3 Years Telephone Seminars - Training Resources

Understanding LEED for Sustainable Building BenefitsThis teleconference will help you better understand the U.S. Green Building Council Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design program, as it was significantly revised in 2009. The comprehensive introductory materials will prepare you for additional training to receive your LEED credential as an accredited professional or LEED AP. In January 2009, the U.S. Green Building Council  more...

Estate Planning for the Final Years of Life BenefitsEmpirical evidence and directed studies indicate that the majority of Americans fail to plan for their final years of life. Ironically, this is the time when many people are confronted with their greatest challenges and most stressful experiences. This teleconference will cover why people need to plan, what they need to plan for and how to apply proven strategies for dealing with the final  more...

The Answer to Reactive Attachment Disorder BenefitsAttachment to a loving caregiver is the foundation for healthy brain development. Trauma, abuse, neglect and loss de-rails normal neural connections. Chaotic inappropriate behaviors result when this occurs. Nancy Thomas is renowned for keeping audiences on the edge of their seat as she brings home the powerful message of hope and healing for children struggling with the challenges of  more...

Cost Segregation: Applications for a Valuable Tax Planning Strategy BenefitsCost segregation is a powerful tax planning strategy used by real estate owners and tenants to accelerate significant depreciation deductions associated with buildings and improvements of all types and sizes. Although cost segregation has become quite popular in recent years, many tax advisors and real estate owners are still missing significant opportunities because they are unfamiliar  more...

Avoiding the Pitfalls of GMP Contracting BenefitsAs owners have searched for project delivery systems that reduce the duration from project conception to project completion, one of the most common approaches has included the use of guaranteed maximum price, or GMP, contracts. However, as the use of these contract formats has proliferated, so have disputes that strongly suggest that the parties using them do not fully understand: (a) the  more...

Limited Medical Programs: How Employers Are Using Them to Control Health Care Costs BenefitsAfter years of increasing medical premiums, employers are hitting road blocks in cost saving measures. We are at a point of office visit co-pays approaching $50, prescription drug co-pays of $50 to $100, deductibles exceeding $2,000 for in-network benefits, and more and more premium cost shifting from employer to employee. Employee's are finding it hard to afford the per pay premiums and  more...

Access Management Design and Development BenefitsAccess management is a critical element of every private and public roadway or site development project. As a transportation engineer and/or planner, understanding the basics of access design and access development is crucial in delivering a successful project to your client. Driveway access to a site can have positive or negative consequences on the amount of potential business a retail  more...

Telephone Collections: Do's and Don'ts - Surviving the Jungle BenefitsThe credit and collection industry has grown dramatically over the past 20 years. Creditors are faced with increasing challenges in making loans and extending credit. The collection staff members in these creditor settings face mounting customer difficulties and tighter compliance environments. This teleconference will help you understand the importance of developing an effective recovery  more...

Understanding UCC Article 9 Foreclosures BenefitsCurrent market conditions pose an alarming rate of defaults on commercial loans not seen in years. With defaults commonplace and secured creditors facing challenges in protecting their interests, foreclosing on assets under UCC Article 9 may be the right option. If appropriate, a public auction, private sale or friendly foreclosure under Article 9 may provide a quick and relatively  more...

Basics of Reverse Osmosis for Brackish Groundwater Treatment nMany professionals in membrane desalination design, operation and maintenance are faced with the difficult task of keeping current on the rapidly changing technology. Reverse osmosis membrane products change as the suppliers introduce new models. How and when to best apply these products and what features and benefits they offer must be analyzed before optimum performance can be realized.  more...

Taking and Defending Effective Depositions BenefitsIn the legal world where the use of mediation and arbitration has increased dramatically in recent years, the deposition of opposing parties and key witnesses often takes the place of the trial. Cases are evaluated and often settled based on information obtained at depositions. You will learn the fundamental concepts involved in taking and defending depositions. Included in this  more...

Opt-Out Incentives and Other Cost Cutting Measures for Health Plans BenefitsThe recent debate regarding health care reform has highlighted for the public what employers have known for years - health care is expensive. Employers have for years looked for creative ways to alleviate double digit annual increases in the cost of health coverage provided to its employees. Employers have toggled deductibles and co-payments, and they have implemented wellness programs and  more...

The UCC Article 9 Update BenefitsThe revisions to Article 9, which generally became effective in 2001, substantially changed the law. Now, with a few years of experience, the case law is beginning to emerge and develop, and practitioners are beginning to identify issues not contemplated by the drafting committee. The changes to the Article 9 filing system were significant and the prevalence of filing cases suggests that  more...

