CPE Catalog & Events
A Practical Guide to Trusts
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Online
8.00 Credits
The role of the trustee and how to avoid problems How to use trusts to avoid probate How revocable living trusts are affected by income, gift, and estate taxes Marital deductions and marital and bypass trusts How an irrevocable trust can be the center of an estate plan Advantages of an irrevocable life insurance trust How to create a dynasty trust Why a GRIT, GRAT, GRUT, or QPRT can be a good estate planning tool Trust options to provide security for older clients Advantages, tax consequences, and limits on charitable contributions and private foundations Charitable remainder and charitable lead trust issues How trusts can serve as asset protection devices Business trust issues
Financial Decisions that Led Two Businessmen to Prison
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Virtual
2.00 Credits
The major topics covered in this class include:Career choicesEthical dilemmasJudicial proceedingsMitigation strategiesCreating tools to help make better decisionsAtonement and reconciliation
Surgent's Individual and Financial-Planning Tax Camp
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Virtual
8.00 Credits
Comprehensive coverage of the SECURE Act 2.0 Understanding the environment: what’s new, what’s expired or expiring, and what’s likely to change Reading a tax return for developing client-specific tax strategies Changes to the lifetime estate tax exemption in light of proposed regulations The net investment income tax: planning for compliance Family income-splitting strategies that need to be considered Income tax issues: impact on timing of other income Selling a principal residence Two principal residences at the same time Use of life insurance to protect families: Whole Life Insurance, Term Life Insurance, Universal Life Insurance, and Variable Life Insurance Using Roth IRAs and Roth contribution programs to best advantage Conversions: do they still make sense? Taking distributions: matching timing to client requirements Qualified plan contributions to reduce current income and Social Security tax: implications for business owners and self-employed Social Security solvency issues Incentive Stock Options and Employee Stock Purchase Plan considerations What to do about itemized deductions Trans-generational planning: conversions, income, and gain-splitting Tax benefits of HSAs and other tax-advantaged accounts Identifying tax opportunities: reviewing the prior-year return to develop a plan for the future Planning for middle-income taxpayers: financial planning for the young, the working, and those approaching or in retirement Best financial planning ideas for young people
Creating an Ethical Work Environment
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Virtual
2.00 Credits
Ethical Values and PrinciplesHuman Factors impacting ethical choicesProfessional and organizational responsibilities in creating an ethical work environmentTools for ethical decision making
How SAS Nos. 134-145 Improve Risk-Based Audits
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Virtual
4.00 Credits
The major topics that will be covered in this class include:Key changes to audit report elements intended to improve the understandability of the nature and results of financial statement auditsEnhanced required by-product communications with management and those charged with governance to promote more reliable financial statementsClarifications related to obtaining sufficient and appropriate audit evidence, including significant unusual transactions, related parties, going concern uncertainty, and accounting estimatesNew definitions and requirements related to identifying and evaluating risks of material misstatementOther important matters contained in SAS Nos. 134-145
Entertainment, Meals & Travel Expenses: Review and Update
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Virtual
2.00 Credits
The major topics that will be covered in this class include:Definition of what qualifies as an entertainment expenseStrategies to deduct business entertainment expensesDeductibility of mealsSituations not subject to the 50% meals and entertainment reductionHow to handle automobile issues related to employer-provided parkingProper accounting for deductible vs. non-deductible expendituresThe four steps to analyze business expensesThe latest federal legislation, cases and rulings
Ask About QM Series
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Virtual
1.00 Credits
Schedule of sessions: Ethics, Resources; Governance and Leadership Wednesday, April 2 Identify and optimize resources necessary to build a strong QM framework. Learn best practices for leveraging resources to support the quality management objectives, including assessing and responding to risk. ----- Client Acceptance, Engagement Performance, and Communication Tuesday, June 17 This session will emphasize the practical steps for implementing QM standards effectively. Get insights into the challenges and strategies of transitioning from planning to action in quality management. ----- Documentation, peer review and the QM standards Tuesday, August 12 Understand how peer review intersects with the new QM standards, how to address common questions on compliance, and gain insights on preparing for peer reviews. You will learn to align your QM processes to meet peer review expectations. ----- Policies Ready? Leadership Responsibilities, Evaluation, and Conclusion Tuesday, September 30 With the new QM standards' effective date just a few weeks away, this session helps you assess your readiness. Join a live walk-through of a final checklist to ensure your policies and procedures are robust and responsive to quality risks.
Top Employment Tools to Protect Your Business and Recommend to Business Clients
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Online
1.00 Credits
arbitration agreements confidentiality agreements restrictive covenants training severance agreements
When Leadership Fails
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Online
2.00 Credits
Who’s responsible The importance of policies and procedures The development, implementation and monitoring of internal controls There is no excuse Who steals The Tone At the Top and the Big Monkey Theory
Accountants and Malpractice: Can We Get Sued for This?
