WICPA CPE & Special Event Catalog
The Controllership Series: The Controller's Role in Artificial Intelligence
-
Online
1.40 Credits
Member Price: $39
Here's a more detailed look at the controller's role in AI: Data Integrity & Quality:Controllers are responsible for ensuring the quality & integrity of data used to train & inform AI models. They work to establish data governance frameworks, implement data quality initiatives & ensure data lineage (tracking data From source to downstream systems). Risk Management: Controllers assess potential risks associated with AI implementation, including inaccuracies, vulnerabilities & ethical considerations. They help define & implement risk management frameworks for AI, ensuring that AI systems are used responsibly & ethically. Compliance: Controllers stay informed about relevant regulations & ensure AI systems are compliant with those regulations.They monitor AI systems to ensure they are not violating any laws or policies. Transparency & Auditability: Controllers work to ensure that AI decisions are transparent & auditable.They establish processes to review AI decisions & identify potential biases or errors. Collaboration & Training: Controllers work with IT & business teams to understand AI's capabilities & limitations.They provide training to teams on how to use & manage AI tools effectively. Value Creation:Controllers can leverage AI to identify areas for automation, improve efficiency & gain real-time insights into financial operations. They can use AI to make more informed decisions & create more strategic recommendations for action. Emerging Role:The role of the controller is evolving with the rise of AI, with controllers becoming more hands-on throughout the implementation process. They are increasingly seen as catalysts for AI-enabled transformation, helping to identify potential use cases & build confidence in the technology
The Controllers Role in Data Analytics & Big Data
-
Online
1.50 Credits
Member Price: $79
Today's economy & all of the digital enhancements have impacted the way companies engage with their customers as well as how the company manages their internal practices. The business control function needs to keep pace. The rising importance of analytical capability is critical when defining the role of the modern controller. Execution of analytics can vary but there are still key questions that must be asked. What are the options & what we need to understand to decide the best way forward? This course focuses on the value that can be brought by the Controller when becoming involved with data analytics powered by technology & also Big Data. The digitized world we live in has made it important for the Controller function to evolve & take on this advanced task.
Sarbanes-Oxley Overview
-
Online
1.60 Credits
Member Price: $79
Sarbanes-Oxley legislation. Although there have not been any changes in the legislative concepts of the law since its release in 2002, some aspects of executing the work have evolved. Sarbanes-Oxley was passed in 2002 & year one of attestation for publicly traded companies was 2004. Years later the legislation continues to challenge companies, auditors & compliance professionals when evaluating a company's control structure. SOX 404, although the most prominent, is only one of the many requirements covered under the legislation. In addition, the impetus of COSO 2013 has re-focused companies' efforts on evaluating their key controls. Companies must continually evaluate whether they have designed & identified the proper controls & have adequate tests in place to determine control efficiency. With the evolution of technology solutions, the impact of information systems changes must be continually evaluated to ensure controls are adequately addressed.
Excelling at Excel: Tips, Tricks & Updates
-
Online
2.00 Credits
Member Price: $89
Unlock the full potential of Excel with our comprehensive training on shortcuts & formulas. This course is designed for CPAs & financial professionals who want to enhance their efficiency & accuracy in Excel. Learn how to navigate & utilize different versions of Excel, discover powerful new functions & master the art of creating effective tables & automations. With practical examples & hands-on exercises, you'll transform your Excel skills, making your daily tasks quicker & more precise. Plus, benefit From insider tips & tricks drawn From the instructor's extensive real-world experience. Whether it's mastering keyboard shortcuts that save you time or applying formulas that simplify complex calculations, you'll gain practical knowledge that you can immediately apply in your work. This course isn't just about learning Excel; it's about learning to excel at Excel.
Become a Data Analysis Expert
-
Online
2.00 Credits
Member Price: $89
In today's rapidly evolving business landscape, accounting professionals are expected to be more than just number crunchers, they are expected to be insightful interpreters of data. In an era where data is king, this course is your gateway to becoming a savvy data analyst, giving you a competitive edge in your field. We will guide you through the intricacies of making complex data analysis approachable and engaging. You will learn the all important Data Analysis Process Flow that will take you from collecting data all the way to making insightful decisions based upon your data. We will explore the basics of data modeling that will allow you to access data from multiple sources and use sophisticated calculations to create our data metrics. You will learn how to create interactive dashboards, perform sophisticated reporting and uncover deep insights from your data. Whether you're looking to streamline your reporting process, enhance your data visualization skills, or make more data-driven decisions, this course is tailored to meet those needs. It's not just about learning a tool; it's about enhancing your professional identity as a forward-thinking accounting professional. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.
