Description
In the worlds of business and industry, the biggest constant is change. This conference covers a myriad of topics aimed to comprehensively address the trends and solutions accounting professionals and business leaders need to understand in order to position their organizations for future success.
Objective
Participants will be able to collaborate with other finance executives and leaders, gain insights to emerging trends and issues in business and industry, and discuss various issues that impact CPAs and other financial decision-makers in business and industry.
Advanced Preparation
None
Required Knowledge
None
Who Should Attend
Controllers, CFOs, Finance Managers, and others responsible for the financial planning and strategy for their business or firm.
Credit Types
- CPE
Event Speaker(s)
GS1: Ready – Reset – Grow as a Financial Leader
Coming Soon!
- CPE – Personal Development: 1.5
GS3: From Insight to Impact: Real World Perspectives from Industry Leaders
Coming Soon!
- CPE – Specialized Knowledge: 1.2
1B: Impacts of Tariffs on A&A and Financial Planning
Tariff-related financial reporting now involves broader and more complex considerations than in past decades. This session reviews the current tariff landscape, addressing legal rulings and decisions about refunds. Participants will learn about aspects of tariff accounting implications, including accounting for possible refunds, revenue recognition implications, and disclosures.
- CPE – Accounting: 1.5
1A: From Controller to CFO
Coming Soon!
- CPE – Personal Development: 1.5
2A: Beyond the Numbers: Turning Analysis into Action
This session equips leaders to move beyond reporting and transform analysis into meaningful action. Participants will learn to recognize when the pursuit of perfect data slows timely decisions, connect financial metrics to the operational drivers that truly shape performance, and spot early signs when results don’t match operational reality. By strengthening financial judgment and uncovering the story behind the numbers, attendees will shift from explaining past outcomes to delivering forward‑looking insights that drive better decisions.
- CPE – Specialized Knowledge: 1.3
2B: Building an Ethical Culture in the Age of AI
Artificial Intelligence promises greater efficiency and insight, but it also introduces new temptations to cut corners, obscure risk, or shift responsibility. Recent behavioral research shows a higher likelihood of unethical behavior when decisions are delegated to AI tools. This session equips leaders to identify common ethical risk factors tied to AI, recognize real-time dilemmas from marketplace breakdowns, and explore the key elements of building an ethical culture with clear guardrails. Participants will apply a simple framework to strengthen professional judgment in AI-assisted work with clients, colleagues, and other stakeholders.
- CPE – Behavioral Ethics: 1.3
3A: Budgeting from the Bottom Up
Coming Soon!
- CPE – Finance: 1.3
3B: How to Sharpen Your Team’s Critical Thinking Skills
Critical thinking drives value in your day-to-day work and in the high-value projects and decisions that enable you to deliver greater impact. Build a repeatable habit stack for better judgment under pressure and deadlines. Learn to scan context, ask smarter questions, label trends versus anomalies, and uncover root causes. Explore concrete tools to test assumptions, review trends and patterns, and translate analysis into decision-ready recommendations. Employ AI as a tool to enhance, not replace judgment by adding context, questioning outputs, and converting results into your own words.
- CPE – Personal Development: 1.3
GS4: Strategic Storytelling
Effective storytelling engages customers, increases sales, rallies the troops, sells ideas internally and externally, recruits talented staff, and shares the key messages about your company and the services it provides. You’ll learn to plan, organize, and craft strategic stories, and then practice delivering those stories in a way that drives listeners to think, feel, and to take action.
- CPE – Communications and Marketing: 1.2
GS5: Industry and Legislative Hot Topics
Coming Soon!
- CPE – Specialized Knowledge: 1.5
GS6: The Fed’s Next Chapter: Banking, Interest Rates, and the Role of the Chair
This session provides a high‑level, accessible look at how the Federal Reserve influences the banking system, interest rates, and broader economic conditions—and how a change in Fed leadership can shift priorities and outcomes. With Kevin Warsh emerging as a potential or newly appointed Fed Chair, we’ll explore what his background, policy views, and leadership style could mean for financial institutions and the business community.
- CPE – Economics: 1.2
4A: Navigating Conflict and Tricky Conversations
Leaders at all levels need the courage to address and navigate conflict and tricky conversations directly, immediately, and consistently. But it takes more than just courage–it takes bringing the right mindsets, skills, and strategies to every relationship and conversation at work. You’ll learn how to approach difficult conversations with skill and confidence, get a new perspective on the difference between productive and unproductive conflict, identify the root causes of common workplace conflicts, and take away simple, effective language that can improve (almost) any conversation.
