Sometimes we can avoid addressing the elephant in the room for a while. However, when there are three elephants in the room, it's time to address the issues. Designed for practitioners and their staff, whether in public accounting or business and industry, this course provides a comprehensive review and update of the FASB's Big 3 accounting and reporting areas -- Revenue Recognition, Leases, and Financial Instruments. We will focus on recently issued Accounting Standards Updates, covering these critical areas of your practice or organization. We will analyze the Big 3, which have a major effect on all industries, using examples and illustrations to provide a hands-on approach that will help you better assess and implement the new standards and guidance applicable to your clients or organization.

The best laid plans of mice and men often go astray; the same is true for taxpayers and practitioners. Every practitioner has been confronted with a client who had a different twist on a tax idea. This course focuses on the law in order to break down 50 situations in which a taxpayer has attempted to push one of these ideas. The study of the law underlying the tax mistakes made will assist practitioners in satisfying their professional standards of practice and will help you in preparing Form 1040.

Change is definitely coming. For those entities currently following industry-specific accounting guidance for revenue recognition, Topic 606 will be replacing this with a single model. For those in the technology sector that utilize Statement of Position 97-2, Software Revenue Recognition (SOP 97-2), adopting Topic 606 will most likely result in significant changes to when you recognize revenue, particularly with regard to contracts with multiple performance obligations. With the requirement to have vendor-specific objective evidence (VSOE) to support the allocation of transaction price going away under Topic 606, technology companies will also see major change in how they allocate transaction price, which will impact when they record revenue on these transactions. With Topic 606's effective date right around the corner, now is the time to get the answers to your implementation questions. In this course, we'll explore Topic 606 from the perspective of entities that currently recognize revenue under SOP 97-2. We'll highlight the changes that Topic 606 makes to the guidance found in the SOP and focus on the impact that software entities should expect when implementing this new guidance. Implementing Topic 606 will be a challenge for software entities, and this course will help you identity and resolve these issues so that you can complete your adoption strategy.

Recent auditing standards have emphasized the initial information gathered and important conclusions reached during risk assessment procedures to identify and evaluate risk of material misstatement in a financial statement audit. These important procedures provide the basis for determining how much effort will be invested in evaluating the design and implementation of internal controls. In addition, these procedures provide the rationale for effectively and efficiently designing the nature, timing and extent of further audit procedures (which includes tests of controls for operating effectiveness and substantive audit procedures).

Be the go-to person on compilation and financial statement preparation engagements. Specifically designed for preparation and compilation practitioners and their staff, this course will provide you with a hands-on application for performing preparation and compilation engagements. You will learn the ins and outs of relevant sections of SSARS No. 21, Clarification and Recodification, the most significant change to the SSARS since their inception over thirty years ago. This course will bring you up to date on SSARSs requirements and guidance as it relates to preparation and compilation engagements. More importantly, it will provide you with practical examples and illustrations to help you effectively and efficiently perform those engagements. Plus, the course will cover new guidance relevant to compilation and preparation engagements which was introduced by SSARS No. 22, Compilation of Pro Forma Financial Information, and SSARS No. 23, Omnibus Statement on Standards for Accounting and Review Services - 2016.

In order to retain existing clients, lower fee pressures and gain invaluable referral sources, financial statement auditors must place a priority on being a value-added business advisor. This module will provide tips and techniques for helping clients improve financial reporting, operations and compliance.

Entities may have more complex investments, such as non-readily marketable securities that trade in an inactive market or use unobservable inputs for fair value determination. This module discusses the key considerations when auditing common complex investment types.

This year is indeed another year of significant change in the world of nonprofit accounting and auditing. Time is valuable, and it's hard to stay current in today's rapidly changing environment. Let us save you time and effort in staying current through this informative update course. The course materials utilize a highly illustrative and innovative format. Over 30 focused exercises are included to provide an enhanced working knowledge of the latest developments in nonprofit accounting and auditing.

In today's rapidly changing world, finance professionals are required to wear many hats and are often the keys to the success of the organization. On one hand, they need to be abreast of the latest proven financial skills for making the best decisions, and on the other hand they need the best skills to motivate, manage, and lead people. Being pigeon-holed into one area or another is neither good for career building nor for the good of the organization. We'll cover the latest issues that all CFOs and controllers need to know about and provide how-to guidance to allow for immediate use in their organizations.

Many organizations spend huge amounts of money and effort at planning, forecasting, and budgeting and all too often the three disciplines are separated and not connected throughout the company. It appears that people who are doing the strategic planning aren't talking with the people who are doing the budgeting or forecasting. Also, there is a lack of uniform accountability throughout the organization. This program is designed to completely integrate the planning process and show how it can move from long-range thinking, through medium-term planning, through the annual budget, and to the monthly cash-flow forecast. Also, the program will teach the participant how to avoid many political pitfalls that end up causing a lack of accountability and often cause the planning process to be demotivating to the staff. This isn't just a strategic planning course or a budgeting course. It is a course that looks at the entire planning process from beginning to end and shows how much smoother it can be when it is an integrated process. While it is a technical course discussing many of the technical tricks and tips for producing a good plan, it is also a management course in that it will discuss the political aspects of planning.

The employer-employee relationship strains both sides in uncertain times, and businesses need CPAs, controllers, and other advisors to provide understanding of the complex legal and tax issues associated with all aspects of employment, especially now. This course provides in-depth coverage of this critical area. Updated and supplemented throughout the year for breaking developments.

For many businesses, preparing financial statements using a special purpose framework may provide an alternative to the complexity of U.S. GAAP. This course will provide you with an overview and hands-on application for preparing financial statements using a special purpose framework. You will learn the unique measurement and disclosure requirements of various Special Purpose Framework (SPF) options using example financial statements and illustrative disclosures. The course also includes common practice issues encountered when preparing SPF financial statements, as well as an introduction to the AICPA's new SPF for small and medium-sized entities, FRF for SMEsTM. We will also review recent updates to the standards for accounting and review services that impact engagements performed on SPF financial statements.

There are many situations in which a financial statement auditor is also asked to report on compliance. Some compliance audits are required by law, regulation, contract or agreements. Other reports are requested to provide negative assurance about financial information, such as compliance with debt covenants in a loan agreement. In addition, an auditor may be asked to provide comfort to requesting parties in relation to financial information included in registration statements filed in accordance with The Securities Act of 1933.

Change is definitely coming. For those entities currently following industry-specific accounting guidance for revenue recognition, Topic 606 will be replacing this with a single model. For those in the technology sector that utilize Statement of Position 97-2, Software Revenue Recognition (SOP 97-2), adopting Topic 606 will most likely result in significant changes to when you recognize revenue, particularly with regard to contracts with multiple performance obligations. With the requirement to have vendor-specific objective evidence (VSOE) to support the allocation of transaction price going away under Topic 606, technology companies will also see major change in how they allocate transaction price, which will impact when they record revenue on these transactions. With Topic 606's effective date right around the corner, now is the time to get the answers to your implementation questions. In this course, we'll explore Topic 606 from the perspective of entities that currently recognize revenue under SOP 97-2. We'll highlight the changes that Topic 606 makes to the guidance found in the SOP and focus on the impact that software entities should expect when implementing this new guidance. Implementing Topic 606 will be a challenge for software entities, and this course will help you identity and resolve these issues so that you can complete your adoption strategy.

Employment taxes are often overlooked as an area where more planning may be effective. Payroll taxes have become an increasing burden for the average business and IRS penalties for noncompliance have risen dramatically in recent years. They have also been subject to employer incentives. The Service has announced that uncovering noncompliance by employers ranks high on its audit list. This course presents a comprehensive overview of federal payroll taxes, Form 1099, and related compliance issues.

