Self-Study
Creating Effective Charts
Transform complex tax data into powerful visual presentations using Excel charts and PowerPoint, enabling clearer client communication and more engaging professional reports.
$87.00
Webcasts are available for viewing Monday – Friday, 8am – 8pm ET,
and Saturday & Sunday, 10am – 6pm ET.
Without FlexCast, you must start with enough time to finish. (1 Hr/Credit)
 Secure Transaction CPE Credits
3 Credits: Computer Software & Applications
Course Level
Overview
Format
Self-Study
Course Description
The Journal of Accountancy stated that audiences understand and remember numerical information more easily when a CPA presents it visually as well as verbally. Charts can make complex data easier to understand, highlight trends and can identify outliers more readily than numbers alone. It can also facilitate quicker decision making by summarizing information visually.
This course covers the basics of creating, editing and formatting a chart and more. It also shows you how to create a default chart as well as a custom chart. It discusses different chart types such as a combination chart, 2 y axis chart, stock charts, funnel charts and waterfall charts. The course also discusses how to efficiently link your Excel charts into PowerPoint and Word so that your presentations are always up-to-date.
Learning Objectives
- Differentiate between the different chart types and recognize their components so that they can select the appropriate chart type to use for a particular presentation.
- Recognize the different steps involved in creating charts.
- Recognize how to edit existing charts by resizing, changing chart type, moving chart elements and adding/ deleting data series by using contextual tabs menus and short cut keys
- Recognize how to apply formatting techniques, such as colors and inserting objects such as graphics, to a chart.
- Recognize how to change the default chart type.
- Recognize the steps required to create custom chart types and how to save them as templates to improve efficiency.
- Differentiate between the different methodologies of linking Excel data and using static Excel data into PowerPoint presentations.
- Recognize how fonts, colors, graphics, documentation and printing can impact the professionalism of a PowerPoint presentation.
Course Specifics
2204603
August 13, 2026
This course is written for Microsoft Office 365 users. However, users with Excel 2016 or later should have little difficulty. A basic understanding of file management (how to open and save files) is assumed. You should be comfortable using Excel and PowerPoint at a basic level.
None
125
Compliance Information
CFP Notice: Not all courses that qualify for CFP® credit are registered by Western CPE. If a course does not have a CFP registration number in the compliance section, the continuing education will need to be individually reported with the CFP Board. For more information on the reporting process, required documentation, processing fee, etc., contact the CFP Board. CFP Professionals must take each course in it’s entirety, the CFP Board DOES NOT accept partial credits for courses.
Meet The Experts
Patricia McCarthy, MBA, is a partner at CFO Resources LLC, a company focused on training and courseware for CPAs. Her focus is on Microsoft products, particularly Excel, and how to use these programs effectively in business. She’s also certified as an MOS expert in Excel. Patricia has been in software training for over 20 years, and her client list includes the Indiana CPA Society, which awarded her its Outstanding Discussion Leader award. She has been a contributor to the Journal of Accountancy and has published articles in several CPA society magazines, including societies in Indiana, Missouri, Texas, and Arizona. Patricia is a …
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