CPE Catalog
Note
AICPA On-Demand & Self-Study courses take up to 24 hours to process.
Surgent's Service Organization Control Reports - A User Auditor View
Available Until
Online
2.00 Credits
As entities continue to oursource financially significant processes, auditors will need to rely on third party assessments of the effectiveness of the controls over these processes. These assessments are called SOC1 reports. Understanding the scope, level of testing and results of such reports is critical to the successful completion of any financial statement audit. In this course, we'll review the relevant information which auditors need to know about SOC1s, including their professional standards guidance, scope (Type 1 or 2), coverage and user auditor response to control deficiencies identified by the service auditor.
Surgent's Single Auditing Made Simple
Available Until
Online
8.00 Credits
Single auditing can seem complex. With thousands of pages of potential AICPA, GAO, and OMB literature coming together for the audit of one client, auditors can easily lose focus and confidence in what they are supposed to do; however, it does not have to be that way. This course is designed to sharpen your skills and knowledge in performing single audits and eliminate wasted efforts.
Surgent's Six Common Barriers to Investment Success
Available Until
Online
2.00 Credits
Many of us expect to use logic when it comes to how we allocate our investments. The adage of "buy low, sell high" is a saying that makes logical sense. So, why do we always seem to do the opposite? Every day we are faced with decisions, and we are often influenced by two seemingly opposing voices that come from two different parts of our brain. The frontal cortex processes lots of information to help us make logical and informed choices. But there's also a small part of the brain, known as the reflexive brain, that is responsible for emotions and survival instincts. Often, this reflexive brain can have a detrimental effect on the way we handle our investments. This course will discuss some behavioral biases that affect our financial decisions. As humans, we need to be aware of how our reflexive behavior impacts our investment decision-making ability. By uncovering and understanding these biases, we may have a better chance of meeting our long-term financial goals.
Surgent's Skills to Enhance Personal and Professional Networks
Available Until
Online
2.00 Credits
Managing a strong network is one of the most important things you can do to grow professionally. Yet despite its importance, maintaining an effective network is often not taught in undergraduate and graduate schools. The good news is that managing and growing a network is easier than it sounds. In fact, most professionals have some level of basic networking skills simply from helping someone find a job, attending an industry conference, or seeking professional connections through social media. Effective networking involves more than simply collecting contacts. Strong networks should be relevant to your career and consist of people you trust. Personal networks are just as important as professional networks and the two often overlap. In this course, we explore ways to strengthen and grow networks by examining proven strategies that have helped individuals meet their personal and professional goals.
Surgent's Social Security and Medicare: Planning for You and Your Clients
Available Until
Online
8.00 Credits
Social Security seems poised for changes in benefits and eligibility age. The leading edge of the baby boomer generation has already reached retirement age. Financial and tax planners can expect increased demand for strategies that dovetail Social Security with other retirement and estate planning objectives. This course provides tax and financial planning professionals with both the background information on the Social Security system and the strategies clients will need in dealing with Social Security, and the myriad other related retirement planning issues.
Surgent's Social Security: Dispelling Common Myths with Essential Truths
Available Until
Online
2.00 Credits
For roughly 90% of American retirees, Social Security income will be the foundation of their retirement income. Yet, many are ill-prepared and lack understanding of the critical aspects of making an informed claiming decision. Further challenged to separate fact from fiction, consumers crave accurate information from knowledgeable professionals to make the most out of these coveted monthly benefits. This course dispels common myths about Social Security that lead to confusion and replaces them with the truth to an empowered retirement. Help your clients navigate their claiming age decisions with greater confidence, equipped with the essential truths they should consider before pushing the Social Security "on" button.
