CPE Catalog+Events

Owning an Electric Vehicle: Costs and Considerations

With governments worldwide pushing the automotive industry towards electric vehicles (EVs), there might be an EV in your future or for your corporate fleet. Today, some vehicles are all gas, all electric or hybrid. How much do EVs cost to purchase, maintain and charge? Most EV owners charge at home but need public charging when venturing beyond their vehicle's range. Not all EVs can use every public charger and various charger types recharge at different speeds. This session will simplify the issues and tell you what you'll want to know if there is an EV in your future. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.Speaker - John L. Daly, MBA, CPA, CMA, CPIM

Surgent's Weekly Expert Hour

As financial and tax professionals well know, information overload is a constant struggle we face because things change quickly, and the sheer number of changes being made on a daily basis is enormous. Of great importance to small and medium tax and advisory firms is differentiating between changes that are relevant to our practice and our clients and changes that are new but totally irrelevant. Distinguishing between the two is difficult and time-consuming. Mike Tucker and a team of experts are pleased to present a weekly series designed to eliminate the clutter and get you what you need to stay up-to-date and perform for your clients. Mike and his co-presenters will dispense news on current events impacting taxes, finance, and industry. The subject matter will differ each week and intermittently include topics such as Social Security and Medicare. The panelists will discuss personal and corporate tax matters as well as other late-breaking news related to practitioners' personal finances and those of their clients. Every financial professional will benefit from this series. This is a cost-effective way for accountants to fulfill their compulsory continuing education because this weekly series will include almost 40 one-hour presentations. Sign up today - your clients and your bottom line will thank you.

Audit 502: The Art of Discipline and Getting Things Done

The Art of Discipline and Getting Things Done - Applying Better Time, Team, and Project Management Techniques provides best practices for various areas that support this culture of discipline, including time, team, and project management. Those in a supervisory or managerial role must create a culture of discipline, where a high priority is placed in accomplishing responsibilities in an effective and efficient manner. Note: This course is recommended as a part of an 8-hour audit skills curriculum for managers, while it is also appropriate for anyone who has responsibilities for project and time management. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.Speaker - Jennifer F. Louis, CPA

Engagement Management with the Microsoft 365 Planner App

Are you using Excel to keep track of progress and task completion for your engagements? Or, are you using a sophisticated engagement management app that takes too much time or requires too much information to keep your task completion progress up to date? Worst of all, are you relying primarily on email communications to keep track of your engagement task completion progress? If any of these scenarios apply to your practice, this course will show you a better way to manage engagements from simple 1040 tax preparation to comprehensive audits. The Microsoft 365 Planner app, which you are likely already paying for as part of your Microsoft 365 subscription, provides a comprehensive, yet simple solution for all of your client engagements and internal projects. John Higgins, a nationally recognized strategic accounting technology advisor will guide you through the process of how to deploy this app to effectively manage all your projects. This app is effective for sole practitioners and firms of all sizes. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.Speaker - John Higgins, CPA.CITP

Entertainment, Meals & Travel Expenses: Review and Update

This program reviews the statutory and regulatory guidance as they relate to fringe benefits. There will be an emphasis on entertainment, meals and business transportation expenses, including qualified employer-provided parking, with a focus on planning opportunities. Recent federal tax legislation, cases and rulings will also be addressed. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.Speaker - Steven C. Dilley, CPA, JD, PhD

2024 Guide to Deducting Travel, Meals and Entertainment Expenses

This program will explain the new rules for deducting travel, meals and entertainment expenses and the TCJA disallowance of business entertainment expenses.  Documentation requirements and planning opportunities related to travel, entertainment, and automobile expenses will also be addressed.  **Please Note:  If you need credit reported to the IRS for this IRS approved program, please download the IRS CE request form on the Course Materials Tab and submit to kori.herrera@acpen.com. Speaker - Doug Van Der Aa, CPA, JD

What If Your Client Didn't Take Reasonable Compensation

Are you a new advisor handling S Corp clients, or perhaps a seasoned professional facing this common scenario: "My S Corp client didn't take reasonable compensation last year. Now what?" Knowing that reasonable compensation isn't just a tax obligation, but a strategic financial decision, you need to be armed with expert knowledge to help your client navigate this situation. Join us to discuss IRS regulations, understand preventive measures, and address challenges within the year. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.Speaker - John Morse, CPA

Communicating Financial Information to Non-Accountants

Do you ever get blank looks when you present your company's financial statements? Does your board nod knowingly, during your presentation, but never seem to have any meaningful questions? It could be that they have no idea what you are talking about and are just pretending to understand! Learn how to connect with your CEO, board, fellow managers, and ordinary employees so they understand your message. Learn to motivate them to action. Come hear a veteran CFO tell you how. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.Speaker - John L. Daly, MBA, CPA, CMA, CPIM

Excel - From a Blank Sheet to a Finished Workbook

Have you ever opened a blank workbook in Excel and just stared at it, wondering where to begin? Or, do you spend most of your time just formatting cells to make your spreadsheet look pretty? Or, do you just wonder if there is a better way to create your spreadsheets? This course is designed to take you from a blank worksheet to a completed report. Our example will be a financial statement but you can use the knowledge gained in the course and apply it to your specific job function. You will learn to import data instead of manually entering it. Learn that you can use functions and formulas to build calculations that will eliminate the need to manually manipulate your data. Our goal is to make sure you have all the information needed to build reports without having to manually enter it every month. You will learn techniques to use your data to build your reports. This will include building formulas that are flexible with your changing data. You will learn techniques to validate your report calculations so you can improve the accuracy of your reports. You will also learn how to quickly format reports and techniques that allow you to efficiently change the format. Lastly, you will learn how PivotTables can provide a more dynamic reporting option instead of using pre-defined report formats. Obviously, we will be covering a lot of ground, so to enhance your learning experience all examples will be provided to each participant along with instructions. This will allow you to follow along and use as you apply your new knowledge to your spreadsheets. This session is presented using Excel 2019/Office 365. Regardless of the version you are using, most concepts covered in this course apply to all versions of Excel. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.Speaker - Bryan L. Smith, CPA.CITP, CISA