Construction Recordkeeping and Documentation Requirements for Government Contracts BenefitsWhile a systematic records retention policy is a hallmark of every successful business, it is also a mandatory condition of contracting with the federal government. Federal laws and regulations require federal contractors, including construction contractors, to maintain certain records related to the contract for a specific number of years. Consequently, federal contractors are well  more...

Water Supply and Groundwater Well Design BenefitsThe demand for reliable clean water continues to grow across the country and one of the most common sources is ground water. The most important component in a ground water based supply system is the wells used to extract water from underground aquifers. Maintaining the long term performance of wells requires an understanding of the factors that effect well performance. Problems with well  more...

Influenza: Seasonal to Pandemic BenefitsSeasonal influenza continues to be a regular challenge for health care and public health personnel. However, the events of April 2009 changed our perception of influenza when a novel Influenza A strain emerged and produced the first pandemic in almost 50 years. This teleconference will explore the changing influenza strains and the illnesses that result. You will come away enabled to  more...

Health Care Reform: Implications for Employers, Insurers, and Individuals BenefitsHealth care reform could have a more significant impact on the United States economy and on our personal lives than any federal legislation in the past 100 years. Beyond the partisan politics and media hype are the practical concerns of employers, HR professionals, attorneys, third-party administrators, and other consultants and professionals who work with group health plans and related  more...

Collection Issues for Condominium and Homeowners' Association: Legal Tips, Concepts and Current Trends in Assessment Collection BenefitsThis teleconference will address relevant legal issues and practical considerations related to the collection of assessments for condominium and homeowner associations. Given current economic trends, the suppressed housing market and rising rates of foreclosures and bankruptcies, homeowners' associations are now inundated with delinquencies and legal issues in degrees not previously  more...

Current Issues in Cell Tower Leases BenefitsThe wireless industry has built more than 220,000 cell sites in the United States in the past 20 years. But many more cell sites are needed as the wireless industry expands coverage and extends the capabilities of cell phones and wireless devices into data, email, computer and video applications. New cell sites and significant modifications to existing cell sites will also be needed to  more...

Fair Housing Act: 2009 Hot Topics BenefitsThis teleconference will focus primarily on the areas of the Fair Housing Act that are, and have been, receiving the most attention in the courts in the past several years: disability rights and familial status. The program, which focuses on multifamily dwellings, both rental and condominium-type ownership, is intended to provide information to those performing acquisition due diligence,  more...

Tax Treatment of Gift Card and Certificate Sales BenefitsThe IRS is aware that the popularity of gift cards has increased at a remarkable rate in recent years. Gift card sales by retailers raise a variety of interesting and complicated tax issues. The IRS has announced that certain gift card issues are Tier II issues; some of which must be raised during an examination and some of which should be raised during an examination. The IRS announced,  more...

Minimize Risk with Legal Case, Matter and Practice Management Systems BenefitsCase, matter, and practice management systems and processes will help your practice become more efficient and effective in all aspects of operating your practice and addressing the needs of clients. Whether you are a litigator or a transactional attorney, in private practice or in a legal department, this seminar will focus on the functions and advantages of case, matter, and practice  more...

Product Development Metrics for Manufacturers: Measuring Your Productivity BenefitsR D and product development organizations are behind transaction processing and operations functions in their understanding of measurement and its place in the organization. Six Sigma and Lean initiatives have facilitated great improvements in corporations without significantly benefiting most marketing, R D and product development organizations. Inventive professionals resist measurement  more...

Pervious Concrete - The Pavement That Drinks! BenefitsPervious concrete is an innovative building material with many environmental, economic and structural advantages. The proper use of pervious concrete is a recognized best management practice by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for providing first-flush pollution control and storm water management. Property owners and developers can also reduce fees and enhance the bottom line by  more...

Social Networking in the Workplace: Policies, Monitoring and Discipline Issues BenefitsSocial networking via online tools such as MySpace , Facebook and Twitter has exploded in popularity over the last few years. According to an October 2008 survey, 51 percent of employees accessed social networks at least once per day at work; many of them did so for an hour or more per week. Despite these numbers and the risks inherent in employees using social networking tools, such as  more...

GASB Statement No. 51: Rules for Intangible Assets Come to Governmental Entities BenefitsIntangible assets have been present in government operations for many years, but until now there have not been specific rules on how governments were to account and to report for these assets. GASB Statement No. 51 changes this situation. We now have specific rules on how to account and report for these types of assets. These rules go beyond what is typically found in the private sector as  more...

Motor Vehicle Searches: Impact of the Arizona v. Gant Decision BenefitsThe United States Supreme Court in Arizona v. Gant, 556 U.S. ___ (2009) changed the way police must handle the search of an automobile incident to an arrest. For nearly as long as the automobile has existed, the Supreme Court has found an exception to the general Fourth Amendment warrant requirement for the search of cars if the search is based upon probable cause. See Carroll v. United  more...

