CPE Catalog & Events

ChatGPT is the fastest growing application in the history of technology with over 100 million users adopting it in within two months. It is a revolutionary technology that boosts the quality and efficiency of business processes in every industry. As "knowledge workers", CPAs and CFOs are positioned to be prime beneficiaries of this technology. This half day hands-on course will get you well on your way to becoming a ChatGPT expert. John Higgins, a nationally recognized advisor and educator on CPA technology, will guide you through the process of accessing ChatGPT and applying it to a variety of practical accounting, finance and tax scenarios. This course will catapult you to the top of the pyramid of CPAs who are knowledgeable in ChatGPT and you will be ready to put it to use in your day-to-day tasks. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

IRS Appeals is often the best place to resolve a tax dispute. Appeals can review almost all examination and collection determinations. A practitioner should not handle a complicated examination or collection matter without a thorough understanding of how Appeals operate. This is especially true with the recent changes in the independence of Appeals and the way Appeals handles cases. The course will review the appeals process and strategies for practitioners to represent a client competently before the IRS. State tax appeals will also be discussed and compared.

To get started in estate planning, learn the basics of intestate succession, probate, wills, health care directives, general powers of attorney, trusts, gift and estate tax planning, as well as transfers of assets. Become familiar with some basics of transfer tax planning, including A-B trusts and QTIPs/marital deduction planning, portability, planning with life insurance trusts, family limited partnerships and more. Also, particular attention will be paid to the human elements that are impacted by estate planning and related tax strategies.

Participants will go over the changes on preparation, compilation and review engagements using SSARS rules, followed by a general overview of how to perform these services. This interactive workshop is designed for practitioners in small and medium-sized CPA firms and will include a lecture with generous time for questions and case studies.

During this presentation, the most common mistakes made by employee benefit plan auditors, as well as plan sponsors will be identified. Best practices for handling specific issues that arise during the course of the engagement will also be explored. This discussion will help auditors recognize potential pitfalls in audit procedures/documentation and assist plan sponsors with compliance issues. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

Automation and outsourcing offer viable options for addressing today’s labor issues. In this session, you will learn about the potential benefits and risks associated with automation and outsourcing.

Have you ever wanted to reduce the number of financial statement review points you receive? Are you curious about a reviewer’s thought process? This hands-on session will answer these questions by helping you understand the role of an engagement quality control reviewer. Not only will you develop an appreciation for the role of an engagement quality control reviewer, but this interactive session will allow you to step into the reviewer’s shoes by performing a quality control review during the class session. You will leave with an understanding of best practices for minimizing your exposure to critique by reviewers.

This course will review common deficiencies identified by the AICPA and state boards of accountancy. It features discussion on a variety of topics, including analytical procedures, sampling, group audits and risk assessment. We will review the areas of concern and how you can overcome them by employing best practices. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

This course is designed to equip HR leaders, managers and business owners with the knowledge and skills needed to effectively minimize conflicts in the workplace. Participants will learn about the various sources of workplace conflict, how to identify and address conflicts before they escalate, and how to implement effective conflict resolution strategies. The course will also cover topics such as communication skills, active listening, and conflict management techniques. By the end of the course, leaders will be able to create a more positive and productive work environment, reduce turnover, and promote employee satisfaction.

This PFP Section webcast provides tools, strategies and concepts to leverage in your practice to help you meet your clients' needs. The session will cover: Using a tax return to kickstart your services with a new client Recognizing points from a tax return that should be evaluated annually Using the personal income tax return as a planning tool Reviewing investment strategies to maximize tax efficiency Understanding why it is critical to be the trusted adviser for your clients

As discussed in the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners’ Occupational Fraud 2022: A Report to the Nations, 86% of all frauds are misappropriation of assets.  Why is the misappropriation of assets so large?  Because there as so many of them it creates many, many opportunities.  And the asset which is stolen the most?  CASH!  Because it’s easy to conceal and you don’t have to convert it.  During this presentation, the many, many different ways to misappropriate (steal) assets and which assets (besides cash) are most subject to misappropriation are discussed as well as how to recognize such and more importantly, how easy it is to prevent it!

