Welcome to the CSTC Academy. The Academy offers 80 hours of CE through 31 online courses beginning June 9, 2020. All sessions satisfy the continuing education requirements for EAs, OTRPs, CTECs, CPAs and attorneys. Sessions are offered every Tuesday and Thursday, beginning at 8:30 am Pacific Time. All sessions are offered via Zoom Webinars. 

The CSTC Academy is offering the 2020 Symposium Package in addition to individual sessions. The 2020 Symposium package allows you to register for ALL sessions at under $7 per CE hour. We hope you agree that this is a deal too good to pass up!

We will begin the sessions with a deep dive on COVID-19 tax relief, followed by sessions on net operating losses, representation, QBI, business entities, AB-5, trusts, California tax, SECURE Act, practice management and more!

We encourage you to explore our exceptional lineup of topics and speakers and give CSTC priority access to meeting your continuing education needs for 2020.

2020 Exhibitors & Sponsors

CSTC Academy Schedule-at-a-Glance

Registration Information and Fees

Cancellation and Refund Policy for Symposium Package: Written registration cancellations for the Symposium Package will be accepted until June 5, 2020. A $25 administrative fee will apply to the refund. No refunds will be given if cancellation notice is received after 5:00 p.m. on June 5, 2020.

Cancellation and Refund Policy for Individual Webinar Purchase: Written webinar cancellations will be accepted up to five (5) business days before the purchased course begins. A $10 administrative fee will apply to the refund. No refunds will be given if cancellation notice is received later than five (5) business days before the purchased course begins, or for no-show registrants.

About the Presenters

Frank Acuña, Attorney at Law

Frank R. Acuña is a founding partner of ACUÑA ❖ REGLI. He is a California State Bar certified estate planning, trust, and probate law specialist. His practice includes estate planning; inheritance litigation; business succession planning; special needs trusts; and farm, ranch, and vineyard succession planning. Mr. Acuña has taught tax seminars for the National Tax Practice Institute, the California Society of Enrolled Agents, the California Society of Tax Consultants, a number of state and local chapters of the National Association of Enrolled Agents, and the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants. Mr. Acuña also is a featured speaker for the Professional Fiduciary Association of California, the National Guardianship Association, and the California Public Administrators, Public Conservators, and Public Guardians. He advises tax, fiduciary, and real estate professionals throughout the State of California.

Michael Blue, Esq., Attorney at Law, J.D, CPA, LLM

Attorney Michael Blue of The Blue Law Group and Law offices of Attorney Michael Blue provides all levels of tax and criminal law representation: from high-level, complex, and sophisticated problems to routine disputes. Mr. Blue is a devoted advocate for those who have been injured and wronged by the actions of others. Mr. Blue has a background as a CPA and is Board Certified in Taxation by the State Bar of California; he has also been selected as a Super Lawyer Rising Star by Los Angeles Magazine and Southern California Super Lawyers in Taxation, and has extensive education from some of the top schools in the country, including a Master’s of Law degree in Taxation (LL.M.) from New York University School of Law. Mr. Blue has a history of providing strong and competent trust and probate administration, tax consulting and tax planning, and has served as the first-chair trial attorney in numerous matters litigated or settled before various courts and dispute resolution centers. Some of these matters have included those argued before the Internal Revenue Service Office of Appeals or litigated before the United States Tax Court and the Federal District Court; other matters have included those argued in the state civil and criminal courts, such as contract breaches, fraud, bribery, conversion, larceny, B&P Code Section 17200 violations, civil rights, business disputes (e.g., intentional interference with prospective economic advantage), unauthorized taking of realty by government entities, and the like.

LG Brooks, EA, CTRS

LG Brooks is an Enrolled Agent and is the former Senior Consultant of The Tax Practice, Inc., located in Dallas Texas. However, LG is now the Senior Tax Resolution Consultant with Lawler & Witkowski, CPAs and EAs which is headquartered in Buffalo, NY. LG has been in the field of taxation for more than 25 years and has been in practice full time since 1990. LG’s areas of practice include Tax Representation and Pre-Tax-Court Litigation Support Services. LG continues to provide tax presentations for numerous tax and accounting societies and has made presentations at several Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Annual Tax Forums. LG received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Bishop College at Dallas, Texas in 1977 and is a Fellow of the National Tax Practice Institute (NTPI). He is currently a faculty member of the National Tax Practice Institute (NTPI) and he is extremely proud and honored to be an Enrolled Agent.

