybersecurity that need to be addressed, the biggest vulnerability to protect against is unauthorized access to your application login credentials. Once your login credentials are breached, the cybercriminal essentially has the keys to your data kingdom. John Higgins, a national leader in the CPA technology, will demonstrate the ease with which you can protect all of your login credentials with maximum security with minimal expense. You will leave this course prepared to deploy this state of the art security tool in your organization. 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 Work-Life Balance: Maximizing Productivity & Understanding Related Tax Issues
-
Online
2.00 Credits
Member Price: $99
Working in accounting and finance offers strong earnings and growth, yet chronic overwork remains the top driver of anxiety and attrition in the profession. Evidence shows that long hours and poor recovery harm both health and output: large studies link greater than 55-hour weeks to higher cardiovascular risk, specific-hour thresholds to productivity drops and insufficient sleep to eroded performance. At the same time, well-designed flexibility works. A recent randomized trial of a two-days-from-home hybrid schedule improved satisfaction and cut quits without hurting results and multi-firm pilots of shorter workweeks report lower burnout and stable revenue. This webinar translates that research — along with sector-specific findings on accountants' work-life priorities — into practical tools for financial professionals and their firms. We'll cover how to set evidence-based workload and availability norms (e.g., hybrid cadence, meeting discipline, focused work blocks), build manager habits that reduce stress without sacrificing delivery and document simple recovery practices (sleep, boundaries and time off) to sustain peak periods. We'll also address policy design: aligning work styles and responsibilities within teams, metrics that reward outcomes over hours and how to pilot changes safely. Participants will leave with a concise checklist and templates they can implement immediately.
Surgent's Annual FASB Update & Review
-
Online
4.00 Credits
Member Price: $159
This course provides a detailed discussion on the key topics related to financial reporting, though in a summarized format. The course will focus on recent ASUs issued by the FASB, including the 12 ASUs issued in 2025, with a concentration on issues of greatest significance to most accounting practitioners. The greatest emphasis on the ASUs will focus on those effective in 2025 and 2026. Specifically, the course will review ASUs addressing financial instruments, disaggregated expenses, government grants, credit losses under ASC 326 and the final stages of the ASC 842 post-implementation review (PIR) report findings. Other hot-button accounting issues, such as what is on the FASB's technical agenda, are also discussed. This course is the place to go for a succinct but thorough update on the big topics impacting financial accounting and reporting.
Surgent's Project Management: Tips, Tricks & Traps
-
Online
4.00 Credits
Member Price: $159
Recent economic, societal and political changes have shown us the need for numerous projects and the need to manage those projects in a unique way. Project management is a way of thinking highly recognized and practiced by large organizations, but often neglected by the smallest companies and entrepreneurs. This course quickly discusses the basics of project management thought and practice and then spends the majority of the time exploring some of the greatest mistakes that can be made, the ways to avoid them and some of the tricks that have been introduced into the discipline. In the program we will explore some of the specific types of project management as well as some of the available software programs to make the task of project management easier.
Surgent's The Essential Multistate Tax Update
-
Online
4.00 Credits
Member Price: $159
With the largest overhaul of the federal income tax code in 30 years and the repeal of the physical presence nexus standards for sales tax in the Wayfair case, the states are working fast and furious to overhaul their tax laws. As some states scramble to fund their budgets, they continue to look for additional forms of revenue. Plan to attend this fast-paced class that covers developing topics in state taxation, ranging from individuals to pass-through entities to corporate taxpayers. This class will focus on issues of small and middle-market companies and offer guidance for minimizing tax liability and negotiating the treacherous waters of compliance.
Complete Guide to Analyze Data with Excel PivotTables
-
Online
4.00 Credits
Member Price: $149
Unlock the full potential of Microsoft Excel PivotTables with this comprehensive course. This training is designed to equip participants with the skills to effectively analyze and summarize data, transforming raw numbers into actionable insights. Whether you're a seasoned professional or new to data analysis, this course provides an in-depth understanding of PivotTables and their capabilities, helping you uncover patterns, compare data and make informed decisions. The program includes a step-by-step approach to creating and customizing PivotTables, focusing on how to use them to analyze data efficiently. Participants will learn how to group and filter data, identify trends and apply advanced features to solve real-world business challenges. Beyond technical knowledge, this course introduces data visualization through PivotCharts, teaching participants how to present their analysis effectively to stakeholders. By the end of the course, you'll not only master PivotTable fundamentals but also gain advanced techniques to streamline data analysis and support strategic decision-making in any context. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.
