The 2009 CPE schedule will tackle new areas of concern, including: Tax Research, Human Resources Issues, Hedge Fund Accounting, Internal Auditing, Technology Resource Updates, and Office Automation Opportunities, among many others. 

Economic Stimulus and Your Tax Clients (2 CPE hours: Taxation)
The latest tax and economic stimulus package has new tax provisions that affect a wide range of taxpayers.  Your business clients will be interested in the bonus depreciation rules. Your individual clients will want to know all about the various credits that are available to them . . . everything from an education subsidy to a restored residential energy credit.  Any business client with an operating loss will need to make a decision about optional carryback periods.  And the list goes on.  Don’t miss this important two-CPE credit program with one of the country’s top tax experts
 E. Lynn Nichols, CPA, Mares Nichols CPE, Inc.

Accounting and Auditing Update (2 CPE hours: 1 hour Accounting and 1 hour Auditing)
Topics to be covered in this session include: FASB Codification; Mark to Market; Fraud; Fair Value; Consolidation; Materiality; Meaningful and Understandable Disclosures; International Convergence; Ethics Ramifications; Risk Assessment Pronouncements; communication with those in Governance; New Peer Review Standards; and SSARS Update.
Mel Crystal, CPA, Crystal, Schapiro & Dworkin LLP

How the Internet is Changing the Accounting Profession (2 CPE hours: Advisory Services)
In this presentation you’ll cover a wide range of Internet related topics ranging from Websites, online marketing to accountant-centric solutions. Learn how our ability to work from anywhere at any time, and collaborate with our clients has far reaching consequences. A concluding demonstration will show how we can harness the power of the Internet to get better command over our client engagements, enhance client relationships, save time and make more money.
Chandra Bhansali, President, AccountantWorld

Lunch
(Complimentary lunch for paid CPE registrants)

Security and Maintenance of Networks and Personal Computers (2 CPE hours: Specialized Knowledge and Applications)
You already know that running your small or mid-sized businesses takes enormous commitment and persistence. Computers and information technology impact and influence your organization, and are often essential tools of the trade. In this session, you will discuss how to keep your systems secure, efficient, and effective. You will also analyze topics that could help prevent Human Resource issues, data leaks, malicious attacks, compliance headaches and more.
 Armando D’Accordo, President, CMIT Solutions of South Nassau

Hedge Funds and Private Investment Partnerships: Strategy, Tactics and the Fallacy of Trust
(2 CPE hours: Specialized Knowledge and Applications)
Hedge funds and alternative investments have been an increasingly important part of the portfolios of both institutions and wealthy individuals for the past several decades. Recent headlines highlight the critical importance for accountants to understand the basics of these investment structures. This timely session will focus on how to distinguish investment strategies from implementation tactics and illustrate how to objectively assess the credibility of performance reporting.
Lester Wigler, CPA, Citi Smith Barney

Keys to Prosperous Succession Planning in Mergers and Sales of Multipartner, Two-Partner, and Single Proprietor CPA Practices (2 CPE hours: Advisory Services)
The panel will provide insights as to (1) identification of an appropriate practice; (2) optimizing the integration of the practice, (3) compensation of merged or acquired partner—prior to and after commencement of retirement payouts, and (4) proper computation of retirement payouts. The panel will feature two prominent managing partners of New York metropolitan area firms of various sizes:  $20,000,000 plus, $5,000,000 plus, and approximately $1,000,000, who have personally experienced five or more of these transactions.  The panel will be moderated by Max Krotman, J.D., facilitator of hundreds of such mergers and acquisitions, and author of numerous articles in the field.
Max T. Krotman, Esq., Globalforce International, Inc.
John Repetti, CPA, Graf, Repetti LLP
Eugene Shalik, CPA, Shalik, Morris LLP