Due to IRS issue focused examinations, CPAs need to understand what types of returns are selected for examination and ways to help clients survive an IRS audit with little or no change. As a result of issue focused examinations, CPAs must understand what are the high audit risk area issues and what the IRS is focusing on when a return is examined. In addition, because tax-related identity theft is a common issue for many taxpayers, it is critical for CPAs to understand the procedures necessary to resolve this matter for their clients.

Specifically designed for preparation, compilation, and review practitioners and their staff, this course will provide you with a comprehensive review and hands-on application for performing financial statement preparation, compilation, and review engagements. You will learn the ins and outs of SSARS No. 21, Clarification and Recodification. The course will also cover the changes that have occurred with the issuance of SSARS Nos. 22 and 23 with regard to compilation of pro forma financial information engagements, engagements on prospective financial information, as well as in other areas relevant to SSARS No. 21 engagements, including lessons learned from early peer reviews of SSARS No. 21 engagements. Not only will this course bring you up to date on SSARSs requirements and guidance, but more importantly, it will provide you with practical examples and illustrations to help you effectively and efficiently perform these types of engagements. This powerful and comprehensive resource provides hard copies of all the sample engagement letters, procedure checklists, illustrative reports, and more contained in The Essential SSARS No. 21-23 Implementation Toolkit to assist you with implementing new SSARS requirements. This course is intended to be your go-to reference for training your staff and managing your SSARS Nos. 21-23 services in compliance with professional, ethical, and technical requirements.

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 of all the other related retirement planning issues.

Professional and regulatory audit standards require communication of internal control matters noted on a financial statement audit. This assists management and those charged with governance with satisfying responsibilities for designing, implementing, maintaining and monitoring internal controls. This module will help the auditor with understanding how to improve the required communications to be more value-added to the client.

The employer-employee relationship strains both sides in uncertain times, and businesses need CPAs, controllers, and other advisors to provide understanding of the complex legal and payroll tax issues associated with all aspects of employment, especially now. This course provides in-depth coverage of this critical area. Updated and supplemented throughout the year for breaking developments.

There are numerous federal laws that restrict what businesses can do in terms of hiring and firing employees. Many of these laws impose significant penalties if employers violate them. Accordingly, it is crucial that all employers and their professional advisors understand these laws and apply them to their employment practices.

Specifically designed for preparation, compilation, and review practitioners and their staff, this course will provide you with a comprehensive review and hands-on application for performing financial statement preparation, compilation, and review engagements. You will learn the ins and outs of SSARS No. 21, Clarification and Recodification. The course will also cover the changes that have occurred with the issuance of SSARS Nos. 22 and 23 with regard to compilation of pro forma financial information engagements, engagements on prospective financial information, as well as in other areas relevant to SSARS No. 21 engagements, including lessons learned from early peer reviews of SSARS No. 21 engagements. Not only will this course bring you up to date on SSARSs requirements and guidance, but more importantly, it will provide you with practical examples and illustrations to help you effectively and efficiently perform these types of engagements. This powerful and comprehensive resource provides hard copies of all the sample engagement letters, procedure checklists, illustrative reports, and more contained in The Essential SSARS No. 21-23 Implementation Toolkit to assist you with implementing new SSARS requirements. This course is intended to be your go-to reference for training your staff and managing your SSARS Nos. 21-23 services in compliance with professional, ethical, and technical requirements.

Many small- and mid-size entities hold less complex investments, including 'plain vanilla' derivatives (such as interest rate swaps). This module will provide an overview for evaluating the proper recognition, measurement and disclosure of common investments types.

Despite the fact that a client's matter may be taken directly to court, utilizing IRS Appeals usually results in saving your client both time and money. Join us as we discuss the misunderstood process through IRS Appeals.

All organizations are looking for ways to gain an advantage over the competition. This practical and interactive session will present a toolkit of ideas to help CFOs, controllers and finance professionals better position their organizations for the future. We all know change is occurring at an exponential rate and by completing this course you will be able to assist your organization in making key decisions affecting critical aspects of the business such as enterprise risk management, financial risk, cash management, credit decisions, and much more! Become the "financial hero" of your organization and make a positive impact on the bottom-line.

The completeness and proper classification of liabilities are the typical higher audit risks. The complexity of the debt financing arrangements may create a significant risk requiring special audit consideration. This module will discuss tips and techniques for auditing accounts payable, accrued expenses and common debt arrangements.

Since its inception nearly 25 years ago, many have continued to struggle with applying the current model for accounting for income taxes. But this doesn't have to be you. This course will provide you with the basic knowledge necessary to understand the complexities of this challenging topic. Through discussions and use of exercises, this course will analyze the authoritative literature to provide a thorough understanding of such topics as deferred taxes, income tax expense, uncertain tax positions and other classification and disclosure requirements. We'll also explore the changes on the horizon to accounting for income taxes. Lastly, the course will cover the financial accounting implications of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA), which will continue to impact financial reporting throughout 2018. This will include a review on the general guidance in ASC Topic 740 for accounting for changes in tax laws and rates, as well as a deeper dive into the accounting implications of specific changes found in the TCJA and recently issued implementation guidance from both the FASB and SEC.

This year is indeed another year of significant change in the world of government and nonprofit accounting and auditing. Time is valuable, and it's hard to stay current in today's rapidly changing environment. Let us save you time and effort in staying current through this informative update course. The course materials utilize a highly illustrative and innovative format. Over 30 focused exercises are included to provide an enhanced working knowledge of the latest developments in government and nonprofit accounting and auditing.

Change is definitely coming. For those entities who currently recognize revenue under the guidance of Statement of Position 81-1, Accounting for Performance of Construction-Type and Certain Production-Type Contracts (SOP 81-1), understanding the basics of Topic 606 is not enough. In order to assess the impact of adopting Topic 606, you need a detailed understanding of whether you can recognize revenue over time under Topic 606 or not. Plus, applying the other steps of Topic 606's five-step revenue recognition model could also result in entities making changes to their current revenue recognition approaches. With Topic 606's effective date right around the corner, now is the time to get the answers to your implementation questions. In this course, we'll explore Topic 606 from the perspective of entities that currently recognize revenue under SOP 81-1, highlighting any areas of potential change in your current approach when you adopt Topic 606, such as identifying performance obligations and when and how you recognize revenue. Applying Topic 606 to your long-term contracts will definitely change your revenue recognition approach. This course will help you determine how big that change will be.

Implementing ASU No. 2016-02, Leases (Topic 842) is sure to have a major impact on your balance sheet and potentially on your business as well. This course is a one-stop shop for what you need to know about the upcoming changes to lease accounting. In this course, we will review how to measure the lease liability and Right of Use asset that will now be recorded on the balance sheet for all leases. We will also tackle the tricky issues of accounting for lease modifications and other lease re-measurement events as well as address the other major provisions of the new standard, including transition. We will also review the income statement treatment of lease expense for all leases for both lessees and lessors and discuss recent FASB implementation guidance.

When the first cohort of Baby Boomers turned age 65 several years ago, tax advisors began to be bombarded with questions concerning all facets of Medicare. How does Medicare work? How do I apply? How much does it cost? Is Medicare optional or required? This program provides a basic introduction to the Medicare program and covers many of the areas of the Medicare program that clients are most interested in. If you, or some of your clients, have questions relating to Medicare, this program is a must for you.

Proper documentation is essential to a high quality audit, as auditors are required to prepare and maintain documentation to demonstrate that sufficient and appropriate audit evidence was obtained to support the auditor's opinion. It is critical for workpapers to provide a clear understanding of the nature, timing and extent of procedures applied, the results of those procedures, source of evidence obtained, and conclusions reached. Both audit effectiveness and efficiency are directly impacted by the nature and extent of audit documentation.

