CPE Catalog & Events

Entertainment, Meals & Travel Expenses: Review and Update

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

How to Audit Cash

The major topics that will be covered in this course include:Auditing CashAudit assertions, risks, and threats to the cash balanceAuditing procedures to perform

Overcoming Tech Adoption Challenges in CPA Firms

To purchase the report referenced in this presentation, or any of the research papers published by CPA Crossings, visit https://www.cpacrossings.com/research. The major topics that will be covered in this course include: Five critical technology adoption challenges facing CPA firms today Digital maturity assessment models and implementation frameworks AI integration strategies for tax, audit, and advisory services Cybersecurity considerations and risk management protocols Case studies of successful technology transformations in accounting firms

Mining Your Firm Client Database for Revenue

The major topics that will be covered in this course include:How accounting and tax professionals can transform dormant data into dynamic growth. When leveraged strategically, your client base becomes more than a list --it becomes a roadmap to higher-value services, expanded engagements, and greater long-term retention.How to audit client records, segment strategically, and surface needs that often go unmet --all without adding complexity or compromising relationships.Using the data you already own and relationships you have already built to drive smarter growth. 

Surgent's Improving Your Profits: Identifying Cost Cutting Opportunities

What keeps companies from becoming streamlined?  Behavioral biases Information processing biases Emotional biases How to deal with behavioral biases  Connecting behavioral biases to cost cutting Creating a culture of cost cutting Rules of thumb for cost cutting  Managing headcount Post-COVID common areas of excess cost Budgeting techniques Budget variances Benchmarking Common size financial statements Horizontal analysis Negotiation and contracting techniques Cash flow and the business cycle

What You Can Learn From the Statement of Cash Flows

The major topics covered in this course include:Preparation of the statement of cash flowsImportance of identifying sources and uses of cash in financial reportingFinancial statement analysisCash-related financial statement disclosures

Surgent's You’ve Got This: An Introduction to Yellow Book and Single Audits

What’s included (and excluded) in a Yellow Book audit Key qualification, performance, and reporting standards under the Yellow Book How single audits differ from financial statement audits, plus core concepts like the SEFA, major program determination, and findings reporting Fundamentals of testing internal controls over compliance and performing compliance testing

Complete Guide to Analyze Data with Excel PivotTables

The major topics that will be covered in this course include:Introduction to PivotTables: Gain a solid understanding of what PivotTables are, their benefits in Excel, and how to prepare your data for creating effective PivotTables.Creating and Customizing PivotTables: Learn step-by-step how to build and format PivotTables, including filtering, sorting, and customizing layouts for optimal data analysis. Focus on Using PivotTables to Analyze Data: Explore techniques to summarize, group, and compare data with PivotTables, uncovering trends and insights for better decision-making.Advanced PivotTable Features: Discover advanced tools such as slicers, timelines, and using PowerPivot for deeper analytical capabilities. Data Visualization with PivotCharts: Learn to create PivotCharts from your PivotTables and customize them to visually present data insights effectively to stakeholders.

The 2026 Technology Conference for CPAs

S Corporations: Comprehensive walk through of Form 1120S

The major topics that will be covered in this course include:Subchapter S status election and compliance requirementsRelief for late Form 2553 filings under Rev. Proc. 2022-19Comparison of Rev. Proc. 2022-19 and Rev. Proc. 2023-3I.R.C. §1361 and §1362 analysis for S Corporation electionsCorporate governance and formalities complianceShareholder stock and debt basis rulesBuilt-in capital gains and other aspects of Form 1120SSchedules K-1, K-2, and K-3 preparation and reporting requirementsOfficer reasonable compensation: requirements, advisory strategies, and audit defensesS Corporation eligibility errors and corrective measures

Surgent's Social Security and Medicare: Planning for You and Your Clients

Legislative developments A full chapter devoted to determining the best planning options for maximizing joint Social Security benefits Retirement benefits: Amount of benefits in various circumstances; how the amounts are distributed within the family unit Qualification: Has the client retired? How business entities may be used for Social Security advantage Income taxation of Social Security: avoidance tactics 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? When can hiring the spouse increase overall benefits?  Why should both spouses qualify for survivor benefits? Disability benefits When to start Social Security benefits: Advantages and disadvantages at ages 62, full retirement age, and 70 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? Pensions: Distribution strategies; how to use the minimum distribution rules in concert with Social Security benefits IRAs: Is it time to convert to a Roth? Medicare, Part D prescription drugs: what retirees need to know

