June 2007

Dear CCH Learning Center Subscriber,

Welcome to the June 2007 issue of Focus on Learning, the monthly newsletter for the CCH Learning Center that provides insights on how to use the Learning Center to your full advantage and updates on new courses and features available to you. In each issue we highlight a course (or series of courses) on a timely topic, and let you know about new courses released in the CCH Learning Center. We also inform you of new useful features, provide helpful tips on existing features, and help you use the CCH Learning Center to meet your professional development and CPE needs.

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 covering a wide range of topics have been released to the CCH Learning Center Core Library over the past two months, including:

• Capital Gains, Dividends and Income Brackets: Impact of the Reduced Tax Rates (Second Edition) 

• Estate Planning Strategies (Second Edition) 

• Primary Residence and Vacation Home as a Personal Tax Shelter 

• Recent Tax Developments: March-April 2007 

• Retirement Planning: Maximizing After-Tax Income 

• Retirement Plans and Traditional IRAs: Rollovers of Taxpayer Investment 

• Roth 401(k)s 

• SAS 106: Audit Evidence 

• SAS 107: Audit Risk and Materiality in Conducting an Audit 

• SAS 108: Planning and Supervision 

• SAS 112: Internal Control 

New Courses — Specialty Libraries
In addition to the titles listed above, several new courses have been released exclusively to various CCH Specialty Libraries. These new Libraries cover a broad range of courses in specialized topics including accounting and audit, international taxation, sales and use taxation, state taxation, and wealth management. New courses released exclusively to these libraries include: 

• Accounting and Audit: Specialty Library 

  • Balance Sheet Classification: GAAP Level A (Second Edition) 

  • Pension Plans -- Employers: FAS 87 and 158 




• State Taxation: Specialty Library

  • Business Tax Incentives 

  • Charging Orders: Some of What Practitioners Ought to Know

  • Sales and Use Taxability of Information Services (this course is also available in the Sales and Use Taxation Library)

  • State Corporate Income Tax Apportionment 

  • Streamlined Sales Tax Project (this course is also available in the Sales and Use Taxation Library)

• Wealth Management: Specialty Library

  • Bankruptcy Abuse Act: Impact on Financial and Estate Planning 

  • Means-Testing Medicare: Retiree Pain for Little Governmental Gain 

  • Postmortem Planning: What Executors Must Know  

Course Spotlight
Several recent tax acts have made estate planning more complex and created new opportunities for saving estate taxes and preserving wealth. The second edition of CCH’s Estate Planning Strategies course reviews the impact of the most recent legislation on estate and gift tax rules, and wealth preservation.

Estate Planning Strategies (Second Edition) provides guidance in how to maximize tax saving opportunities and wealth preservation planning. It reviews key EGTRRA ‘01 estate and gift tax rules and examines the effects of JGTRRA '03 and TIPRA ’05 on wealth preservation planning.  Estate Planning Strategies (Second Edition) also explores several estate planning opportunities in both a low-interest rate environment and when rates are rising. In addition, two hot estate planning techniques, the grantor retained annuity trust (GRAT), and the family limited partnership (FLP), are highlighted. The course reviews:

• Legislative issues

• Economic issues

• Estate planning vehicles:

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

• Audit risk assessment standards

• Charitable giving

• Consolidated returns

• Estate tax return preparation

• Investment strategies

• Life Insurance

• Recent tax developments

Audio Seminars
CCH’s wide range of interesting, educational CPE options now includes audio seminars. Each audio seminar allows an unlimited number of users at your firm to get up-to-speed on a hot topic using nothing more than a telephone connection. Plus, participants can earn up to 3 CPE Credits. Learn about upcoming audio seminars here.

CCH’s audio seminars, presented by top experts, are designed to provide you with updated information on the hottest tax and accounting topics. Along with detailed handout materials, each site registering for an audio seminar receives topically-related bonus items such as books, journals, newsletters or self-study CPE courses. Check out the latest Audio Seminars schedule for details on upcoming seminars, including “FIN 48: CPA Independence, Materiality and Other Troublesome Issues” on June 28.