It's been said that you cannot fit a square peg into a round hole. The same principle holds true for audits of not-for-profit entities. You simply cannot apply a standard commercial audit approach to the audit of a not-for-profit entity and expect a good fit. Skilled auditors will instead adjust and hone the audit to fit the not-for-profit entity. This course is designed to help you do just that and equip you with the superior skills needed to excel in auditing not-for-profit entities. Updated for ASU No. 2016-14 (i.e., the new not-for-profit reporting model), the course materials utilize a highly illustrative and innovative format. Over 25 focused exercises are included to provide an enhanced working knowledge of auditing not-for-profit entities.

The public places high value on an independent audit, as it directly enhances the degree of confidence intended users can place on the financial statements to make economic decisions. A proper mindset, including professional skepticism, is a critical feature of a high-quality audit. Professional skepticism is an essential attitude that enhances the auditor's ability to identify and respond to conditions that may indicate possible material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error.

This course explores the practical issues in the many instances in which a step-up in basis can create tax advantages for partners and members. This course includes case studies to illustrate the critical points.

The use of trusts will continue to undergo changes in the current year. Clients need to be informed why planning is essential in these changing times. The purpose of this course is to explore the many beneficial issues of trusts, an essential element in estate planning. This course gives insights and practical pointers concerning trusts of every shape and size after tax reform. Updated for the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017.

This course goes beyond the basics and addresses important practical issues that an experienced practitioner must know. Even if you have attended other S corporation courses, you will learn something new in this course.

From its humble beginnings way back in 1963 when the Accounting Principles Board "encouraged" the presentation of a funds statement, the Statement of Cash Flows has made its way to a required, critical, and often considered the most important financial statement in an entity's financial reporting package. This course will provide you with an overall review of the authoritative literature used for preparing a statement of cash flows, FASB Accounting Standards Codification (ASC) 230, Statement of Cash Flows, as well as implementation guidance and real-world presentation examples from published financial statements. The course will also address recent Accounting Standards Updates (ASUs) related to the preparation of the statement of cash flows. Hands-on exercises will be used to help you apply the requirements and guidance which can be challenging especially in those situations when non-operating changes in assets and liabilities are involved. Disclosure requirements will also be reviewed and illustrated across a number of accounting standards.

All successful entities, regardless of nature, size, and complexity, must have a well-designed and effectively operating system of internal controls over reliable financial reporting, in addition to managing other risks. This course will provide practical guidance on exactly what a sound system of internal controls "looks like" and the resulting impact on the reliability of financial statements, particularly for smaller entities. In addition, we will explore COSO's 2013 Internal Control - Integrated Framework that is used to better manage the unique and challenging risks of today's entities.

Technological advances, cybersecurity threats, increased regulatory scrutiny, globalization, and other challenges have caused entities and auditors to struggle with proper consideration of the cost-benefit of internal controls, recognizing that a well-designed system does not have to prevent or detect all internal control deficiencies -- just ones that matter most to the entity's objectives related to financial reporting, compliance, operations and strategy. This course provides practical guidance on what a sound system of internal controls "looks like" and its impact on the reliability of financial statements, particularly for smaller entities. In addition, a broader discussion of enterprise-wide risk management will be discussed in accordance with COSO's Enterprise Risk Management - Integrated Framework.

Properly identifying, assessing and responding to risk through a detailed audit plan is critical to an effective and efficient financial statement audit. This module will emphasize the key concepts that drive the risk-based audit process.

New Accounting Standards Updates (ASUs) related to U.S. GAAP are issued on a regular basis. It can be time-consuming and confusing to keep up-to-date on the resulting impact on financial statements and disclosures, especially when many changes relate primarily to public business entities, larger companies, or specific industries. This course will focus on explaining the most significant U.S. GAAP updates that are relevant to small- and medium-size private entities.

The purpose of this course is to provide an in-depth discussion of selected advanced-level issues affecting LLCs and LLPs.

It costs more money to develop a new client than to simply retain an existing one. While a CPA firm with longevity needs to continuously develop new business to replace departing clients, a proper balance of marketing efforts should be divided between existing clients and prospects. This module provides tips and techniques for ensuring that your firm has the capacity to grow and expand its book of business in a healthy way.

An important internal control procedure includes both evaluating the design and implementation of internal controls, which is required on all financial statement audit engagements. An important internal control consideration includes whether to test the operating effectiveness of controls for control reliance, which should be considered as part of the risk assessment procedures to properly evaluate audit risk. Internal control is one of the most commonly misunderstood and misapplied aspects of the financial statement audit process, particularly given the recent significant changes in auditing standards. Mistakes in this area have the greatest likelihood of being identified as deficiencies in peer or regulatory review, but also directly impact audit efficiency.

A clear and concise set of proper financial statement disclosures can make or break an entity's financial statements. Such disclosures are no longer simply additional information provided by a business; they can be complex in nature and difficult to both prepare and understand, even for small and medium-sized businesses. Oftentimes, financial statement users will first turn to the notes in the financial statements in order to get a feel for where the business and its numbers might be heading. This course will focus on key balance sheet and income statement disclosure as well as those relating to adoption of new accounting standards such as Topic 606, accounting policies, changes in accounting estimates and errors, subsequent events, going concern, and related party disclosures. The course will use illustrations, examples based on private company financial statements disclosures, and real-world excerpts from financial statements to provide you with a hands-on feel for the disclosure requirements across a number of accounting standards.

Whether you are ready or not, the effective date of the new revenue recognition standard is right around the corner. The time to execute your implementation plan is now. Are you ready? In this course, in addition to reviewing the five-step revenue recognition model and the recent Updates that impact the standard, we will explore some industry specific topics that have been challenging for entities adopting the new standard. Topics covered include identifying performance obligations, licenses, customer loyalty programs, other "material right" options, plus other transition issues such as the impact on income taxes and financial systems. As you sprint toward implementation, this course will help make sure that the wind stays at your back.

When not-for-profit entities and governments fall prey to fraud and abuse it breaks the hearts of donors and taxpayers. Fraud and abuse also causes donors and taxpayers to lose confidence in those not-for-profit entities and governments. In this course, we will focus on the common types of fraud and abuse that occur in not-for-profit entities and governments and also address the auditor's responsibilities related to fraud and abuse. The course materials utilize a highly illustrative and innovative format. Over 30 focused exercises are included to provide an enhanced knowledge of fraud and abuse in not-for-profit entities and governments.

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. This module provides best practices for various areas that support this culture of discipline, including project and time management.

Sampling is an important method for determining the extent of testing controls, testing compliance, and tests of substantive details. It allows the audit to apply procedures to less than 100% of the population, yet extend results to project likely conclusions about the entire population. This module will describe the proper process for both attribute testing and variable sampling in financial statement and compliance audits.

Applying one set of auditing standards is tough. Applying three sets of auditing standards is really tough. However, this is precisely what the auditor does in applying GAAS, the Yellow Book, and the OMB requirements to a single audit. This is an essential course for auditors performing single audits as it will equip you with the hands-on skills needed to perform audits under the Uniform Guidance for Federal Awards. The course materials utilize a highly illustrative and innovative format. Over 40 focused exercises are included to provide an enhanced working knowledge of the single audit requirements.

Our focus is to reduce the overall risk of fraud. To that end, this course focuses on what factors contribute to turning honest employees into schemers. Discussion will include integrity and ethics, as well as how people may react in certain situations.

In arriving at and providing an opinion on the financial statements, auditors follow approximately 1,000 pages of generally accepted auditing standards (GAAS)! It takes a great deal of effort and energy to keep up with the current requirements. Designed for everyone in the firm, this course will replenish your tank with a deep understanding of GAAS needed to fuel high-performance audits under today's standards. The course materials utilize a highly illustrative and innovative format. Over 30 focused exercises are included to provide an enhanced working knowledge of today's GAAS.

Our focus is to reduce the overall risk of fraud. To that end, this course focuses on what factors contribute to turning honest employees into fraudsters. Discussion will include integrity and ethics, as well as how people may react in certain situations. We will also touch upon what lurks in the darknet.

