CPE & Event Calendar

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.

Each year brings its own set of tax planning challenges, and this year is no exception. This course aims to arm tax planners with planning strategies and ideas that all clients, but in particular, wealthy clients, middle-income clients, and closely held business owners need to consider right now to take advantage of present opportunities and plan for future tax advantages. Learn strategies that can really have an impact on client lives, while also bringing value to you and your firm. This material is continuously updated for recent legislation impacting individual taxpayers.

Each year brings its own set of tax planning challenges, and this year is no exception. This course aims to arm tax planners with planning strategies and ideas that all clients, but in particular, wealthy clients, middle-income clients, and closely held business owners need to consider right now to take advantage of present opportunities and plan for future tax advantages. Learn strategies that can really have an impact on client lives, while also bringing value to you and your firm. This material is continuously updated for recent legislation impacting individual taxpayers.

Recent economic volatility has created added stress on accounting and finance professionals and their clients. When individuals or businesses lose money, they often blame others for their misfortune. Business disputes can sometimes lead to accounting malpractice claims. Understanding the most common types of accounting malpractice claims provides a roadmap of what not to do. This course provides a current overview of accounting malpractice litigation throughout the United States. The goal is to learn about the types of claims asserted against CPA firms and strategies to employ to avoid such claims. Reviewing malpractice claims allows us to identify patterns of behavior that may reduce litigation risk.

Why do some companies fail while others grow and succeed for generations? Common perceptions often attribute organizational success to great leadership, timing, or unique ideas. Although these traits certainly play a role in helping companies grow, research shows that corporate success often hinges on whether a company is value driven. Such companies have core ideologies that drive almost every major decision. In this course, we look at empirical data on why some companies succeed while others fail. By looking at companies that were created prior to 1950 (e.g., Disney, Marriott, or 3M), we can understand why certain organizations have been able to grow and achieve exceptional success through many different eras in the American economy. The lessons learned from these visionary companies can be broadly applied to organizations of all sizes, including accounting and financial service firms.

Two firms need expert help with Section 754, and game participants are just the right people to assist. First, partners at LMN, LLP are considering electing Section 754. They need to understand key aspects of the process and want to ensure the best outcome to their basis in partnership property and interest. Participants must then leverage their knowledge and calculate the adjusted basis balance sheet for another firm that already elected Section 754.

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.

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.

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.)

Regulators, investors, other capital markets stakeholders and users of the financial statements need accurate and transparent financial information for decision making. One reason that why the capital markets are as efficient as they are today, is that users believe that they can trust audited financial statements, in part, due to the fact that they are audited. The AICPA instituted its Enhancing Audit Quality Initiative in 2014 to help to improve regulator and stakeholder trust when it was being questioned. Education, outreach and changes to the peer review program have helped to increase audit quality over the last 8 years. In early 2021 the Auditing Standards Board issued an exposure draft that would make significant changes to the requirements that firms implement a system of quality control. The new standard will require a risk-based approach to quality management and enhance the guidance on the role of the engagement quality reviewer and the audit partner. This module will discuss these topics including the proposed changes to the quality standards which are expected to be effective in 2024. (Please Note: This module is part of Surgent's Audit Skills Training: Level 5.)

This course focuses on the main elements of financial education and will help accounting and finance professionals guide their clients, and their clients' children, through a personalized teaching roadmap. Clients with wealth face questions about how to teach their children about money to raise financially capable children. Often, their first contact is to their accounting and financial professionals, so it is important to be able to provide a framework to help teach clients how to prepare their children for life with privilege. This course is designed for all practitioners who want to help their clients navigate the process of teaching the next generation about personal finances. Because every family and child are different, it is critical to develop a specific plan for each client, and likely each child and grandchild. By working with their clients' descendants, accounting and finance professionals not only build rapport and trust but also get to know the children and grandchildren, building firm value and long-term connection.

Audit documentation provides the principal support for the independent auditor's report. Therefore, it is important that workpapers meet professional standards. Anything less could result in peer or regulatory review deficiencies at as a worse case, lawsuits when fraud occurs at a company. The auditor is not responsible for identifying fraud. But the auditor is responsible for planning and performing the audit to obtain reasonable assurance that the financial statements are free from material misstatement due to fraud or error. Effective workpaper reviewer is an important part of meeting professional standards at the engagement level as well as the overall firm level. In addition, the workpaper review process should be used as a tool for professional development and promoting efficient audits. This module will provide the tips and tools for satisfying these important workpaper reviewer responsibilities for auditors at the in charge or newer manager levels. (Please Note: This module is part of Surgent's Audit Skills Training: Level 3.)