Surgent's Starting a Small Business: What Every Trusted Advisor and Entrepreneur Needs to Know
Available Until
Online
2.00 Credits
Starting and owning a small business has often been referred to as the "Third Pillar of Wealth," right behind investments and owning real estate. Essentially, all businesses start off as "small businesses." Small businesses, however, require a large amount of preparation in order to successfully launch and grow. Starting a business requires the owners and managers to address a host of issues, including an understanding of applicable laws, appropriate financing, staffing requirements, marketing, liability protection, and many more. This course provides a broad overview of the critical issues business owners, as well as their professional advisors, must consider when starting and growing a small business. There is extensive research regarding best practices in this area, and this webinar is intended to distill down such information and focus on what is critical to get a small business up and running as seamlessly as possible.
Surgent's Stock vs. Asset Acquisitions of C Corporations
Available Until
Online
2.00 Credits
A business conducted as a C corporation can be purchased through an asset acquisition or a stock acquisition. In an asset acquisition, the buyer purchases the business by purchasing the assets that make up the C corporation's ongoing business. In a stock acquisition, the buyer purchases the stock of the C corporation that owns all or a majority of the business assets. The seller and the buyer are usually at odds over how to structure the acquisition. Tax practitioners advising their business clients should be fully conversant in the tax rules that apply to stock and asset acquisitions. Discussing and explaining those rules is the focus of this course.This course qualifies for IRS credit.
Surgent's Strategies for Maximizing Social Security Benefits
Available Until
Online
2.00 Credits
As the population of the United States ages, tax practitioners will be asked to advise their individual clients with respect to when they should begin to take Social Security benefits. This program will provide you with the background to knowledgeably discuss the benefit options available to Social Security beneficiaries and the alternative payment options available to married couples, dependents, a surviving spouse, and a divorced individual.
Surgent's Successful Communication
Available Until
Online
2.00 Credits
All would agree that successful communications are key to any successful venture, including audits. However, given the tight deadlines, complex issue resolution and the often remote working environment of the audit teams and clients, there are many barriers to achieving effective communications on audit engagements. In this module, we'll review common barriers to effective communication, models for effective communication which are easy to understand and utilize, the importance of both verbal and non-verbal communication skills, and the often over-looked element of communication - effective listening.
Surgent's Successfully Completing a Gift Tax Return -- Form 709
Available Until
Online
2.00 Credits
Since the early 2000s, the estate tax burden on taxpayers has gradually decreased along with the number of practitioners specializing in the field. Nevertheless, some of your most wealthy clients will have a taxable estate. For these select clients, making large gifts before death can be extremely tax efficient for the client and profitable for the practitioner filing the gift tax return. Learning how to file a basic gift tax return can help you attract and retain clients, increase your value-add, and generate revenue.
Surgent's Successfully Completing an Estate Tax Return -- Form 706
Available Until
Online
2.00 Credits
Since the early 2000s, the estate tax burden on taxpayers has gradually decreased along with the number of practitioners specializing in the field. Nevertheless, some of your most wealthy clients will owe estate tax and this issue will eventually be thrust upon you. Finding an affordable, competent specialist who you trust to work with you and your client may be difficult. Learning the basics of the tax and how to complete the form will give you confidence to help your clients navigate that difficult time.This course qualifies for IRS credit.
Surgent's Successfully Completing an Income Tax Return for a Trust or Estate -- Form 1041
Available Until
Online
2.00 Credits
Some of your clients have estate plans that provide for testamentary trusts. Other clients make gifts to irrevocable trusts during their lifetime. And some will die with probate estates. Therefore, you should have a basic understanding of how the income tax applies uniquely to trusts and estates. For example, "distributable net income" (DNI) is a trust-only concept that is essential to understand. Plus, the deductions for fiduciary fees, charitable deductions and certain miscellaneous deductions (such as investment advisory fees, and attorney/accountant fees) are treated differently than for individual taxpayers. However, with a decent understanding of the basic income tax and net investment income tax (NIIT) rules, you can add significant value to your clients.This course qualifies for IRS credit.
Surgent's Succession Planning for the Small Business Owner: Finding the Exit Ramp
Available Until
Online
4.00 Credits
The life cycle of the small business can be summed up in three segments: 1) starting the business; 2) operating the business; and 3) getting out of the business. This course focuses on getting out of the business. The most elusive element of owning a small business can be finding the proper exit strategy. This course is designed to provide the business consulting practitioner with tools and concepts to advise the small business owner and assist them in developing the right exit strategy. The course covers exit strategies related to third-party sales and succession planning within a family.This course qualifies for IRS credit.