Anthony D. Bustos, EA

Anthony D. Bustos, EA graduated from California State University at Fullerton with a BA in Business Administration-Accounting. Mr. Bustos was employed by the IRS for several years as a Revenue Agent auditing individuals, businesses, corporations and partnerships as well as researching tax laws, court cases and revenue rulings. He represents clients before the IRS and FTB in audit, special problems and collection matters such as the release or modification of wage levies, payment agreements, and hardships. He provides tax preparation and planning for corporations, partnerships, sole proprietorships and individuals. He appeared on Trinity Broadcasting Network’s televised “Battlelines“ program and has been a speaker to the Riverside Tax Consultants Association, and the California Society of Accounting and Tax Professionals. Anthony was the President of the California Society of Tax Consultants from 2006 to 2008.

Edward Cotney, Certified Exit Planner, Certified Philanthropic Developer, Family Wealth Counselor

Ed is the founder and principal at Olympus Tax, Business and Insurance Solutions, Inc. and author of Tax Secrets Made Simple. He hails from Alabama (Roll Tide), earned degrees in Physiology and Aviation Management and served active duty in the US Air Force for twenty years before retiring in 1998 in Northern California.

His introduction to Family Wealth Counseling, Ed explains, came as a close friend was struggling with the preparation and future sale of his very successful multi-million-dollar business. He was anticipating a tax liability of nearly half of the proceeds.

Ed graduated from the prestigious Professional Mentoring Program in Franklin, Indiana, where he became a Family Wealth Counselor in 2000.  Working as a strategy and tax designer over the past since then, he applied this practical knowledge to helping families implement advanced strategies to significantly reduce taxes, increase income and make a difference in the world. Lauded for making the complex simple to understand,  Ed is well known for providing continuing education classes to professional advisors from basic to sophisticated estate planning techniques, business formations, mergers, private placement, research and development tax credits, domestic asset protection trusts, domestic international sales corporations, business succession planning and multi-generational business planning.

Ed has provided input to several senate and congressional committees on legislation to benefit philanthropic tax law for non-profit operations. Ed is a popular speaker and participates in radio programs on the topic of Maximum Wealth Control.

Ed and his wife Laura reside in Northern California. Laura is an elementary school principal and they have two grown children. Ed and Laura enjoy water and snow skiing, camping, flying, parachuting and losing golf balls. 

David Eastis, CRTP

David A Eastis, CRTP, received his Bachelor- of Arts Degree from the University of La Verne in 1980, and Master of Arts in Theology Degree from Bethany Seminary in 1984. He completed his accounting degree in 2003 from Indiana University, South Bend, Indiana.

David joined the California Society of Tax Consultants in 2004. David has served as Secretary for the Greater- Long Beach Chapter, a 4-year- term as Secretary, a one-year term as 1st Vice President. and a two-year term as President of CSTC Society Board for 2015-2016. Currently, David serves as a Society Board Director- for Region Three.

David has been encouraged by CSTC to share his gifts of speaking and teaching as a presenter- for various chapter- meetings. the CSTC Summer Symposium, and the Fall Symposium. His topics have included: Non-Profits Form 990; S  Corporations; Preachers, Teachers, and other Tax Creatures (specialized vocational Fields}; Charitable Contributions; Reading Schedule K-1s; and Ethics. And in the Fall of 2019, David has completed his eighth year teaching the Fundamentals Tax Course (Contact) for CSTC. David lives with his wife, Ann, and their dog Archie, in La Habra California.

Shannon Hall, EA

Shannon Hall spent three years studying classical theatre at an acting conservatory, so it was only a matter of time before she got into the tax business. She has been a member of CSTC since she began preparing taxes all the way back in 2012, though her tax career truly began many years before when, as a child, she would play with the tax forms in the library. Shannon has prepared taxes at respected places like her kitchen table and H&R Block, where she served as an instructor and office manager before moving in with some laid-back CPAs in Signal Hill, CA. She has been a presenter at several local CSTC chapters and the Summer Symposium, and has also been a guest webinar presenter for Spidell Publishing and a contributing author to Enterpreneur.com. More than anything, Shannon hopes to make tax education engaging and fun and strives to make taxes less taxing. Shannon is a proud member of the Greater Long Beach Chapter of CSTC.

