CONTINUING EDUCATION FOR TAX & FINANCIAL PROFESSIONALS

Clearwater Beach,FL

November 2023

A sparkling gem on Florida’s Gulf coast, Clearwater is one of America’s favorite beach destinations for many reasons: family fun, waterfront dining, a world-famous aquarium, and more.

Clearwater Beach,FL

November 13th – November 17th

Southern Living said it best: “Few beach towns have it all, but Clearwater is one of those rare and precious jewels.” Live the Gulf Coast life for a few precious days, with its blend of laid-back comfort and sun-kissed sophistication. Expect beautiful weather, gorgeous beaches, and unforgettable food.

 


Sandpearl

Save the most when you book through Western CPE. Get the best discounts with Conference booking, along with the Western CPE team to help you along the way. 

Starting at $298 Per Night

Room Block Cutoff Date: [SOLD OUT]
Our group room block is now sold out, but we recommend these accommodation options, which are just minutes away from the conference venue:

Vacation at a Glance

Population

116,674

Best Time

October-November

Time Zone

Eastern Standard Time

Founded

1897

Climate

Tropical Savanna

Nickname

Pinellas

Learning at a Glance

Class Days

November 13th – 17th

Number of Courses

8

Topic Highlights

Taxes, Accounting & Auditing, Computer Software & Applications, Business Management & Organization, Auditing, Other

New Federal Tax Update

Available

Instructor Highlights

Alice Orzechowski, Frank Ryan, K2 Enterprises, Robert Jamison, Jennifer Elder

Live Credits Available

30

World Class Instructors

If there’s one thing Western CPE Conferences are known for, it’s our instructors. These industry veterans provide courses that are our signature mix of engaging, thought-provoking, and informative. At the end of your CPE conference vacation, you’ll leave feeling refreshed and recharged, but you’ll also have more professional expertise than ever. 

About the Conference Venue

5/5

The Sandpearl Resort is a sun-kissed beachfront resort on the white sands of Clearwater Beach. Guests come for the crystal blue waters and breathtaking views, but what keeps them coming back is the resort’s laid-back elegance and comfortable, coastal-inspired attitude. It’s the perfect combination of relaxation and luxury on the Gulf Coast. Hit the lagoon pool, indulge at the spa, or take an afternoon nap beneath a beach umbrella—the world’s your oyster at The Sandpearl.

  • 700 Feet of Private Coastline
  • Sunset Cruises
  • Clearwater’s only AAA Four-Diamond Award restaurant

Select Your Conference Courses

Clearwater Beach,FL

All courses take place from 7:30 am – 1:00 pm

November 13th – November 17th

Day One - November 13

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Course Description

Combining the real-life experience of a practicing CPA with essential down-to-earth tax materials in a high-tech format, this powerful presentation will enable participants to grasp recent individual tax changes. You’ll receive the most complete and up-to-date reference manual, written by renowned tax experts.  The digital PDF manual is hyperlinked to the Internal Revenue Code, tax court decisions, and other primary authorities, making it an extremely convenient resource. Join us as our world-class tax instructors share cutting-edge tax planning strategies in a high energy, often humorous presentation style using real-life experiences, which make complicated tax topics easily understandable. Specific course topics will be announced and updated through year-end.

Learning Objectives

Upon successful completion of this course, participants will accomplish:
  • Increased understanding of individual and business federal tax reform developments;
  • Tax savings strategies for individuals;
  • Enhanced knowledge of the different types of individual and business retirement plans, assessing contribution limits, elective deferral limitations, and prohibited transactions;
  • The ability to compare and contrast qualified Roth contribution plans, SEPs, SIMPLE IRAs, and 401(k) plans;
  • Identify top estate planning strategies; and
  • Increased understanding of current IRS administration and compliance issues.