The effective date for Topic 606, Revenue from Contracts with Customers, is rapidly approaching. Are you ready? Designed for accounting and auditing practitioners at all levels in both public accounting and business and industry, this course provides a thorough review of the FASB's comprehensive new revenue recognition guidance found in Topic 606. The course begins with a quick overview of the new guidance from 30,000 feet, before diving into the details of the FASB's new five-step revenue recognition model. Additional guidance, presentation, and disclosures are also presented in this course. Plenty of examples are used to illustrate the practical application of the ins and outs of the new guidance (including journal entries) to help you better understand and apply the complexities of this completely revamped area of accounting. Additionally, the course discusses the recent Accounting Standard Updates (ASUs) to Topic 606 that provide additional guidance on such issues as licenses, collectibility, and performance obligations. Revenue recognition changes could impact wording in contracts, tax planning strategies, budgets, debt covenant compliance, incentive compensation plans, and more. In other words, this comprehensive change in revenue recognition is so much more than simply understanding the resulting debits and credits in the financial statements. As such, it is imperative that all accounting and auditing practitioners at all levels, in both public accounting and business and industry, begin their review and preparation for implementing Topic 606 NOW.

Understanding the forces affecting your A&A public practice is critical to success in today's complex and rapidly changing market. In this session we will tackle pressing issues at a "need to know" level and then discuss the practical implications. You will come away armed with the "big picture." Preparedness is half the battle, so do not miss this critical briefing.

This year is indeed another year of significant change in the world of government and nonprofit auditing. Time is valuable, and it's hard to stay current in today's rapidly changing environment. Let us save you time and effort in staying current through this informative update course. The course materials utilize a highly illustrative and innovative format. Over a dozen focused exercises are included to provide an enhanced working knowledge of the latest developments in government and nonprofit auditing.

The PATH Act of 2015 made "permanent" changes to depreciation; however, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act reminds us that Washington has a different definition of the word "permanent." Again this year Congress has drastically changed depreciation rules. Individuals, corporations, partnerships, LLCs, trusts, estates, and nonprofits all utilize two of the most often prepared tax forms -- Form 4562 -- Depreciation and Amortization, and Form 4797 -- Sales of Business Property. This course provides a quick dissection of both of these complicated forms. New to experienced tax preparers may utilize this manual for all tax returns/entities they prepare. This reference manual contains many examples and cases to illustrate the most important points CPAs need to be aware of.

This year is indeed another year of significant change in the world of governmental accounting and auditing. Time is valuable, and it's hard to stay current in today's rapidly changing environment. Let us save you time and effort in staying current through this informative update course. The course materials utilize a highly illustrative and innovative format. Over 30 focused exercises are included to provide an enhanced working knowledge of the latest developments in governmental accounting and auditing.

Accounting and financial reporting for construction contractors may be the most difficult area to be in compliance with the various standards. Also, construction engagements are, in many instances, more "dangerous" than most lines of businesses due to the many users of the financial statements. In this course, we will discuss why construction accounting and financial reporting are so complex, and discuss the relationship between the contractor and the surety, both from an underwriting and claims perspective. We will also explore what the surety looks for in order to maximize potential bond credit, and we will discuss key areas of tax compliance concentrating on those areas which make construction unique including the impact the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act has on the construction industry.

Most CPAs have been preparing individual income tax returns for years, and while many of the returns are easy, there are always a number of issues that come up in busy season of which experienced practitioners wish they had more knowledge. This course is designed to explore the tough tax issues for experienced practitioners and help them provide better planning strategies and results for their higher income clients.

A successful CPA Firm relies on star performers to perform effective and efficient audits. This relies on both sound technical skills, as well as 'soft' skills such as initiative, confidence, sound judgment, teamwork and other desired qualities in an audit professional.

With the recent completion of its financial instruments project, the FASB has made some significant changes to how an entity accounts for many of its financial instruments. In ASUs dealing with the recognition and measurement of financial assets and liabilities (ASU No. 2016-01), impairment (ASU No. 2016-13), and hedging, this new guidance will challenge all entities, not just those in the financial services industry. This means you. In this course, we'll review the new guidance in each of these areas and how it varies from existing guidance on accounting for changes in the fair value of equity securities, timing and measurement of the impairment of financial instruments, and hedge accounting. Specifically, we'll review the details of the new Current Estimate of Credit Losses (CECL) model, which entities must follow when determining the credit losses on their financial instruments. Applying the CECL model will result in the earlier recognition of credit losses, as an entity will recognize such losses based on its current estimates, not its actual incurred losses. Next, we'll discuss what's changed in hedge accounting and how these changes may make hedging transactions more appealing to smaller entities. Lastly, we'll explore the changes in where entities record the changes in fair value for equity securities. As almost all entities will have some financial instruments that are within the scope of one or more of these new Updates, now is the time for you to get up to speed on this significant new guidance. With the implementation of this guidance right on the horizon, this is the course for you.

This course provides new staff accountants, data processing employees, para-professionals, and bookkeepers a study into some of the more complicated issues they may face in tax return preparation.

The course provides a comprehensive understanding of the preparation of both S corporation and partnership/LLC tax returns, along with the underlying laws, regulations, etc. The course and instruction delivery is geared toward the basic understanding and progresses to complex issues. The boot camp allows staff to discover the connections and alterations of these widely held entity structures, while also providing a valued reference for the participant's future use. The course utilizes an identical sample trial balance for form preparation, with filled-in completed Forms 1120S and 1065 provided in the case solutions.

Audit reports may need to be modified from the standard unqualified audit report in various circumstances. This module discusses common circumstances leading to modified audit reports and other special considerations, such as initial or group audits.

This course will take new and administrative staff from the most basic concepts to an understanding of individual tax return preparation.

Clients think that estate planning only applies to the very rich. In truth, there are many issues of critical concern for which the middle-income client needs to plan. This course is a must-attend for all CPAs who work with middle-income clients and are looking for ways to provide additional quality services.

Revenue recognition is presumed to be a significant risk requiring special audit consideration for financial statement auditing purposes. This module will provide tips and techniques for obtaining sufficient and appropriate audit evidence to support conclusions.

This course guides you through opening, creating, formatting, previewing, printing, and saving text documents.

Many business owner clients wish to minimize their Social Security and self-employment tax liabilities. This course provides tax practitioners with the background to understand what kinds of income constitute self-employment income and earned income and strategies that can be used to reduce their clients' exposure to the Self-Employment tax.

Liquidations may be used as an alternative to the sale of a business or as an adjunct to the sale of business assets. The objective of this course is to fully explore the technical tax and business issues in liquidating C corporations, S corporations, partnerships, and limited liability companies. This unique course is essential for anyone planning to sell a business.

With different tax rates for individuals and trusts, tax planning takes on more importance. Plus, with Social Security going bust and interest rates at an all-time low, new ideas for financial planning for retirement must be considered. The purpose of this course is to explore practical tax-planning ideas that practitioners can use to assist clients with their needs. This course is crucial for CPAs who are looking for good ideas that can save clients money! Continually updated for legislative developments after tax reform.

Successful organizations measure performance in multiple relevant categories to gauge whether important objectives are being achieved. This module provides guidance related to creating a high-impact dashboard of performance metrics that can be applied both internally within the CPA firm, as well as to help clients through a business advisory service.

This four-hour course covers most of the specific ethical considerations that come into play as a practitioner in the eyes of the Internal Revenue Service. It also covers sanctions and limitations on both clients and practitioners arising out of the preparation of an income tax return.

Cash tends to be one of the first areas assigned to new auditors, as there is typically little complexity and subjectivity involved. In addition, persuasive audit evidence from a third-party is generally available. However, research shows that around 80% of asset misappropriation relates to cash. Therefore, the audit of accounts and classes of disclosures related to cash and cash equivalents does tend to carry risk of material misstatement.

