CPE Catalog & Events

Better Forecasts: Be a Better Predictor

Why an open mind and the ability to doubt helps make great predictions Why it is better to be a fox than a hedgehog How non-conformists change the world How to focus on what matters How to learn from the past without hindsight bias

Essential Skills for Powerful Business Writing

Save time by planning and organizing your writing Prepare beginnings and endings that grab and keep the reader's attention Put your writing on a diet, cut the fat and write concisely Writing mechanics including word usage, grammar, punctuation, and proofreading Edit and polish your writing for maximum impact Practice with real-world writing makeovers

Surgent's Federal Tax Update

Comprehensive coverage of the Inflation Reduction Act, including: The Clean Vehicle Credit, Credit for Previously Owned Clean Vehicles, Credit for Qualified Commercial Clean Vehicles, Residential Clean Energy Credit, Energy Efficient Home Improvement Credit, and Premium Tax Credit Comprehensive coverage of the SECURE 2.0 Act, including: Expanding Enrollment in Retirement Plans, Increase in Age for Required Beginning Date for Mandatory Distributions, and New Exceptions to Penalty-Free Withdrawal from Retirement Plans Timely coverage of breaking tax legislation Bonus depreciation  Section 174 Research and Experimental Expenditures New FinCEN reporting requirements in 2024 Advanced practice, reporting, and other issues intertwined with advanced planning and discussion ideas

Getting On Top of It All: How to Work Smarter, Not Harder - Part 1

Why important things don’t get done on a timely basis, and what to do about it Five ways to increase productivity that almost no one ever uses The four proven ways to keep yourself and your staff motivated to consistently work at the highest level How to avoid feeling stressed out—even though your “to do” list is endless The three time management techniques that you’re not using that are critical to your success How to know and avoid what is a poor use or waste of your time How to set goals that excite you, and how to guarantee they actually get done Three ways to elicit help from others that ensure their cooperation and help The smart things to do with the extra time you’ll have when you’re on top of it all

The Best Federal Tax Update Course by Surgent

Comprehensive coverage of the Inflation Reduction Act, including: The Clean Vehicle Credit, Credit for Previously Owned Clean Vehicles, Credit for Qualified Commercial Clean Vehicles, Residential Clean Energy Credit, Energy Efficient Home Improvement Credit, and Premium Tax Credit Comprehensive coverage of the SECURE 2.0 Act, including: Expanding Enrollment in Retirement Plans, Increase in Age for Required Beginning Date for Mandatory Distributions, and New Exceptions to Penalty-Free Withdrawal from Retirement Plans Timely coverage of breaking tax legislation New Form 1099-K reporting requirements Detailed analysis and examples of Sale of Passthrough Entity Interest and Net Investment Income Tax Bonus Depreciation  Section 163(j)  Section 174 Research and Experimental Expenditures Residency and Domicile Selling a principal residence, including tax planning strategies Virtual currency, including recent developments regarding NFTs New FinCEN reporting requirements in 2024 Practice aids, including all the numbers applicable for the current year -- inflation-adjusted amounts, mileage rates, retirement contributions, and more Advanced practice, reporting, and other issues intertwined with advanced planning and discussion ideas

You Don't Know What You Don't Know About Microsoft Excel

The major topics covered in this course include:Excel shortcuts and time saversWorking with templates, formats, styles, and themesCustomizing and enhancing ExcelProtecting and securing workbooksFormula building and the Excel function libraryNote: This session is taught using a Hands-On methodology. We provide practice files that tie to the examples in the course materials so participants can undertake all the steps in unison with the instructor.

Engagement Management with the Microsoft 365 Planner App

The major topics covered in this course include:Overview of the Planner app features and functionalityStep-by-step review and demonstration of how to deploy Planner in your practiceCreating a plan from scratch or use a templateCreating tasks with checklistsAssigning tasksScheduling tasksSetup recurring tasksAttach files to a taskMaintain a task activity journalManage task views with buckets and tagsIntegrate plan schedules with your Outlook calendar.Detailed review of plan / task progress reporting featuresUsing plan templates for recurring engagements

Performance Targets That Deliver Results Without Burnout

Performance target design Target testing  

Contract Accounting, Lease Accounting, and their Impact on Construction Contractors

Contract accounting Revenue recognition Leases

Introduction to Forensic Data Analytics

Data analytics Key fraud risk management guidance documents  Data analytics frameworks  Leading techniques and innovations for preventing and detecting fraud

