May 2009

Welcome to the May 2009 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:

• Accounting for Intangibles (Fourth Edition)

• Cars: Expenses and Deductions (2009)

• Comprehensive Audit Risk Alert 2008

• Estate and Gift Tax Planning Today

• Financial Instruments: GAAP Level A (Second Edition)

• Funding a Grandchild’s College Education

• Planning for Families Having a Special-Needs Child

• Practical Succession Planning for the Family-Owned Business

• Recent Tax Developments (March - April 2009)

• Roth Versus Traditional IRAs

• Tax Research: Primary Sources of Federal Tax Law - The Internal Revenue Code and IRS Interpretations (Third Edition)

• Tax Research: Primary Sources of Federal Tax Law - Judicial Interpretations (Third Edition)

• Tax Research: Secondary Sources of Federal Tax Law (Third Edition)

• Tax Strategies for Sideline Businesses

New Course: Accounting and Audits Specialty Library
In addition to the titles listed above, a new course has been released exclusively to the CCH Specialty Library: Accounting and Audits. This library covers a broad range of accounting and auditing courses including specialized topics. The new course released is:

• FASB 157 and 159: Fair Value Measurements
  
  

New Course: State Taxation Specialty Library
A new course has also been released exclusively to the CCH Specialty Library: State Taxation. The courses in this library provide insights on basic and emerging state tax issues. Written by top experts in the field, these courses offer timely coverage, current information and in-depth analysis, giving you the guidance you need to keep a step ahead of important state tax issues. The new course released exclusively to this library is:

• Unitary and Nonunitary Business (Second Edition)
  
  

Course Spotlight: Planning for Families Having a Special-Needs Child
An estimated 2.8 million families (or 3.9 percent of American families) are raising a special-needs child or children aged 5 to 17. This course provides the estate planner with the reference tools necessary to become comfortable in preparing an estate plan for these families. Specifically, the course provides an overview of government benefit programs available to families of special needs children, covers basic estate planning issues and options for these families, and discusses necessary coordination with other relatives' estate planning. Topics covered include:

• Statistics concerning families of special-needs children

• Related governmental benefit programs

• Estate planning challenges for families of special-needs children

• Coordination with other relatives’ estate planning documents

• Managing assets already owned by a special-needs child

• Medical issues and the adult special-needs child

• Assisting the adult special-needs child in financial and daily living matters

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:

• Alternative Minimum Tax for Individuals

• Balance Sheet Classification

• Cash Flow Statements: Content and Form

• Depreciation

• Derivatives and Hedging — Overview of Statement 133

• FAS 123R

• Penalty Exposure for Estate Planners that are Return Preparers

• Planning for Clients with Alzheimer's

• Roadmap for Designing FLP/FLLC Plans

• Tax Accounting Methods

• Tax Sheltered Annuity Rules

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 2 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.

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