Property, plant and equipment can range from low-risk to a high-risk audit area, depending on the nature of transaction and events engaged in by the reporting entity. Construction, capitalized interest and complex leasing arrangements tend to result in higher risk of material misstatement. This module will address tips and techniques for auditing PP&E for various assessed risk levels.

New accountants must seamlessly transition to a profession that relies heavily on conformance with technical and ethical standards. It is critical for CPAs to seek to serve the public interest with a strong sense of character, integrity, competence, and due professional care. In addition, CPAs must appropriately safeguard any threats to independence and objectivity.

In this course, we will address critical considerations that a mid-level practitioner needs to understand when moving into the complex area of advising clients and preparing returns related to the acquiring, holding, managing, constructing, and disposing of real estate. You will leave the course able to navigate many of the key issues associated with the relevant returns and plan strategically for your company or clients.

Reviewing workpapers is a critical internal quality control safeguard that ensures issued audit reports are appropriate given the specific engagement's circumstances. There is a presumption that more experienced engagement team members should review work performed by less experienced staff. But, even sole practitioners must be concerned about complying with quality control standards and proper ethical conduct. This course will provide tips and techniques for effective and efficient review of audit workpapers, the success of which heavily depends on an auditor's proper application of critical financial statement audit concepts such as assessing audit risk, applying strong substantive analytical procedures, and evaluating areas of estimates and uncertainty.

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 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. The material is current with relevant provisions from The Tax Cuts & Jobs Act.

Designed for accounting, audit and attestation practitioners at all levels in both public accounting and business and industry, this course provides an overview of the new and recent pronouncements and guidance issued by the AICPA Auditing Standards Board (ASB) and Accounting and Review Services Committee (ARSC), as well as other current attestation matters on the radar. This course will bring you up-to-date on the standard setters' activities and provide you with examples and illustrations to help you apply the guidance in practice. You'll learn about the latest standards, exposure drafts, and guidance focusing on issues applicable to accountants and attestation practitioners in public accounting and private industry. This course also includes a financial statement preparation, compilation and review update specifically covering the new SSARS No. 21, Clarification and Recodification and other new SSARS issued during the past year and well as the recodified attestation standards issued under SSAE No. 18.

The ultimate objective of a financial statement audit is to issue an auditor's report. This module provides tips and techniques necessary for issuing and reporting on high quality financial statements prepared under U.S. GAAP or a special purpose framework.

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 alternative payment options available to married couples, dependents, a surviving spouse, and a divorced individual.

The purpose of this program is to discuss the ethical mandates that govern the conduct of tax practitioners. The program focuses on the ethical pronouncements of the IRS in Circular 230, as well as the preparer penalty provisions set forth in the Internal Revenue Code. Please note: This ethics course does not cover state-specific issues and so is not applicable in states that require ethics courses to include specific state laws and regulations. Please check with your state board prior to registering for this program if you are in doubt whether this program satisfies your state's ethics requirements.

Our focus is to reduce the overall risk of fraud. To that end, this course focuses on what factors contribute to turning honest employees into schemers. Discussion will include integrity and ethics, as well as how people may react in certain situations.

This course discusses the legal issues in probating and contesting a will, plus the practical issues involved when settling an estate - marshaling of assets, payment of creditors, and distribution and accounting to beneficiaries. Inventory of estate assets is also discussed.

Sound client and engagement management can influence both the effectiveness and efficiency of an audit engagement. This module will provide guidance on how to maximize return on time spent with critical areas, such as budgeting, scheduling, client assistance and delegation.

The nature of goods classified as inventory varies widely with the nature of the entity and industry. Depending on the complexity of the inventory and the related pricing model, risk of material misstatement will vary widely as well. This module will primarily focus on performing the inventory observation, while introducing other risk concepts.

The most comprehensive tax reform since the mid-1980s has been ushered in under The Tax Cuts & Jobs Act. New tax brackets take effect in 2018. The standard deduction will see increased utilization, and the personal exemption is gone -- just as kaput as the long-outlawed practice of deducting credit card interest. These are just a few of the changes that will affect your clients this coming season, and they will look to you to understand the issues and develop a plan that serves their best interests. In this course, tax advisors will be fully updated on the most important aspects of tax reform as well as major trends on the horizon with a view toward planning. Individual, partnership and corporate taxation, as altered by tax reform, will be included. Important Note: Surgent does not recommend taking both this course and our Best Individual Tax Update (BITU) course due to overlapping content.

Designed for accounting and auditing practitioners at all levels in both public accounting and business and industry, this course provides an overview of recent accounting matters including: Private Company Standard Setting activities; recently issued Accounting Standards Updates (ASUs); the FASB's comprehensive new Revenue Recognition standard, Topic 606; a brief update of the FASB's new Lease Accounting standard -- ASU No. 2016-02; changes to the adoption dates for PCC alternatives and other important accounting matters.

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 of all the other related retirement planning issues.

The IRS believes, perhaps with some justification, that many independent contractors are actually employees and should be treated as such for tax purposes. The result is that worker classification audits are frequent and often costly for business clients, both in terms of time as well as money expended. This program prepares tax practitioners to assist their clients with worker classification audits, and to avoid them if possible, by discussing and explaining the circumstances under which workers will most likely be characterized as employees or as independent contractors. The program also deals with the first line of defense against the IRS in worker classification audits-Section 530, as well as the common law factors distinguishing an employee from an independent contractor. This program also explores the IRS Voluntary Classification Settlement Program, and discusses whether a practitioner should advise a client to request admission into this program.

When a purchaser buys an existing partner's partnership interest, or the interest of a member of a limited liability corporation (LLC) taxed as a partnership, the amount paid becomes the basis for the purchaser's partnership interest (outside basis). If the partnership's assets have appreciated sufficiently, the difference between the new partner's inside and outside basis can be substantial. This disparity can deprive the new partner of depreciation deductions and inflate his or her share of the gain from subsequent property dispositions unless a Section 754 election is in effect. The Section 754 election can also apply when a partnership makes a distribution of property and the basis of the distributed property to the partnership and the basis the partner/distributee will take in the distributed property are not equal. In this case, a partnership can recover basis it would otherwise lose if the 754 election were not in effect.

The purpose of this course is to provide an in-depth discussion of selected advanced-level issues affecting LLCs and LLPs.

Practitioners that provide non-audit services must strike the right balance between complying with relevant professional and regulatory standards, providing value-added client service, and mitigating litigation and other practice management risks. This course contains many case studies to reinforce best practices for managing the accounting, reporting, and performance issues associated with the attest services of compilations and reviews where reports are issued, as well as the SSARS 21 preparation of financial statements service and other nonattest engagements.

Employment taxes are often overlooked as an area where more planning may be effective. Payroll taxes have become an increasing burden for the average business and IRS penalties for noncompliance have risen dramatically in recent years. As a result, they have also been subject to employer incentives. The Service has announced that uncovering noncompliance by employers ranks high on its audit list. This course presents an overview of employee versus independent contractor criteria, the federal payroll taxes form, Form 1099, and related compliance issues.

This course will enable practitioners to understand the basic practical issues of preparing the gift tax Form 709. This course covers the disclosure requirements and the information necessary to properly prepare the form.

Every individual has a dominant personality style, which includes relevant strengths and weaknesses. Effective interactions require individuals to adapt behaviors to complement, balance or counteract the traits of others. This module provides guidance for effectively adapting to various personality styles.

In today's rapidly changing world, finance professionals are required to wear many hats and are often the keys to the organization's success. On one hand, they need to be abreast of the latest proven financial skills for making the best decisions, and on the other hand they need the best skills to motivate, manage, and lead people. Being pigeon-holed into one area or another is neither good for career building nor for the good of the organization. This course has been designed to give the CFO and controller the skills needed to lead their organizations into the rapidly changing decade. The course's author has been in the trenches, having held positions in finance and senior management, and understands the issues from both perspectives. Another unique aspect of this course is its constant evolution. We know change is occurring at an exponential rate, so certain chapters dealing with current domestic and global economic conditions are included along with current technical issues on the cloud and social media. The course is updated as necessary throughout the year to include the most recent developments.