The Steps to Going Paperless and Paperless Best Practices (2 CPE hours: Specialized Knowledge and Applications)
A practice that is considering transitioning from paper-based to paperless must first iron out a process and methodology to transition to paperless. In this session, Mr. Mongeon will educate attendees on the steps to going paperless, from pre-planning through paperless technology integration. Managing Partners and Directors of IT will benefit from learning what to expect regarding timeline, technology integration, workflow, data storage, dynamic verses static file archiving environments, and how to best insulate a practice from the liabilities associated with going paperless.
Roger Mongeon, Vice President, Doc.It

The Professional Skills Workshop (2 CPE hours: Advisory Services)
This presentation will help participants assess and develop an inventory of professional skills so necessary in an environment dealing with colleagues, clients, and the public.  Topics will include written, verbal, and aural communication, interpersonal, image-building, relationship-building, and leadership management skills. 
Ilene L. Persoff, CPA, Ilene Leopold Persoff, CPA

General Session:
Ethics Update (2 CPE hours: Ethics)
A tenuous economy coupled with the profession’s rapidly evolving landscape means you need to be more vigilant than ever about meeting current ethical responsibilities, which are defined by myriad regulators and standard-setters. This intermediate level course is intended for CPAs who have taken previous CPE in regulatory ethics and is taught by a recognized expert in professional ethics. The course uses case studies to refresh and update your current knowledge of the profession’s rules, including auditor independence.
Catherine R. Allen, CPA, Audit Conduct LLC

The New Form 990 and Not-for-Profit Accounting Update (2 CPE hours: 1 hour Taxation and 1 hour Accounting)
A review of the reporting requirements included in the New IRS Form 990, including the areas of governance, tax compliance and compensation. Not-for-profit accounting update to include new disclosures for endowments, fair value reporting and accounting for uncertain tax positions under FIN 48.
Allan M. Blum, CPA, Loeb & Troper LLP

Work Flow: What Your Firm Needs to Know (2 CPE hours: Advisory Services)
In today’s economic environment, every CPA firm should be looking for ways to boost efficiency and stay competitive.  The solution: do more with less.  Automating the firm’s workflow can be a very effective way of achieving that goal.  In this session, Mr. Barrett will show how an accounting firm can increase its bottom line by improving and automating workflow for processes firm-wide, from back-office functions to tax preparations.
Stephen Barrett, CPA, CITP, and MCP, Partner, HKMP Technologies, LLC and Director of Information Technology at Held, Kranzler, McCosker & Pulice, LLP (HKMP)

Lunch
(Complimentary lunch for paid CPE registrants)

Hot Topics in CPA Firm Practice Management (2 CPE hours: Advisory Services)
What are the hot practice management topics keeping partners up at night?  In this session, we’ll look at what the hot practice management issues are for firms today.  This session will start with the 2007 PCPS Top MAP Issues Survey, which takes the pulse of the CPA profession by questioning firms around the country about the problems that are of greatest concern to them. In this session, you will find out the top practice management issues of the profession today broken down by firm size and work on solutions so you can start to develop a plan for your firm to solve these issues internally.
Mark J. Koziel, CPA, Senior Technical Manager, Specialized Communities—Firm Practice Management/PCPS, AICPA

Human Resources in a Changing Economy Issues (2 CPE hours: Advisory Services)
How are you dealing with the reality of our current economy and its effect on your workforce?  This session will walk though many of the human resource issues that have come into play as a result of our changing economy and the change in government.  How best do you deal with their effect on your workforce and HR practices?  What best practices and mistakes are businesses making as they attempt to maximize their human capital in a time of great financial constraint?  Hear the joint prospectives of a seasoned CFO and a labor law attorney on the financial, cultural and legal ramifications of these changes and have an opportunity to ask questions and come away with ideas on areas where you can improve or protect yourself.
Mark Ellis, CPA, ACA, SPHR, CFO, Michael C. Fina 
Robert FF. Milman, JD, Member, Milman Labuda Law Group