Garland Granger – CPE TOPICS 2012 @ Holt CPE

By Garland Granger, CPA, CIA, CFE

(For CPE Sponsor – Professional Accounting Seminars, Inc. & various in-house CPE presentaions for CPA firms & other organizations)

8 hours of CPE per Topic: (for all of the following seminars)

Live instruction format based on the provided course material
No prerequisites or advanced preparation required
Intermediate level of content (but flexible for each group)

(DIC) Developing Internal Controls to Maximize Efficiency and Reduce Asset Theft (8 hours of A&A) New for 2012

The role of the CPA in public practice or industry is to assist the client or management to operate more efficiently and reduce the risk of asset shrinkage due to theft. Failures due to lack of effective controls negatively impact the reputation and image of any organization. This seminar will provide you with the information necessary to help assist clients/management in reducing these risks. This seminar covers a variety of useful techniques that are easy and inexpensive to implement but that have a positive impact bottom line.

This seminar has the following learning objectives:

Gain an understanding of the nature of internal controls, how the lack of controls can negatively impact the organization, and the basic definition of internal controls and the problems this definition has created.
Discuss Chaos Theory and materiality as a vehicle to distinguish the difference between these concepts in an audit from the development and evaluation of internal controls.
Learn the role of ethics and integrity and how they affect the effectiveness of any internal control system.
Provide a background on the development of internal controls over the past one hundred years to determine how we arrive at our current destination and where we might go in the future.
Examine the eight ways that asset misappropriations can occur and develop controls to prevent and detect each type of fraud so minimize losses for clients/management.
Examine the COSO model for evaluating and developing internal controls.
Use many real-world cases to apply the concepts discussed in the material.

(CR) Compilation and Review Update – 2012 (8 hours of A & A)

The Accounting and Review Services Committee (ARSC) has issued SSARS 19, which greatly changed most previously-issued standards. This seminar will examine all recently-issued standards and their impact on the CPA. It is a must for new staff members as well as those not-so-new members who need a refresher regarding compilations and reviews. This seminar also addresses some of the practical problems of providing quality engagements, accepting and terminating clients, and some of the major issues with independence. The participant will work many short application problems that apply in a variety of practical situations that confront CPAs on a regular basis.

This seminar has the following learning objectives:

To understand the core requirements of SSARS (including all new ones)
To learn how to apply these requirements in a variety of practical ways.
To learn why engagement letters and representations letters are so vital.
To examine the various reporting issues in compilations and reviews.
To develop clear guidelines for dealing with quality work, dismissal of a client, and the legal environment.
To discuss and evaluate independence issues facing CPAs in compilations and reviews.
To examine some firm policies and procedures for implementing SSARS to improve the quality of the work.

(BT) Business Ownership Transitions – Buying, Selling, and Exit Strategies (Updated for 2012) 4 hours of A&A + 4 hours of Management CPE

With the onslaught of the retirement of the baby boomer generation, one can expect lots of activity in this area over the next five years. Proper planning for an ownership transition can make the difference between success, failure, or serious disappointments especially in the financial environment that exists today. This seminar is perfect for any CPA advising a client or for CFOs guiding management when a business transition is anticipated within the next five years, especially in the current financial market.

This seminar has the following learning objectives:

To gain an understanding of the reasons why transitions often fail so we can learn from the mistakes of others.
To learn how to shape a good exit or entry strategy.
To examine special problems related to family owned businesses in transition.
To learn how to prepare a business financially for a transition.
To understand the cultural differences between businesses and how to make those differences work in a transition, if possible.
To gain a better understanding of due diligence that goes well beyond the numbers.
To examine a variety of techniques for enhancing and determining business valuation.
To examine how negotiations should take place and the best people to be involved in that process.
To learn how to “close the deal” with proper financing.

The following topics are available for “in-house” presentations by companies, CPA firms, & other organizations:

(AWC) Advanced Workshop for CFOs/Controllers (8 hours of Management CPE)

How does the CFO/controller add value to the organization in the mind of management/owners of any business? The role of the CFO has changed from being in the back room to that of a top decision-maker in the organization. This seminar will address the ever-changing role of the CFO and learn the tools necessary to add value to the organization. The topics discussed in this workshop will provide the CFO with these advanced skills.