The Best Federal Tax Update Course by Surgent

Comprehensive coverage of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act Review of key components of President Trump's tax bill, including a tip income exemption, overtime pay relief, Social Security tax exemption, auto loan interest deductibility, SALT deduction modifications, a lower corporate tax rate, restoration of 100% bonus depreciation, immediate R&D expensing, and permanent extension of select TCJA provisions Tariff policy and implementation - analyze the use of tariffs as a fiscal and trade policy tool Digital assets and tax implications - understand the new Form 1099-DA for reporting digital asset transactions, along with updated IRS guidance on cryptocurrencies, NFTs, and broker responsibilities Artificial intelligence - discover how AI and generative tools are transforming tax practices, as well as how the IRS is leveraging AI to enhance audit selection Form 1099-K reporting requirements - understand the evolving IRS thresholds and rules for third-party payment platforms Sale of Passthrough Entity Interests and Net Investment Income Tax - analyze the tax implications of selling interests in passthrough entities, including relevant examples, and how the Net Investment Income Tax (NIIT) applies to these transactions  The Gig Economy - examine key tax implications for gig workers, including Independent Contractor vs. Employee classification challenges, reporting responsibilities, and the impact of the 2024 Department of Labor Final Rule on worker status Timely coverage of breaking tax legislation Practice aids, including all the numbers applicable for the current year -- inflation-adjusted amounts, mileage rates, retirement contributions, and more Advanced practice, reporting, and other issues intertwined with advanced planning and discussion ideas

Everyday Ethics at Work: Don't be the Next News Story!

The major topics that will be covered in this course include:Discuss ethics from an every-day real-world perspectiveHow to prevent an ethical lapse that can turn your business into the next news story

Taxation of the Cannabis Industry

The major topics that will be covered in this course include:Industrial hemp vs. marijuana.Income definitions under I.R.C. §61.Tax code restrictions: §280E and §471.State-specific marijuana laws.Cash management in cannabis businesses.Federal court case analysis.

How Fraud Can Affect Smaller Organizations

The major topics included in this course include:The reasons for fraudFraudulent acts that are initiated against smaller organizationsMethods to stop fraud attempts against small businesses

ChatGPT and Advanced Financial Analysis for Accountants

The major topics that will be covered in this course include:Financial Modeling with ChatGPT IntegrationAdvanced Ratio Analysis TechniquesRisk Assessment and Scenario AnalysisValuation Methods and ChatGPT ApplicationsUtilizing Performance Metrics in Financial AnalysisData Analysis and Interpretation with AIInvestment Analysis Enhanced by ChatGPT

Surgent's Comparing and Contrasting Retirement Plans for Small- and Medium-Sized Businesses

Factors business owners should take into account when choosing a retirement plan SIMPLE plans Simplified employee pension plans 401(k) plans Defined benefit plans Ensuring eligible employees are covered Employees’ impact on choice of plan Ongoing compliance requirements Establishing a plan after the tax year end Changes to safe harbor 401(k) plans Pooled employer plans Defined benefit plans and cash balance plans

Surgent's Excel Budgeting Ideas

Set up an in-cell drop-down list of budget methods  Change the calculations in the cells based on the selected budget method  Use names in worksheets

Surgent's Review and Analysis of Crucial OBBBA Changes

Changes to the standard deduction Senior deduction Deduction for auto loan interest Estate tax changes and the portability option Tax consequences associated with investing in revised opportunity zones Full expensing of domestic R&E Individual and corporate charitable contributions Wagering losses Student loan discharges Taking advantage of scholarship granting organizations (SGOs) Dependent care assistance program Other crucial OBBBA provisions

Surgent's The AI-augmented Professional: Practical Tools, Real Risks, and Immediate Use Cases

Explore from the history of automation to the current landscape of large language models (LLMs) and generative tools to demystify the technology Free, accessible apps to enterprise-grade solutions and specialized accounting software tailored for tax, audit, and advisory workflows Ethical obligations and professional standards that govern AI use, including data privacy, client confidentiality, and the management of "hallucinations" or inaccuracies Through specific use cases and prompting demonstrations, understand how to use AI to draft complex communications, summarize research, optimize Excel workflows, and enhance client advisory services