CPE & Event Calendar

This study uses difference-in-differences (DiD) analyses to examine the consequences of adopting the U.S. critical audit matter (CAM) disclosure requirement for preparers and users of financial reports. The CAM requirement is one of the largest expansions of the U.S. audit report since the 1940s. We document significant changes to financial statement footnotes referenced by CAMs, which suggests an indirect consequence where management disclosure changes in areas that are expected to be scrutinized following auditor-provided disclosure. Results also suggest that, on average, CAM disclosures do not provide incremental information to the market. To further examine market reaction, we develop well-specified prediction models for the expected number and subject areas of CAMs. We find limited initial evidence that the market reacts negatively when unexpected CAMs are disclosed. Overall, the findings provide insights on the new CAM standard and particularly demonstrate its relevance to management disclosure decisions and to the market.

Everyone agrees we need to administer useful employee evaluations. However, few managers take the necessary time to effectively plan for upcoming reviews or think about how to correctly administer each one. As a result, an employee review can be an unhelpful and negative event-or could be a great catalyst for future high performance. Gain insight to the performance cycle; learn the importance of continuous improvement through coaching; and identify 360s and other forms of data, among other topics. The webcast was originally broadcast on July 18, 2016. Note: There is a minimum passing rate of 70% for this course.

Benefit plan audits, a material but less understood public accounting service, represent a non-audit service that is "audit-related." We explore the implications of benefit plan audits for the financial statement audit and find that performing a benefit plan audit for a company significantly increases the likelihood that the firm will be selected as a company's financial statement auditor in the future, particularly for smaller audit firms. Companies that engage the same audit firm for both their benefit plan and financial statement audits have a significantly lower likelihood of misstatements and shorter audit report lags. There is also evidence consistent with the joint provision of these services creating greater bonding and higher switching costs for the financial statement audit. The findings speak to the continued debate over the effective market expansion of financial statement audit providers, audit quality determinants, and audit efficiencies.

Despite the growing interest in blockchain (BC) technology, recent research shows mixed perceptions due to its risks and returns. We utilize event study methodology to examine overall market reactions and to delineate how specific contexts associated with BC technology influence market reactions. Using 149 BC technology adoptions announced between January 2015 and December 2019, we find positive abnormal returns, reflecting investors' optimistic perception toward BC technology adoption. Specifically, we find that abnormal returns from BC technology are higher when used in a transformative strategic role and offered by leading vendors, suggesting that investors view this adoption as a value-enhancing activity. Our results are robust to the use of an alternative sample and different methods of measuring variables. Overall, our study provides insights for academics and practitioners to better understand the market value of BC technology adoptions.

In this highly competitive labor market, prioritizing diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) within your, or your client's organization, can help attract and retain top talent, increase performance and employee engagement, and much more. In fact, job candidates and employees prefer to work at diverse organizations: 76% of employees say a diverse workforce is important to them when evaluating job opportunities.

Businesses are starting to be measured and evaluated on more than just their balance sheet. Join Jennifer as she delves into the world of sustainability and how accounting firms are uniquely positioned to take on this new service, offering a deeper view into your clients and the health of their organization. We will define what sustainability in business means in today's world and why it is quickly becoming the biggest disruptor. You'll learn how accounting firms fit into this forward-thinking puzzle and get a focused look at one of the fastest-growing ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) frameworks, B Corporation certification.

You'll never think about fraud the same way again after this session examining the psychology of both investigators and perpetrators. This story-based presentation will use first-hand accounts and the latest research to show why some traditional investigational practices are more harmful than helpful. This two-part series will expose myths and dangers lurking in our assumptions about fraud. We'll explore misunderstandings about skepticism and learn how auditors and investigators may unwittingly assist the same fraud schemes they are trying to thwart. We will challenge the "sacred cows" of the industry and help us develop more effective thinking approaches for fraud investigation, detection and deterrence. This course is Part 1 of a 2 part series.

Prepare to revolutionize your understanding of fraud in the second course of this two-part series. This session navigates the intricacies of Ethical Fading and Emotional Immune Systems among investigators and perpetrators-understanding how they influence auditors and investigators, often unintentionally supporting the fraud they strive to halt. Through compelling narratives and cutting-edge research, we'll unveil the flaws in traditional investigative methods, shedding light on their potential harm, and dismantle myths and uncover the concealed dangers rooted in our preconceptions about fraud. Brace yourself to challenge industry norms as we debunk established beliefs and equip ourselves with innovative strategies for more effective fraud investigation, detection, and prevention. Note: This course constitutes Part 2 of a comprehensive 2-part series.

We are all (including tax practitioners) getting older, and the need for effective retirement planning has never been greater. This course is essential for participants who wish to attain a comfortable retirement for themselves and their clients by maximizing tax saving strategies. This presentation integrates federal taxation with retirement planning. The course will examine tax and savings strategies related to determining retirement income needs, wealth building, capital preservation, and estate distribution. The result is a unified explanation of tax-economics that will permit the tax professional to locate, analyze, and solve financial aspects of retirement. This program is designed to improve the quality of services to clients and the profitability of engagements, and it projects the accountant into the world of retirement planning. This course will give the participant practice in analyzing problems, developing solutions, and presenting final, personal retirement plans to clients. The emphasis is on practical simplicity in dealing with the self-employed and highly compensated individual. Retirement income needs are calculated; net after-tax Social Security benefits are determined, and distribution options from IRAs and retirement plans are explored. Special consideration is given to the tax treatment of the home and business on retirement. Buy-sell agreements are discussed, and elder-care planning is examined.

