CPE Catalog & Events

The one constant in life is change. This is true in the A&A world as well. 2021 will continue to challenge the accounting profession in many areas, including accounting for the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, working in a virtual environment, and implementing new AICPA and FASB pronouncements. In this monthly series, we will explore the hot topics and current events that are driving financial accounting today, such as auditing and SSARS standards implementation and getting ready for ASC 842 implementation. Through detailed discussion of new standards and commentary from relevant industry experts, this monthly update will keep you up to date on what you need to know in the accounting world. So, whether your area of specialty is employee benefit plans, leases, not-for-profit and governmental accounting, or something else, this monthly hour will give you what you need to know to do your job as effectively as possible.

The one constant in life is change. This is true in the A&A world as well. 2021 will continue to challenge the accounting profession in many areas, including accounting for the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, working in a virtual environment, and implementing new AICPA and FASB pronouncements. In this monthly series, we will explore the hot topics and current events that are driving financial accounting today, such as auditing and SSARS standards implementation and getting ready for ASC 842 implementation. Through detailed discussion of new standards and commentary from relevant industry experts, this monthly update will keep you up to date on what you need to know in the accounting world. So, whether your area of specialty is employee benefit plans, leases, not-for-profit and governmental accounting or something else, this monthly hour will give you what you need to know to do your job as effectively as possible.

With the largest overhaul of the federal income tax code in 30 years and the repeal of the physical presence nexus standards for sales tax in the Wayfair case, the states are working fast and furious to overhaul their tax laws. As some states scramble to fund their budgets, they continue to look for additional forms of revenue. Plan to attend this fast-paced class that covers developing topics in the area of nexus. Learn how nexus requirements have changed and where the state laws may be heading in the future.

With the largest overhaul of the federal income tax code in 30 years and the repeal of the physical presence nexus standards for sales tax in the Wayfair case the states are working fast and furious to overhaul their tax laws. As some states scramble to fund their budgets, they continue to look for additional forms of revenue. You can't afford to ignore recent changes in state and local tax. Even tax-savvy businesses and their advisers often neglect to consider the consequences of state and local taxes. Multistate taxation is more complex and demanding than ever before. In addition to having their own unique tax laws, states have been more focused on enforcement. Plan to attend this fast-paced class that covers developing topics in state taxation, ranging from individuals to pass-through entities to corporate taxpayers. This class will focus on issues of small and middle-market companies and offer guidance for minimizing tax liability and negotiating the treacherous waters of compliance.

Despite the fact that a client's tax matter may be taken directly to court, utilizing IRS Appeals usually results in saving your client both time and money. Join us as we discuss the misunderstood process of going to IRS Appeals.

Despite the fact that a client's tax matter may be taken directly to court, utilizing IRS Appeals usually results in saving your client both time and money. Join us as we discuss the misunderstood process of going to IRS Appeals.

CPAs today face greater challenges than ever to maintain the high ethical standards of their profession. This course will provide a detailed discussion of accountants' independence and objectivity obligations, including those found in the AICPA Code of Professional Conduct and further supplemented by United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and General Accounting Office (GAO) rules and regulations. The course will also explore in-depth independence considerations related to performing non-attest services for attest clients, with a focus on the AICPA, SEC, and GAO requirements for performing such services, as well as their restrictions.

2021 will be a very impactful year for audits, as SASs 134-140 become effective for audits for year-ends after December 15, 2021. In this course, we'll review the key changes coming to financial statement audits as a result of these new standards, including the format of the new auditor's report and consideration of key audit matters. The course will also review key changes under SAS 135 related to identifying significant unusual transactions and the expanded audit procedures which must be performed to address risks associated with them. Lastly, the course will review the AICPA's updated definition of materiality, expanded procedures and reporting related to other information in annual reports, and conforming changes to the auditor's opinion in other special reporting situations.

The law is clear that to avoid liability for unlawful harassment claims, employers must take preventive steps. One such preventative step is effective, professional training. This course includes information specific to New York employees.

While great attention has been placed on new SASs, the AICPA has also issued new guidance on attestation and SSARS engagements which will soon be effective and are likely to have a significant impact on how such engagements are performed. In this course, we'll review the key features of SSAEs 19, 21, and 22, which provide greater flexibility for accountants in performing agreed-upon procedures and examination engagements by eliminating the requirement for a written management assertion. Next, the course will discuss SSAE 20's updated definition of materiality. Lastly, the course will discuss the key changes coming to SSARS engagements for 2021 reporting due to the effective date of SSARS No. 25, which conforms US review standards to international standards and makes a variety of other changes to relevant SSARS guidance.

This course provides an overview of non-GAAP financial measures with a particular emphasis on comments from the SEC, the FASB, as well as comment letter analysis from several of the Big Four accounting firms. Non-GAAP financial measures continue to rank at the top of the most frequent comment letters issued by the SEC. As a result, it's important to understand the guidance with respect to these measures to ensure that an entity's financial statements remain GAAP compliant and are not misleading.