Due to IRS issue focused examinations, CPAs need to understand what types of returns are selected for examination and ways to help clients survive an IRS audit with little or no change. As a result of issue focused examinations, CPAs must understand what are the high audit risk area issues and what the IRS is focusing on when a return is examined. In addition, because tax-related identity theft is a common issue for many taxpayers, it is critical for CPAs to understand the procedures necessary to resolve this matter for their clients.

This course guides you through creating, formatting, and modifying PivotTables and PivotCharts.

Short-term profitability and long-term viability are important objectives of any successful organization. This module provides tips and techniques for striking the right balance between managing individual engagements and leading the overall CPA firm.

Tax advisors with partners and LLC members struggle every year to make complete sense of the Schedules K-1 their clients receive from the partnerships and LLCs treated as partnerships their clients own. If you have questions about how the Form 1065 K-1 works or how the items reported on a client's K-1 should be reported on his or her own individual Form 1040, this program will help you. The program will go through and discuss the more difficult issues that the Form 1065 Schedule K-1 presents for partners/members, and their tax advisors.

Specifically designed for practitioners and their staff wanting an overview of compilation and review engagements, this course will introduce you to the objectives of compilation and review engagements, SSARS No. 21, Clarification and Recodification, which is currently applicable and is the most significant change to the compilation and review standards since their inception over thirty years ago, and the basic components and characteristics of financial statement preparation, compilation, and review engagements. The course will also address the changes in professional standards for compilations and reviews due to the issuance of SSARS No. 22, Compilation of Pro Forma Financial Information, and SSARS No. 23, Omnibus Statement on Standards for Accounting and Review Services - 2016.This course will also provide you with a review of the ins and outs of accepting and planning compilation and review engagements.

Forecasting and budgeting are two words that often draw an adverse reaction from many financial professionals; let us help you turn that frown upside down with our innovative approach to planning and budgeting. We'll move beyond the traditional techniques and show you easier ways to complete the process while cutting out the political pitfalls that end up causing a lack of accountability and can be demotivating to the staff. During the seminar we will cover such topics as the sales/income plan, capital equipment planning, the "one-year operating plan" (formerly referred to as a budget), the "monthly operating plan," cash planning, risk planning, and much more! Join us for this seminar as we help you streamline your forecasting and budgeting processes, which turns into a win-win for the employees and the organization.

Join us for our annual expedition through the harbors and swamps on the tax landscape this season. We will uncover the top issues with wide applicability and importance this year and explore the practical implications, potential pitfalls, and planning opportunities.

Partnerships and LLCs involve unique problems that require careful attention. This course covers selected critical tax issues that practitioners need to know when working with partnerships and limited liability companies, with a focus on planning opportunities and pitfalls.

In terms of selecting an entity to do business in, the universe shifted with the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act enacted at the end of 2017. The tax rate for C corporations was lowered to 21% and the new Section 199A deduction offered pass-through entities the chance to significantly lower the rate at which they are taxed. But how do all these options work, and what option is best for what business? Those questions are at the heart of this new Surgent webinar, where tax practitioner presenters discuss, explain, and debate the tax entity choices new and existing businesses have under the new tax legislation. We all know that re-examining choice of entity determinations is top of the agenda for client meetings during and after the 2017 tax season. This program will equip you with the knowledge and insights you need to lead those discussions.

The financial statement auditor's overall responsibility is to obtain sufficient appropriate audit evidence to obtain reasonable assurance as to whether the financial statements are materially misstated due to fraud or error. The difficulty is that there are inherent limitations related to detecting fraud due to deliberate schemes to conceal the intent to deceive, such as collusion. This module will highlight the audit procedures most effective in identifying, assessing and responding to fraud risk.

Each set of financial statements and auditor's report thereon must properly address the unique circumstances of the specific reporting entity's circumstances. This module provides guidance for properly altering financial statements and audit reports for certain complex transactions and events.

This highly informative course comprehensively covers all the latest tax law developments with a full update on tax reform. The focus is on individual taxation and discussion of the planning opportunities practitioners need to understand to help clients respond effectively. You will come away from the course with the up-to-date knowledge to educate your individual tax clients and implement tax-saving ideas that will serve their ever-evolving needs -- especially in a year of significant tax law change. Important Note: Surgent does not recommend taking both this course and our Best Federal Tax Update (BFTU) course due to overlapping content.

Important activities occur during the engagement wrap-up phase of the engagement that support the auditor's opinion regarding whether the financial statements are materially misstated due to fraud or error. Insufficient audit documentation and engagement wrap-up can result in audit deficiencies that negatively impact audit effectiveness and efficiency. Appropriate quality control procedures can mitigate risk of noncompliance with relevant professional and regulatory standards.

With tax rates for individuals, estates and trusts changing, tax planning takes on more importance. Additionally, new ideas for financial planning and retirement must be considered. The purpose of this course is to explore practical tax-planning ideas that practitioners can use to assist clients with their needs. This course is crucial for CPAs who are looking for good ideas that can save clients money! Continually updated for legislative developments post tax reform.

The best laid plans of mice and men often go astray; the same is true for taxpayers. Every practitioner has been confronted with a client who had a different twist on a tax idea. This course focuses on the law in order to break down 25 situations in which a taxpayer has attempted to push one of these ideas. The study of the law underlying the tax mistakes made will assist practitioners in satisfying their professional standards of practice and will help you in preparing Form 1040.

As the effective date of Topic 842 rapidly approaches, now is the time to get your hands around the details of the FASB's new leases standard. Designed for accounting and auditing practitioners at all levels in both public accounting and business and industry, this course provides a thorough overview of the FASB's new lease accounting standard (ASU No. 2016-02) that was released in February 2016. You will learn about the long awaited lease accounting standard for lessors and lessees, including sale and leaseback transactions, as well as recent updates to the new lease accounting guidance. Plenty of practical application illustrations are used, including journal entries, to help in understanding this complex area of accounting.

Reviewing workpapers is a critical internal quality control safeguard that ensures issued audit reports are appropriate given the specific engagement's circumstances. There is a presumption that more experienced engagement team members should review work performed by less experienced staff. But, even sole practitioners must be concerned about complying with quality control standards and proper ethical conduct. This course will provide tips and techniques for effective and efficient review of audit workpapers, the success of which heavily depends on an auditor's proper application of critical financial statement audit concepts such as assessing audit risk, applying strong substantive analytical procedures, and evaluating areas of estimates and uncertainty.

Financial statement auditors need to be able to analyze financial results to not only enhance audit quality, but to also improve client service through being a better business advisor. Reading and interpreting financial information is a critical skill that this module will enhance.

Designed for all tax practitioners, including those who prepare tax basis financial statements for their clients, this course will replenish your accounting and reporting tank with an update of recent standard setting activities at the PCC, FASB, ASB, and ARSC, including the new revenue recognition, lease and financial instruments accounting standards. The course will also review recent FASB updates that impact income tax accounting for stock based compensation and the presentation of deferred taxes on the balance sheet. We will also review the authoritative standards and guidance for performing and reporting on engagements found in SSARS No. 21, Clarification and Recodification and other recently issued SSARS. The course will focus on any changes to common book-tax temporary differences which will result from applying this new guidance and will utilize plenty of hands-on examples and illustrations to increase your overall understanding and application of the material.

Designed for practitioners and their staff, whether in public accounting or business and industry, this course will provide you with an update of recently issued FASB Accounting Standards Updates (ASUs), including a comprehensive review of the new revenue recognition standard and guidance found in ASC Topic 606, Revenue from Contracts with Customers.

