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Cybersecurity training, Security Training, Soft Skills training, PCAOB Auditing Standards, Accounting Standards, CPE events, internal audit training, internal control training, fraud prevention and detection
The AccountWare Group
The Accountware Group works with Corporate Compliance Seminars (CCS) to created CPE training events and courses. These CPE events focus on internal audit training, internal control training, PCAOB Auditing Standards, Accounting Standards, cybersecurity program events and information technology training events.
CCS offers over 200 "Online Instructor-Led" webinar and in-person training courses. In 2026, CCS is offering in-person courses in selected cities. CCS can present any of the events and other training onsite at your office or via a private live webinar.
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The Politics of Internal Auditing by Patricia K. Miller and Larry E. Rittenberg
Internal audit does not operate in a politically neutral environment. The Politics of Internal Auditing, by Patricia K. Miller and Larry E. Rittenberg, examines the organizational pressures that can affect chief audit executives and internal-audit departments. Based on research involving nearly 500 chief audit executives, the book explains how political pressure can arise when internal audit investigates sensitive issues, challenges influential executives, reports serious con
John Blackshire
3 hours ago1 min read
Trusted Advisors by Richard F. Chambers: What Makes an Outstanding Internal Auditor?
Technical competence is necessary for an internal auditor, but technical knowledge alone does not create influence. In Trusted Advisors: Key Attributes of Outstanding Internal Auditors, Richard F. Chambers examines the qualities that allow internal auditors to earn credibility with management, boards, and audit committees. Chambers identifies nine attributes associated with outstanding internal auditors, including ethical resilience, critical thinking, intellectual curiosity,
John Blackshire
3 hours ago1 min read
Clarity, Impact, Speed by Sally-Anne Pitt: Writing Internal-Audit Reports That Matter
A well-performed audit can lose much of its value through a poorly written report. In Clarity, Impact, Speed: Delivering Audit Reports That Matter, Sally-Anne Pitt explains how internal auditors can produce reports that are easier to write, easier to understand, and more likely to produce corrective action. The book addresses report structure, audit findings, writing quality, editing, formatting, and the overall reporting process. Its focus is practical: audit reports should
John Blackshire
3 hours ago1 min read
Auditing That Matters by Norman Marks: Are Internal Auditors Addressing the Risks That Matter?
In Auditing That Matters, Norman Marks challenges internal auditors to reconsider what makes an audit valuable. Completing the audit plan, producing lengthy reports, and documenting control deficiencies do not necessarily mean internal audit has helped the organization. Marks argues that internal auditors must concentrate on the risks that could prevent the organization from achieving its objectives. That distinction is important. An audit department can perform technically s
John Blackshire
3 hours ago1 min read
Internal Auditing: Assurance & Advisory Services, Sixth Edition: A Core Resource for Internal Auditors
Internal Auditing: Assurance & Advisory Services, Sixth Edition, by Michael Head, Paul Sobel, Cris Riddle, Mark Salamasick, and Urton Anderson, is one of the most comprehensive textbooks available for internal-audit professionals. Published by The Institute of Internal Auditors, the sixth edition covers the complete internal-audit process—from governance, risk management, and internal controls to engagement planning, fieldwork, reporting, and follow-up. A major advantage of t
John Blackshire
3 hours ago1 min read
The Four Ethical Principles Every Internal Auditor Must Protect: Integrity, Objectivity, Confidentiality and Competency
Internal Audit Cannot Provide Assurance Without Trust Internal Auditors spend a great deal of time discussing methodology. Risk assessments. Internal controls. Walkthroughs. Sampling. Data analytics. Workpapers. Findings. Recommendations. Audit reports. All of those matter. But underneath the entire Internal Audit profession is something more fundamental: Can stakeholders trust the auditor? An Internal Auditor can understand COSO, perform excellent data analytics, write techn
John Blackshire
4 hours ago8 min read
PCAOB Audit Quality Starts With the Staff: Why Financial Auditors Should Attend Audit & Assurance: Staff Two
Live Webinar — Wednesday–Thursday, September 2–3, 2026 A PCAOB-regulated audit is not performed only by the engagement partner. Much of the evidence gathering, walkthrough work, testing, documentation, analytical work, and day-to-day interaction with the client is performed by staff auditors. That creates a fundamental audit-quality issue: The quality of the engagement ultimately depends, in part, on the competence of the people performing the audit procedures. For firms perf
John Blackshire
5 hours ago7 min read
Corporate Culture: The Hidden Risk Every School District Audit Committee Should Understand
When most people think about organizational culture, they picture employee morale, teamwork, or workplace satisfaction. While those factors certainly matter, an auditor or audit committee member should view corporate culture through a different lens. Corporate culture is the collection of values, behaviors, incentives, and leadership practices that determine how decisions are made when no one is watching. A healthy culture reduces fraud, improves financial reporting, strength
John Blackshire
1 day ago3 min read
How We Reviewed an Entity-Level Control: A Governance Review of an Internal Audit Charter
An Internal Audit Charter may look like a relatively simple administrative document. In reality, it can be one of an organization's most important entity-level controls. The Charter establishes the authority, independence, reporting relationships, responsibilities, and governance structure surrounding the Internal Audit function. If those provisions are weak, the weakness can affect Internal Audit's ability to evaluate controls throughout the entire organization. The Accountw
John Blackshire
4 days ago6 min read
How Arizona CPAs Actually Get in Trouble