94% of enterprises use a cloud service according to a January 2021 article in the Hosting Tribunal by Nick Galov. In 2019, the average business organization used 1,935 distinct cloud servers, according to Tech Wire Asia. And according to TechHQ.com, U.S. market spend on cloud services was $142 billion in 2020. With statistics such as these, it's becoming increasingly important to have an understanding of this technology. In this course, participants will learn the basics of Cloud services, recognize the obligations of the Cloud customer and the Cloud Service Provider, differentiate between Cloud types and service models, observe Cloud risks, and get an understanding of major privacy laws and their relation to Cloud services.

Most Staff Accountants learned Excel in college and many others learned Excel on their own, however most users never learned the important productivity tips that help them build spreadsheets more efficiently. This course will teach new and experienced users how to leverage the many productivity tools built within Excel in order to build spreadsheets with maximum effectiveness. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

This 4-part series covers the fundamentals of Form 706. In this final course, we will cover GST allocations on Schedule R, Foreign Death Tax credit, Prior Transfer credit, Qualified Conservation Easements and making the 6166 election for estate tax payment or considering a Graegin or other loan to pay the estate tax. Illustrations of attachments and/or narrative examples for Schedule R will be provided.

The Internal Revenue Code contains a vast number of elections available to taxpayers. Overlooking an election can result in adverse tax consequences to taxpayers and potential malpractice claims against their tax professionals. This survey course addresses the most critical tax elections that the CPA must know.

Many leaders in business organizations of all sizes view the system of Internal Control almost purely as a protective security measure. However, a well-designed internal controls system can drive all entity objectives, including successful operations. This course uses information from years of creating internal control systems and concepts from well-respected authoritative pronouncements and frameworks to illustrate the power of a solid and well-supported control system and actions that can help establish such a system. Those who work with internal controls tasked with developing ways to improve operation-level capabilities should strongly consider this session.

Excel can do so many things but what are some of the features that can really help accountants take their Excel skills to the next level? This course is designed to do just that. To learn ALL the capabilities of Excel would take hundreds of hours of training, so this two-hour course is designed to give you a jump start on the most important features that you can immediately begin implementing in your spreadsheets. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.

The effective date for private companies of ASC 326, Credit Losses, is rapidly approaching. Staring in 2023, all entities will be recording credit losses using the current estimate of credit loss (CECL) model, which will accelerate the recognition of such losses for all companies, including non-lending institutions and companies with trade accounts and leases receivable. This new guidance truly impacts all entities. In this course, we'll focus on applying the ASC 326 guidance to non-lending institutions. We'll review the CECL model and discuss how to apply it to trade accounts receivables and lease receivables, as well as the other financial assets which are in the scope of the new guidance. We'll also examine how to transition to the CECL guidance as well as review the new and voluminous disclosures required by ASC 326. 2023 is right around the corner and now is the time to get up to speed on the impact of this new guidance.

Are you ready to maximize the utility of ChatGPT? If so, participate in this session so you can learn the best ways to leverage this tool.

Fraud continues to be at record highs. According to NASDAQ's Global Financial Crime Report, fraud schemes and bank frauds led to global losses of over $485 billion. Four of the most cited frauds were customer fraud, cybercrime, asset misappropriation, and bribery and corruption. From global banking giants to local charities and mom-and-pop shops, no entities are immune from fraud, even from their most trusted employees and leaders. It is critical for all organizations to learn fraud detection and prevention strategies to protect themselves from becoming the next fraud victims. CPAs and internal auditors must also learn how to detect fraud schemes before it's too late. In this course, we apply a case study approach to prepare you to spot fraud schemes that others have missed. In this quarterly fraud series, follow our Surgent team as we explore and explain the latest fraud schemes and how accounting teams can better prevent and detect them. This course is designed to keep you up to date on the latest schemes and ways to protect your clients.