- CPE – Personal Development: 1.5
4B: ChatGPT / Google Gemini / Microsoft 365 Copilot Shootout
As we enter the fourth year of the generative AI revolution, we must get more focused on selecting the AI applications to provide the foundation for our application of artificial intelligence. The options are vast, however, there are a few clear leaders in the space. This session will provide an interactive comparison of three of the leading solutions; ChatGPT, Google Gemini and Microsoft 365 Copilot. We will compare these three power tools to help you in your decision-making process. Whether already have established your solution, this session will also help you to better understand the full range of generative AI capabilities.
- CPE – Computer Software & Applications: 1.5
5A: Better Management Reporting Clear + Simple
Most management reports are misunderstood and misused. Reports are dull and have been presented in the same manner for decades. Do your audiences sometimes fail to get the message? Learn how to grab your audience’s attention and deliver an actionable message. Discover the power of “The Trifecta” and the five secrets of effective reports and presentations. Learn how to make your messaging a “re-memorable event”. Learn how to give the users what they need to know. We will discuss how to make your reports useful and understandable to your audience. If management does not understand the financial reports they receive, and most do not, this seminar will provide keen insight to make your reports useful. Be the hero who delivers informative reports. We will show great examples of what to do and how.
- CPE – Business Management & Organization: 1.3
5B: Microsoft 365: Supercharging CPA Productivity
Microsoft 365 is one of the most underutilized software solutions across all organizations. This session will show you how to unlock the full potential of Microsoft 365. Dive deep into the hidden gems of Microsoft 365 that can elevate your productivity and streamline your processes. Learn practical tips and innovative strategies to leverage the suite’s powerful tools more effectively. Whether you’re looking to enhance collaboration or optimize task management, this session will equip you with the knowledge to transform your workflows.
- CPE – Computer Software & Applications: 1.3
6A: The Talent Paradigm: Strategic Succession and Upskilling or People-Centric Finance is the Differentiator
Coming Soon!
- CPE – Personnel/Human Resources: 1.3
6B: 2025 Technology Update: Emerging Trends that Matter
The session will kick off a macro level review of the rapidly evolving technology landscape. John will delve into the pivotal technology trends reshaping accounting and tax services. We will review an array of technologies including cloud computing, big data and data analytics, Artificial Intelligence (AI), blockchain technology and digital assets, financial / ERP software, audit and tax software.
- CPE – Information Technology: 1.3
GS8: Coming Soon!
Coming Soon!
- CPE – Business Management & Organization: 1.5
Registration Fees
| Registration | Type | Price |
|---|---|---|
| WCNBIF26: 3-Days-Member | Mem | $740 |
| WCNBIF26: 3-Days-Non-member | NM | $940 |
| WCNBIF26: Accounting Educator | AE | $ |
| WCNBIF26: Monday & Tuesday Only | NM-MT | $835 |
| WCNBIF26: Monday & Wednesday Only-Member | Mem-MW | $550 |
| WCNBIF26: Monday & Wednesday Only-Non-member | NM-MW | $750 |
| WCNBIF26: Monday Only -Non-member | NM-M | $555 |
| WCNBIF26: Monday Only-Member | Mem-M | $355 |
| WCNBIF26: Tuesday & Wednesday Only-Member | Mem-TW | $550 |
| WCNBIF26: Tuesday & Wednesday Only-Non-member | NM-TW | $750 |
| WCNBIF26: Tuesday Only-Member | Mem-T | $355 |
| WCNBIF26: Tuesday Only-Non-member | NM-T | $555 |
| WCNBIF26: Wednesday Only-Member | Mem-W | $225 |
| WCNBIF26: Wednesday Only-Non-member | NM-W | $425 |
| WCNBIF26:Monday & Tuesday Only-Member | Mem-MT | $550 |
The North Carolina Association of Certified Public Accountants is registered with the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA) as a sponsor of continuing professional education on the National Registry of CPE Sponsors. State boards of accountancy have final authority on the acceptance of individual courses for CPE credit. Complaints regarding registered sponsors may be submitted to the National Registry of CPE Sponsors through its website: www.nasbaregistry.org/.For information regarding refund, complaint, program cancellation or other policies, visit our Registration Policies page or call 800-469-1352.