Instructor(s): Tommy Stephens

With the emergence of work from home strategies, remotely managing team members is now a bigger issue than ever. In this session, you will learn about tools and strategies that you can use to ensure that distance and separation do not translate into chaos and disruption. More specifically, you will learn about key technologies available to help ensure your team’s productivity does not suffer when working from home or other alternative locations.  You will learn how tools such as Teams, Office 365, Zoho, G Suite, and even Amazon’s Alexa services can all contribute to effective remote working environments. You will also learn about key security issues that you should address and how workflow management tools are indispensable in this “new normal.” If you are embarking or have embarked on a remote workforce strategy, this session is a must for you.

Instructor(s): Steven Lyon

This tax season was rough! In high-stress times, it’s critical that your tax prep teams are efficient, and have the tools they need to succeed in remote workspaces. Firms are faced with assembling and delivering hundreds, if not thousands, of returns to clients for review, signature, and return for the first time electronically, from home. The firms who are agile, working in the cloud, and utilizing the most innovative solutions which adapt to remote workforces, are the ones that are exceeding client needs in a very stressful time. That’s why SafeSend Returns is the winner of the 2020 Accounting & Tax Technology Innovation award. It is the ONLY solution that automates the assembly, delivery, and e-sign of remotely prepared tax returns – empowering firms during uncertain times.

In this session, we will review how tax forms 1040, 1041, 1065, 1120 & 1120s can be assembled & delivered from home by staff and clients can review & e-sign remotely. In addition, you will see how K-1s can be electronically batch processed for delivery by the client, how to automate estimated payment reminders, and much more.

Instructor(s): Jim Lindell

COVID pushed our country over the edge for a new recession.   Where are we now? How soon will the next recession occur? How will it impact my business, surrounding stakeholders and influencers? We will explore identification of business cycles as they apply to our company, industry and country.  Most importantly we will examine how  to position your organization to successfully navigate through tougher economic times.  Recessions and hard times will occur – the secret is learning to manage through any stage of the business cycle.

Instructor(s): Tommy Stephens

Excel now has approximately 500 functions, many of which are unused by most accounting and finance professionals. This 75-minute session will put you on the path to enhancing Excel productivity by introducing you to powerful and time-saving, but little used, Excel functions. If you want to improve your knowledge and efficiency with Excel, this session is a must for you.

Instructor(s): Brad Burnett

Treasury and SBA keeping dropping game changing rules on PPP forgiveness. And, it never seems to end. The changes matter more than a little. And, they keep coming.

 The question becomes: How does a PPP borrower aim at the PPP moving target and actually hit it to achieve forgiveness? The answer lies in not only keeping up with the changes, but also in developing a sense of context and thinking process.

Instructor(s): Jim Lindell

How can we better manage our planning, budgeting, and forecasting  process during difficult times?  We will reexamine the role of budgeting to the overall business and strategic plans of a business. Specific tools identified will include the use of Monte Carlo Simulation, scenario planning and others. We will also discuss when budgets become unrealistic and how to address the deficits.  There will also be emphasis on an organizations forecasting with more accuracy especially on identifying working capital and cashflow analysis.  Finally we will examine why budgeting fails as well as how to better present budgets to end users.

Instructor(s): Tommy Stephens

Security is a top concern for CPAs every year. Yet many hacks result from organizations not implementing adequate internal controls over information technology. In this session, you will learn about critical IT-related controls using a case study approach with stories which are all new for 2020. More specifically, you will learn from real-world examples of breaches and security failures. Accordingly, you will understand better how to protect your company and its data. Attend this fast-paced session and learn more about IT-related controls you can use to prevent computer crimes such as identity and information theft, tax refund fraud, and more.

Instructor(s): Brad Burnett

Covid strikes the U.S. economy. Congress strikes back giving away tax breaks and other money by the bushel baskets. Covid hits again. Congress strikes back. Treasury, SBA and IRS weigh in. The result? Chaos on top of chaos like we’ve never seen. And, it keeps coming. 

 Layer upon layer upon yet more layers. How to sort it all out, choose well and move forward? We’ve knocked it down for you.

Instructor(s): Jim Lindell

Robots, driverless trucks, drones, revolutionary drugs, bitcoin, cryptocurrency – “oh the times they are a’ changing.”  With significant changes occurring throughout business environments, why should accounting not be impacted?  Tomorrow’s CFO may be an MBA as opposed to a CPA.  Accounting departments may be outsourced just as IT and HR have experienced. This session will explore current and expected technologies as well as the underlying changes in business and attempt to create a perspective of the future of accounting.

Instructor(s): Tommy Stephens

Microsoft offers an alternative environment for creating user-interactive dashboards without Excel. The free Power BI Desktop application allows business professionals to create stunning dashboards using quick and easy drag-and-drop processes without the need to invest in Excel or Office 365. With numerous rich and interactive visualization options and the ability to connect to virtually all external data sources, Power BI Desktop opens a new era in data analysis and reporting. Don’t miss this opportunity to see this amazing reporting tool in action.

Instructor(s): Brad Burnett

This built-from-scratch program delivers up-to-the-day changes in federal tax law. Delivered at a brisk pace and with humor, is designed to meet the needs of the tax planner and return preparer by identifying and responsibly exploring recent court cases, regs, rulings and related developments affecting federal taxpayers.

Instructor(s): Jim Lindell

Accounting functions are inundated with requirements to be more efficient — automating processes, making things easier, doing more with less. Examine ways to achieve efficiencies that can help you stay competitive and explore the latest trends while also avoiding new costs and eliminate existing unnecessary expenses.