Day Two - November 14

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Course Description

Combining the real-life experience of a practicing CPA with essential down-to-earth tax materials in a high-tech format, this powerful presentation will enable participants to grasp recent individual tax changes. You’ll receive the most complete and up-to-date reference manual, written by renowned tax experts.  The digital PDF manual is hyperlinked to the Internal Revenue Code, tax court decisions, and other primary authorities, making it an extremely convenient resource. Join us as our world-class tax instructors share cutting-edge tax planning strategies in a high energy, often humorous presentation style using real-life experiences, which make complicated tax topics easily understandable. Specific course topics will be announced and updated through year-end.

Learning Objectives

Upon successful completion of this course, participants will be able to:
  • Discuss business tax reform developments;
  • Enumerate planning ideas for business tax reform; and
  • Accurately prepare returns for business taxpayers.

Day Three - November 15

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Course Description

This course will explore some of the most essential tools for measuring financial and operational success, as well as improving results. Appendices will be provided to give students hands-on applicable materials that can be utilized after completion of the course.

Learning Objectives

Upon completion of this course, participants will be able to:
  • Understand the importance of conducting strategic and operational risk analysis for all facets of business;
  • SOC Scope Audits of Systems of Internal Controls;
  • Determining appropriate critical risk factors;
  • Determining appropriate measures of effectiveness;
  • Understand and utilize an ROIC Tree;
  • Calculate the External Funds Needed for a business;
  • Identify key elements of lean accounting and process activity mapping; and
  • Understand activity based costing in combination with lean systems.
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Course Description

How good are you with the technology you use daily? What new technology tools are available that could save you time and make you more effective? Technology continues to accelerate rapidly, and the need to keep pace is important. If you are not an information technology (IT) expert, but need a technology update to maintain and improve your skills so that you can serve your companies and/or clients more efficiently and effectively, then this course is for you!

In this fast-paced, update-style course, you will survey today’s IT environment, learning about computer hardware, software (including Office 2016/Office 2019/Office 365), operating systems (including Windows 10) and what they mean for you, and peripheral devices. You will also learn about significant trends in information technology and how to take advantage of the opportunities presented by these trends. Examples include the latest Excel features, working with PDF files, and security and privacy issues. Additionally, you will learn how to improve the overall performance of your IT investment, thereby increasing your return on investment.

Throughout this program, you will learn from real-time demonstrations of practical applications of the latest tools which can provide you with knowledge you need to harness the power of technology, both now and in the future. Register now for this “don’t miss” opportunity to get the skills needed to enhance the value of your IT investment.

Learning Objectives

Upon completing this course, you should be able to:
  • Identify key hardware and software enhancements and updates that are relevant to accountants, including operating systems, desktop productivity suites, accounting software, and document management systems;
  • Implement key features in Microsoft Office applications, including accountant-centric features in Excel, Word, and Outlook;
  • List and apply key features found in Adobe Acrobat for working with PDFs, including commenting, reorganizing PDFs, securing PDFs, and creating and working with PDF forms; and
  • Identify key security and privacy issues facing accountants, including practical tools and techniques for mitigating risk, such as data encryption, password management, biometrics, and portals.

Day Four - November 16

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Course Description

Our financial and economic series is designed to take key topics for financial executives and explore them in detail such that the CFO/Controller/Financial Executive can take away useful and practical recommendations dealing with the topic at hand.   The program explores the current economic trends and analyze their impact on you as the financial executive in areas professional skepticism, medical care costs, social security viability, the dollar as a world currency, the national infrastructure and the “fate of the states” as well as the AICPA’s top 10 trends and technologies.  Specific recommendations and insights will be offered to you to deal with the challenges.