Emerging Innovations in Forensic Data Analytics, Crypto Currencies and AI, ChatGPT

AI and ChatGPT Machine learning & predictive transaction tagging Profiles of an improper or corrupt vendor payment Data Sharing Consortium and Split Learning Techniques Cryptocurrency trends and applications from an accountant's perspective

Excel for Accounting Professionals Session 3: Workbook Design Principles and Organization

Surgent's Food, Beverage, and Entertainment Expensing

The 50% deduction for meals that are ordinary and necessary in carrying on a trade or business Elimination of the temporary rules that applied for 2021 and 2022 which allowed for 100% deductibility for ordinary and necessary business-related meals When meals are still 100% deductible IRS rules relating to the nondeducibility of activities considered entertainment or amusement What constitutes entertainment/amusement for tax purposes? When employers may deduct food and beverages provided to employees 50% deductibility for occasional employee meals and for overtime meals 50% deductibility for business meals during business meetings Business meals incurred during business travel Invoice meals separately from entertainment

Surgent's Real Estate for Accounting and Finance Professionals

Rental income and expense calculation and reporting Deciphering Schedule E (Form 1040) Nuances of vacation home rules Passive activity loss rules: foundations and implications Active vs. material participation in rental activities Tax reporting: how to group passive activities Limitations on passive losses: at-risk rules and deductions Classifying rental real estate activities Navigating exceptions in rental real estate taxation

Surgent's Work-Life Balance: Maximizing Productivity and Understanding Related Tax Issues

Discuss how productivity strategies may improve work-life balance Understand the state tax consequences that may arise when working from home Identify and discuss challenges unique to financial professionals Review how some organizations are providing support to improve work-life balance Explore the role of alternative work arrangements  Examine challenges unique to auditors versus tax professionals A comparison of work-life balance between public and industry accountants How work-family conflict varies among financial professionals Recommendations for improving work-life balance

2024 Federal Tax Update for Business with Doug Van Der Aa

Recent tax legislation, rulings and developments impacting business taxpayers Deprecation update: Section 168(k) and Section 179 immediate expense deduction and bonus depreciation S corporation and partnership developments Travel, meals and entertainment expense reporting update

KPI Bootcamp for Small Businesses

Why measure things? The ROKS Express method Goals check - identifying your business objectives and Key Results Selecting your KPI candidates using the KPI Definition Manual Shortlisting - Picking the very best KPIs from your KPI Candidates Tuning your KPI definitions Going Live

ACPEN Signature 2024: Partnership & LLCs Tax Return Preparation

IRS audits Allocations and Basis Proper reporting Valuation of closely held business interests

Surgent's Form 1040 Return Review Boot Camp for New and Experienced Reviewers

Review an error-prone "staff-prepared" Form 1040 from client-provided information. Where do you start? Get to know your client and ask the questions Several new reporting issues for the reviewer to consider, including the main credit provisions as enacted under the American Rescue Plan What are common errors preparers make and what are the areas generating malpractice claims? The importance of engagement letters, questionnaires, and §7216 permission statement Initial administrative groundwork Identifying organizing issues in the tax return to be reviewed Avoiding “willful blindness.” Handling ethical and moral dilemmas Efficient review of certain advanced issues for income, adjustments, deductions, and credits Effective procedures for delinquent clients, filing past-due tax returns First-time client issues requiring extra scrutiny Multiple checklists of efficient procedures to identify potential issues on a 1040 return Listing of schedules for staff to prepare to make a review easier, including basis issues for 1040 clients Reconciling time pressure with thoroughness and quality control Professionals acting professionally

Surgent's Preparing C Corporation Tax Returns for New Staff and Paraprofessionals

Preparation by hand of a reasonably complicated Form 1120 U.S. corporate income tax return from trial balance to completed return The importance of Schedule M-1, including many adjustments in reconciling book income to tax income, and items preparation staff may look for on all business returns. Learn to self-review New tax-planning strategies for depreciation deductions, including changes to §179 and first-year depreciation (Section 168(k)) as a result of recent tax legislation Methods of accounting -- Application and choices In-depth analysis of Form 4797 dealing with depreciation recapture Deductible expenses -- including rules on meals and entertainment Section 163(j) Computation of tax liability Overview of many common business deductions; which are deductible and which are M-1 items? How to practically handle uniform capitalization and inventory accounting for a small manufacturing concern And much more