CPE Catalog & Events

During a financial statement audit the auditor obtains an understanding of the entity and its environment (including its internal control), performs a risk assessment and from that work designs substantive procedures that will be responsive to the level of risk assessed. At the end of the audit, the auditor assesses the sufficiency and appropriateness of the audit evidence obtained to ensure that he/she has considered everything necessary to provide an opinion on the financial statements. This module addresses the characteristics of audit evidence and how the auditor evaluates the sufficiency and appropriateness of the evidence throughout the audit. (Please Note: This module is part of Surgent's Audit Skills Training: Level 5.)

The Yellow Book devotes approximately 30 pages to the topic of independence. This course is designed to help you fully understand the Yellow Book independence requirements. Learn where the limits are, where the limits are not, and how to stay on the right side of the requirements.

Implementing ASU No. 2016-02, Leases (Topic 842) is sure to have a major impact on your balance sheet and potentially on your business as well. This course is a one-stop shop for what you need to know about the now-effective changes to the lease accounting guidance. In this course, we will review how to measure the lease liability and right-of-use asset that will now be recorded on the balance sheet for all leases. We will also tackle the tricky issues of accounting for lease modifications and other lease remeasurement events as well as address the other major provisions of ASC 842, such as disclosures and transition. We will also review the income statement treatment of lease expense for all leases for both lessees and lessors and discuss recent FASB implementation guidance. Lastly, the course will cover all recent updates to the originally issued guidance in Topic 842, including that related to discount rates. With Topic 842's effective date here, now is the time to get up to speed on this complex new standard.

Implementing ASU No. 2016-02, Leases (Topic 842) is sure to have a major impact on your balance sheet and potentially on your business as well. This course is a one-stop shop for what you need to know about the now-effective changes to the lease accounting guidance. In this course, we will review how to measure the lease liability and right-of-use asset that will now be recorded on the balance sheet for all leases. We will also tackle the tricky issues of accounting for lease modifications and other lease remeasurement events as well as address the other major provisions of ASC 842, such as disclosures and transition. We will also review the income statement treatment of lease expense for all leases for both lessees and lessors and discuss recent FASB implementation guidance. Lastly, the course will cover all recent updates to the originally issued guidance in Topic 842, including that related to discount rates. With Topic 842's effective date here, now is the time to get up to speed on this complex new standard.

With the Power BI ecosystem, a complete business intelligence solution, your company can begin the data analytics journey with Excel. Excel contains two data tools of the Power BI ecosystem to begin developing data skills: Power Query and Power Pivot. Beginning your data journey with an application your business users are already familiar with will increase your chances of success in your company's data goals. This course will demonstrate the capabilities of Power Query and Power Pivot in Excel.

Designed to keep you up to date on recent activity of the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB), this course will summarize recently issued Accounting Standards Updates (ASUs) issued by the FASB in 2020 and 2021 year to date. The course will discuss the main provisions of the ASU, application guidance, and information on transition and the effective dates for the new ASU. This course is the place to go to stay current on all FASB-related matters.

This course provides a detailed discussion on the key topics related to financial reporting. The course will focus on all recent ASUs issued by the FASB with a concentration on issues of greatest significance to most accounting practitioners. Specifically, the course will review all recently issued FASB updates, with a focus on those related to leases (ASC 842), and credit losses (ASC 326), which will impact virtually all companies. The course will address other challenging areas of accounting, such as accounting for income taxes and for debt instruments. Lastly, it will provide you with a comprehensive review of recent Private Company Standard-Setting activities and what is on the FASB's technical agenda. This course is the place to go for a detailed understanding of all the goings on at the FASB that impact smaller and medium-sized companies.

Designed for practitioners and their staff, whether in public accounting or business and industry, this course will provide you with an update of recently issued FASB Accounting Standards Updates (ASUs), and a review of the guidance related to ASC 842, Leases, which will be effective in 2022 for private companies.

Both businesses and individual clients face major changes as a result of new legislation, and tax professionals face the considerable challenge of delivering effective planning advice and services to address this myriad of recent developments. This course addresses this challenge and also encompasses the latest cases and rulings applicable to individual and business clients. Continually updated to reflect enacted legislation. Please Note: Due to content overlap, it is recommended that this course NOT be taken together with BIT4.

Both businesses and individual clients face major changes as a result of new legislation, and tax professionals face the considerable challenge of delivering effective planning advice and services to address this myriad of recent developments. This course addresses this challenge and also encompasses the latest cases and rulings applicable to individual and business clients. Continually updated to reflect enacted legislation. Please Note: Due to content overlap, it is recommended that this course NOT be taken together with BIT4.

This course is designed as a comprehensive guide to the core concepts of trust and estate income tax preparation. The course explains the common terminology and complicated income tax rules of estates and trusts, fiduciary accounting, and an introduction to or refresher on preparing Form 1041. This practical, over 300-page manual is an excellent reference source for your practice, which begins with quite simple cases. Building upon that base throughout the manual, the course ends with two complicated preparation cases, one trust and one estate, each with filled-in forms.

This course is designed as a comprehensive guide to the core concepts of trust and estate income tax preparation. The course explains the common terminology and complicated income tax rules of estates and trusts, fiduciary accounting, and an introduction to or refresher on preparing Form 1041. This practical, over 300-page manual is an excellent reference source for your practice, which begins with quite simple cases. Building upon that base throughout the manual, the course ends with two complicated preparation cases, one trust and one estate, each with filled-in forms.