Curt Harrington, Attorney at Law, EA

This may be the only firm that combines the power of deep highly technical engineering & patent law, with the tax planning and loss mitigation abilities of a tax specialization attorney.

As a short version of an introduction, Curt assists in start-up or trouble modes: Start-up mode includes: Trademark, Patent, Entity Selection, & Operating Optimization, and evaluating licensing for instant capital gain capability versus ordinary income, versus self-employment income. Trouble mode includes: Evaluating IRS & FTB Non-Compliance Errors & Planning (civil & criminal); Tax Debt Solutions: Asset Loss Reduction & Transfer Planning; Limiting Current & Future Liability. Details of help and expertise to support your project includes advice relating to the following:
(1) Tax effect is necessarily independent of patentability (using the trade secret rules on sale to enhance instant cap gains on sale);
(2) After the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 the picture for patents, trade secrets and copyrights has changed.
(3) He provides guidance to help maximize patentable nature of such inventions by characterizing the scientific nature of the project and to reduce/eschew the purely internal IT (non-scientifically oriented "spread sheet" or "html" functions);
(4) He makes the IT persons aware that the additional PTO board hurdle of finding section 101 statutory subject matter should be an early planning guide. It is believed that the elimination of capital asset status in the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 was an eventual backlash over the greater focus on internet advertising.  Tax patents from several years ago didn't help.
(5) His background as a Basic/Fortran programmer, coupled with graduate degrees in Chemical Engineering & Electrical Engineering, Law, Taxation, & Business put him in a position to help IT inventors steer clear of trouble and remain to the extent possible in capital gains control.
(6) Assisting with trademark selection to: (a) avoid bleed losses from selection of a descriptive name, (b) set the stage for least disruptive examination and a quicker publication and ultimate issuance, (c) maximize future value and tax yield and personal liability reduction through selection of a holding structure, (d) minimizing litigation that often must be capitalized and result in a cost of $1.50 for every dollar spent defending the mark, (e) act as a memory multiplier and impression puzzle to multiply any advertising return, (f) the use of trademarks and trade secrets to secure a higher price ultimate sale of the business by maximizing goodwill, & (g) the use of all intellectual property to securitize sale or other transfer of the business.
(7) Licensing techniques to select taxation of licensing income, as well as a carrot & stick technique to encourage minimum unit sales while reserving return of the license where the licensee does not perform.
(8) Using insurance, entity selection & diversification of  purposed units to maximize tax deductions, reduce risk and to help evaluate and reconfigure the distribution topology.
(9) Performing an analysis between the "Prolific Inventor vs. Unitary Business" continuum to find the best fit for the future activities of the entrepreneur
(10) Selection of domicile, operating, warehousing, and manufacturing location decisions for tax reduction both for income and sales tax; planning to minimize unwanted sales & income tax surprise events in future.
(11) Help in planning for unexpected bankruptcy for both licensor and licensee in order to vary the ipso facto clause treatment, preserve the value of the business, consider potential bifurcation and differentiation of patent, trade secret and trademark rights in a way which will further be consistent with the target tax treatment of the licensor / licensee goals.
(12) Help for foreign patent holders in receiving royalties from the United States, reduction of the 30% (Fixed, Determinable, or Periodic Income) FDAP tax to a treaty rate if possible, and the establishment of a withholding agent and the filing of tax returns in the United States for U.S. source income reporting, especially to result in refunds against the FDAP.
(13) Analyzing and advising on foreign involvement in U.S. business from loans, to joint ventures, to FIRPTA involvement; and advising on the triggering of FBAR and FATCA.
(14) Characterizing, to the extent possible, computer inventions with their analog and pre State Street Bank equivalents, including emphasizing analog signals, open-ended math functions, interactive feedback,  scientific instrumentation and statistical decision making.
(15) Conflict identification and isolation is a major goal, in order to identify and help the taxpayer client, reemphasizing that others can subvert and compromise the civil and criminal liability of the taxpayer client through adverse position as well as unintended criminal conspiracies.
(16) Tax problems including tax and non-tax debt, Substitute for Return (SFR), providing long range analyses for bankruptcy* (*Debt Relief Agency where actually hired to file bankruptcy, and only after voluminous acknowledged teachings),and offer in compromise options, expected ratio of debt types and, orderly advantageous payoff of tax debts as beneficial.
(17) Attorney-client privilege planning through encouragement of taxpayers to file their own returns to avoid conspiracy potential, limited engagements with tax preparers, paper filing to effect disclosure where electronic filing stifles disclosure; and the effect of taking action on tolling limitation statutes.
(18) Formation and Operation of Nonprofit entities and Nonprofit Advising from small nonprofits with state-only recognition to federal recognition; Planning for effective use of federal donation deductions, small low budget nonprofit statutory liability mechanisms, insurance, efficient use of funds, and the unbalanced limits of nonprofit and business interaction, and application of government rules for nonprofit intellectual property.
(19) Tax Specialization Continuing Education Provider No. 15203