Practical and Legal Aspects of Real Estate Auctions nIn today's uncertain real estate economy, many real estate developers, investors and fiduciaries are holding surplus inventory with poor turnover performance and a grim outlook on return on investment. The carrying costs to maintain the property during a lengthy conventional brokerage sale weaken the asset's physical properties and investment potential. Real estate auctions have been a viable  more...

Introduction to New ICD-10 Coding: Preparing for Implementation nThe International Classification of Disease and Operations, Ninth Edition has out-lived its usefulness for capturing morbidity and mortality amongst the world population. Most developed nations transitioned to ICD-10 several years ago, but because of the tie of ICD-9-CM to payments in the United States there have been a series of delays in the US implementation. As the US moves a lightening speed  more...

Understanding the Role and Powers of the Trust Protector nThink of how far society and trusts have evolved in just the last 100 years. How can we anticipate what changes lie ahead of us from both a tax and nontax perspective? Is the movement towards multigenerational trusts pushing the planning horizon many years past the point most estate planners were trained to envision? This teleconference will identify those unintended consequences and discuss how  more...

Drafting Trusts in Estate Planning nEstate tax laws keep changing. Did you know that even though the estate tax exemption is predicted to stay at $3.5 million the lifetime gift tax exemption will stay at $1 million, leaving the door open to reduce the estate tax exemption back down to $1 million when Congress tries to balance the budget in a few years? In addition to estate taxes, clients' families need protection from probate, bad  more...

FIN 48 - Uncertainty in Income Taxes nIn an effort to curb the growing number of diverse accounting practices companies are using to analyze and report their tax positions, the Financial Accounting Standards Board recently enacted FASB Interpretation No. 48, Accounting for Uncertainty in Income Taxes. It is effective for all U.S. GAAP financial reporting enterprises, including pass-through and not-for-profit entities, for tax years  more...

Tenancies in Common - Legal and Practical Issues nDuring the last five years, the tenant-in-common offering industry has grown to approximately $5 billion in annual equity raised. While specific data is hard to find, industry experts estimate that between $10 billion and $12 billion has been raised and spread across more than 2,000 offerings. In the last year, the number of materially under-performing TIC transactions has increased. As the  more...

Patients' Rights Update nHealth care providers, particularly long term care providers, mental health providers and hospices, have become increasingly aware of patients' rights concerns in recent years. Many states have passed bills of rights for their residents living in mental health, skilled nursed or other health care facilities. These bills of rights cover basic and not so basic concerns. From the right to be treated  more...

Impact of the New ADA Amendments on Schools nOn January 1, 2009, new federal legislation took effect that dramatically expanded the range of individuals eligible for protections guaranteed by the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. ADA specified the rights guaranteed to individuals broadly qualified as "disabled." These rights applied to the areas of hiring and working conditions for all employees and also to students eligible for  more...

Floodproofing Fundamentals: Design Methods to Reduce Flood Damages nProblem: Floods are the most common natural disaster in the United States. According to the National Flood Insurance Program, more than 80 percent of the natural disaster losses in the United States are caused by flooding. Over the past 10 years, the National Weather Service estimates that flood losses have averaged more than $4 billion a year nationwide. Various government and insurance groups  more...

Unrelated Business Income Tax - Tax Information for Charities and Other Nonprofits nThe recent activity in the charitable sector by federal and state regulatory agencies has mandated that professionals take a proactive approach into all aspects of this important and very diverse sector. The tax-exempt community is under a microscope. Problems that a few years ago might have gone unnoticed now get picked up and widely broadcast. Recent IRS compliance initiatives in governance,  more...

Form 706: Estate Tax Return Fundamentals nAmericans have been able to accumulate wealth. It is estimated more than $10 trillion dollars in wealth will be transferred over the next 15 years. If a person has been fortunate to amass significant wealth, the government imposes a tax when the person transfers their wealth at death. In 2009, if a person's gross estate plus adjusted taxable gifts equals or exceeds $3.5 million in value, a Form  more...

Maximizing Innovation and Design Process Credits for LEED. Certification nThis teleconference will help you understand how to gain credits for advanced green building practices, including both system technologies and design innovations, which may qualify under the Innovation and Design Process section. The IDP section and qualifications policy has been reworked under the 2009 revisions to the LEED® program. n nThe information in this teleconference is important to  more...

Criminal Liabilities Under HIPAA-Who Knew You Could Go to Prison? nMany hospitals, physician offices and other covered entities have been surprised to learn that HIPAA rules provide for criminal penalties - up to 10 years in prison for intentional violations! Health plans, health care clearinghouses, health care providers and Medicare prescription drug card sponsors may be prosecuted criminally for HIPAA violations. n nWith ID theft on the rise, prosecutors are  more...

