Dear CCH Learning Center Subscriber:

Welcome to the February 2006 issue of Focus on Learning, the monthly newsletter for the CCH Learning Center!  In each issue, we highlight a course or series of courses on a timely topic, as well as advise you of new courses released in the CCH Learning Center.  We also inform you of new features, provide helpful tips on existing features, and help you use the CCH Learning Center to meet your professional development and CPE needs.

New Specialty Library:  Tax Return Preparation
A new Specialty Library covering tax return preparation is now available through the CCH Learning Center.  Like all CCH Learning Center Libraries, this new library offers compelling and authoritative content, practical guidance and practice aids to assist in applying the knowledge gained.  Subscriptions to the new Specialty Libraries are available.  

The new Specialty Library:  Tax Return Preparation offers a comprehensive review of tax preparation for individuals, corporations, partnerships, estates and trusts.  The engaging, web-based self-study CPE courses provide current, line-by-line guidance through the preparation of Forms 1040, 1041, 1120, 1120S, 1065, and 706.  Written by noted tax experts, commentators and educators, Sidney Kess and Barbara Weltman, these concise, practical courses review all the essentials of tax return preparation in a straightforward, easy-to-understand manner.  The courses provide planning tips and practice development ideas, along links to sources of additional information within CCH® Tax Research Network™ (TRN).  Insightful supplementary articles that provide additional information on the course topic and practice aids to help users apply the knowledge gained are also included in each course.

New Learning Center Core Library Courses
CCH is committed to keeping you up-to-date and knowledgeable on the latest issues that impact your firm or corporation.  Many new or revised courses have been released to the CCH Learning Center Core Library over the past two months to prepare you for the upcoming tax return preparation season.  Here are the new or updated titles released to the Learning Center Core Library.

• 1040 Preparation and Planning Part 1: Fundamentals (2006 Edition)

• 1040 Preparation and Planning Part 2: Gross Income (2006 Edition)

• 1040 Preparation and Planning Part 3: Deductions (2006 Edition)

• 1040 Preparation and Planning Part 4: Tax Computations and Credits (2006 Edition)

• 1040 Preparation and Planning Part 5: Acquisition and Disposition of Property (2006 Edition)

• 1040 Preparation and Planning Part 6: Deductions for Business and Other Special Deduction Rules (2006 Edition)

• 1040 Preparation and Planning Part 7: Special Tax Computations (2006 Edition)

• 1040 Preparation and Planning Part 8: Special Problems (2006 Edition)

• 1040 Preparation and Planning Part 9: Tax Practice (2006 Edition)

• 1065 Preparation and Planning 1: Tax Fundamentals

• 1065 Preparation and Planning 2: Income and Deductions

• 1065 Preparation and Planning 3: Schedules and Completing the Return

• 1065 Preparation and Planning 4: Special Situations and Planning

• Alternative Minimum Tax: Understanding the Problem, Anticipating Solutions

• Circular 230: Staying Compliant

• Deferred Compensation Developments

• IRS Tax Enforcement: Crackdown on Abuse

• Manufacturing Deduction

• New Tax Breaks from Congress: Energy Incentives, Hurricane Relief and Phased-In Benefits

• Revenue Recognition: General Principles (Second Edition)

Course Spotlight:  Tax Research Network 1:  Introduction

All CCH Learning Center tax courses are linked to the full text of the cited source documents in CCH Tax Research NetWork (please note that a current subscription to the CCH Tax Research NetWork is required to access the course links).  This integration allows Tax Research Network subscribers to easily learn about and research any topic covered in the Learning Center .  CCH now offers Tax Research Network 1: Introduction to help you take full advantage of this powerful research tool.  In this introductory course you will be trained on unique time-saving features, innovative access tools, accessing up-to-the-minute tax news, and CCH customization tools.  Learn about this course here. 

Tax Research NetWork 1 combines the authoritative content of CCH with sophisticated Internet technology to provide the most current, customized, and intuitive line of tax research products and tools on the market.  This course provides the foundation of knowledge required for conducting successful tax research using TRN.  In this introductory course you will learn how to:

• Easily access CCH in various ways, including directly from your desktop.

• Customize and use the My CCH tab.

• Set up customized daily tax news.

• Access your daily news via e-mail.

• Install CCH@Hand

• Use CCH@Hand to search Tax Research Network and conduct tax research from your desktop

Tax Research Network 1 is the first in a series of online courses teaching you how to apply TRN for your tax research purposes.  Courses in development will help you continue learning about Tax Research NetWork and its many capabilities.  Future courses in this series include Tax Research NetWork 2: Browsing, Topical Index & Find by Citation and Tax Research NetWork 3: Keyword Searching. 

Attention Certified Financial Planners

Beginning in 2006, CFP Board-registered CPE sponsors must electronically report CFP® licensees completing courses to the CFP Board.  If you are a certified financial planner, and wish to earn Credit for courses you have completed through the Learning Center, we need your CFP registrant ID. You may enter this information into your Learning Center profile by logging on and going to My Account.  Enter your ID number in the CFP Registrant ID field and click "Continue."  You may also go to My Courses and click on "Do you have a CFP Registrant ID" to enter this information.  CCH will begin reporting all courses you complete through the Learning Center to the CFP Board within 30 days of receiving this information.

Upcoming Courses

We will release many new courses in the CCH Learning Center in the weeks and months ahead to give you even more choices and more value.  Among the new and updated courses that are in development now, look for courses in the following areas soon:

• Accounting and auditing developments

• Dividend repatriation

• FASB 123R

• Fiduciary accounting and taxation

• IRS tax enforcement

• Recent tax developments

• State tax issues

• Tax Research

Learn more about the new CCH Learning Center courses in development. 

 

Let Us Know What You Think Please let us know if this Focus on Learning issue has been helpful for you, what we could do to make it better, additional topics you’d like us to cover, etc.  We appreciate your business and value your feedback very much.  Please feel free to e-mail us at learningcenter@cch.com or call us at 800-344-3734.  You may contact us via postal mail at CCH, Attn: Marketing Communications, 2700 Lake Cook Rd., Riverwoods, IL 60015. Sincerely, Gwendolen Hefty Managing Editor, CCH Learning Center  CCH Tax and Accounting Group