CPE Catalog & Events

Internal Control Changes for Remote Workers

The major topics covered in this course include:The benefits and pitfalls of remote employees.How to maximize the value provided by distance workers.Policies, procedures, and control measures designed for a more geographically dispersed workforce.

Surgent's Home Office Rules

Calculating the home office deduction Actual expense method Simplified expense method Definition of a home for purposes of the home office deduction Whether working-from-home employees can claim a home office deduction What is a “separate, identifiable space?” The “regularly and exclusively used” rule Defining a “principal place of business” Meeting clients, patients, and customers More than one trade or business Special rules that apply to daycare providers Separate, free-standing structures Depreciating the home

Surgent's Introduction to Required Minimum Distributions

How SECURE Act 1.0 and SECURE Act 2.0 changed the RMD rules What is an RMD? Who is subject to RMDs? The types of accounts subject to RMDs How to calculate an RMD How to determine if a distribution can be an RMD How to determine which life expectancy table must be used when calculating an RMD The rollover and transfer rules during an RMD year IRS penalties for non-compliance with RMD regulations Applying RMD strategies to different plan types When RMDs can and cannot be aggregated How to correct an RMD shortfall How to get a waiver of the excise tax on an RMD failure The tax implication of an RMD How to donate an RMD tax-free How to determine the RMD rules that apply to a beneficiary

Surgent's Privacy and Security Training: Obligations of Confidentiality and Safekeeping

Obligations of confidentiality and safekeeping Security best practices to apply beyond work Likely causes and effects of a large-scale cyberattack Email security best practices Remote work security Mobile device security Internet of Things (IoT) risks Public Wi-Fi risk and the importance of using a VPN Recognizing and avoiding text message/phone call phishing Data loss prevention (DLP)

The Ethic of Teamwork

The major topics that will be covered in this course include:Virtue ethicsTeam dynamicsCharacteristics of highly effective teamsMeeting managementTeam communicationDecision making

Surgent's Proven Controls to Steer You Clear of Fraud

The price of fraud – ACFE’s Report to the Nations Deviant workplace behavior Combating fraud with controls Controls used by fraud victim organizations and suggestions for better implementation Fraud’s new frontier Corporate social, environmental, governance, and equity/inclusion reports and audits

Cybersecurity for the Small Tax Firm?

S Corporations: Calculating Shareholder Basis

The major topics that will be covered in this course include:Discuss the calculation of basis when the entity is formed including the impact of contributed propertyExplain the importance of shareholder loans to the entityUses a comprehensive example to illustrate the mechanics of the basis determination processSchedule K-1 Basis and Form 7203Discuss how basis is impacted by distributions of corporation propertyExplain how basis is impacted by sale/or liquidation of the S corporation interestDiscuss how S corporation losses impact Form 1040 Schedule E reportingShow how to get from the Schedule K-1 information to the basis calculations

ChatGPT Bootcamp for CPAs with John Higgins

The major topics that will be covered in this course include:Review the history of ChatGPTTour of the ChatGPT app and how to use itSetting up a ChatGPT account (free & premium)Variety of hands-on case study examples for accounting, finance and taxA look under the hood at how ChatGPT worksCaution - how to avoid risks in using ChatGPTA look into the future potential for AI in business

Surgent's Weekly Expert Hour

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

Keeping Up with the FASB

The major topics covered in this class include:Review of current items on the FASB agendaDiscuss the new revenue recognition standardProvide an update on the new lease accounting standardAddress U.S. GAAP alternatives for certain entities

Surgent's More Money at the End of the Month: Strategic Ways to Improve Cash Flow

How to optimize cash flow Qualitative evaluations: core earnings and sustainable growth Quantitative evaluations: liquidity ratios Increasing customer base vs. payment terms Business cycle and cash Behavioral finance biases Managing head count Other potential areas of excess cost

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

Surgent's Update on Recent AICPA Standard Setting: Staying Current in a Changing Environment

AICPA hot topics and standard setting initiatives Discussion of suite of nine integrated SASs effective for years ended December 31, 2021 Discussion of the standard on audit evidence effective for years ended December 31, 2022 Discussion of the standard on auditing accounting estimates and disclosures effective as of December 31, 2023 Discussion of the two standards on use of specialists and information from a pricing service, and the newly updated risk assessment standard effective for years ended December 31, 2023 Discussion of standards that are effective beginning in 2025, including those dealing with client acceptance and questions asked of the predecessor auditor, the partner’s responsibility for engagement quality, group audits, conforming changes to compliance auditing, and more

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

2025 Yellow Book Update

The major topics that will be covered in this course include:Yellow Book engagements.Independence requirements in GAGAS.Quality management in Yellow Book. Common deficiencies found in Yellow Book engagements.

Yellow Book Ethics

The major topics that will be covered in this course include:The concept of public interestEthics, independence, and professional judgmentCompetence and continuing professional educationQuality control and peer reviewProper use of government information, resources, and positionProfessional behavior

How to Double Your Firm's Revenue Through CFO and Advisory

The major topics that will be covered in this course include:The average revenue of most accounting firms.The number of advisory clients you'll need to double your firm's revenue.How much you should be charging for advisory services.How we define CFO and advisory services.What business owners really want from their advisor.The three types of CFO/Advisory firms.How to get clients to pay you approximately $2,500 per month for advisory services.The three systems you'll need to add a CFO/Advisory service to your firm.

ChatGPT Vision for Financial Analysis

The major topics that will be covered in this course include:Introduction to GPT Vision - Understanding the fundamentals of GPT Vision and its capabilities.Advantages of Vision Mode Research - Exploring the unique benefits of visual data analysis over traditional methods.Accessing GPT Vision - Guidance on how to access and utilize GPT Vision capabilities.Financial Screenshot Analysis - Techniques for analyzing financial documents and reports through screenshots.Operational Insights from Visual Data - Using images to gain insights into operational processes and asset management.Integration with Google Maps  - Learning how to combine ChatGPT's vision capabilities with mapping technologies for enhanced spatial analysis.DDPP Analysis - Applying descriptive, diagnostic, predictive, and prescriptive analysis to visual data.Sentiment and Facial Expression Analysis - Techniques for interpreting emotions and sentiments in images to gauge client and employee feedback.Body Language Interpretation - Analyzing body language in images to understand non-verbal cues in business contexts.Effective Photo Capturing Techniques - Best practices for taking photos that provide optimal insights for financial analysis.

Surgent's Ethical Considerations for the CPA

Examine the CPA's role in today's economy Compare similarities and differences between individual and business ethics Explore the link between ethics, integrity and scruples Discuss the basic attributes of ethics and professional conduct Review the history of the CPA profession and the CPA's requirement to adhere to ethics policies and codes of conduct Review the AICPA's Code of Professional Conduct and a CPA's responsibilities to the public, clients and colleagues Discuss the common rules and statutes faced daily in the CPA profession. Case studies may also be utilized to present potential ethical dilemmas CPAs may face during their careers Review CPA Independence violations by current legal case examples