Lessons From the Arizona State Board of Accountancy Most CPAs do not begin their careers expecting to face professional discipline. They pass the CPA examination. They satisfy experience requirements. They complete continuing professional education. They work hard to serve clients and employers. Then something goes wrong. Sometimes it involves a major ethical failure. Sometimes it involves poor professional judgment. Sometimes it is much less dramatic: deficient CPE records,
John Blackshire
7 days ago9 min read
PCAOB Broker-Dealer Inspections: Where External Auditors Are Still Getting It Wrong
The Latest PCAOB Inspection Results Should Get the Attention of Every Broker-Dealer Auditor The latest PCAOB broker-dealer inspection results contain both good news and a serious warning. Audit quality improved. But the deficiency rates remain far too high. In its 2026 Annual Report on the Interim Inspection Program Related to Audits of Brokers and Dealers, reporting on 2025 inspections, the PCAOB reported that it reviewed 103 broker-dealer audits and identified deficiencies
John Blackshire
7 days ago8 min read
Insurance Cybersecurity Failures Lead to More Than $21 Million in Regulatory Penalties
Cybersecurity requirements for insurance organizations are no longer theoretical. Recent enforcement actions demonstrate that state regulators are prepared to impose substantial financial penalties when insurers fail to protect nonpublic information, maintain effective cybersecurity controls, or report cybersecurity events promptly. Between October 2025 and April 2026, the New York State Department of Financial Services imposed more than $21 million in cybersecurity penalties
John Blackshire
7 days ago6 min read
The AI-Assisted Internal Audit Report: 10 Methodologies Auditors Can Use to Turn Evidence Into Action
AI Can Make Audit Reports Better—but Only When the Auditor Gives It a Methodology Artificial intelligence can dramatically improve internal audit report writing. But there is an important distinction between using AI to write and using AI to think through a structured audit methodology. An auditor who types: “Write an audit finding about poor purchasing controls.” may receive polished prose. That does not mean it is a good audit finding. The AI does not automatically know: Wh
John Blackshire
Aug 1010 min read
Leading Change: Step Two—Build a Guiding Coalition
Urgency Starts the Change. A Guiding Coalition Gives It the Power to Survive. In the first article in this series, “Leading Change—Step One: Create a Sense of Urgency,” we examined Dr. John Kotter’s first requirement for successful organizational transformation. People must understand why change is necessary now. That first step creates momentum. But urgency by itself does not change an organization. Someone must convert that urgency into coordinated action. That is the purp
John Blackshire
Aug 1010 min read
Being an Audit Leader in the AI Era: The Leadership Skills Every Chief Audit Executive Must Develop
In-Person Leadership Academy • Dulles, Virginia • September 2–4, 2026 The Best Audit Leaders of the Next Decade Won't Simply Manage Audits—They Will Lead AI-Powered Audit Functions Internal Audit is experiencing the most significant transformation since computerized auditing replaced paper workpapers. Artificial Intelligence is changing: Risk assessment Audit planning Process walkthroughs Data analytics Fraud detection Internal control testing Audit reporting Audit Committee
John Blackshire
Aug 55 min read
Why Every Internal Audit Leader Must Embrace Artificial Intelligence Before Their Audit Function Falls Behind
AI Will Not Replace Internal Auditors. But Internal Auditors Who Don't Use AI May Be Replaced by Those Who Do. For decades, Internal Audit has continuously evolved. The profession moved from paper workpapers to electronic workpapers. From manual sampling to data analytics. From compliance auditing to risk-based auditing. From transaction testing to continuous auditing. Today, the profession stands at another transformational moment. Artificial Intelligence (AI). The question
John Blackshire
Aug 56 min read
TUSD Is on Arizona’s Financial Watch List: Stakeholders Must Demand Action Before the District Loses Control of Its Future
A Financial Warning Is Only Useful When Leadership Responds to It Tucson Unified School District is not facing an abstract financial concern. The District has been identified as one of Arizona’s higher-risk school districts under the Arizona Auditor General’s financial-risk analysis. The reported warning indicators include declining weighted student count, shrinking operating and capital budget capacity, pressure on the General Fund, and the use of capital resources to suppor
John Blackshire
Aug 511 min read
Leading Change: Step One—Create a Sense of Urgency
Organizational Change Begins When People Believe Staying the Same Is More Dangerous Than Moving Forward Organizations rarely fail to recognize that change is needed. Leaders see declining performance, outdated technology, customer dissatisfaction, control failures, employee turnover, increasing costs, regulatory pressure, new competitors, and emerging risks. They hold meetings. They prepare presentations. They appoint committees. They announce initiatives. Then very little ch
John Blackshire
Aug 514 min read
How Memphis City Schools Went “Out of Business”: The Political, Financial, and Governance Decisions That Ended a 140-Year School District
Memphis City Schools Did Not Go Bankrupt. Its Governing Board Voted to Eliminate the District. Memphis City Schools did not close because it filed for bankruptcy, ran out of cash, or became legally unable to educate students. It went “out of business” because its own Board of Education surrendered the district’s charter, Memphis voters approved the transfer of responsibility, and the school system was ultimately absorbed into Shelby County Schools. That distinction matters. T
John Blackshire
Aug 319 min read
Snakes in Suits and Internal Auditing: How Auditors Should Respond to Manipulation, Deception, and Destructive Leadership
Internal Auditors Audit Systems—But People Can Defeat the Best-Designed Systems Internal auditors are trained to evaluate: Governance Risk management Internal controls Compliance Fraud risk Operational performance Most audit methodologies assume that people generally act within the organization’s established structure. Management sets objectives, employees perform controls, supervisors monitor results, and governance bodies receive reliable information. That assumption does n
John Blackshire
Aug 317 min read
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