For many businesses, preparing financial statements using a special purpose framework may provide an alternative to the complexity of U.S. GAAP. This course will provide you with an overview and hands-on application on preparing financial statements using common special purpose frameworks such as tax basis and cash or modified cash basis financial statements. You will learn the unique measurement and disclosure requirements of various Special Purpose Framework (SPF) options using example financial statements and illustrative disclosures. The course also includes common practice issues encountered when preparing SPF financial statements, including disclosure and reporting requirements. We will also review recent updates to both audit and SSARS standards that impact engagements performed on SPF financial statements.

Major programs are critical to the single audit process as they are the programs for which the auditor will be performing additional internal control work on and ultimately issuing a compliance opinion on as part of the single audit. This course is designed to help you understand and excel in determining major programs.

Cryptocurrency is heading mainstream. According to a recent study conducted by New York Digital Investment Group, there are 46 million bitcoin holders in the US, and institutions have also shown increased interest in this space. The rising popularity of cryptocurrency and the inclusion of the virtual currency question on the front and center of Form 1040 have made cryptocurrency a subject that tax practitioners cannot afford to ignore anymore. This course is designed to walk you through tax implications of common cryptocurrency-related transactions (trading, mining, spending, staking, etc.) and how to successfully service clients affiliated with cryptocurrency by using a tool like CoinTracker. This session also covers current developments surrounding this topic and some of the unique tax planning opportunities in the crypto space such as tax loss harvesting without being subject to wash sale rules, tax lot ID optimization (FIFO, LIFO, and HIFO), self-directed IRAs, etc.

It is no secret that accounting firms, like many other organizations, have begun launching operations in the metaverse. For those unsure, the metaverse is a digital or virtual space where participants simulate a host of activities ranging from shopping to entertainment and business transactions. Why wouldn't accounting firms and other professionals want to get in early on this new frontier? All types of businesses have begun purchasing and setting up shop in this new virtual world. These are no small endeavors - professionals are creating business plans to operate successfully in the virtual world that started off originally as a niche format for gamers. Accounting firms are starting to announce their acquisition of virtual real estate, and some are paying a premium to obtain prime locations. To operate successfully in the metaverse, professionals need to understand the environment and the rules of the game. This course provides an introduction to the metaverse and an overview of opportunities, risks and rewards for professionals who wish to stay relevant in the ever-expanding virtual world. Participants will walk away with an understanding of where we are in this rapidly developing space, plus gain insights on how to establish a presence or advise clients who wish to explore metaverse opportunities.

Many experts say that an organization's culture is the single most important thing that will determine its success. Assuming that's true, it's necessary for the finance professional to understand the effect that the finance function has on that culture. This program will take a good look at what causes a better culture, both within the organization and within the department. Then, we will examine how the finance professional can positively influence the culture within the financial function and how that will affect the entire organization.

Financial accounting can be complex. An integral part of a senior associate's job responsibilities is to perform effective and efficient research using the FASB's Accounting Standards Codification (ASC). In this session, participants will be introduced to the ASC, including how it is structured, organized, and updated. They will also learn about other information that can be accessed from the ASC. Next, the session will cover best practices for effective research using the ASC, including the ASC's search functionality and other tools that will make accounting research easier to perform. (Please Note: This module is part of Surgent's Audit Skills Training: Level 4.)

Analytical review procedures are performed in the preliminary and final stages of the audit. Auditors may also choose to perform analytical procedures as substantive tests. It is important to properly design and perform the procedures to ensure an effective and efficient audit engagement. This module will provide detailed guidance and methods for performing these techniques. (Please Note: This module is part of Surgent's Audit Skills Training: Level 2.)

Generally Accepted Auditing Standards (GAAS) states that if inventory is material to the financial statements, the auditor should generally obtain evidence regarding the existence and condition of inventory by attending the entity's physical inventory count. The types of inventory an entity might have varies from industry to industry as does the risk of fraud or error related to inventory counts. This module will discuss the procedures and risks involved in observing an entity's physical inventory. (Please Note: This module is part of Surgent's Audit Skills Training: Level 1.)

CPA firms generally perform a significant number of preparation, compilation and review engagements under the Statements of Standards for Accounting and Review Services (SSARS). Compilations and reviews are performed as attest engagements where preparation engagements do not require independence and as such are considered non-attest engagements. Reviews, like audits are considered assurance services. Reviews provide limited assurance that financial statements are free of material misstatement. In addition, the CPA may perform other non-attest services, such as bookkeeping. CPAs must fully understand the professional responsibilities related to each of these varying levels of services, in order to effectively and efficiently satisfy engagement objectives and ensure compliance with professional standards relative to independence. (Please Note: This module is part of Surgent's Audit Skills Training: Level 1.)