Monica Haven, EA, JD, LLM

Monica Haven, E.A., J.D. has a Masters in Taxation (LL.M.); she is an alum and former faculty member of the National Tax Practice Institute, a recognized speaker on the professional circuit, a sought-after guest lecturer on college campuses and at community organizations. She welcomes every opportunity to share her experience and expertise in the classroom even as she maintains her Southern California tax practice and serves her loyal clientele nationwide. Monica’s students have said she’s a “fantastic speaker” who can take “hard subjects and put them into concepts or analogies that are easy to understand.” For additional information, published articles and extensive, useful tax information, please head for Monica’s website at www.mhaven.net.

Karen Joyner, EA

Karen Joyner, EA started preparing taxes in 1988, opening her own practice in 1993, and earning her Enrolled Agents designation in May 1995. She has served in many local chapters of many professional organizations, including serving as President of the San Diego East County Chapter of CSTC, chairperson for CSTC fall workshops and Running Start, and CSTC society chair for Summer Symposium for several years. She also served as director and on the education committee for the CSEA San Diego chapter. She enjoys teaching others and finding the best approach to get clients the best possible tax outcome. She enjoys the challenge of representing clients before the IRS, Franchise Tax Board, and CTFA (California Department of Tax and Fee Administration) with their collection or audit needs. Karen practices in Coronado, California and can be reached by e-mail at [email protected]. In addition, Karen works with Brass Tax Presentations and Lisa Ihm, EA in offering Stocking Your Tax Toolbox and Tax Update in the fall throughout California. Brass Tax has an Enrolled Agent exam training course in the summer for tax professionals who want to obtain this valuable credential, so that they can fully serve the needs of their clients. Please check out the website at www.BrassTax.com.

Veronica Marelli, EA

Veronica has a formal education in Accounting, and has been an Enrolled Agent for almost 20 years. She is the owner of Tax Resolution Advocates with offices in Temecula California, SLC Utah, and Southern Idaho. Tax Resolution Advocates is a full service tax firm that specializes in tax problem resolution. She is also a Certified Tax Resolution Specialist.

She has recently added Profit First consulting to her firm. She is approximately one of only 140 tax professionals in the US to become a Profit First Professional. Profit First is an organization dedicated to eradicating entrepreneurial poverty. 

Veronica served as 1st Vice President of the California Society of Tax Consultants at the State level. She also served the local North San Diego Chapter as second Vice President for many years. Both of these positions were as the Education Chair. It was her main responsibility to ensure Tax professionals Statewide were trained and up to date on all new State and federal tax laws and changes to the current tax code.

Veronica has a vast amount of experience serving and working on Board of Directors. She has, or is currently serving on five different boards of Not for Profit organizations. These organizations have helped our communities by providing shelter for abused women and homeless teenagers, feeding underprivileged children, and the planting of new Christian Churches.