Course highlights: Understanding the prophetic financial issues for the CFO/Controller to include:

  • Professional skepticism and the CPA
  • Becoming attuned to broad based business knowledge
  • Becoming a futurist to effectively lead your organization to success

Learning Objectives

Upon completing this course, participants will be able to:
  • CPA becoming attuned to broad based business knowledge, professional skepticism, and subordination of judgment;
  • The future of medical care in the United States in a post COVID-19 environment;
  • Future of social security and impact on retirement planning and employee retention;
  • Impact on financial executive if the dollar is no longer the world currency;
  • “Fate of the States” – will the location of your business make you less competitive;
  • Future of interest rates;
  • Impact of greater reliance on technology;
  • AICPA top 10 trends and technologies;
  • National infrastructure; and
  • ESG and DEI trends in the global economy.
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Course Description

This one-day course is up to date with all significant legislative, administrative and judicial developments up to the date of presentation. It includes S corporation eligibility and election requirements, basis and other loss limits, taxable and net investment income, distributions compensation, and entity structuring. It also includes state-specific rules regarding entities and taxes.

Learning Objectives

Upon completion of this course, participants will be able to:
  • Understand the basic requirements of S corporation eligibility;
  • Determine the pass-through of income, loss and other items from the S corporation to the shareholder;
  • Calculate basis in stock and debt, including adjustments;
  • Understand the compensation rules applicable to S corporation shareholder-employees;
  • Calculate an S corporation’s built-in gain;
  • Be aware of multiple entity structures; and
  • Grasp the options for purchase and sale of an S corporation.

Day Five - November 17

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Course Description

Today’s accounting and financial professionals need leading-edge technologies to thrive in a high-speed economy. Unfortunately, many still use tools that first appeared over a decade ago, or are mired in manual processes.  This practice leads to inefficiency, fraud, poor decisions, and ineffective communication and collaboration.

Participate in this session to learn about today’s best accounting and finance tech tools, how to take advantage of them, and the benefits they provide. You’ll be amazed at what is available, how easy implementing these can be, and the benefits they offer.

  • Using data analytics for better decisions
  • Business intelligence platforms
  • Automating business processes
  • Integrating data across the organization
  • Communication and collaboration tools
  • Key security technologies

Learning Objectives

Upon completion of this course, participants will be able to:
  • Differentiate between data analytics and business intelligence and list examples of each;
  • Identify at least three opportunities for automating transaction flows, including approvals, in any organization;
  • List examples of the benefits of data integration and specific tools you and your team can use to facilitate data integration efforts;
  • Cite examples of technology to facilitate intra-team communication and collaboration efforts and the related benefits; and
  • List at least three security concerns facing businesses and provide examples of solutions to address these risks.
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Course Description

The world has changed, but has your finance department changed with it or are they doing the same things the same way they always have? Being technically competent is no longer enough; you have to be able to connect with people throughout your organization. In this session, we will cover definition and characteristics of strategic leadership. We will review 30 roles to enhance: your position in the organization, your interactions with other departments, and your strategic role in your organization. These strategic roles will help move you and your department into the future; go from being a disliked cost center to an appreciated, value-adding resource within your organization. This course is designed to build on what you are already doing right and add specific steps you can implement immediately to have a positive impact on your organization’s future.

Learning Objectives

After completing this course, you will be able to:
  • Define what it means to be strategic
  • Identify opportunities to add value throughout your organization
  • Describe the 8 characteristics of strategic leaders
  • Discover tips for hiring and developing a strategic team
  • Identify roles to enhance your strategic skill set and improve how others see you in the organization
  • Identify roles for developing strategic skills in your subordinates, team-mates, and coworkers

5 Days Includes:

40 Total Credits (30 CPE CREDITS +10 BONUS CREDITS)

$2,975 $3,990

You Save: $1,015 (25%)

Note: Extra Savings are reflected in the cart and at checkout.

4 Days Includes:

32 Total Credits (24 CPE CREDITS +8 BONUS CREDITS)

$2,549 $3,192

You Save: $643 (20%)

Note: Extra Savings are reflected in the cart and at checkout.