Deep Dive into Quality Management
-
Online
2.00 Credits
Member Price: $89
Quality management represents a significant shift in how CPA firms design, implement & evaluate audit & attestation quality. This course provides a focused, practical deep dive into the quality management standards & related engagement-level requirements that firms are now operating under. The course covers SQMS 1 & SQMS 2, along with related engagement-level standards, including SAS 146, SAS 145, SSARS 26 & SSAE 23. Emphasis is placed on post-implementation responsibilities, including evaluating the effectiveness of quality management systems & addressing monitoring & remediation requirements. Participants will also examine engagement-level quality management responsibilities, including the auditor's responsibilities under SAS 146 & the engagement partner's responsibilities in SSARS engagements. The course is designed to help firms navigate the second phase of implementation, moving beyond design & rollout to ongoing evaluation, monitoring & continuous improvement.
Tactical Budgeting: Moving Beyond Traditional Budgets to Manage Performance
-
Online
2.00 Credits
Member Price: $89
Traditional budgets often consume significant time while delivering limited operational value. This session reframes budgeting as a tactical management tool rather than a once-a-year accounting exercise. Participants will explore how to redesign the budget process to improve communication, accountability & decision-making across the organization. The session emphasizes output-based metrics, flexible budgeting approaches, benchmarking & educating non-financial managers so budgets become a tool for managing performance, not just controlling spending.
Fiduciary Accounting for Estates & Trusts
-
Online
4.00 Credits
Member Price: $149
Financial accounting for trusts & estates is one of the least understood branches of accounting. It is not particularly concerned with recording income & expenses but is obsessed with determining whether receipts & expenditures are assigned to income or principal/corpus. This course will dive into this tricky area & provide a reporting guide for fiduciary accounting.
Retirement Planning Issues: Where We Stand Now
-
Online
4.00 Credits
Member Price: $149
This course is designed to equip CPAs, EAs, attorneys & tax professionals with the essential knowledge & strategies needed to navigate the latest developments. Explore innovative approaches to maximize retirement savings, discuss tax- efficient retirement plan options & align estate planning techniques with current trends. Gain a thorough understanding of altered rules for Required Minimum Distributions (RMDs) & discover how to optimize estate plans in response to changing regulations. This update is tailored for professionals seeking practical insights in the realm of contemporary retirement planning. 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.
Ethics: Giving Thanks: How to Master the Art of Gratitude
-
Online
2.00 Credits
Member Price: $89
How grateful are you? In this critically important webinar, we will explore exactly what gratitude is and why it is a crucial component of your work as a CPA. Even if you believe you're already a deeply grateful person, you'll still learn some new strategies for expressing gratitude effectively. Forbes Contributor Bruce Weinstein, The Ethics Guy, will show you how to use LinkedIn in a novel way to say "thank you." You'll also find better and worse ways of letting clients, team members, family members and friends know that you care about them. You'll understand why gratitude is a matter of ethics and not merely etiquette. Finally, you'll discover how to use questions about gratitude in job interviews and performance reviews. Why not hire and promote people who are not only knowledgeable and skilled but also grateful? You will be thankful for having taken this valuable webinar! 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.
Retaining Top Talent: Strategies for CPA Firms
-
Online
1.00 Credits
Member Price: $55
In today's challenging talent market, accounting firms face unprecedented pressure to retain their best performers. This course provides actionable, research-backed strategies to help firms keep their top talent from leaving. Based on comprehensive surveys of both current accounting professionals and those who have recently left the profession, participants will learn the real reasons employees stay or go-and what firms can do about it. The course goes beyond simple solutions like "pay more, expect less" to explore comprehensive retention strategies including whole-person compensation, work-life balance improvements, career development pathways and necessary business model transformations. Participants will discover why 73% of surveyed professionals want to stay with their current firm, yet many still leave-and how to bridge that gap. Key topics include understanding the true cost of turnover versus retention, implementing flexible work arrangements that actually work, creating meaningful career paths for non-partner track professionals and transforming firm operations to support both profitability and employee satisfaction. Special attention is given to retaining diverse talent and adapting to the expectations of younger professionals who will comprise 27% of the workforce by 2025. Whether you're a firm leader, HR professional, or manager responsible for team retention, this course provides the insights and tools needed to build a sustainable talent strategy in an evolving profession. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.