Practitioners that provide non-audit services must strike the right balance between complying with relevant professional and regulatory standards, providing value-added client service, and mitigating litigation and other practice management risks. This course contains many case studies to reinforce best practices for managing the accounting, reporting, and performance issues associated with the attest services of compilations and reviews where reports are issued, as well as the SSARS 21 preparation of financial statements service and other nonattest engagements.

Designed for all tax practitioners, including those who prepare tax basis financial statements for their clients, this course will replenish your accounting and reporting tank with an update of recent standard setting activities at the PCC, FASB, ASB, and ARSC, including the new revenue recognition, lease and financial instruments accounting standards. The course will also review recent FASB updates that impact income tax accounting for stock based compensation and the presentation of deferred taxes on the balance sheet. We will also review the authoritative standards and guidance for performing and reporting on engagements found in SSARS No. 21, Clarification and Recodification and other recently issued SSARS. The course will focus on any changes to common book-tax temporary differences which will result from applying this new guidance and will utilize plenty of hands-on examples and illustrations to increase your overall understanding and application of the material.

Recently updated to include discussion of new FASB standards on revenue, leases, and measurement of financial instruments, this course is designed for small and medium-sized business practitioners and their staff, whether in public accounting or business and industry, and will provide you with a comprehensive review of recent FASB accounting and reporting matters most relevant to smaller companies including: Private Company Standard Setting activities; Accounting Standards Updates (ASUs) recently issued and the FASB's current technical agenda; Revenue Recognition; Lease Accounting; and new ASUs dealing with financial instruments. Plus, the course will discuss such hot topics as cyber-security and enterprise risk management. Examples and illustrations provide hands-on application to help you assess and implement the new standards and guidance applicable to your practice and clients.

This course is a great foundation to introduce new preparers to tax rules related to business returns. The course provides new staff coverage of tax areas affecting all business entities, providing staff training which they may carry to other business entity returns. Such business tax topics include the sale of assets used in any trade or business (Form 4797), depreciation (Form 4562), deductible vs. non-deductible items, and the basics of uniform capitalization. The objective of this course is to train new staff accountants, data processing employees, para-professionals, and bookkeepers to prepare a complicated federal corporate income tax return. It is a hands-on, practical course in filling out most tax forms, with extra emphasis on form changes due to new tax law.

Internal controls are applied within an organization to satisfy objectives related to operations, compliance, and financial reporting. This module will provide practical analysis and tips for how a reporting entity can manage financial reporting risk in an effective and efficient way. This module will also differentiate the auditor's responsibilities for internal controls under Sarbanes Oxley, Government Auditing Standards and Single Audit Act requirements.

Applying one set of auditing standards is tough. Applying three sets of auditing standards is really tough. However, this is precisely what the auditor does in applying GAAS, the Yellow Book, and the OMB requirements to a single audit. This is an essential course for auditors performing single audits as it will equip you with the hands-on skills needed to perform audits under the Uniform Guidance for Federal Awards. The course materials utilize a highly illustrative and innovative format. Over 40 focused exercises are included to provide an enhanced working knowledge of the single audit requirements.

This course guides you through creating, copying and pasting, reviewing, and correcting basic and complex formulas in Excel 2016 using step-by-step hands-on activities.

This program discusses, in a practical way, how an S corporation shareholder calculates his or her stock and loan basis. This topic is particularly important when an S corporation has a loss and the shareholders wish to know whether they are entitled to fully utilize the loss that has been allocated to them against their other income.

This highly informative course comprehensively covers all the latest tax law developments with a full update on tax reform. The focus is on individual taxation and discussion of the planning opportunities practitioners need to understand to help clients respond effectively. You will come away from the course with the up-to-date knowledge to educate your individual tax clients and implement tax-saving ideas that will serve their ever-evolving needs -- especially in a year of significant tax law change. Important Note: Surgent does not recommend taking both this course and our Best Federal Tax Update (BFTU) course due to overlapping content.

This course will take new and administrative staff from the most basic concepts to a full understanding of individual tax return preparation -- just in time for the crunch of busy season!

This course will enable you to understand the technical tax issues and planning in various types of business acquisitions for C corporations and S corporations.

Be the go-to person on compilation and financial statement preparation engagements. Specifically designed for preparation and compilation practitioners and their staff, this course will provide you with a hands-on application for performing preparation and compilation engagements. You will learn the ins and outs of relevant sections of SSARS No. 21, Clarification and Recodification, the most significant change to the SSARS since their inception over thirty years ago. This course will bring you up to date on SSARSs requirements and guidance as it relates to preparation and compilation engagements. More importantly, it will provide you with practical examples and illustrations to help you effectively and efficiently perform those engagements. Plus, the course will cover new guidance relevant to compilation and preparation engagements which was introduced by SSARS No. 22, Compilation of Pro Forma Financial Information, and SSARS No. 23, Omnibus Statement on Standards for Accounting and Review Services - 2016.

When not-for-profit entities and governments fall prey to fraud and abuse it breaks the hearts of donors and taxpayers. Fraud and abuse also causes donors and taxpayers to lose confidence in those not-for-profit entities and governments. In this course, we will focus on the common types of fraud and abuse that occur in not-for-profit entities and governments and also address the auditor's responsibilities related to fraud and abuse. The course materials utilize a highly illustrative and innovative format. Over 30 focused exercises are included to provide an enhanced knowledge of fraud and abuse in not-for-profit entities and governments.

When stories of fraud make the news, they can look so obvious after the fact. Regardless of whether the fraud was material, the media and the public frequently ask how the auditor and those within the entity could not have detected the fraud. Fraud can be very difficult to detect, particularly without the luxury of hindsight. In this course, we will look at over 20 frauds that recently occurred and with the luxury of hindsight study how they happened and perhaps how they could have been prevented or detected. The course materials utilize a highly illustrative and innovative format. Over 15 focused exercises are included to provide an enhanced knowledge of fraud occurring in not-for-profit entities and governments.

Upper-level reviewers have significant responsibilities for ensuring high quality audit engagements. Unfortunately, deficient audits have serious negative consequences for both the CPA firm and the profession as a whole. This module highlights the most important considerations for those with quality control responsibilities on audit engagements.

In arriving at and providing an opinion on the financial statements, auditors follow approximately 1,000 pages of generally accepted auditing standards (GAAS)! It takes a great deal of effort and energy to keep up with the current requirements. Designed for everyone in the firm, this course will replenish your tank with a deep understanding of GAAS needed to fuel high-performance audits under today's standards. The course materials utilize a highly illustrative and innovative format. Over 30 focused exercises are included to provide an enhanced working knowledge of today's GAAS.

Obtaining an understanding of the entity and its environment is part of assessing risk of material misstatement, in order to design the nature, timing and extent of further audit procedures necessary to obtain sufficient appropriate audit evidence to support the auditor's report. A critical component of understanding the entity and its environment is to evaluate the design and implementation of internal control over financial reporting.

The purpose of this course is to provide a practical and in-depth analysis of the significant tax planning advantages and strategies related to owning a principal residence for use as a home office and/or vacation home for upper income taxpayers.

All successful entities, regardless of nature, size, and complexity, must have a well-designed and effectively operating system of internal controls over reliable financial reporting, in addition to managing other risks. This course will provide practical guidance on exactly what a sound system of internal controls "looks like" and the resulting impact on the reliability of financial statements, particularly for smaller entities. In addition, we will explore COSO's 2013 Internal Control - Integrated Framework that is used to better manage the unique and challenging risks of today's entities.

The Professional Ethics Executive Committee (PEEC) interprets and enforces the AICPA Code of Professional Conduct, which provides guidance for ethical business conduct. A pillar of the Code of Professional Conduct is the rules governing independence when performing attest services, particularly how to safeguard independence when both attest and non-attest services are provided.