3 Days Includes:

24 Total Credits (18 CPE CREDITS +6 BONUS CREDITS)

$2,029 $2,394

You Save: $365 (15%)

Note: Extra Savings are reflected in the cart and at checkout.

2 Days Includes:

16 Total Credits (12 CPE CREDITS +4 BONUS CREDITS)

$1,439 $1,596

You Save: $157 (10%)

Note: Extra Savings are reflected in the cart and at checkout.

1 Day Includes:

8 Total Credits (6 CPE CREDITS +2 BONUS CREDITS)

$798

Note: Extra Savings are reflected in the cart and at checkout.

Please select conference courses above to continue.


Frequently Asked Questions

The maximum number of CPE credits you can earn at most Western CPE conferences is 40; this includes up to 10 Bonus CPE online credits. 

To provide our customers with the utmost flexibility, Western CPE happily accommodates split registration requests. For example, if you register to attend 5 days, you can take your family to Orlando for 3 class days and then go to Las Vegas later in the year for the other 2 class days. Keep in mind that when you register and pay for a conference, you must use those conference days in the same calendar year and cannot be transferred to another year. 

Western CPE offers group discounts for conferences.

Please call (844) 690-2167 and ask to speak to a Corporate Solutions representative. Group discounts cannot be used in conjunction with any other special offer or promotion.

Please call (844) 690-2167 and ask to speak to a Corporate Solutions representative. Group discounts cannot be used in conjunction with any other special offer or promotion.

You can! Select your classes from our available Conferences and we will automatically apply the Save Now, Choose Later at checkout.

If you need further assistance, please call us at (800) 822-4194 or email wcpe@westerncpe.com.

Important note: “Save Now, Choose Later” conference registrations cannot be carried over to a subsequent conference year. If you do not attend a conference in the same year the registration payment was made, you will forfeit payment.

Bonus CPE courses will be available to participants at the time of registration.

You can apply your Bonus CPE to any Webcast or Self-Study products at checkout.

Bonus CPE credits will expire in your account on December 31 at midnight EST. You will no longer be able to enroll in a course after that date.

If you need further assistance, please call us at (800) 822-4194 or email wcpe@westerncpe.com.

Once attendance is reconciled, your certificates of completion will be available in your account. Once certificates have been issued, you can also access them in your Western CPE customer account. Use this link to access your certificate directly, https://www.westerncpe.com/account/my-certificates/

Breakfast for conference attendees is served each morning prior to class and a light snack is provided mid-morning. Attendees are on their own for lunch and dinner. 

The conference registration price does not include lodging. The conference price is just for your CPE.

Western CPE does not book flights for conference participants. However, we encourage you to take advantage of discounts available for Western CPE conference attendees.

Western CPE has contracted discounted accommodations with the resort properties, however all customers are responsible for making their own reservations directly with the hotel either through the reservation link on our website or by calling the hotel directly and specifying you are a Western CPE conference attendee. Group rates apply to initial room blocks, which occasionally sell out. It’s always best to make your room reservation immediately after booking your conference.

We want you to be comfortable at our conferences, so at most locations, resort casual is recommended. At some conferences, such as our cruises, it’s recommended that gentlemen have a jacket and tie for evening dining. Our main goal is for you to receive quality education comfortably!

Western CPE gives you several options for replacing a day of live instruction. Please contact customer care at (800) 822-4194 for details. 

Yes! We sincerely appreciate all customer referrals and encourage you to bring along your peers so that they may experience our popular CPE Conferences firsthand. Individual guests will be charged our full registration fee, and for groups of 5 or more, discounts are available. 

Each day you attend a conference, you are awarded 6 credits for completing the course.

You also get an additional 2 bonus credits awarded to you that can be used for online CPE. Keeping in mind that bonus credits expire at the end of each calendar year.

You must attend the conference to obtain your 2 additional credits for each day. If you decide to cancel the conference by switching your conference to online CPE or store credit, you forfeit your additional bonus cpe.