The Streamlined Sales Tax Project - How and Why It Affects Your Business nThe Streamlined Sales Tax Project is an effort by state representatives to implement a national uniform, simplified system of sales and use tax compliance. After more than five years of their efforts, the Simplified Sales and Use Tax Agreement came into effect on October 1, 2005. The SSTP now includes 19 full member states and three associate member states. Although initially taking effect as a  more...

Managing Risk and Investments for Trustees and Other Fiduciaries nAlthough the investment decisions by fiduciaries supposedly are not to be judged with hindsight, and trustees are not deemed to be guarantors of the investment performance of trust assets under their management, as a practical matter, claims by beneficiaries for poor investment performance will only be raised when the trust has sustained losses. Further complicating the matter, such litigation  more...

Lease vs. Buy: Choosing the Best Option nThe decision to finance business equipment through lease programs or by purchases is one of the most difficult and important decisions faced by businesses every day. Making the wrong choice can not only result in economic loss but significant disruption of business, loss of time and opportunity. This teleconference will provide you with a comparison of the benefits and pitfalls of financing  more...

Reducing Insulin Errors nThe Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced this past June that 24 million Americans now have diabetes, an increase of three million people in just two years. Diabetes is also one of the most common diagnoses seen in hospitalized patients. Moreover, insulin may be the preferred medication to manage glucose while patients are hospitalized. The Joint Commission of Accreditation of  more...

Investing IRAs and Qualified Plan Rollovers in Real Estate, Franchises, Start-Ups and Other Private Investments - Techniques and nA growing number of IRA owners and recipients of qualified plan rollovers have sought to take control of their own investments by investing directly in real estate and small businesses that they may intend to manage or otherwise be personally involved in. This trend has accelerated in recent years as syndicators, entrepreneurs, private fund managers and franchisors have come to view IRAs and  more...

Recent Developments With Loan Syndications nAttend this teleconference and stay abreast of the latest issues relating to the loan syndication process. Our seasoned faculty will provide practical answers to your most pressing questions about loan documentation. You'll get an inside look at how to respond to confusing post-Lehman bankruptcy issues and other new developments. n nRegister now and you'll learn how to overcome any obstacles you  more...

On-Site Power Generation: Challenges, Opportunities and New Developments nMission critical operations include electronic trading operations; semiconductor manufacturing (clean rooms); pharmaceutical plants; hazardous biological or chemical labs; military, defense and government facilities; certain security or public safety related projects, including 911 call centers, emergency or disaster response centers; airport air traffic control towers; and other critical  more...

Current Trends in Transit-Oriented Development nAs the United States faces the most severe economic recession since the Great Depression, one sector of real estate - transit-oriented development - is situated to protect investors from the economic downturn and deliver attractive long-term profits. TOD provides a new investment opportunity for both the public and private sectors as our cities are faced with the challenges of rapid price  more...

The Fundamentals of Leasing Provisions and Covenants nIn today's economy it's more important than ever for real estate attorneys and practitioners to be clever in understanding the legal and financial implications of lease terms and covenants. This teleconference will delve into the essential terms of the commercial lease and focus particularly on the clauses that often draw the most attention during negotiations: common area maintenance, key tenant  more...

Compliance With the PCI/CISP Credit Card Security Standards nThe Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard is now in its third year of existence and iteration. Derived from the original VISA Cardholder Information Security Program and MasterCard Site Data Protection program, PCI-DSS's now 245 distinct requirements have troubled merchants and financial institutions alike for years. This teleconference will help you understand how PCI-DSS applies to your  more...

Payroll Recordkeeping: What You Need to Know nIn recent years there has been an explosion in the number of lawsuits and claims for overtime and unpaid wages under the Fair Labor Standards Act. Did you realize that liability for FLSA violations can be enormous? Recent reports estimate that over the last few years companies have collectively paid out more than $1 billion annually to resolve FLSA claims! Learn the role of the FLSA and its  more...

Sustainable Development and Land Use: The Future is Here and it is Green nBuilding green was for years entirely voluntary. The U.S. Green Building Council's LEED® program and other high performance building rating systems are not legislated by any governmental entity and they are not designed to be mandatory. But thanks to an explosion of state legislation and local ordinances across the country, green building methods and requirements have now been given the force of  more...

Religious Accommodations in the Workplace nTo avoid lawsuits, contain costs and keep good employee morale, U.S. companies must effectively meet their legal duty to properly accommodate religion in the workplace. This is particularly true because of the rapid growth of religious cultures in the U.S. and the increasing awareness of religious workplace accommodation rights by employees. This teleconference is designed not only to update  more...