Surgent's Six Common Barriers to Investment Success

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 Social Security: Dispelling Common Myths with Essential Truths

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. Join Heather Schreiber, RICPr, NSSAr, founder of HLS Retirement Consulting, LLC, and author of Social Security Advisor, as she 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 Understanding Partnership Taxation: Debt Allocations

How debt is allocated to the partners in a partnership is important. It dictates how much money may be taken tax-free as a distribution, the losses that flow down to the partners, and the gain or loss on the sale of a partnership interest. However, the allocation of debt can differ depending on the type of debt it is and the type of partner we are talking about. Furthermore, 704(c) can complicate things. And what in the world is a constructive liquidation scenario? In this course, we will tackle the concept of debt allocations - how you do it, what it means, and why you do it.

Surgent's Government and Nonprofit Frauds and Controls to Stop Them

George Washington once wrote, "We ought not to look back, unless it is to derive useful lessons from past errors, and for the purpose of profiting by dear bought experience." The cost of fraud, dearly paid by governments and nonprofits, is too severe not to learn and profit from. In this course, we will look back at real-world government and nonprofit frauds and derive useful controls to stop them. The course materials utilize a highly illustrative and innovative format. Over 15 focused exercises are included to provide an enhanced working knowledge of fraud and anti-fraud controls to both auditors and industry professionals.

An Exhaustive Look At Fraud and Ways To Control It

Fraud activities can be executed from within an organization, by parties outside an entity, or by both. Importantly, as the business world becomes more technological, the way fraud is carried out is changing. There must be an increased focus on understanding where new fraud vulnerabilities exist. In this session, we delve into the reasons that both internal and external intentional defalcations take place. The material discusses the new ways fraud is being actuated and looks at the factors driving those that undertake fraud. We spend time examining measures that can be implemented in order to stop fraud via the deployment of added security across the enterprise. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.Speaker - Karl Egnatoff, CPA.CITP

2024 Women's Conference

Leveraging Marketing Automation for Accounting Firm Growth

This course will provide an overview of 6 key areas of automation that accounting firms can leverage to effectively increase their lead generation and client retention efforts while reducing the burden on their time and budget. These areas include: 1. Social media 2. Content development. 3. Email marketing. 4. Text (SMS) marketing. 5. Chatbots and other interactive AI tools. 6. Drip marketing campaigns. Attendees will receive a practical guide to the technologies and tactics needed to improve marketing efforts with efficiency and ease! This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.Speaker - Gaynor Hardy (Meilke), MS, CBC

Erase the Mark: Best Practices in Penalty Abatement

If there is a potential error, the IRS will assess a tax and add a hefty penalty, without even knowing the facts. As a tax professional, you will be exposed to the IRS and their methods of penalizing taxpayers for the smallest of violations. This presentation will focus on the rules and regulations that create the penalty, and the reasons that exist that the IRS will consider to remove those penalties. This event may be a rebroadcast of a live event and the instructor will be available to answer your questions during the event.Speaker - Robert Nordlander, CPA, CFE

Surgent's Auto and Energy-Related Tax Credits

The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) contains many changes to auto and energy-related credits. Many if not most of these credits reduce the cost of individual- and business-related expenses. As a result of the changes brought about by the IRA, tax advisors have new and reformed credits to understand and explain to their clients. The IRS has issued extensive guidance regarding these credits in the form of Frequently Asked Questions that elaborate on and explain these new credits. This program covers the new and revised energy-related credits clients will be asking about, such as credits related to personal autos, energy-efficient commercial vehicles, and household-related utilities and improvements. This program will cover the IRA changes related to electric car credits in detail so that those attending can properly advise their individual and business clients regarding them.

Surgent's Critical Conversations

As uncomfortable as some conversations are, keeping your silence won't resolve the issue and may in fact add to it. No matter which side of the table you find yourself at in a "hard to have" talk, you can learn to benefit from the conversation. In the workshop, you'll learn how to recognize when a conversation becomes critical, how to plan effectively for the conversation, and which communications strategies can help you create a win/win outcome.

2024 Creative Strategies for Buying, Selling, or Gifting a Business

Navigating the complexities of business transactions requires a deep understanding of tax and estate planning strategies. In this comprehensive course tailored for financial professionals, participants will explore the intricacies of creative approaches to buying, selling, or gifting a business. Through real-world scenarios and practical insights, attendees will gain invaluable expertise in identifying tax risks, minimizing liabilities, and safeguarding assets. From evaluating valuation methods to exploring the details of stock versus asset purchases, this course equips you with the essential tools to provide informed counsel to clients. Discover the potential for strategic success as you master topics including estate transfer and tax implications, gifting strategies, and the utilization of various trusts and partnerships. Whether you're a CPA, EA, attorney, or financial planner, this course offers indispensable knowledge to elevate your practice. With a recommended 8 credit hours of Continuing Professional Education (CPE), this intermediate-level course is designed for professionals with a foundational understanding of business tax and estate planning. Join us and immerse yourself in a journey towards mastery in the vibrant landscape of business transactions. **Please Note:  If you need credit reported to the IRS for this IRS approved program, please download the IRS CE request form on the Course Materials Tab and submit to kori.herrera@acpen.com. Speaker - Arthur Werner