2-Day Tax Seminar

Session Location: Alabama

Session Dates: Deadline for Early Registration is September 2, 2025

Session Location: Arkansas

Session Dates: Deadline for Early Registration is September 2, 2025

Session Location: Georgia

Session Dates: Deadline for Early Registration is September 2, 2025

Session Location: Mississippi

Session Dates: Deadline for Early Registration is September 2, 2025

Session Location: Online

Session Dates: Deadline for Early Registration is September 2, 2025

Registration

Registration is now open. Please go to the session tab and select your preferred location.
For any any questions or concerns please contact Emery Tschetter at ejt0010@auburn.edu or 334.844.5193

Refund Policy

• Written notice within 10 days of the start of the seminar a full refund will be issued less a $50.00 administrative fee;
• Requests to transfer to another scheduled live seminar, if seating permits, for an additional $25 fee;
• NO REFUNDS will be issued after the start of a scheduled seminar.

For more information about cancellations or transfers, please email us at taxinst@auburn.edu or call 334-844-5100.

Instructor Team

Christopher Bird, EA, CFP: Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Mississippi, Instructor for live and online workshops.

Chris Bird has been in the financial business for over 30 years. He started his career with a degree in Accounting and a minor in Business Administration. He also holds the Certified Financial Planner designation (CFP). Chris was a Senior IRS agent for 16 years. He began conducting courses after leaving the IRS and started his own company, Chris Bird Seminars, Inc. Chris went on to conduct over 125 seminars a year on accounting, financial planning, wealth building, residential rental property ownership, and tax strategies for the real estate and financial industries nationwide. He has presented his widely acclaimed courses multiple times at NAR conventions and most recently presented at Howard Brinton’s StarPower™ Conference. Chris has been an adjunct instructor at the University of Illinois in tax law. He is a Senior CRS Instructor and a Senior Faculty Instructor for the Realtors Land Institute. And he also teaches at all the Illinois tax seminars currently using the National Income Tax Workbook also used in the Auburn University programs. Chris has a unique way of making a tough subject (taxation instruction) entertaining and enlightening for our audience.

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Michael Ferguson, CPA, CFP: Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Mississippi, Instructor

Michael Ferguson has more than thirty years’ experience in accounting, tax, and financial planning for businesses and individuals. Currently his practice is located in Guntersville, Alabama, where he works with clients from all over the country. He owned a firm in metro Atlanta early in his career and returned to northeast Alabama in 1987. In 2013, he formed a new partnership with his firm in Guntersville and opened the Gateway Group, LLC. He has been an Auburn University Tax instructor for many years. He holds a Bachelor of Professional Accountancy degree from Mississippi State University and served as a commissioned officer in the U.S. Army.

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Joel C. Jones, CPA, CGMA: Alabama, Mississippi, Instructor

Joel is a shareholder at Kassouf & Co. in the Business Services group and works in the Auburn, Alabama office. He is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, the Alabama Society of Certified Public Accountants and the Institute of Internal Auditors. He is also a member of the National Association of Certified Valuation Analysts and a member of the Valuation and Forensic Services Section of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants. Joel is a Certified Internal Auditor (CIA) and a Certified Valuation Analyst (CVA), and he holds the Accredited in Business Valuation (ABV), Certified in Financial Forensics (CFF) and Chartered Global Management Accountant (CGMA) designations from the AICPA. Joel provides tax and consulting services to businesses and individuals operating in wholesale distribution, retail sales, real estate development, professional services, and investments. He specializes in family-owned businesses, partnership and corporate taxation, multi-state taxation, not for profits and works in the firm's business valuation area. He frequently teaches continuing education classes for staff and clients of Kassouf & Co., P.C. Joel received his Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Alabama at Birmingham in 1997.