Gary Quackenbush, Esq

Gary Quackenbush operates his Financial Solutions law practice, GQ LAW, out of the Rancho Bernardo area in San Diego, California. Since 1988 his emphasis has been tax and financial problem solving and implementing solutions for tax problem resolution such as; Offers in Compromise, audit reconsideration, appeals, installment agreements, bankruptcy, federal district court actions, federal tax court actions, etc.

His estate planning practice focuses on wills, trusts, and estate administration including probate court work. His office handles civil litigation cases such as personal injury, contract disputes, property disputes, and business matters. His business consulting involves choice of and formation of business entities such as sole proprietorships, partnerships, corporations, and Limited Liability Companies.

Gary received his Bachelor of Science degree in business finance from Brigham Young University in 1984. He received his Juris Doctor degree from California Western School of Law in 1988. He is admitted to practice in all courts in the state of California and in all courts in the state of Colorado, US Bankruptcy Court in the Southern, Central, and Northern Districts of California, Federal District Court in the Southern and Central districts of California, Federal District Court and US Bankruptcy Court in the District of Colorado, and U.S. Tax Court.

Gary is a regular guest lecturer to tax professionals, attorneys, and volunteer organizations. He is the host of his own podcast radio show “GQ on the Law” available on iTunes, Podbean, and Stitcher Radio. Since 2010 he has been a weekly guest on the “Word on Wealth” radio program with Marty Schneider on KCBQ 1170 AM and KPRZ 1210 AM every Tuesday. He has been a guest on UTTV “The American Dream” and the “Taylor Baldwin Show” and has appeared on NBC, ABC, CBS, and KNSD TV. He is Past-President of the California Society of Tax Consultants, San Diego Chapter and currently is President of CSTC at the state level. You can contact Gary at [email protected]

Eva Rosenberg, EA, MBA

Jane Ryder, EA, CPA

Jane Ryder, EA, CPA has been providing tax preparation, accounting services, and tax collection resolution services since 1980. She runs her San Diego CPA firm and writes and speaks on many income tax, business compliance and accounting topics. Jane has a business centric practice, preparing and consulting on tax, accounting, and compliance matters for Corporations, S-corporations, LLC’s, Partnerships, and Trusts. She also specializes in IRS and state agencies collection problems, payment plans, audit representation, audit appeals, offers in compromise, and other compliance related issues. She earned a BS in Business Administration (Accounting) from SDSU and is currently licensed with the California State Board of Accountancy and admitted to practice before the the Internal Revenue Service as an Enrolled Agent.


Claudia Stanley, CPA, EA

Claudia Stanley is a practicing CPA & EA in the Fresno area, as partner in C. Stanley, CPA & Associates. She is a graduate of California State University, Fresno, and serves on the boards of the Central California Chapter of Enrolled Agents and Fresno chapter of American Business Women’s Association. Claudia is a long time member of the Central Valley Chapter of California Society of Tax Consultants and was named their 2016 member of the year. She was also named one of 2001 Top Ten Women of the Year in the nation by American Business Women’s Association. She frequently speaks on various tax topics.

Susan Tinel, EA, CRTP

Susan Tinel is an Enrolled Agent with over 15 years of experience working with small and medium-sized businesses and individuals. Susan heads up April 15 Taxes, Inc., a full-service, cloud-based firm offering services in tax, accounting and entity filings. Based in San Diego, she works with more than 150 clients across the country, in Canada and the United Kingdom, 85 percent of which are small businesses. She is a QuickBooks Online Certified Advanced ProAdvisor. Susan teaches live events and webinars for tax and accounting professionals and businesses on various financial topics and practice management. Look for her articles and guides on various platforms, including AccountingWEB.com and firmofthefuture.com, about Taxes, Company Strategy, Personal Behavior and Ethics at work.

About our Exhibitors/Sponsors

ADP

 Questions?

Contact the California Society of Tax Consultants at (949)715-4192 or [email protected]

The Symposium presentations have been designed to meet the requirements of the Return Preparer Office, the California State Board of Accountancy; and the California Tax Education Council including code 31 of Federal Regulations10.6 (g). This does not constitute an endorsement by these groups. A listing of additional requirements to renew tax preparer registration may be obtained by contacting CTEC at P.O. Box 2890, Sacramento, CA. 95812-2890, or phone CTEC at (877) 850-2832, or on the Internet at www.ctec.org.