CPE Catalog & Events
Smart Formula Selection in Excel: What to Use When
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Virtual
2.00 Credits
The major topics that will be covered in this class include:Introduction to Strategic Formula Use:Why choosing the right formula matters: clarity, performance, and maintenanceCommon traps: overusing IF, defaulting to familiar tools, ignoring modern functionsHow Excel offers multiple ways to solve the same problem and how to pick wiselyConditional Logic and Branching Tools:IFS vs SWITCH vs nested IF: comparing readability and structureWhen to simplify logic and how to avoid nested nightmaresSummarizing Data:SUMIFS vs SUMPRODUCT: multiple conditions, weighted sums, totalsFiltering and Output Control:FILTER vs IF + INDEX: dynamic data extraction with vs without Excel 365Trade-offs in backward compatibility and ease of useCustom Output and Decision Trees:CHOOSE vs SWITCH vs LOOKUP: logic trees and category mappingEmbedded Variables and Reusability:LET vs named ranges: clarity and efficiency for long formulasUsing LAMBDA with LET to create custom functionsSimplifying and documenting complex calculationsBest Practices for Formula Selection:Criteria for deciding: readability, flexibility, future maintenanceTips for avoiding overengineering and formula bloat
Surgent's Social Security: Dispelling Common Myths with Essential Truths
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Virtual
2.00 Credits
Will Social Security be there for me? How is my benefit calculated? Can I claim my benefit and work too? When do I stop paying Social Security taxes? Why does my government pension cause my benefits to be reduced? Can I claim spousal benefits now and my own later? What is my breakeven? Can I claim benefits from my ex-spouse? What do you mean I may pay taxes on my income benefits? … and more!
Surgent's Advising a Client Regarding the Tax Consequences Associated with Buying or Selling a Business
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Virtual
3.00 Credits
Due diligence checklist items Asset sales and stock sales and their attendant results to buyers and sellers Section 1060 and the residual method Selling sole proprietorships, partnerships, and corporations Consequences of making a Section 754 election with adjustments under Sections 743(b) and 734(b) Section 338 and Section 338(h)(10) elections Allocating some of the purchase price of a business to personal goodwill Partnership distributions to retiring partners under Section 736(a) and 736(b) Consulting agreements and employment agreements as between buyers and sellers Advantages of a C corporation having Section 1202 stock
ACPEN: Achieving Balance in Work and Life - Part 2
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Online
4.00 Credits
Why we get off balance and how to overcome those tendencies Methods that turbo charge motivation, health and happiness The power of culture and friends to affect our lives The importance of clear intention in order to effect change that lasts
What's Behind the Data?
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Virtual
2.00 Credits
The major topics that will be covered in this course include:Ways in which data and information can be misleadingCommon pitfalls when encountering dataHow to re-evaluate the data to avoid those pitfalls
ACPEN: 2026/27 Single Audit Update
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Online
1.00 Credits
2024 Uniform Guidance overhaul Increase in Single Audit threshold to $1 million Audit planning and execution impacts 2025 AICPA GAS/Single Audit Guide (Appendix B) updates Audit efficiency and compliance considerations
Start From Trust: An Evidence-Based Approach to AI Adoption
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Virtual
1.00 Credits
The major topics that will be covered in this course include:Why one visible machine error collapses trust while identical human error does not, and what that asymmetry costs firms in both directionsWhere small and midsize firms actually stand on AI adoption, and why a firm that has not adopted broadly is not automatically behindCalibrated trust: the difference between misuse (overtrust), disuse (undertrust), and trust matched to what a tool actually does wellThe five-stop adoption spectrum: paralysis, accidental delay, informed caution, responsible piloting, and reckless adoptionThe AI Trust and Usage Quadrant: four firm postures and the next step each one impliesGoverned versus unstructured AI use, and why staff already bringing their own tools makes abstention a decision rather than an optionWhat the evidence says about human and AI combinations, and the two task questions that predict whether a tool will help or hurtReading vendor claims: the gap between a demo and production, and why fluent explanations increase acceptance of wrong answersFive trust questions to ask any AI vendor: permission, uncertainty, audit trail, explainability, and change controlThe NIST AI Risk Management Framework trustworthiness characteristics as a technical backboneThree vulnerabilities that current firm financial performance can conceal: client expectations, talent, and deferred learningCognitive offloading and skill retention: what firms lose by waiting, and the conditions under which offloading frees capacity insteadFive actions a firm can take this week, and four evidence-based rollout rules for a first pilot
ACPEN: Mergers and Acquisitions: Complete Guide to Relevant Issues
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Online
2.00 Credits
Taxable asset acquisitions vs. non-taxable stock/equity acquisitions What happens in an asset acquisition What happens in a stock or equity acquisition 338 and 336 elections Basics of 382 Basics of 280G Earnouts and contingent payments Assumed liabilities Acquired reserves Acquired deferred revenue Treatment of transaction costs Basics of mixed entity transactions, examples such as: C-Corp buys an interest in a partnership C-Corp buys an S-Corp C-Corp buys an interest in an LLC (lots of possibilities here) S-Corp buys a partnership S-Corp buys a C-Corp S-Corp buys an interest in an LLC Partnership acquisitions of various entity types Very basic overview of tax-free re-organizations High level overview of entity formations High level overview of entity liquidations or termination
ACPEN: Section 199A Compliance: Rules and Reporting After OBBA
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Online
2.00 Credits
A deep-dive look at the Section 199A flow-through entities deduction Calculation of qualified business income Application to rental real estate - "safe harbor" rule and aggregation rules Self-rental rule for 199A compared to self-rental rule for passive activities Differing impact on the sole proprietorship, partnerships and S corporations Forms reporting in Form 8995 and Form 8995-A Section 199A flowchart
Business Tax Update: OBBA and Recent Developments
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Virtual
2.00 Credits
The major topics that will be covered in this class include:Recent legislation impacting business taxpayersThe One Big Beautiful Bill ActExtenders legislation updateMeals and entertainment expense reportingPartnership and S corporation updateIncome and deductions
Introduction to Governmental Budgeting
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Virtual
2.00 Credits
The major topics that will be covered in this course include:The basics of governmental budgeting.Common steps and timeline of the budget process.What, when and how we should be monitoring the budget throughout the year.How long-term budgets fit in with the annual budget process.
