CPE & Event Calendar

Is it time to begin adding personal financial planning services to your existing practice? Gain the necessary skills to assess whether adding these services to your practice makes sense. This course examines the benefits and potential pitfalls of creating this type of entity; the skills of how to develop the appropriate infrastructure; and the appropriate type of entity and licensing requirements. We'll take a look at associating with appropriate financial services companies and professionals, staffing, technology, networking and other features of launching this new service, as well as the six steps of the financial planning process and how to apply them to each planning discipline. The webcast was originally broadcast on June 30, 2016. Note: There is a minimum passing rate of 70% for this course.

Today's competitive and complex business environment requires the CPA to be a strong communicator. Attend this proactive seminar and learn how to effectively communicate your position. Topics will emphasize the "communication" process and explore techniques to improve oral communications, including telephone techniques and written communications. Explore communications and personality types while considering the importance of the "human" side, including "empathy," "ego" and "needs." Summarized topics covered through a series of mini-case studies. The webcast was originally broadcast on May 3, 2017. Note: There is a minimum passing rate of 70% for this course.

In this course, we'll dive into the world of analytics, equipping you with the skills to assess your clients' analytics maturity and leverage techniques for accurate forecasting. You'll also learn how to spot opportunities where optimization techniques can enhance financial decision-making. We'll cover the essentials, from understanding analytics fundamentals to exploring descriptive analytics methods like text mining, multidimensional clustering and statistical outlier detection. This course is part of a training series that introduces CPAs and financial professionals to descriptive, predictive, and prescriptive analytics, covering analytics benchmarking, forecasting methods and optimization for decision-making in capital investment and inventory management.

In this course, you will gain the skills to assess the analytics maturity of client organizations, effectively utilize analytics techniques for forecasting, and identify opportunities for optimization in financial decision-making. We will explore the fundamentals of forecasting, including statistical methods for making and evaluating forecasts. Through practical examples, you will learn how to forecast staffing needs for an office, predict product revenue in complex time series, and employ CART trees for market segmentation when dealing with nonlinear targets. This course is part of a training series that introduces CPAs and financial professionals to descriptive, predictive, and prescriptive analytics, covering analytics benchmarking, forecasting methods, and optimization for decision-making in capital investment and inventory management.

In this course, you will develop the skills to assess the analytics maturity of client organizations, effectively utilize analytics techniques for forecasting, and identify opportunities for optimizing financial decision-making. We will delve into the concept of optimization, covering the setup and solving of optimization problems. You will also learn how to optimize capital investment decisions using decision trees and enhance inventory management by implementing reorder points and safety stock. ? This course is part of a training series that introduces CPAs and financial professionals to descriptive, predictive, and prescriptive analytics, covering analytics benchmarking, forecasting methods, and optimization for decision-making in capital investment and inventory management.

This course is designed to equip CPAs and attorneys with the necessary knowledge and expertise to navigate family law cases effectively. The conference focuses on the critical role of CPAs in assisting clients with intricate financial matters throughout divorce, child support, alimony, asset division, and related legal proceedings. Additionally, it serves as a platform for CPAs to enhance their skills, exchange best practices, and foster connections with fellow professionals in the field of family law. Students will have the opportunity to gain valuable insights from esteemed legal and financial experts who will provide comprehensive knowledge on various topics, including divorce settlements, forensic accounting, business valuation, tax implications, asset tracing, financial affidavits, and more. By staying up-to-date with the latest trends, regulations, and strategies relevant to family law cases, participants can ensure their practice remains current and effective. Engagement in interactive sessions featuring real-life case studies will allow attendees to delve into complex financial scenarios commonly encountered in family law. You'll learn practical strategies and techniques for analyzing financial documents, uncovering hidden assets, preparing accurate reports, and presenting expert testimony in court. Furthermore, you'll discover innovative technologies, software applications, and tools that can streamline financial analysis, improve efficiency, and enhance the accuracy of your work in family law cases.

Today's competitive environment requires you to lead your company or team through diverse and often complex scenarios. This course will help attendees determine importance of sound leadership skills, differentiating between a leader and a manager, and learn how to identify and eliminate roadblocks to successful leadership. Also, using leadership scenarios, address common workforce issues and learn techniques to best handle workforce diversity. The webcast was originally broadcast on July 18, 2017. Note: There is a minimum passing rate of 70% for this course.

Examine valuation techniques for private and public entities of all sizes and types of industries from the perspective of a Wall Street analyst. Gain valuation skills to assist your clients. *There is a case study associated with the course exam.

Robotic process automation (RPA) provides organizations numerous benefits in achieving efficiency and effectiveness, but not without risks. Without proper management, the risks posed by RPA may outweigh its intended advantages. RPA risk management has received little attention in prior accounting research and practice. We'll discuss risks and control considerations important to achieving the return on RPA investment and maintaining the integrity of the automated processes, substantiated by interviews with RPA and risk professionals. Our interviewees suggest that RPA risk management provides incremental value in addition to risk management of Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems, that the skillset needed for RPA risk management may be missing among risk professionals, and that existing risk and control frameworks must evolve for RPA risk management.

Many small- and mid-size entities hold fewer complex investments including alternative investments. This module will provide an overview for evaluating the proper recognition, measurement, and disclosure of common investment types as well as how to audit them. Derivatives and other more complex investments will be discussed in another module. (Please Note: This module is part of Surgent's Audit Skills Training: Level 2.)

Cash and cash equivalents tend to be one of the first areas assigned to new auditors since it tends to be straightforward with less complexity and risk as other areas. In addition, there is little subjectivity involved and persuasive audit evidence from a third-party is generally available. Interestingly enough, this is an area that can have a significant risk of misappropriation of assets if the appropriate level of segregation of duties and other internal controls is not present. New auditors should approach cash with the same professional skepticism as other areas since there is always the risk of material misstatement. (Please Note: This module is part of Surgent's Audit Skills Training: Level 1.)