Can You Really Do That With AI?
-
Online
1.00 Credits
Member Price: $39
Artificial Intelligence has taken the world by storm. In just three short years, AI platforms such as ChatGPT, Gemini & Copilot have revolutionized how business professionals approach everyday tasks. In this session, you will learn how you can use AI to help you solve specific problems & work more efficiently, effectively & accurately. Throughout this session, we will focus on real-world scenarios & how AI can help you realize better results in less time. This is a must-see session for all who want to improve efficiency & effectiveness.
The Controllership Series: The Controller's Role in Pro Forma Financial Statements
-
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.
Topic 842: FASB's Lease Accounting Standard Update
-
Online
2.00 Credits
Member Price: $89
It's a whole new world for lessees under ASC topic 842. Soon nearly all leases will need to be disclosed as a liability on the balance sheet: From buildings right down to autos & copiers. Although the greatest impact will be on large entities, this will affect the financial statements of small & mid-size entities as well. This program will dive into the new standard on leases, effective dates & address what you need to know now.
AI 101 for CPAs: Core Concepts & Practical Applications
-
Online
2.00 Credits
Member Price: $89
New to AI? Start here. This beginner-friendly course explains how generative AI works, what terms like "LLM" and "agentic AI" really mean and how CPAs can safely put these tools to use. You'll leave with a solid understanding of AI fundamentals and how they apply to accounting, tax and finance. 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 Client Advisory Services: A Guide to the Variety of Offerings Professionals Can Provide
-
Online
2.00 Credits
Member Price: $99
According to a 2020 AICPA survey, advisory and consulting services were considered the greatest unmet needs of clients. The recent growth in Client Advisory Services (CAS) has led many to ask what is included in this broad category as well as how to develop the services for clients. With so much focus on the recent success of CAS offerings, now is the time to learn how the services differ from what you currently offer, which of your clients would benefit most and what you need in place to add a quality CAS program to your firm's menu of services.
Surgent's Preparation & Compilation Engagements Under the SSARS
-
Online
4.00 Credits
Member Price: $159
Be the go-to person on financial statement compilation and preparation engagements. Specifically designed for those performing preparation and compilation engagements, this course will provide you with a hands-on application for performing preparation and compilation engagements under AR-C Section 70 and 80, respectively. You will learn the ins and outs of relevant sections of the SSARS related to preparation and compilation engagements with a focus on how recently issued updates to SSARS No. 21 impact these engagements. More importantly, you will be provided practical examples and illustrations to help you effectively and efficiently perform those engagements, including a detailed discussion of the reporting requirements under AR-C 80 related to compilation engagement. Lastly, the course will review recent peer review feedback on these types of engagements, highlighting areas where you can improve engagement quality.
Mastering Rapport Skills for Fun & Profit
-
Online
4.00 Credits
Member Price: $149
You only have one chance to make a good first impression. In the fast paced world we live in, being able to create immediate rapport & a sense of trust with people is more important than ever. Fortunately, this is an easily learnable skill that can serve you in both business & in life. People who can master the one minute relationship end up making more money, being better liked & enjoying their clients more.
2024 Revision to Government Auditing Standards Impact
-
Online
4.00 Credits
Member Price: $149
This course will provide an update of Government Auditing Standards as a result of the GAO's issuance of the 2024 Revision to Government Auditing Standards. The course will focus on the Revisions impact on financial statement audits. The course will also focus on the impact of Quality Management Standards as well as clarify as to when the concept of reporting key audit matters might apply for financial audits. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.
Power Skills: Professionalism & Client Interactions
-
Online
2.00 Credits
Member Price: $89
Client interactions and professionalism are at the core of what we do as accountants. However, communication with clients is not always as straightforward as it may seem. Sometimes there will be difficult conversations and disagreements that can be tough to navigate. During this course, we will discuss best practices when communicating with the client and also walk through complicated scenarios to practice what we learn. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.