Microsoft Copilot Deep Dive Hands-on Bootcamp for CPAs
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Virtual
2.00 Credits
The major topics that will be covered in this course include:Getting started with Microsoft CopilotTour of the Copilot app and how to use itVariety of hands-on case study examples for accounting, finance and taxProtecting your data privacy in Microsoft CopilotAdvanced Microsoft Copilot features reviewIntegration with Microsoft 365 apps
ACPEN: Partnerships: How to Calculate Partner Basis
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Online
2.00 Credits
Calculation of basis when the entity is formed, including the impact of contributed property How to calculate partnership tax basis capital accounts Explains the use of both "inside" and "outside" basis determination Clarifies the how partnership debt impacts tax basis Discusses how distributions affect basis Explains how basis is impacted by sale and/or liquidation of the partnership interest Comprehensive examples to illustrate the mechanics of the basis determination process
AI Liability and Malpractice Exposure
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Virtual
2.00 Credits
The major topics that will be covered in this course include:Professional accountability for AI-generated workAI errors, hallucinations, and malpractice exposureEmerging cases, sanctions, and disciplinary actionsAI regulatory expectations in the US, Canada, and UKProfessional liability insurance and AI coverage gapsConfidentiality, privilege, privacy, and data exposureVerification, documentation, governance, and defensibility
Exploring Internal Controls That Could Have Prevented Frauds
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Virtual
2.00 Credits
The major topics covered in this class include:Examination of actual fraudsDiscussion of internal controls that could have prevented the fraudsContemplation of epiphanies for your own professional scenarios
ACPEN: Fundamentals of the 1040 Business Income and Reporting
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Online
4.00 Credits
Schedule C: self-employment income, business deductions, and SE tax Schedule E and K-1 income from partnerships and S corporations Shareholder basis tracking using Form 7203 Capital construction fund reporting (Form 7217) Business deductions and credits for individuals with business activity Audit risk areas and reporting red flags 2025 tax law changes affecting business income and pass-through reporting
ACPEN: The Ethics of Artificial Intelligence ("AI"): The Interaction of AI and Ethics, featuring Tracy Cooper, CPA and Don Minges, MBA
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Online
1.00 Credits
What are the ethical issues within AI? The many biases within AI Ownership? Intellectual property rights? Who benefits economically? Changing regulations and laws Why many organizations ban AI? How AI can be used unethically? The need for strong human oversight!
Beyond the Basics: Financial Ratios You Might Be Overlooking
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Virtual
1.00 Credits
The major topics that will be covered in this course include:Understanding Cost Behavior and Its Impact on Decision-MakingContribution Margin and Break-Even AnalysisMargin of Safety and Its Role in Risk ManagementOperating Leverage and Financial SensitivityAnalyzing Asset Turnover for Operational EfficiencyCash Conversion Cycle and Working Capital InsightsFree Cash Flow Yield as a Valuation Tool
Corporate Storytelling in Financial Reporting
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Virtual
1.00 Credits
The major topics that will be covered in this course include:Purpose of Management Commentary (IFRS): Understanding the foundational objectivesPurpose of MD&A (AAP): SEC-mandated narrative disclosure requirementsHistorical Context: Past and present frameworks and the limitationsRecent Revisions: Key enhancements and ESG integrationPractical Examples: Real-world applications and improvementsConvergence & Guidance: Frameworks, comparisons, and implementation
A Working Parent's Guide to Prioritizing Mental Wellness
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Virtual
2.00 Credits
The major topics that will be covered in this course include:Challenging Cultural Expectations and Managing Stress: Explore the impact of societal pressures and develop strategies to counter unrealistic expectations while managing stress effectively.Prioritizing Self-Care and Physical Well-Being: Learn the importance of self-care, including sleep, exercise, relaxation, and setting boundaries, as well as understanding the critical connection between physical and mental health.Seeking Support and Building Resilience: Recognize when to seek help -whether through therapy, friends, or family- and develop skills to build resilience, create flexible work arrangements, and identify when additional support, such as professional intervention, is needed.
