May CE Workshops: Register Before May 15

Reserve your spot in Winnipeg, Calgary, Vancouver, or Toronto. Be prepared to respond to requests for post-filing information and set up the best defence for your clients in case of appeal. See the full agenda for this May's Distinguished Advisor Workshop.

This year, everything is different – you'll be assembling responses to information requests electronically, and you'll be working with a tax department more intent on finding international tax cheats and delinquents. To be a sharp tax advocate, and help your clients win – especially in the grey areas – you need to know the Rules of the Game, and you will need to deliver them purposefully and with a high degree of technical knowledge and research to back up your response. Most of all, you need to be confident in your ability to challenge tax assessments, reassessments and audits because you are both technically accurate and have the organizational framework to make a case throughout the appeals process down pat.

Key Concepts: This workshop will prepare seasoned tax professionals to respond to requests for additional information from CRA post-assessment, on reassessment, audit, or net worth adjustments. It focuses on the administration of the law as well as the law itself, with an emphasis on taxpayer rights. In addition, the audience will be brought up to speed on new electronic responses to information requests from information required by CRA, the latest technical competencies required based on the most recent federal budget and, finally, invited to develop their professional presentation skills as a financial educator, and advocate with a certified instructor training session. Volunteer participants will be asked to present several sample audit response case studies in a role playing session. All participants will be asked to submit a sample audit defence response and/or lesson plan in a tax literacy topic as part of their pre-work.

Course Instructors and Speakers: This one-day workshop is delivered with three course components: pre-session assignment, in class notes, and a PowerPoint presentation will accompany the Instructor-led training, featuring Alan Rowell and Evelyn Jacks as well as representatives from our lead sponsor Thompson Reuters. 

Lunch and coffee with snacks provided. 

CE/CPD Accreditation:  6 hours

Meet Our Distinguished Speakers

Evelyn Jacks – Technical Defence Preparation and Financial Educator Training

Evelyn is the Founder and President of Knowledge Bureau, a virtual campus focused on professional development of tax and financial advisors.

Knowledge Bureau's mission is to raise standards for excellence in financial education with relevant and practical knowledge and skills. It strives to provide an outstanding educational experience to adult learners who call Knowledge Bureau their lifelong academic home. Knowledge Bureau also publishes financial books for consumers who want a better relationship with their advisors.

Evelyn was recently named one of Canada's Top 25 Women of Influence. She is one of Canada's most prolific and best-selling authors of 48 personal tax and wealth management books, and a highly respected financial commentator and speaker.

She writes in numerous regional, national and online publications including the Toronto Star and the Toronto Stock Exchange, and appears regularly on CBC Newsworld, BNN, as well as provincial media to discuss current tax and economic issues. She blogs at EvelynJacks.com, and tweets @evelynjacks.

Evelyn was appointed by the Minister of Finance, Jim Flaherty to serve on the Federal Task Force on Financial Literacy, and provincially, by the premier of Manitoba to the Lower Tax Commission. Recently she was appointed First Vice President of the Manitoba Club. She will become the 77th President of the club in 2013; the 2nd woman in the history of the Club to do so. She has participated on numerous boards, including the United Way and the Associates at the University of Manitoba.

She is also a multiple-award-winning entrepreneur. Evelyn has been awarded the prestigious Rotman School of Business Canadian Woman Entrepreneur of the Year Award, recognized internationally with a Business Leadership Award by the Canadian Embassy and Business Women's Network in Washington, D.C., has twice been recognized as Manitoba's Woman Entrepreneur of the Year, and the YM-YWCA "Business Woman of the Year."

Alan Rowell – Audit Defence Bootcamp

Alan Rowell, DFA-Tax Services Specialist, MFA, President and Tax Specialist of The Accounting Place, specializes in working with individuals and small to medium size businesses by providing accounting and taxation services that are unique to each client.

After 30 years experience, Alan has developed a unique ability to translate taxation language into plain English and does not hesitate to dig deeper and ask for clarification and interpretations from the various Provincial Ministries of Finance and Canada Revenue Agency.

His achievements include the DFA, Tax Services Specialist designation and he is recognized as one of the leading tax services specialists in Canada. He is a tax resource for a number of Financial Planners and a Strategic Educational Partner with the Knowledge Bureau. Since 1998, when Alan formed The Accounting Place, he has saved small business owners literally hundreds of thousands of dollars in income taxes through his savvy interpretations of the tax laws and his ability to help individuals and business owner's structure, operate and organize their financial affairs to their best overall advantage.

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS:

No highlight exceeds the sense of satisfaction achieved when you have assisted a client from idea conception through to ultimate achievement of their goals.

WORKSHOPS AND BROADCASTING:

As founder and lead sponsor of Reboot Your Business, Tax Freedom Day educational seminar for small to medium size business, Alan believes in the educational and information process. “Only by educating our clients can we best advise and insure their continued growth” says Alan Rowell.

As the local tax specialist in Greater Hamilton, Alan is often a resource for the Hamilton Spectator, CHCH-TV and many of the local radio stations. He is also a regular monthly contributor to the BusinessLink newspaper, TaxLetter and MoneyLetter publications. Alan has also been featured in the National Post and Financial Post as well as a tax specialist resource for the Globe and Mail.

Participation and presentation of the Tax Consequences of Debt Management in conjunction with the Knowledge Bureau's January 2009 Line-by-line Tax update provided the opportunity to meet with financial specialists across the country and discuss the various aspects of taxation affecting everyone.

AWARDS AND RECOGNITION:

• One of the first recipient's of the Knowledge Bureau DFA designation, 2006
• Hamilton Community Newspapers Reader's Choice Award Winner for Accounting and Taxation – 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010.
• Hamilton Spectator Newspaper Reader's Choice Award Winner for Accounting and Taxation – 2008, 2009
• Hamilton Chamber of Commerce Outstanding Business Achievement Award Nominee - 2009

WORK-LIFE ACTIVITIES:

A dyed-in-the-wool Toronto Maple Leaf Fan the office has been known to close during “special” hockey games. Alan has coached minor hockey at all levels and his teams have won numerous championships. This activity shows in Alan's business approach – practice your weaknesses and play to your strengths.

David Caron – Best E-Practices: Secure, Electronic Audit Defence with DT File Cabinet

David Caron is a Thomson Reuters technical trainer, support agent and subject matter expert for the DT Max Suite of products for Canadian tax professionals.

A technology evangelist with a passion for customer satisfaction, David is responsible for providing client training, customizing products to cater to our client’s needs and assisting with technical troubleshooting.  David is keenly interested in demonstrating how emerging technology can revolutionize the traditional office workflow. David has a strong working knowledge of DT Max, DT FormMax, DT FileCabinet and DT Client portal as well as a deep understanding of how the products are integrated for maximum productivity.