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Kelly H. Myers, EA, MBA, Tax Consultant: Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Mississippi, Instructor

Kelly is a tax consultant with Myers Consulting Group, LLC, based in Huntsville, Alabama. Mr. Myers primarily provides seminars, tax planning, consulting, and controversy services to clients across the United States which include individuals and large to small accounting firms. He spent 30+ years with the Internal Revenue Service (retired 2017) with the last 20 years working for the Washington, DC Headquarters as a Senior Technical Advisor. His IRS experience included official guidance projects, examiner, and litigation technical support, and implementing new legislation. He leverages his decades of IRS and public accounting experience to strategically add value to a varied client base. He has developed efficient tax strategies in both preparation experience to strategically add value to a varied client base. He has developed efficient tax strategies in both preparation and controversy arenas. He has been a guest speaker for numerous CPA and EA continuing education events, IRS Nationwide Tax Forums, national tax associations, and others in both live settings and webinars. Mr. Myers serves on the Federal Tax Committee for the National Society of Accountants (NSA) and Internal Revenue Service Advisory Council (IRSAC). He has an MBA from the University of Tampa with emphasis in Accounting and Taxation. His BA is from Western Colorado University (Western State College) with a double major in Accounting and Business Administration and a minor in Economics.

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Beanna J. Whitlock, EA: Instructor for online courses

Beanna is an Enrolled Agent in private practice, Whitlock Tax Service, LLC, located in Canyon Lake, Texas. She has been a tax law instructor for more than 40 years, with emphasis on Limited Liability Company, Ethics, and Professional Conduct presentations. Beanna has taught tax professionals across the country including her instruction assignments for Auburn University. She has testified before Congress, Treasury and the IRS Oversight Board and served on the IRS Information Reporting Program Advisory Committee as well as the IRS Commissioner’s Advisory Council (CAG). She served as the IRS Director of National Public Liaison for Commissioner Mark Everson and is a recipient of the Commissioner’s Award for Excellence of Service. She has been honored by Accounting Today as one of the 100 Most Influential in Accounting. Known for her fierce defense of the tax professional community, Beanna is frequently consulted by accounting and tax publications regarding issues concerning the tax professional community.

Chapter Highlights in the 2025 National Income Tax Workbook

Ethics. This chapter discusses important issues that help tax practitioners comply with their ethical obligations. Topics include the following:

• New guidance on responding to noncompliance with laws and regulations
• Proposed Circular 230 changes and their impact on representation before the IRS
• Best practices under the proposed Circular 230 regulations for data security safeguards, addressing a mental impairment, and business continuity plans
• Contingency fees and other disreputable conduct under the proposed Circular 230 regulations
• Ten case studies that illustrate real-life ethical scenarios

Religious Organizations. This chapter explains rules that apply to religious organizations and their employees and members. It explains tax-exempt status for a religious organization. This chapter discusses a religious organization’s entity tax and unrelated business income. It reviews the taxation of religious organization service providers. Finally, this chapter details the required procedure for an IRS church audit.

Trusts and Estates. This chapter discusses tax rules for revocable trusts. It explains the I.R.C. § 645 election to treat a qualified revocable trust as part of a related estate. It reviews when a trust or estate can obtain an income tax charitable contribution deduction and when an estate can claim an estate tax charitable deduction. This chapter explains how to determine the basis of inherited property and gifted property, and the consistent basis requirements that apply to certain estates. Finally, this chapter explains estate and gift tax considerations for a nonresident noncitizen.

Business Entity Tax Issues. This chapter examines current issues that pertain to business entities, including the determination of basis and holding period of assets contributed to a corporation or a partnership. It explains new case law that could impact the character of gain or loss on the sale of a partnership interest. This chapter provides an overview of the reporting requirements for property distributed by a partnership and the sale or exchange of certain partnership interests. This chapter also explains partnership elections. Finally, this chapter discusses taxation and reporting for a homeowners association.