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Virtual
2.00 Credits
The major topics that will be covered in this class include:How accountant liability is a very real threat in today's litigious society.A discussion of scenarios in which accounting professionals can find themselves inadvertently involved in a lawsuit.Pitfalls in which the accountant may find him- or her- self while dealing with clients.Real-life examples from the speaker's extensive experience as a practitioner and as an expert witness in accounting malpractice cases.
Surgent's Features and Benefits of SEP IRAs and SIMPLE IRAs
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Virtual
2.00 Credits
The new Roth SEP IRAs and Roth SIMPLE IRAs created under SECURE Act 2.0 Key factors for choosing a retirement plan for a small business Key questions an advisor must ask a small business owner to help determine which retirement plan is suitable for their business Key questions an advisor must ask a small business owner to help ensure compliance with applicable rules and regulations How SEP and SIMPLE IRAs benefit the small business owner How SEP and SIMPLE IRAs benefit employees of small businesses The tax benefits that help to offset the cost of employer contributions How to determine which business is eligible to adopt a SIMPLE IRA or SEP IRA How to determine which employees must be covered
Surgent's Top Individual Tax Planning Strategies
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Virtual
2.00 Credits
New Clean Vehicles (CV) and the Clean Vehicle Credit What the CV seller must provide to the buyer Credit for previously owned CVs Energy efficient home improvement credit Increase in age for required beginning date for RMDs Reduction in excise tax on RMD failures Indexing IRA catch-up limit Higher catch-up limit to apply at age 60, 61, 62 and 63 Withdrawals for certain emergency expenses Qualifying longevity annuity contracts (QLACs) One-time election for qualified charitable distribution (QCD) to split-interest entity; increase in QCD limitation
Surgent's Understanding Non-Compete Agreements
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Virtual
2.00 Credits
Review of the current legal and regulatory framework surrounding non-compete agreements Enforcement of non-compete agreements from the employer’s perspective Opposing enforcement of non-compete agreements from the employee’s perspective Understanding reasonable geographic scope and time limitations for non-compete agreements Understanding key issues that arise during enforcement and opposition to enforcement of non-compete agreements
Tax Practice Quarterly: 2025 Future-Focused Tax Practice
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Virtual
2.00 Credits
Tax practice management Staff management strategies Billing and client service strategies
Surgent's Advanced Trust Issues: A Roadmap for Success in An Increasingly Complex Area
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Virtual
4.00 Credits
Key concepts of trusts, including recent trends; best practices; jurisdiction; and ways to avoid pitfalls Decanting Federal estate tax exemption and remaining relevance of trusts Irrevocable life insurance trusts The role of family dynamics Choice of trustee and other fiduciaries State trust-friendly considerations Charitable trusts Delaware Statutory Trusts Powers of attorney Pet Trusts – the emerging necessities State, county, and local issues Portability QTIP issues Creditor considerations Potential IRA problems Problems with re-titling assets
Surgent's Employer's Handbook: Health Care, Retirement, and Fringe Benefit Tax Issues
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Virtual
4.00 Credits
ERISA compliance: employee welfare plans and qualified plans Fringe benefit issues: COBRA, Family and Medical Leave Act, and new developments in health care Health care plans: HRAs, HSAs, and other employer-sponsored plans Qualified plan requirements: eligibility, coverage, and vesting
Shortcuts to Personal and Professional Success
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Online
6.00 Credits
1. What really leads to success in the modern world The five things that correlate with fulfillment The five skills that lead to personal success Why "inner technology" is so important to succeed 2. Mastering the Art of Communication Why communication is so important The five mistakes people often make when they communicate How to solve problems without bruising egos How to get people to want to work with you 3. The Magic of Motivation: The key to success is consistency Why people normally don't stay motivated, and how to overcome this Why procrastination is a problem, and how it can be easily handled How to motivate other people 4. Overcoming Your Fears Why people have fears, and how they can be overcome The three skills needed to overcome any fear Identifying the fears that stop you, and creating a plan to overcome them 5. What makes people really happy—and what doesn’t The 3 most important things you can do to increase both happiness and productivity How to handle stress in under two minutes How to tap into a greater sense of purpose and meaning How to use positive psychology principles to help your business
Will Your Ethics Be Burned by Burnout?
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Virtual
2.00 Credits
The major topics covered in this class include:Explore the effects of crisis and burnout on ethical decision-makingDefine the stressors, pressures, and biases that can lead good people to make less than optimal choicesDiscuss ways to offset the pressures, ways to reduce stress on ourselves and on our team, and ways to support our teamsLearn how to recognize when an individual or an organization is heading in the wrong direction and how to stop sliding down the slippery slope
Surgent's Fraud In Single Audits
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Virtual
4.00 Credits
Study real-life misappropriations involving federal awards and how they were carried out The backgrounds, motivations and methodologies of the fraudsters Brainstorm where things went wrong that allowed the frauds to occur without prevention or detection
CFO Solutions to IRS Problems
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Virtual
4.00 Credits
The major topics that will be covered in this course include:The authority of IRS in assessing and collecting taxes.The common misconceptions when dealing with IRS.Common questionable actions by business owners.How to prepare for an IRS audit.The seven options in IRS collections.Possible criminal tax violations by CFOs and small business owners.
