CPE Catalog & Events

Building a Better Budget in a Time of Uncertainty

The major topics that will be covered in this class include:Budgets vs. ForecastsCyclicalityCore Earnings & Sustainable GrowthIdentifying Key Forecast DriversReasonableness in ForecastingApproaches to BudgetingBudgeting VariancesHorizontal AnalysisFlexible Budgeting

Tax Depreciation: Review and Update

The major topics that will be covered in this class include:Recent tax legislation and developments related to capitalizationEligible property for Section 179 and Section 168(k)Discussion of the Section 179 deduction and its use to depreciate real propertyThe Section 168(k) deduction and its use to depreciate real propertyDisposition of segments of real propertyExchanges of tangible personal property after repeal of the like-kind exchange rulesOther related topics

Surgent's Avoiding Deficiencies in Peer Reviews: Focus on Engagement Quality

AICPA’s Enhancing Audit Quality initiative Recent revisions to Quality Management standards Feedback from peer reviews, including areas driving deficiencies in audit Elements of an effective risk assessment and how to link to audit procedures performed Understanding internal controls and making the decision whether or not to test them Best practices in documentation

Leadershift: Drive Results Through Ethical Performance Mgmnt

The major topics that will be covered in this course include:How Inspirational leadership is the foundation that ethically drives results.Simplify the complex: Walk through the Results Model and discover practical how-to examples of execution.Hacks for getting great results with specific examples you can leverage in your business:The How: Empower your people to feel like an owner, managing difficult conversations well, leading with empathy and what that looks like, how it should feel, motivational coaching techniques to get your employee relationships back on track, and unleashing the power of appreciation and gratitude.The What: Powerful score-carding, transformational goal-setting conversations, and positive accountable follow- up.

Improve Spreadsheets by Building Controls in Excel

The major topics that will be covered in this class include:Learn best practices when designing your spreadsheets How to create a proper worksheet structureLearn to use Excel's built in features to find errorsHow to create your custom controls to prevent and find errorsUsing links to quickly move to controlsUsing Conditional Formatting to highlight errors

Surgent's A Complete Tax Guide to Exit Planning

Gain exclusion and tax-free reorganization planning Gain exclusion with sales of C corporation stock – Section 1202 Deferral of gain with installment reporting Gain planning with partnerships Basis planning – basis step-up at death, gifts of interests to family Restructuring the business entity – C vs. S corporation, partnerships, LLCs Real estate planning – retention vs sales, like-kind exchanges Employee stock ownership plans – special tax incentives Employee benefit planning with ownership change Taxes other than the federal income tax – state tax, estate, gift and generation-skipping taxes, and property taxes Prospects for tax law change

Surgent's Ethics for Tax Professionals

What does practicing before the IRS mean? Who may practice before the IRS? What should a tax preparer do if he or she has knowledge of a client's omission of income from a tax return? May a tax preparer rely on the work of other tax return preparers? May a tax preparer rely on and use client-provided information? Standards associated with giving advice to clients Abolition of the disclaimer requirement When must a tax preparer examine a client’s books and records?

Yellow Book Independence and Single Audit Fundamentals

The major topics that will be covered in this class include:The conceptual framework approach to independenceIndependence threats related to preparing financial statements and accounting recordsConsideration of specific non-audit services that would and would not impair independenceDocumentation necessary to support adequate consideration of auditor considerationFundamentals of a compliance audit performed under the Uniform GuidanceSchedule of expenditure of federal awardsDetermination of major programsUsing the Compliance Supplement Uniform Guidance administrative requirements and cost principles Testing internal control over complianceTesting complianceWriting an audit findingReporting requirements of a single audit

Common Financial Statement Disclosures

The major topics covered in this class include:General disclosures about the entity and its environmentCommon critical information useful to financial statement readers for making economic decisionsExplain results of operations through information that supplements the face financial statements

Using e-Signature Software to Process Agreements-Updated

The major topics covered in this course include:Review of the digital document signing process.Key features to evaluate in selecting a solution.Review and distinguish top selling e-signature applications.Best practices for deploying e-signature software in your practice or business.

Behind the Curtain: Exploring IRS Audit Technique Guides

The major topics that will be covered in this course include:Overview of ATGsBest practices for utilizing ATGsSalient provisions of selected ATGsInsights auditors may obtain from analytical proceduresNuances associated with selected industries

AHI: The Mindful-CPA

Mindfulness; Science of Neurology; Mindfulness Practice; Stress Management

Ethics: IRS Behavioral Insights for Accountants

Behavioral insights (BI) PrimerHow and why BI are used by the IRSIRS and individual decision-makingIRS and environmental and design considerationsIRS and social normsIRS "top of mind" issues BI and Implementation of tax reform legislation BI and private debt collectionBI and online taxpayer accountsBI and taxpayer rights in "real" vs. "unreal" auditsBI and the tax-exempt approval processBI and passport renewal and revocationHow to use BI to more mindfully interact with the IRS to improve outcomes

Tactics to Find Work Life Balance in a Complex World

The major topics covered in this class include:How to get more out of one's workHow to achieve greater balance between today's ever more demanding and complex demands of work without losing sight of what is important in daily routinesExample of how to develop and be challenged by your own personal bucket list

55th Annual Virginia Accounting & Auditing Virtual Conference

SOC 2r Report Walkthrough

Sections within a SOC 2 report CUEC considerations Inclusive versus carve-out methods of reporting on controls at subservice organizations Report opinion types SOC 3 reporting Bridge letters

Criminal Tax: How CPAs Bring Value to Defense Attorneys

The major topics that will be covered in this course include:The common weaknesses in a criminal tax investigation.The key documents to review (In a sea of thousands of documents).Crafting questions to recommend in court proceeding.

Surgent's Section 199A: Schedule K-1 Reporting by Relevant Pass-Through Entities

The latest guidance from the IRS provided through regulations or administrative announcements Reporting requirements for all relevant pass-through entities Reporting for multiple activities within one entity Allocating common items among multiple activities Section 199A Schedule K-1 reporting for tiered entities Calculating and reporting qualified wages and the unadjusted basis immediately after acquisition of qualified property Allocating §199A relevant amounts to beneficiaries of trusts using DNI Handling separately stated items for which qualified business income status is determined at the shareholder or partner level The effects of ownership changes on §199A reporting on Schedule K-1 Reporting publicly traded partnership income and REIT income to the partners or shareholders Reporting aggregated activities Allocating §199A amounts to partners when special allocations have been made by the partnership

Surgent's Simply Auditing Not-for-Profits Efficiently

How distinctive funding sources, different operating purposes, and lack of ownership interests affect risk assessment and planning in the audit of a not-for-profit Key considerations and auditing procedures applied in auditing contributions, functional expenses, net assets, etc. Frequent issues arising in audits of not-for-profits (e.g., independence concerns, communicating with those charged with governance, Yellow Book audits, single audits, etc.)

Coping With the Growth of Online Fraud

The major topics covered in this course include:The actuation of online and other cyber fraudsFraudulent acts that are initiated electronicallyAutomated and employee driven methods that can reduce cyber-fraud risk