VSCPA Mega CPE Day - August

Join us for an insightful webinar designed to help you establish a strong culture of security within your firm and proactively safeguard both firm and client data from the growing threat of cyber breaches. 

In this session, you will learn: 

• The importance of security compliance.
• Why security should be a core, ongoing part of your firm’s DNA.
• How to develop a robust Written Information Security Plan (WISP).
• The role of technology in seamless security management.
• How to build success metrics to monitor and improve your security posture.

This session is essential for firm owners, operations leaders and IT managers who want to enhance their security strategy and protect their firm's reputation and client trust. Whether you're just beginning to implement a security plan or looking to refine existing practices, you'll walk away with actionable insights to strengthen your firm’s long-term resilience.

Overwhelmed by all the cybersecurity claims vendors boast? It's more complicated than ever to separate substance from noise, especially since many companies use AI to sound impressive and credible.

Fortunately, former cybersecurity officer Luke Kiely will show you how to spot misleading security claims, implement practical security measures at your firm without disrupting your work flow, and use good security practices to build client trust and grow your business. No technical jargon. Just clear, actionable advice you can use immediately. 

In this webinar, you will learn: 

• The cybersecurity misinformation crisis and how to identify credible information.
• Common misleading vendor claims and verification techniques.
• Accounting-specific security frameworks that protect your practice.
• Practical WISP implementation strategies that balance security and productivity.
• How to leverage security practices as a competitive advantage in client acquisition and retention.

This presentation will highlight risks facing CPAs performing advisory services, tax, audit, review, compilation and even preparation of financial statements. Topics will include Employee Retention Credit, beneficial ownership reporting requirements under the Corporate Transparency Act, and more. In addition, this presentation will offer lessons learned from CAMICO’s decades-long history defending CPAs from claims; explore potential jury implications; and provide important dos and don’ts to protect CPAs and their clients. Applying the risk management tips shared in this presentation should help minimize professional liability risk associated with practicing public accounting given the profession’s current challenges.  

Participants of this presentation will: 

• Gain a greater understanding of the many nuances of CPA liability exposure given the current challenges facing the accounting profession … where risk comes from
• Learn the differences between the CPA’s responsibilities under professional and ethical standards of care and juries’ expectations of those responsibilities 
• Discover risk management techniques to protect a firm and better serve clients within the current legal and professional paradigm 
• Learn practical ideas to avoid claims: 
  - When performing tax services 
  - When preparing or reporting on financial statements 
  - When providing client advisory services (“CAS”) 
  -  Related to taxpayers aggressively pursuing tax credits 
  - From relying on documents clients provide 
  - Involving fraud allegations

This session offers a practical introduction to private markets investing, equipping participants with the knowledge to better support clients or institutional decision-making. We will define the landscape of private investments and explore key principles relevant to this asset class. The presentation will also examine the strategic case for allocating to private markets, covering potential return drivers, diversification benefits, and risk considerations. Lastly, we’ll address portfolio construction fundamentals, helping attendees to better understand how private investments can be integrated into a broadly diversified portfolio.

Join us for a focused session designed for client advisory services (CAS) leaders, as we dive into crafting a dynamic HR advisory firm strategy. From identifying service offerings to staffing and pricing strategies, attendees will gain actionable insights to elevate their firms in the realm of client advisory. Don't miss this opportunity to unlock new avenues for growth and success in CAS through an effective HR advisory firm strategy. 

Attendees will learn how to...

• Review effective HR advisory offerings and strategies.
• Gain actionable HR insights to enhance your CAS practice.

Attendees will learn how to scale their practice, increasing revenue without a subsequent increase in costs, while leveraging systems and technology. Most accounting firms are relying on the owner to be the "technician." To scale and increase value in the firm, the owner needs to transition from being the one who does the work to the one who manages the work through systems. This workshop will show them how. 

This session will cover the features and benefits of Invest529. There will be a focus on maximizing tax advantages, tax treatment of scholarships and cancellations and implications on financial aid.   

At then end of this session, attendees will have an understanding of Invest529 and the tax-advantages including: 

• Investment portfolio options.
• Contribution limits and 5-year averaging.
• Tax benefits including Virginia state income tax deduction.
• Grandparent and other third-party accounts.
• Qualified versus non-qualified expenses.
• Eligible institutions.
• Tax implications for cancellations, scholarships and non-qualified distributions.