The primary learning objectives include:

How to reinvent and redesigna winning business model in an emerging market using a case study approach.
Examine key performance indicators and measurement metrics for forecasting and evaluation.
Techniques for improving communication of the corporate visionand ways to effectively implement that vision from the top down to the lowest level.
How to apply Enterprise Risk Management (EFM) to manage risks effectively to sustain operations and achieve business objectives.
Examine effective methods for financial reporting within the organization
Improving your overall management skills.

(FDM) Financial Statement Analysis for Decision Makers (8 hours of A&A CPE)

The primary purpose of financial statement analysis is to make decisions by understanding the results of the analysis. To achieve this objective, one must fully understand the unique characteristics of any company and how to measure the key indicators necessary to make good decisions. This seminar will approach decision making from various points of view such as stockholders, management, bankers, creditors, and to help management identify possible fraud indicators.
This seminar has the following learning objectives:

Learn the various tools available for analysis and the usefulness and limitations of these tools.
Use analysis for problem-solving (not just information) as well as providing expectations of performance.
Learn how to properly understand the current business environment prior to analysis
Learn how to develop a complete understanding of the nature of the business and risks before examining the numbers
Learn how to utilize analysis to improve profitability and for forecasting future results.
Examine the financial metrics utilized by bankers and creditors
Use analysis as a vital tool in fraud detection.
This seminar uses a case study approach to apply the tools discussed above.

(RM) Right on the Money – Modern Techniques for Analyzing & Controlling Cash & Liquidity (8 hours of A&A CPE)

Every manager/owner spends untold hours each week dealing with cash flow (or lack of cash flow) issues and determining how to cut costs to increase cash flow. This seminar is designed to ease the burden that a lack of cash flows presents by examining some up-to-the-minute techniques for improving liquidity. This seminar will address ways to properly analyze cash flow, plan for cash flow, make good financial decisions, and develop proper controls over liquidity..

This seminar has the following learning objectives:

To examine ways to cut costs in a tight economy to improve cash flow.
To understand the ways cash planning can assist in keeping a company right on the money flow.
To discuss innovative ways to improve the inflows and control the outflows of cash.
To examine the wide array of financial instruments and bank programs designed to assist businesses in improving cash management.
To implement proper internal controls over cash as a means of improving cash flow.
To apply cash flows to various practical techniques for capital budgeting to improve allocation decisions by management.
To learn the various types of check fraud that can rob a business of cash flow.

(SIS) Survivor Island for Struggling Businesses (8 hours of Management CPE)

In a survey reported by USA Today, 51% of small business owners believe that they will not be in business by the end of 2011 if the economy does not improve (soon). Business owners feel that they are on Survivor Island struggling to remain a going concern. This presents the CPA with the opportunity to help management learn how to ride the stimulus spending wave safely and profitable to the beach. Times like these call for creative ways to compete: to increase revenues, manage expenses, and manage people. It also provides business owners with the opportunity to examine business processes to streamline operations. This course is a must for any business that not only wants to survive this economy, but learn how to thrive in the midst of the economy. This seminar will help the CPA learn techniques for stimulus to work for you and not against you.

This seminar has the following learning objectives:

Evaluate and manage individual assets to increase revenues.
Techniques for working more creatively with customers to improve your marketing strategy.
Ways to work with your employees to reduce anxiety and improve morale and productivity.
How to work with financial institutions and creditors to reduce debt.
How to be a better leader in difficult times.
Improve controls to avoid financial disaster due to fraud and errors.
Use short-term survival planning to establish proper survival priorities.
Evaluate business processes as a vehicle for streamlining operations.

(RBR) Reducing Business Risks Through Internal Controls (8 hours of A&A CPE credit)

Managing business risk is a high profile job for management, the board of directors, and the CPA. Failures due to lack of risk assessment and controls negatively impact the reputation and image of the organization. This seminar will provide you with the information necessary to help assist management in evaluating and reducing business risk. This seminar covers a variety of useful techniques that are easy and inexpensive to implement.

This seminar has the following learning objectives:

Help companies preserve assets & prepare for a more efficient & less expensive audit or tax return.
Gain a good understanding of the nature of business risk, how these risks can negatively impact the organization, and the basic definition of internal control and the problems this definition has created.
Learn the role of ethics and integrity and how they affect the effectiveness of any internal control system.
Examine the COSO model for evaluating and developing internal controls.
Review the new standards on Managing the Business Risk of Fraud: A Practical Guide issued by the AICPA, ACFE, and IIA.
Examine the 5 principles for a proactive approach for establishing an environment to manage business risk effectively.
Use real-world cases to apply the COSO model to help establish good controls in a variety of risky situations.