Installment Sales. This chapter examines installment sales, including the calculation of installment sale income and depreciation recapture. It discusses the sale of a business on an installment sale, and how installment income is reported. This chapter also explains how a reduction in the selling price impacts installment sale income, and how to calculate gain for a contingent payment installment sale. This chapter also discuses electing out of the installment sale method. It reviews the special rules that apply to an installment sale to a related party and an installment sale combined with a like-kind exchange. Finally, this chapter reviews the disposition of an installment obligation, and the tax treatment upon the death of the installment note holder or repossession of installment sale property.

Retirement Tax Issues. This chapter discusses important tax topics for retirement accounts. Topics include the following:

• New guidance for required minimum distributions from inherited retirement accounts
• Designating a trust as a beneficiary of a retirement account
• Roth IRAs
• Designated Roth contributions and the Roth catch-up rule
• Retirement account disaster distributions
• ABLE Accounts
• Education savings account rollovers to Roth
• Qualified charitable distributions

Tax Benefits for Homeowners. This chapter discusses tax benefits that are available to homeowners. It explains the mortgage interest deduction and the deduction for state and local real estate taxes. It discusses how to calculate and report the home office deduction. This chapter explains the exclusion of gain on the sale of a principal residence and the exclusion from cancellation of debt income for qualified principal residence indebtedness. Finally, this chapter reviews important tax advantages for a taxpayer’s whose principal residence is in a disaster area.

Individual Tax Issues. This chapter covers several current issues for tax practitioners preparing individual income tax returns, including the following:

• Determining filing status
• Tax on children’s income
• Constructive receipt of income
• Earned income tax credit
• Itemized deductions
• Wildfire disaster relief

Business Tax Issues. This chapter reviews the deduction for start-up and organizational expenses. This chapter explains equity based compensation for a small business. It also discusses how to allocate the purchase price among assets in an asset sale. This chapter details when and how to correct depreciation errors. Finally, this chapter discusses the commercial clean vehicle credit, including new guidance for leased vehicles.

IRS Issues. This chapter covers issues key IRS issues for practitioners. Topics include the following:

• IP PINs
• New features of the Digital Tax Initiative business tax accounts
• The Document Upload Tool
• IRS transcripts
• Installment payment agreements
• Written information security plans
• Tax scams

Agricultural and Natural Resource Tax Issues. This chapter covers several current issues for tax practitioners preparing returns for farmers and ranchers, including the following:

• Depreciation of agricultural buildings and structures
• Marketing assistance (formerly CCC) loans
• 4H and FFA income and expenses
• Taxation of unharvested crops
• Tax issues arising at the death of a farmer

New and Expiring Legislation. This chapter covers recently enacted tax legislation and procedures. It is organized by subject to help participants quickly find topics of interest and includes a table of tax provisions that expired or are set to expire.

Rulings and Cases. This chapter summarizes selected rulings and cases that were issued from September 2024 through August 2025. It gives participants an update on issues that are being addressed by the IRS and the courts.

Tax Rates and Useful Tables.This chapter reports the tax rates, deduction limits, credit limits, and income thresholds and limits that change each year.

Instructor schedule to be announced.

Request for Exhibit Space

• Site fee is $400 per site or $4,800 for all sites.
• The Exhibitor fee includes:
  • Table with two chairs at each site.
  • The Exhibitor representative may make a brief announcement about your products during opening statements.
  • Exhibitor may offer door prizes at each location if desired.

Rogers, AR: Oct 21-22, $400
Kennesaw, GA: Oct 23-24, $400
Gadsden, AL: Oct 27-28, $400
Auburn, AL: Oct 30–31, $400
Florence, AL: Nov 3-4, $400
Huntsville, AL: Nov 5-6, $400
Montgomery, AL: Nov 10-11, $400
Flowood, MS: Nov 13-14, $400
Mobile, AL: Nov 17-18, $400
Newnan, GA: Nov 24-25, $400
Birmingham, AL: Dec 1-2, $400
Pelham, AL: Dec 3-4, $400
All sites, $4,800

Exhibitor Registration