5 Great Conferences for CPAs in 2018

Accounting Conferences in 2018

  • AICPA Personal Financial Planning Summit
  • AICPA Employee Benefit Plans Conference
  • 8th Annual International Conference on Accounting and Finance (AF 2018)
  • IMA’s Annual Conference: ACE 2018 in Indianapolis
  • Grants Management Systems (GMS) Summit 2018

Members of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) come from all around the world. In 2017, AICPA revised its standards for continuing education for currently certified CPAs. Every three years, members must be able to show they’ve completed 60 hours of continuing professional development (CPD) learning, divided into 20 hours per year. Conferences for CPAs, along with summits and workshops for continuing education and professional development qualify for continuing education and learning. Accounting industry conferences are not usually held during United States’ tax season months of February to April. Here are five conferences that will help CPAs stay on top of trends in the accounting world in 2018.

AICPA Personal Financial Planning Summit

The AICPA’s 2018 personal financial planner-oriented summit is set for January 8-10 in Rancho Palos Verdes, California. The conference is designed to benefit CPAs who work as estate planners, tax advisers, and investment counselors for clients with significant assets. Issues for CPA firms will also be addressed, such as succession planning, mentoring new practice members, and emerging industry or G2 professionals, who are considered the key to growing financial planning practices for the future.

AICPA Employee Benefit Plans Conference

After tax season is over, CPAs may be ready for the AICPA Employee Benefit Plans conference, which will be held May 15-17 in Las Vegas, Nevada. CPAs, auditors, and tax advisors are invited to attend, along with employee benefit plan sponsors and corporate CFOs. Session topics include discrimination testing, ERISA Title I, EPCRS Correction Programs, and additional management, accounting, auditing and organizational development matters.

Featured Programs

8th Annual International Conference on Accounting and Finance (AF 2018)

The Global Science and Technology Forum is sponsoring the 8th Annual International Conference on Accounting and Finance on June 25-26, 2018 in Singapore. The conference is intended to benefit financial professionals who are involved in international business. Topics include international communication methodologies, interdisciplinary perspectives on accounting, and management accounting and organizational performance. The conference will also cover the effects of mandatory IFRS reporting standards and accounting standards in transitional international economies.

IMA’s Annual Conference: ACE 2018 in Indianapolis

The Institute of Management Accountants (IMA) is sponsoring its annual conference from June 16-20, 2018 in Indianapolis, Indiana. The corporate-focused accountancy association will introduce a new program track for strategy and competitive analysis to previous conference sessions on planning, budgeting and forecasting, mergers & acquisitions, business technology, ethics, and several other matters of importance to corporate finance professionals. Governance, risk management, and internal controls will also be covered, along with keynote speakers representing businesses like Kayak.com and Starbucks.

Grants Management Systems (GMS) Summit 2018

Nonprofit and government accounting professionals may be interested in the 2018 GMS Summit, scheduled for May 20-23 in Kansas City, Missouri. Grants Management Systems provides specialized accounting software used by government agencies and nonprofit organizations to manage government grant revenue and expenditures. The GMS system also incorporates revolving loans to help nonprofits cover expenditures while awaiting reimbursement. The conference will cover updates to government accounting standards and technology changes in the government accounting environment.

Depending on your accounting specialty, you could attend an accounting conference in a luxury vacation area, and combine continuing education hours with a few rounds of golf, sea kayaking, or yoga on the beach. Other conferences have shorter durations or are in businesslike surroundings, but may offer valuable training in accountancy, management, technology, the law and more. You can find many benefits to your practice or work by attending conferences for CPAs in 2018.