In the realm of global financial markets, there exist fascinating phenomena known as “black swans.” These are unexpected events with far-reaching consequences that often catch investors, analysts, and even governments by surprise, while creating a profound impact on markets.

Let’s delve into the world of black swan events, exploring their characteristics, historical examples, and implications for financial resilience. Participants will gain insights into how to navigate these unpredictable disruptions and enhance preparedness in an ever-changing economic landscape as we discuss their: 

1. Unpredictability: Black swan events are nearly impossible to predict accurately. They occur outside the realm of standard models and forecasting techniques, catching many market participants off guard.

2. High Impact: Black swans have an extraordinary impact on financial markets, triggering substantial volatility, liquidity shortages, and even systemic risks.

3. Post-Event Rationalization: After a black-swan event, there is a tendency to rationalize and devise explanations for its occurrence. However, this retrospective analysis may lead to overlooking potential black swans in the future.

Being vigilant and proactive in monitoring early warning signals is crucial for navigating black-swan events. By staying informed about global trends, market shifts, and emerging risks, individuals and organizations can anticipate potential disruptions and take preventive measures.

Field of Study: Finance
CPE: 1.50

Effective Personal Knowledge Management (PKM) is essential for career success, enhancing your ability to perform, innovate, and adapt. This PKM course aims to elevate your performance by teaching you to efficiently manage, apply, and share knowledge in today's dynamic landscape. You'll learn to embrace innovation, enhance productivity through organization, and become a thought leader, opening doors to new opportunities.

The course emphasizes the importance of PKM in improving performance, innovation, and adaptability. It includes analyzing tools and techniques for effective knowledge management and demonstrating how integrating Generative AI and ChatGPT can accelerate PKM processes, providing smarter, faster, and more personalized workflows. Developing these skills will prepare you to stay current with trends and develop new competencies.

Field of Study: Information Technology
CPE: 1.20

This course, designed specifically for accounting professionals, delves into the transformative potential of Generative AI in enhancing various aspects of your work. Participants will explore how AI-powered tools can serve as expert helpers in Excel, automating complex calculations, and data analysis tasks to boost productivity and accuracy. With its focus on practical applications, the course will cover the concept of custom GPT applications tailored to meet specific needs, providing personalized assistance and automating routine tasks to save time and reduce errors.

Moreover, the course will highlight how Generative AI can streamline content creation and summarization, enabling accountants to generate insightful reports, financial summaries, and presentations with ease. By leveraging these advanced AI capabilities, accountants can enhance their efficiency and deliver more accurate and detailed analyses. Join us to gain experience with practical AI applications and transform the way you work with this cutting-edge technology.

Field of Study: Computer Software & Applications
CPE: 1.20

Twenty-one days is the average downtime for a cyber attack. How would you maintain operations with limited access to your computer systems for 21 days? Cyber resilience is more than just cybersecurity – it’s your organization’s ability to prevent, respond to and recover from a cyber incident. Join us as Rafe explains the five critical steps of an effective cyber resilience program to help you proactively prepare for, respond to, and recover from cyber incidents.
 

Key Takeaways:
 * Understanding Cyber Resilience: Learn the core principles of cyber resilience and how it integrates cybersecurity with business continuity.
 * Risk Assessment and Management: Discover effective strategies to identify, assess, and mitigate cyber risks.
 * Incident Response Planning: Gain insights into developing robust incident response plans to minimize the impact of cyber incidents.
 * Introduction to Best Practices: Get an overview of best practices to maintain business operations amidst cyber threats.

Field of Study: Information Technology
CPE: 1.20

Outsourcing involves delegating tasks or functions to external vendors or service providers. This practice has been employed since the 1960s as businesses sought cost-saving opportunities by subcontracting back-office functions like payroll and data entry. The expansion of telecommunication infrastructure in the 1980s and 1990s facilitated a global expansion of outsourcing to countries such as India and the Philippines, which offered skilled workforces at lower costs. The surge in IT outsourcing from the 1990s to the 2000s was fueled by internet development, leading to the establishment of Business Process Outsourcing hubs. These hubs extended beyond IT to include services like HR, Finance, and Accounting, with locations expanding to Eastern Europe and Latin America. 