Tax advisors will be updated on the most recently enacted legislation and IRS guidance as well as updates of recent standard-setting activities at the FASB and AICPA. To start, the course will review the significant tax, financial accounting, auditing, accounting services, and ethics guidance issued by standard setters over the past few years. The course will also focus on the unique income tax reporting implications of recently issued accounting standards, such as leases (ASC 842) and credit losses (ASC 326). The course then discusses the preparation of tax-basis financial statements. Lastly, the course will dive into the unique income tax accounting considerations which arise from certain types of transactions, such as stock-based compensation, and review the presentation and disclosure requirements of ASC 740.

Tax advisors will be updated on the most recently enacted legislation and IRS guidance as well as updates of recent standard-setting activities at the FASB and AICPA. To start, the course will review the significant tax, financial accounting, auditing, accounting services, and ethics guidance issued by standard setters over the past few years. The course will also focus on the unique income tax reporting implications of recently issued accounting standards, such as leases (ASC 842) and credit losses (ASC 326). The course then discusses the preparation of tax-basis financial statements. Lastly, the course will dive into the unique income tax accounting considerations which arise from certain types of transactions, such as stock-based compensation, and review the presentation and disclosure requirements of ASC 740.

A clear and concise set of proper financial statement disclosures can make or break an entity's financial statements. Such disclosures are no longer simply additional information provided by a business; they can be complex in nature and difficult to both prepare and understand, especially for small and medium-sized businesses. Oftentimes financial statement users will first turn to the notes in the financial statements in order to get a feel for where the business and its numbers might be heading, so these disclosures need to be well-written and follow applicable standards. This course will focus on key balance sheet and income statement disclosure as well as accounting standards related to revenue (ASC 606) and leases (ASC 842), accounting policies, changes in accounting estimates and errors, subsequent events, going concern, and related party disclosures. The course will use illustrations, examples based on private company financial statements disclosures, and real-world excerpts from financial statements to provide you with a hands-on feel for the disclosure requirements across a number of accounting standards.

A clear and concise set of proper financial statement disclosures can make or break an entity's financial statements. Such disclosures are no longer simply additional information provided by a business; they can be complex in nature and difficult to both prepare and understand, especially for small and medium-sized businesses. Oftentimes financial statement users will first turn to the notes in the financial statements in order to get a feel for where the business and its numbers might be heading, so these disclosures need to be well-written and follow applicable standards. This course will focus on key balance sheet and income statement disclosure as well as those relating to adoption of new accounting standards related to revenue (ASC 606) and leases (ASC 842), accounting policies, changes in accounting estimates and errors, subsequent events, going concern, and related party disclosures. The course will use illustrations, examples based on private company financial statements disclosures, and real-world excerpts from financial statements to provide you with a hands-on feel for the disclosure requirements across a number of accounting standards.

The best way to ensure engagement quality is through consistent application of a firm's system of quality control. In this course, we will review the key components of such a system, which can be found in the AICPA's quality control standards. Specifically, this course will discuss adherence to relevant ethical standards, client and engagement acceptance and continuance procedures, human resources policies and procedures, engagement performance and monitoring activities, and best practices in designing and implementing effective quality control standards that address the responsibilities of firm leadership. The course will place special focus on addressing the challenges that smaller firms may have when attempting to implement these standards.

With the AICPA's heightened focus on enhancing audit quality, increased oversight of the peer review process and the auditor's overall responsibility to provide high quality services, the focus on compliance with professional standards has never been greater. Add to that the requirement to implement the revised risk assessment standards (SAS 145) and it's easy to see why it's more important than ever to ensure that auditors have a good understanding of the requirements and comply with documentation standards. Recent peer reviews have indicated that auditors are often failing to perform and/or document certain critical components of an audit such as the auditor's assessment of risk and linking the results of the assessment to substantive procedures performed. In addition, auditors are not adequately documenting their consideration of fraud, expectations in analytical procedures and the appropriate level of work needed to understand an entity's internal control. The AICPA issued its Quality Management Standards in 2022. Firms are required to implement the standards by December 15, 2025. And the firm's evaluation of the System of Quality Management is required within one year after that. This is not just a matter of tweaking the firm's existing QM document, the standard requires a risk assessment process to identify risk. The objective of the course is to provide the insights necessary to help auditors and accountants improve not just the quality of their work but also the perception of the accounting profession as a whole. We will focus on the most significant items resulting in deficiencies identified in the peer review process. We will also discuss the applicable audit standards, documentation requirements, and best practices. We will address the new QM standards.

The IRS has recently issued final regulations regarding the TCJA's elimination of the deduction for expenditures related to entertainment, amusement, or recreational activities and provided guidance to determine whether an activity is considered to be entertainment. The final regulations also addressed the 50% limitation on the deduction of food and beverage expenses and when the 50% limitation does not apply. Due to the pandemic, Congress changed the rules for 2021 and 2022 to allow for 100% deductibility for meals. To effectively advise clients, it is imperative for tax practitioners to understand these rules and be updated on the latest guidance.

Most review techniques developed by professionals are self-taught and fine-tuned via experience. Yet how does one start? The purpose of this course is to give both new and seasoned reviewers additional and advanced procedures via a multitude of checklists to thoroughly review various tax returns. Its emphasis is not planning; rather, it is to develop a strategy to properly review a return effectively and thoroughly. The course includes dozens of practice tips for new reviewers and is updated for impacts of newly enacted legislation.