April 2007

Dear CCH Learning Center Subscriber,

Welcome to the April 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:

• Alternative Minimum Tax for Individuals (Second Edition)

• Derivatives and Hedging — Overview of Statement 133

• Education Tax Incentives: Opportunities and Strategies (Third Edition)

• FASB No. 140: Accounting for Sales, Transfers, and Servicing of Financial Assets and Extinguishments of Liabilities

• Fair Value Measurements – SFAS No. 157

• LIFO Business and Tax Considerations

• Recent Tax Developments: March-April 2007

• Roth IRAs (Third Edition)

• Roth 401(k)s

• SAS 112: Internal Control

• S Corporations: Formation and Liquidation (Second Edition)

• Tax Research: Secondary Sources of Federal Tax Law 

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 

  • Real Estate Accounting: An Introduction 
    

• State Taxation: Specialty Library

  • Business Tax Incentives 

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

  • Tax Research: Researching State and Local Tax Law 

• Wealth Management: Specialty Library

  • Business Succession Planning: The Debenture Solution 

  • Postmortem Planning: What Executors Must Know 

  • Self-Adjusting GRATs 

  • State Corporate Income Tax Apportionment

Course Spotlight
In 1998 the Roth IRA was introduced as a new way for taxpayers to save for retirement, but with a slight twist on traditional IRAs - taxes on Roth IRAs are paid up front! In Roth IRAs (Third Edition), you will learn the basic rules governing Roth IRAs to help you determine when a Roth IRA is right for your clients.   

Roth IRAs have a number of features in common with traditional IRAs, as well important differences. This course will review the similarities and differences between Roth IRAs and Traditional IRAs. It provides planning pointers to help maximize the benefits of Roth IRAs, and reviews special problems associated with Roth IRAs. Topics covered include:

• Similarities Between Roth IRAs and Traditional IRAs

• Differences Between Traditional IRAs and Roth IRAs

• Conversions to Roth IRAs

• Deemed IRAs

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

• Consolidated returns

• Estate tax return preparation

• Life Insurance

• Multistate tax issues

• Pension plans

• Personal residence as a tax shelter

• 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 “Fundamentals of the Revised State Trust Accounting Rules” on May 3.