Recent trends indicate a shift towards choosing outsourcing partners in nearby or neighboring countries as an alternative known as Nearshoring. This approach reduces language, cultural, and time zone barriers, improves communication, and often presents a lower cost compared to onshoring. Join us to discuss the risks and benefits of nearshoring and outsourcing, along with key considerations for a successful transition!

Field of Study: Business Management & Organization
CPE: 1.20

In today’s business environment, automation is no longer just a buzzword but a critical component for enhancing efficiency and accuracy. This session provides practical insights on automating your organization using advanced tools from Zoho, Zapier, Microsoft, and others. We will focus on real-world applications, demonstrating how to automate key accounts payable, banking, and approval workflows. You will also learn to recognize and avoid common pitfalls in automation projects. This course is essential for accounting and financial professionals seeking to leverage automation to achieve greater efficiency, reduce errors, and foster a more productive work environment.

Upon completing this course, you should be able to:

• Outline the primary benefits of advanced automation in business processes

• Select appropriate automation tools for data extraction and transformation

• Identify Microsoft 365 plans and other tools that offer powerful automation capabilities like Power Automate

• Compare and contrast the functionalities and applications of Power Automate and Zapier

• Recognize business tasks that are prime candidates for automation

Field of Study: Computer Software & Applications
CPE: 1.50

Increasingly, accountants and auditors are called upon to use data analytics to understand and improve results. Yet, many 
professionals struggle with data analytics and remain unaware of how to obtain the needed results using tools they already own. 

In this session, you will learn about the four primary types of data analytics and when to use each. Further, you will learn how to 
generate meaningful analytical measurements using Excel, Power BI, and other tools and, more importantly, how to interpret the 
results. This session is for you if you seek to use data analytics – and who isn’t.

Learning Objectives
• List the four types of data analytics
• Identify examples of analytics available in Excel’s Analysis ToolPak
• Differentiate between correlation and causation
• Identify at least two analytical techniques available in Microsoft’s Power BI platform

Field of Study: Computer Software & Applications
CPE: 1.20

Generative Artificial Intelligence captured everyone's imagination when it launched in 2022, but it also creates opportunities for data leakage and inappropriate use of confidential data based on the terms of service. Unfortunately, everyone has clicked "I agree" on a Terms of Service (TOS) or End User License Agreement (EULA) document which they neither read nor understood. This session will review the standard terms embedded in these documents with thousands of words and incomprehensible terminology. Attend this breakout and learn what you wish you knew about analyzing and evaluating license agreements and privacy policies.

Upon completing this course, you should be able to:

• Identify at least one tool which helps users to organize and identify critical sections of license agreements

• Select the correct definition for key terms used in license agreements and privacy policies

• Explain how to identify significant sections in license agreements, including how to "opt out" of features that may    compromise your privacy

Field of Study: Computer Software & Applications
CPE: 1.20

In a world where change is relentless and competition is fierce, innovation and creativity are not just desirable—they are essential. Join Tom Triumph, renowned business consultant, speaker, and author of "Evolve or Die: Lessons for World-Class Innovation & Creativity," for an engaging talk that will transform your understanding of what it takes to achieve and sustain a thriving practice and business

Through inspiring and entertaining stories, he will reveal how individuals and organizations produce their best work, and share practical techniques and best practices to drive exceptional innovation and creativity.

Discover how the world's leading organizations avoid mediocrity and instead, foster a culture that champions creativity and innovation. Tom will delve into the secrets of how these companies build and maintain their edge, providing insights that can be applied by any organization or individual.

Whether you're a leader seeking to inspire your team or an individual aiming for personal growth, this keynote will equip you with the knowledge and tools to thrive in today's fast-paced world. Don’t miss this opportunity to elevate your innovative capabilities and drive improvement in your endeavors.

Key Takeaways: 
✓ Why being more innovative is especially important today 
✓ The secret of EVERY extraordinary company or person
✓ What NASA taught us about regaining our creative genius
✓ Learning something about every attendee’s brain
✓ Developing your superpower (proven with math) 
✓ What Steve Jobs taught me about culture

Special eBook: Also, as part of the session with Tom, he’ll lead us through a workshop wherein together attendees will write an eBook titled, “Future-Ready CPA: Collective Wisdom on Insights and Innovations Shaping the Future of Accounting.” The eBook will be distributed to attendees (and you’ll be listed as a co-author) approximately two weeks post event.

Field of Study: Business Management & Organization
CPE: 1.50