Fraud & Embezzlement: Case Studies from the Trenches
-
Online
2.00 Credits
Member Price: $89
Governmental entities are the second largest victims of embezzlement. This seminar examines recent events involving theft of public money and circumstances that allowed the fraud to occur. Case studies we examine include the 2012 $54 million embezzlement from the City of Dixon by Rita Crundwell. The events that impacted the small Illinois town of 16,000 residents was the largest governmental fraud case to date and spanned an astonishing 20 years. This remarkable story inspired an award-winning documentary, "All the Queen's Horses." We will also examine factors that led to scandals involving the Baptist Foundation of Arizona, World Com, Collin Street Bakery and the Ohio American Cancer Society, among others. This course is ideal for CPAs, government finance personnel, all Internal Auditors, lawyers, governance professionals, accountants and human resource personnel. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.Note: This course qualifies to count toward the WICPA membership Ethics CPE requirement.
Internal Controls Over Compliance versus Compliance
-
Online
1.00 Credits
Member Price: $55
Accurately identifying and testing controls over compliance is critical, yet it remains a common deficiency highlighted in peer reviews. This course offers a comprehensive overview of internal controls over compliance, with a focus on their application to Single Audits. Participants will learn how to effectively align internal controls with specific compliance requirements. Additionally, we will address one of the most frequent findings in audits of governmental entities receiving federal grants: the misidentification of controls and the confusion between compliance and control processes. This course will help clarify the distinction, equipping you with the tools to enhance audit quality and ensure compliance effectiveness. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.
Sticky Ethical Choices, featuring Bob Mims & Don Minges
-
Online
1.00 Credits
Member Price: $39
If ethics were easy, then why do so many professionals have a Code of Conduct? Some Ethical decisions are easy, others are not. We will discuss several thorny ethical issues & the ramifications. What are the considerations & evaluation criteria to use? The need to carefully deliberate alternatives: is paramount. Be aware.Note: This course qualifies to count toward the WICPA membership Ethics CPE requirement.
The Controller Function: Strategic & Annual Planning
-
Online
1.20 Credits
Member Price: $39
This course corresponds to our Controllership series. Within this course, we specifically address the Controllers role & pro-active potentials in organization Strategic & Annual Planning. This series of courses is dedicated to exploring the traditional controller role & stepping out of the box to identify areas where the Controller can add strategic value to their organizations. Controllers are essential to the day-to-day accounting for organizations. Yet, the role is not often readily understood. In today's world of acronyms such as CFO, CEO, COO, CAO, etc. the Controller function may get lost in the shuffle. However, they are a critical group of professionals who ensure the adequacy & transparency of accounting & financial reporting information. When it comes to the task of strategic planning, many feel this role is primarily the responsibility of the executive team & board. However, in this course, we delve into the various steps of the strategic plan & explore where the Controller can add strategic value through providing functional input & insight. Strategic planning is a process used to identify goals, the strategies necessary to accomplish those goals & the internal performance management system that will be used to monitor & evaluate progress.
Corporate Transparency Act Developments
-
Online
2.00 Credits
Member Price: $89
U.S. Department of Treasury's Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) imposed a new reporting requirement that went into effect on January 1, 2024. Millions of businesses may have to file a Beneficial Ownership Information (BOI) Report. In a surprise turn of events, the Federal District Court from the Northern District of Alabama ruled on March 1, 2024 in National Small Business United v. Yellen ("NSB") that the CTA is unconstitutional. This course will discuss the CTA's provisions and the court's decision in NSB. Also covered will be future implications for business entities and steps to consider given the recent ruling. We will also discuss recent proposed rulemaking by FinCen with respect to nonfinanced purchases of residential real estate and gratuitous transfers so that businesses can prepare for any additional reporting burdens that might arise. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.
Mastering Partnership Basis: Inside & Outside Basis
-
Online
2.00 Credits
Member Price: $89
This course will provide a detailed analysis of how to determine a partner's tax basis for a partnership interest, with an explanation of the use of both "inside" and "outside" basis determination. An illustrated example with filled in forms will demonstrate how the process works and the potential pitfalls. 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 Generative AI & Cybersecurity: Opportunities & Threats
-
Online
2.00 Credits
Member Price: $119
This course explores how generative AI is revolutionizing cybersecurity. It highlights opportunities, such as enhanced threat detection and risks, including AI-driven phishing and malware, particularly in financial contexts.
Excel Essentials for Today’s Accountant: How To Become an Expert in One Day
-
Online
4.00 Credits
Member Price: $149
This course explores the increasingly complex features of Excel that facilitate efficient data analysis. We will introduce numerous analytical methods & techniques by using practical examples to illustrate how to unleash the power of Excel when manipulating, analyzing & reporting information & dive into the powerful, but potentially under-utilized, capabilities of Microsoft Excel. Designed for sophisticated users willing to approach spreadsheets From a unique perspective, this program encourages users to challenge the status quo by considering opportunities to take acceptable spreadsheets to a new level.