Surgent's Taking Advantage of Array Formulas in Excel
Available Until
Online
2.00 Credits
This intensive 2-hour course is designed to unlock the potential of array formulas in Microsoft Excel. Array formulas are a vital tool in Excel for their unique ability to perform multiple calculations on one or more items within an array, making them indispensable for complex data analysis and calculations. They enable users to write fewer, more powerful formulas, leading to cleaner and more efficient spreadsheets. This course is tailored to enhance your data analysis and spreadsheet management skills by delving into the advanced aspects of array functions. Through a combination of theoretical knowledge and practical exercises, you will learn to streamline your work and improve efficiency in Excel.
Surgent's Taking Advantage of Installment Sales
Available Until
Online
2.00 Credits
When real property is sold for a gain, we always try to find ways to defer recognizing income so that it won't be necessary to send a check to Uncle Sam. There is a provision within the Internal Revenue Code that allows the taxpayer to defer recognition of immediate taxable gain in the year of sale known as an "installment sale." Knowing how and when to utilize this provision makes the Accounting and Finance Professionals very valuable to either their client or the entity they work for. We will also discuss recent proposals that could impact the future of this provision.This course qualifies for IRS credit.
Surgent's Taking Advantage of Installment Sales and Like-Kind Exchanges
Available Until
Online
4.00 Credits
When real property is sold for a gain, we always try to find ways to defer recognizing income so it won't be necessary to send a check to Uncle Sam. There are two provisions within the Internal Revenue Code that allow the taxpayer to defer recognition of immediate taxable gain in the year of sale: installment sales and like-kind exchanges. Knowing how and when to utilize these provisions makes the Accounting and Finance Professionals very valuable to either their client or the entity they work for. We will also discuss recent proposals which could impact the future of these two provisions.This course qualifies for IRS credit.
Surgent's Taking Advantage of Like-Kind Exchanges
Available Until
Online
2.00 Credits
When real property is sold for a gain, we always try to find ways to defer recognizing income so that it won't be necessary to send a check to Uncle Sam. There is a provision within the Internal Revenue Code that allows the taxpayer to defer recognition of immediate taxable gain in the year of sale known as a "like-kind exchange." Knowing how and when to utilize this provision makes the Accounting and Finance Professionals very valuable to either their client or the entity they work for. We will also discuss recent proposals that could impact the future of this provision.This course qualifies for IRS credit.
Surgent's Tax Forms Boot Camp: LLCs, Partnerships, and S Corporations
Available Until
Online
8.00 Credits
The course provides a comprehensive, hands-on, pencil pushing understanding of the preparation of both S corporation and partnership/LLC tax returns, along with the underlying laws, regulations, etc. The course uses the basic concepts underlying the two main types of business returns: 1120S and 1065 as building blocks for more complex concepts tax preparers should be aware of. The theoretical concepts get illustrated in comprehensive examples that incorporate the most up-to-date law changes and provisions.This course qualifies for IRS credit.
Surgent's Tax Loss Limitations Imposed on Individuals and Pass-through Entities
Available Until
Online
3.00 Credits
Tax practitioners advising their business clients must be fully informed regarding the multiple loss limitation provisions that apply to individuals conducting businesses and pass-through entities. This program covers the loss limitation rules that tax practitioners must know in order to advise their individual and pass-through entity clients fully and adequately as to when and if a loss limitation applies. The loss limitations discussed in this program start with an introductory discussion of hobby loss rules and graduate to a more substantive discussion of the remaining loss limitations: basis limits, at-risk rules, passive loss limits, excess business loss limits, net operating losses, and the Section 163(j) interest limitation. Knowing when loss limits apply is essential for any tax practitioner. This program will put you in a position to advise clients fully and intelligently regarding each of the loss limits.This course qualifies for IRS credit.