Ethics are the hallmark of our profession, and we must be uncompromising in our commitment to acting ethically. However, many ethical dilemmas arise unexpectedly as we perform our daily tasks, and challenge us, as there often appears to be several ways forward. We need to decide which is the correct one. In this game, the learner plays the role of an auditor at Surging Auditors LLP and must complete common activities from their daily task list. As they complete these tasks, the player navigates unexpected encounters with colleagues, clients, and friends with questions that challenge decision-making skills and knowledge of the AICPA Code of Professional Conduct and other ethics guidance. Those responses and decisions are measured to ensure the player maximizes opportunities that benefit the firm and themselves while remaining independent and within ethical boundaries.

Participants play the role of an auditor collecting information, making inquiries, and documenting findings around the audit of Home D‚cor and More. They develop professional skepticism skills as they analyze data obtained from an interview with Courtney the Controller, comparing, confirming, and corroborating it against information provided by the CFO. Some things aren't matching up and the player uses Courtney's responses and their own questioning mind to consider the next step. They need to be alert to conditions that may indicate possible misstatement due to fraud or error, and a critical assessment of the audit evidence to develop a sense of when things just don't look right.

Never have the benefits, and related risks, of utilizing new technology been greater for those in the accounting profession. From Artificial Intelligence (AI), Robotic Process Automation (RPA), and Audit Data Analytics (ADA) to cloud-based software solutions, our clients' technology landscape is rapidly changing. Accordingly, we, as accounting professionals, need to be on the forefront of these changes, including having a firm understanding of the risks associated with the use of these tools. In this course, we'll review these trends, highlight new and emerging products, and focus on cybersecurity risks and best practices that will allow accounting professionals to help our clients navigate these exciting but challenging times. Plus, we'll review the newly issued guidance on audit evidence found in SAS 142, which guides our use of technology on our professional engagements.

Never have the benefits, and related risks, of utilizing new technology been greater for those in the accounting profession. From Artificial Intelligence (AI), Robotic Process Automation(RPA), and Audit Data Analytics (ADA) to cloud-based software solutions, our clients' technology landscape is rapidly changing. Accordingly, we, as accounting professionals, need to be on the forefront of these changes, including having a firm understanding of the risks associated with the use of these tools. In this course, we'll review these trends, highlight new and emerging products, and focus on cyber-security risks and best practices that will allow accounting professionals to help our clients navigate these exciting but challenging times. Plus, we'll review the newly issued guidance on audit evidence found in SAS 142, which guides our use of technology on our professional engagements.

The use of technology by businesses of all types, including CPA firms, has exploded in recent years, creating the need for proactive and robust cybersecurity risk management practices. This trend has created the need for a data-driven decision-making process but has also introduced risks into many companies' operating environment. This course will explore the most common technology risks and trends that every CPA should know to better advise and serve clients.

Surgent has partnered with UiPath(TM), the world's leading robotic process automation (RPA) software company, to provide this CPE course that gives learners practical application in RPA. Participants in this course receive an engaging introduction to RPA through an experiential, use-case approach. They learn how general, real-world problems can be solved in a non-RPA environment. The course teaches skills that enable participants to create a robot using free UiPath software to automate the solution. By automating repetitive tasks and streamlining workflows with RPA, firms and their employees can benefit from fewer errors, increased productivity, and job satisfaction.

According to a recent study, over 70% of accounting professionals suffer from burnout, leading to feelings of exhaustion, inefficiency, and dissatisfaction with their careers. Recurring challenges for accounting and finance professionals include long hours, repetitive work, pressing client demands, and changing rules and regulations. Together, these conditions contribute to chronic workplace stress. Burnout is real, and firms that ignore this common problem pay a high price. Nearly three out of five employees in accounting and finance professions report psychological harm from work-related stress, including an overall feeling of lack of interest, motivation, or energy. Fortunately, individuals and organizations are beginning to take career burnout more seriously, especially in the post-pandemic era. This course looks at the causes of accounting burnout and examines strategies organizations are implementing to address and reduce a well-known but often overlooked problem.

Professional conduct and ethical behavior are really the backbone of the entire accounting and auditing profession. These components form the foundation upon which our creditability with the general public is built, without which, there is no profession. Whether you are a practitioner in public accounting or business and industry, you must always act in accordance with the requirements that define professional conduct and ethical behavior. This course is approved by the Washington State Board of Accountancy (Board) and meets the requirement that Washington State-licensed CPAs must complete a four-hour course approved by the Board in ethics and regulation applicable to the practice of public accounting. The primary objectives of the course are to educate CPAs regarding ethics and ethical behavior; review, emphasize, and convey the intent of ethical standards and responsibilities relating to a CPA's performance of professional accounting services; and help CPAs apply ethical judgment in the context of the public interest. This course has been updated to include rule changes enacted by the Board in 2021 that will impact Washington CPAs, including new licensing guidance for individuals and firms.