CPE Catalog & Events

Maximizing Your Social Security Benefits

Retirement benefits: What the amount of benefits is in various circumstances. Spousal benefits: Should a spouse return to work? What benefits does a spouse have and when and how do they relate to benefits decisions by the client? Claiming Social Security: Advantages and disadvantages at ages 62, full retirement age, and 70. Planning: What clients approaching retirement age should consider now with respect to benefits for them, their spouses, and their children. Coordinating benefits: Should you take Social Security first and higher-balance IRA distributions later, or take IRA balances first and enhanced Social Security benefits later?

A Culture of Regulatory Ethics: A Competitive Advantage

The major topics that will be covered in this class include:Does it pay for a company to have strong ethics?Can you measure the financial impact of ethics?Does ethics make a difference in financial performance?Can ethics be used as a competitive advantage?What sets the CPA designation apart?AICPA Code of Professional Conduct & the Conceptual Framework ApproachEthics as a marketing toolPersonalizing your Code of EthicsFour building blocks of ethical cultureWhat influences employee behavior?Ethical researchBuilding trust in organizationsMaintaining objectivity in difficult situations

Comprehensive Passive Activity Losses (PAL) 25-26

Overview of the four loss limitation rules and how the PAL rules interact with the other limitations Definition of a PAL including a detailed review of the 7 determining factors contained in the Treasury Regulations with a review of several recent court decisions that interpret this regulation Impact of PAL rules on real estate ownership Learn the six Nonshelterable Passive Activity (NOPA) rules that act as anti-abuse rules to the PAL rules Discuss how the PAL rules impact tax credits Discuss tax elections and planning techniques associated with PALs

Will Your Ethics Be Burned by Burnout?

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

Forensic Accounting: Crafting Expert Reports

The major topics that will be covered in this course include:Introduction to Forensic Accounting: Gain an understanding of the fundamentals, roles, and responsibilities of forensic accountants in uncovering financial discrepancies, fraud, and economic damages.Maintain Ethical Integrity: Learn the importance of ethics in forensic accounting and strategies for ethical decision-making.Expert Report Preparation: Learn the essential components, best practices, and common pitfalls in writing clear, concise, and objective expert reports for legal proceedings.Investigation Report Writing: Explore the methodologies for conducting investigations, gathering evidence, and crafting thorough and accurate investigation reports.Economic Damages Writing: Understand the methodologies and best practices for calculating economic damages, including lost profits, business valuation, and other financial impacts.Reviewing Investigation Reports and Economic Damages: Analyze real-world examples to review and critique investigation reports and damage calculations, highlighting key insights and lessons learned.

Ethics: How to Run Your Business Well

The major topics that will be covered in this course include:The five principles of ethical intelligenceHow to make the right decisions in a range of challenging situationsThe fundamental ethical principal, "Do No Harm"

Reasonable Compensation for S Corps

The major topics that will be covered in this course include:Explain the payroll tax advantage of taking distributions over wagesReview key court cases that shape todays reasonable compensation landscapeHow to use court factors to stress test reasonable compensationBest practices for determining reasonable compensationReview of the IRS’s enforcement on reasonable compensation; past, present and future

How to Start a CFO Service

The major topics that will be covered in this course include:What business owners really want from a CFO/business advisory service (it's not what you think).How to determine if you're qualified to provide CFO/business advisory services.Why now is the right time to be providing CFO/business advisory services.How to get new clients to your practice and how to approach existing clients.Why clients need you and why you need them.How much you should be charging for this type of service.How to provide a CFO/business advisory service in the most efficient way possible.

Power BI - Bringing It All Together for Data Analysis

The major topics that will be covered in this course include: Building a Comprehensive Workflow in Power BI: Streamline and enhance your end-to-end data processes for improved efficiency and clarity.Exploring What's Next After Creating Data Models and Measures: Understand advanced strategies to further enhance the value of your existing data models.Best Practices for Performance Optimization: Learn key tips to ensure smooth, fast, and reliable performance in your existing data models.Leveraging Your Data Model Through PowerBI.com/Power BI Services: Explore advanced functionalities of Power BI Services to make your data insights more accessible and impactful.

Surgent's Tax Research - Intermediate Concepts

Tax code hierarchy Organization of an Internal Revenue Code section Special rules for IRC citation Citing other primary authorities Private letter rulings Primary vs. secondary authority Secondary sources of authority Steps in the tax research process Research memoranda

Business Tax Update: Recent Developments

The major topics that will be covered in this class include:2024/25 legislation impacting business taxpayersTax depreciation updateGIG workers and Form 1099-KCommercial Clean Vehicle CreditRecent business taxpayer case rulingsFINCEN Beneficial Ownership Information reporting update

Surgent's Fraud In Single Audits

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

Surgent's Weekly Expert Hour

Each week’s topics will change based on the most critical issues affecting financial professionals

Grading Your Auditors - Are You Getting the Most Value?

The major topics that will be covered in this class include:Limitations in roles and responsibilities an auditor can accept without impairing independenceAssessing the strength of your auditor's ability to think critically, strategically, and creatively in appropriate circumstancesEvaluating your auditor's time and project management stillsGrading your auditor's communication and interpersonal skills, in exceeding your expectations on an audit

Forensic Accounting: Crafting Expert Reports

The major topics that will be covered in this course include:Introduction to Forensic Accounting: Gain an understanding of the fundamentals, roles, and responsibilities of forensic accountants in uncovering financial discrepancies, fraud, and economic damages.Maintain Ethical Integrity: Learn the importance of ethics in forensic accounting and strategies for ethical decision-making.Expert Report Preparation: Learn the essential components, best practices, and common pitfalls in writing clear, concise, and objective expert reports for legal proceedings.Investigation Report Writing: Explore the methodologies for conducting investigations, gathering evidence, and crafting thorough and accurate investigation reports.Economic Damages Writing: Understand the methodologies and best practices for calculating economic damages, including lost profits, business valuation, and other financial impacts.Reviewing Investigation Reports and Economic Damages: Analyze real-world examples to review and critique investigation reports and damage calculations, highlighting key insights and lessons learned.

Microsoft 365: Save More Time, Make More Money

The major topics that will be covered in this course include:Appreciate the full potential of Microsoft 365 to drive efficiency in your businessLearn best practices for harnessing the power of Microsoft 365 Design your Teams app setup to meet the unique attributes of your businessUse SharePoint and OneDrive to organize your files and share them securely internally and externallyOrganize your thoughts, meeting notes and other content centrally in OneNoteManage your projects, large and small, with the Planner appDeploy the Stream app to document processes efficiently and effectively Bonus Content: Understand how to harness the power of AI with Microsoft Copilot

How Automation and AI are Enhancing Management Accountants

Risk Assessment Under SAS No. 145: The Key to Audit Quality?

The topics that will be covered in this class include:New concepts due to the issuance of SAS No. 145Revised requirement to separately assess inherent risk and control riskA new definition of significant risk New emphasis on IT controls and risk of material misstatementNew guidance on maintaining professional skepticismRevised requirements to evaluate the design of certain controlsRevised requirements regarding audit documentationNew guidance on scalability

Surgent's Data Security: Best Practices to Protect Your Business and Yourself

Ethical duty to safeguard employee, client, and litigant data Common threats, including phishing, ransomware, and bad password management Security management of business and personal electronic devices Best practices for creating and securing passwords Insight into how our personal information is exploited in our daily lives

PPP Fraud and Financial Professionals

The major topics covered in this class include:Ethical dilemmasJudicial proceedingsMitigation strategiesCreating tools to help make better decisionsAtonement and reconciliation