In addition to being experts on the nuts and bolts of accounting and auditing, experienced auditors must also be aware of the emerging trends in our industry, as well as those complex topics with which we don't need to deal on an everyday basis. In this session, we'll cover some of those emerging and challenging topics. First, we'll review technology hot trends and how they will likely impact your clients and how you will need to address them in your audit risk assessments and procedures. Next, as the FASB continues to implement more opportunities to value assets and liabilities at their fair value, we'll review the accounting definition of fair value and how it's determined. Lastly, we'll review two areas that use fair value concepts pervasively, accounting for business combinations and asset impairment. With a sound understanding of the basic accounting concepts related to these complex topics, auditors will be able to significantly enhance the level of services that they can provide to their clients. (Please Note: This module is part of Surgent's Audit Skills Training: Level 4.)

ASC 326 significantly changes the accounting for credit losses. Given its pervasive scope, virtually every company will need to at least assess the impact of the new ASC 326 guidance and potentially record a material adjustment to implement the new accounting guidance. In this module, we will review the scope of ASC 326, the key provisions of the accounting model and how entities can estimate credit losses for a variety of in-scope financial assets. As the CECL and other credit loss methodologies under ASC 326 represent accounting estimates, the module will also review both the current and soon to be effective auditing guidance related to this often complex area. (Please Note: This module is part of Surgent's Audit Skills Training: Level 5.)

Revenue is often one of the largest and most significant line items in a company's financial statements. It is also the line item that is most susceptible to fraud. Further, all companies reporting under U.S. GAAP have either recently completed or are completing their transition to a complex new accounting standard for recognizing revenue from contracts with customers, ASC 606. Clearly it is imperative that all auditors have a detailed understanding of both ASC 606 and how to effectively audit revenue transactions. In this session of the Surgent Audit Skills Series, we'll review the key elements of ASC 606, including the new disclosure requirements for private companies under the new standard. Then, we'll focus on how to audit revenue, including the elements of an effective risk assessment related to revenue, key controls over the revenue process and substantive procedures. This information with both provides you with the information to audit revenue effectively and efficiently and comply with relevant auditing standards related to revenue. (Please Note: This module is part of Surgent's Audit Skills Training: Level 3.)

As companies look for greater investment returns in the current low interest rate environment, they are often investing in more risky types of investments, such as cryptocurrency. Further, as they look to hedge business risks, companies are frequently entering into derivative transactions, which both can contain unexpected risk and accounting complexity. As you advance in your audit careers, you will be faced with both understanding the accounting for and auditing these complex financial statement areas. In this course, we'll review the accounting models of several types of complex investments and review common audit procedures in these areas. (Please Note: This module is part of Surgent's Audit Skills Training: Level 3.)

Many entities have inventory on their books. The types of inventory can range from simple resale of goods purchased to more complex inventories that use process costing. This module will discuss accounting for and auditing less complex inventories and provide an overview of issues associated with auditing more complex inventories. Inventory observations were covered in an earlier module. (Please Note: This module is part of Surgent's Audit Skills Training: Level 3.)

Accounting for and auditing leases was always a challenging task. Adding the implementation of the lease accounting guidance in ASC 842, Leases, will undoubtedly add that much more complexity to this audit area. In this module, we will review the new lease accounting model for lessees, compare and contrast the new model with the existing guidance in ASC 840, and review in detail the key considerations in accounting for operating leases under ASC 842 and the other new guidance in the standard. Then, we'll review common audit procedures related to auditing the lease liability and the related Right-of-Use asset, including reviewing the enhanced lease disclosure requirements under ASC 842 and review common audit procedures to perform over the cumulative effect adjustment which entities must record when they adopt ASC 842. (Please Note: This module is part of Surgent's Audit Skills Training: Level 3.)

The field of accounting is undergoing rapid evolution in response to a complex interplay of technological advancements, regulatory reforms, economic fluctuations, and shifting societal dynamics. In this course, we will explore the major challenges and opportunities currently facing accountants, and we will equip you with the knowledge and skills needed to excel in this dynamic environment.

Audit documentation provides evidence that the audit was planned and performed in accordance with generally accepted auditing standards (GAAS) as well as applicable legal and regulatory requirements. It also serves a number of other purposes such as assisting the engagement team to plan and perform the audit, assisting members of the engagement team responsible for supervision to direct and supervise the audit work and to discharge their review responsibilities. Audit documentation enables the engagement team to demonstrate that it is accountable for its work by documenting the procedures performed, the audit evidence examined, and the conclusions reached. As noted in the auditor's opinion "The risk of not detecting a material misstatement resulting from fraud is higher than for one resulting from error, as fraud may involve collusion, forgery, intentional omissions, misrepresentations, or the override of internal control. Audit documentation also supports the judgments of the auditor should a lawsuit arise where the auditor is called on to support that professional standards were followed. (Please Note: This module is part of Surgent's Audit Skills Training: Level 1.)

Engagement quality is the ultimate benchmark that auditors should be judged against. As a senior associate, you have primary responsibility for ensuring that all engagement work is performed on time, within budget, and in accordance with professional standards. Unfortunately, recent peer review results have shown us that our engagement quality is not always what it should be. In this session, we will review the current status of the AICPA's Enhancing Audit Quality initiative by reviewing recent results from peer reviews and points of focus for upcoming peer reviews. The session will review common sources of identified peer review deficiencies, relevant guidance related to these deficiencies and suggestions for how to improve engagement quality. (Please Note: This module is part of Surgent's Audit Skills Training: Level 4.)