Develop a framework of "effective" time management. Identify the three time factors: time wasters or stealers, time savers and time management techniques. Highlight concepts that distinguish the relationship of time management and behavioral science versus traditional time management tools or gimmicks. Also, explore the need for managing oneself in order to improve the management of time. The webcast was originally broadcast on May 4, 2017. Note: There is a minimum passing rate of 70% for this course.

Clients believe that estate planning is only for the wealthy. This isn't the case. Perhaps as a result of the pandemic, estate planning has a renewed focus. All practitioners should be familiar with the vernacular, acronyms and techniques. Estate planning involves personal issues that affect everyone, even when the estate tax doesn't apply. Learn strategies to pass assets to future generations; provide education benefits; distribute retirement benefits, and provide a charitable legacy.

Your clients depend on you more than ever to help them reduce risk and position themselves for financial success in the future. This course is to help keep you on top of recent developments and the top 5 ways to fund your retirement.

Clients rely on their advisers more heavily to provide perspective and clarity as legislation and regulations evolve. Gain in-depth understanding, effective strategies and connections with expert professionals who specialize in this area.

Often trusts are named as beneficiaries for Individual Retirement Accounts and other retirement arrangements. The choice has an impact on both income tax and estate planning. Trusts allow the IRA owner or plan participant to have beyond-the-grave control over the distribution payouts.

The VLOOKUP function has long been the reigning champion of Excel's lookup functions. But the recently introduced SUMIFS function is quite powerful. So which function should we use to perform our lookup tasks? In this session, we'll dig into this question and see when and how these functions can be used. Course is presented in Excel for Windows. Note: Certain items presented may not be available in all Excel versions, including Excel for Mac, iPad or web. The webcast was originally broadcast on May 3, 2016. Note: There is a minimum passing rate of 70% for this course.

In business, teams can contribute to major success or disintegrate into failure. Be sure that you're building a winning team by understanding the dynamics of teams in the workplace. Understand the relationship between the learned and what is required for successful performance within a team context. We'll focus on key team roles, characteristics of high-performing teams and other key success behaviors that support group morale and productivity. Note: There is a minimum passing rate of 70% for this course. The webcast was originally broadcast on June 8, 2015.

In today's business environment creative problem-solving and innovation are more important than ever to succeed. In this course, you'll discover how to unleash your own creative potential as well as that of your colleagues and teams. Learn when to take smart, educated risks; how to become a forward-thinking leader capable of generating fresh ideas, and how to see the positive aspects of failure. The helpful advice you'll receive in this course will bring both personal success and corporate success. Note: There is a minimum passing rate of 70% for this course. The webcast was originally broadcast on August 3, 2015.

Throw away the tax code and regulations and make sense of estate planning. Learn how to structure an effective estate plan using a highly visual, real-life situation approach. Diagrams, charts, tables, and calculation sheets are used to present key elements of any successful estate plan - from the simplest to the most complex.

Despite the rising use of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) ratings, there is substantial disagreement across rating agencies regarding what rating to give to individual firms. As what drives this disagreement is unclear, we examine whether a firm's ESG disclosure helps explain some of this disagreement. We predict and find that greater ESG disclosure actually leads to greater ESG rating disagreement. These findings hold using firm fixed effects and using a difference-in-differences design with mandatory ESG disclosure shocks. We also find that raters disagree more about ESG outcome metrics than input metrics (policies), and that disclosure appears to amplify disagreement more for outcomes. Last, we examine consequences of ESG disagreement and find that greater ESG disagreement is associated with higher return volatility, larger absolute price movements, and a lower likelihood of issuing external financing. Overall, our findings highlight that ESG disclosure generally exacerbates ESG rating disagreement rather than resolves it.

Get the best value CPE package on the market. For one low price, enjoy 12 months of access to every Surgent CPE course in every online format--plus unlimited CPE credits! This is the only package that includes premium courses, such as our late-breaking tax updates and specialized courses. Order now and you'll receive access instructions via email, so you'll be able to startPackage includes 12 months of access to:•  Over 8000 credits•  1,200+ live webinars•  190+ self-study PDF courses•  100+ on-demand webcasts•  Surgent's exclusive premium coursesPricing:  As a member, you pay just $675.00 – 25% off Surgent’s retail price! Why Choose the Unlimited Plus Package?Get the best value CPE package on the market. For one low price, enjoy 12 months of access to every Surgent CPE course in every online format--plus unlimited CPE credits! This is the only package that includes premium courses, such as our late-breaking updates, specialized courses, and our Weekly Expert Hour.  Order now and you'll receive access instructions via email from info@surgent.com.  You'll be able to start registering for live webinars and accessing self-study courses right away. Earn as much CPE and explore as many topics as you'd like for one full year from the date of purchase. What Is Included in the Package?Show all - https://www.surgentcpe.com/search-all-cpe-courses?Readyforsale=Yes&Includedinunlp=Webinar -  https://www.surgentcpe.com/cpe-courses/webinars#/?Readyforsale=Yes&Includedinunlp= Self-Study – https://www.surgentcpe.com/cpe-courses/self-study?Readyforsale=Yes&Includedinunlp=