Properly designed and effectively operating internal control over financial reporting is critical for preventing, or detecting and correcting, material misstatement. This module will describe how to satisfying the audit requirements related to internal control, while promoting an effective and efficient financial statement audit.

Sick and tired of taking CPE that has no practical application or just regurgitates the same information over and over? Join us for this practical course, which will present a fresh approach to planning and strategy formulation for your organization. Often thought of as a painful process, planning and strategy formulation is probably one of the most important processes any organization undertakes in order to achieve financial success. We'll explore this fresh approach to many different planning stages, including the marketing plan, the technology plan, the capital plan, the five-year operating plan and much more! Today's dynamic economic environment requires much more careful planning and strategy execution. Come find out how to make that happen for your organization.

ASU No. 2016-14, Presentation of Financial Statements of Not-for-Profit Entities, will usher in the most significant changes to not-for-profit financial reporting in over 20 years when it becomes effective for December 31, 2018, year-ends. To properly implement the new financial reporting model professionals will need to have a strong, working knowledge of the new requirements. Now is the time to obtain that knowledge! This course will explain the new requirements, illustrate how the requirements will manifest themselves in the financial statements, and explain key options that not-for-profits have in implementing the requirements. The course will also update on you on today's core not-for-profit accounting requirements while also examining other key issues on the horizon related to revenue recognition and leases. The course materials utilize a highly illustrative and innovative format, including over 25 focused exercises to provide an enhanced working knowledge of not-for-profit accounting and reporting.

It's been said that you cannot fit a square peg into a round hole. The same principle holds true for audits of not-for-profit entities. You simply cannot apply a standard commercial audit approach to the audit of a not-for-profit entity and expect a good fit. Skilled auditors will instead adjust and hone the audit to fit the not-for-profit entity. This course is designed to help you do just that and equip you with the superior skills needed to excel in auditing not-for-profit entities. Updated for ASU No. 2016-14 (i.e., the new not-for-profit reporting model), the course materials utilize a highly illustrative and innovative format. Over 25 focused exercises are included to provide an enhanced working knowledge of auditing not-for-profit entities.

Employment taxes are often overlooked as an area where more planning may be effective. Payroll taxes have become an increasing burden for the average business and IRS penalties for noncompliance have risen dramatically in recent years. As a result, they have also been subject to employer incentives. The Service has announced that uncovering noncompliance by employers ranks high on its audit list. This course presents an overview of employee versus independent contractor criteria, the federal payroll taxes form, Form 1099, and related compliance issues.

The biggest factors that lead to an effective and efficient financial statement audit are the properly identification, evaluation, and response to risk of material misstatement. Assessed risk of material misstatement leads to the generation of the nature, timing and extent of further audit procedures. This module will focus on how to enhance the engagement team brainstorming and discussions to leverage knowledge to create a high-quality and profitable audit approach.

This course goes beyond the basics and addresses important practical issues that an experienced practitioner must know. Even if you have attended other S corporation courses, you will learn something new in this course.

Implementing ASU No. 2016-02, Leases (Topic 842) is sure to have a major impact on your balance sheet and potentially on your business as well. This course is a one-stop shop for what you need to know about the upcoming changes to lease accounting. In this course, we will review how to measure the lease liability and Right of Use asset that will now be recorded on the balance sheet for all leases. We will also tackle the tricky issues of accounting for lease modifications and other lease re-measurement events as well as address the other major provisions of the new standard, including transition. We will also review the income statement treatment of lease expense for all leases for both lessees and lessors and discuss recent FASB implementation guidance.

While only one of many factors, tax rates are a very important factor in choosing the form of business organization. This unique course compares and contrasts the tax aspects of C corporations, S corporations, partnerships, sole proprietorships, and limited liability companies. This in-depth course will cover planning opportunities.

This year is indeed another year of significant change in the world of government and nonprofit accounting and auditing. Time is valuable, and it's hard to stay current in today's rapidly changing environment. Let us save you time and effort in staying current through this informative update course. The course materials utilize a highly illustrative and innovative format. Over 30 focused exercises are included to provide an enhanced working knowledge of the latest developments in government and nonprofit accounting and auditing.

The estate tax and generation-skipping transfer tax have returned, and the gift tax is again unified with the estate tax. Changes in the transfer tax under new law are mirrored in the compliance requirements. The purpose of this course is to learn how to prepare Forms 706 and 709 in these circumstances. This practical manual guides the CPA through the complex issues in completing these forms.

The objective of this course is to train new staff accountants, data processing employees, para-professionals, and bookkeepers to prepare a complicated federal individual income tax return. Over the years, thousands of new staff have received practical, hands-on experience to become familiar with tax forms. This course covers the latest tax law changes, making it essential for your new staff. The manual includes numerous "Tips for new preparers."

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 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. The material is current with relevant provisions from The Tax Cuts & Jobs Act.

Since its inception nearly 25 years ago, many have continued to struggle with applying the current model for accounting for income taxes. But this doesn't have to be you. This course will provide you with the basic knowledge necessary to understand the complexities of this challenging topic. Through discussions and use of exercises, this course will analyze the authoritative literature to provide a thorough understanding of such topics as deferred taxes, income tax expense, uncertain tax positions and other classification and disclosure requirements. We'll also explore the changes on the horizon to accounting for income taxes. Lastly, the course will cover the financial accounting implications of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA), which will continue to impact financial reporting throughout 2018. This will include a review on the general guidance in ASC Topic 740 for accounting for changes in tax laws and rates, as well as a deeper dive into the accounting implications of specific changes found in the TCJA and recently issued implementation guidance from both the FASB and SEC.

Change is definitely coming. For those entities who currently recognize revenue under the guidance of Statement of Position 81-1, Accounting for Performance of Construction-Type and Certain Production-Type Contracts (SOP 81-1), understanding the basics of Topic 606 is not enough. In order to assess the impact of adopting Topic 606, you need a detailed understanding of whether you can recognize revenue over time under Topic 606 or not. Plus, applying the other steps of Topic 606's five-step revenue recognition model could also result in entities making changes to their current revenue recognition approaches. With Topic 606's effective date right around the corner, now is the time to get the answers to your implementation questions. In this course, we'll explore Topic 606 from the perspective of entities that currently recognize revenue under SOP 81-1, highlighting any areas of potential change in your current approach when you adopt Topic 606, such as identifying performance obligations and when and how you recognize revenue. Applying Topic 606 to your long-term contracts will definitely change your revenue recognition approach. This course will help you determine how big that change will be.

The most difficult concepts to master when dealing with flow-through business entities are the basis and distribution concepts. Major error and malpractice issues occur if the CPA does not fully understand the impact of these rules. This course is designed to focus on the practical applications of these rules.

Audit documentation provides the principal support for an auditor's report. Therefore, it is critical for workpaper reviewers to perform quality control procedures to ensure that professional and regulatory standards are met. 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.

This year more than ever practitioners need to keep abreast of tax changes affecting pass-through entities used by their business clients and employers, and this enlightening course delivers that information. You will learn invaluable knowledge, strategies, techniques, innovative tax-planning concepts, income-generating ideas, and other planning opportunities available to S corporations, partnerships, LLCs, and LLPs. Continually updated for developments.

Accounting estimates are an approximation of a monetary amount in the absence of a precise means of measurement. The risks of material misstatement for areas of estimation tend to be higher due to the dependence on future events and the intended actions of management. This module will discuss tips and techniques for gathering sufficient appropriate audit evidence to support conclusions related to accounting estimates.

The estate tax and generation-skipping transfer tax have returned, and the gift tax is again unified with the estate tax. Changes in the transfer tax under new law are mirrored in the compliance requirements. The purpose of this course is to learn how to prepare Forms 706 and 709 in these circumstances. This practical manual guides the CPA through the complex issues in completing these forms.

This highly informative course will bring you up-to-speed on the latest in individual tax law developments and the corresponding or responsive planning opportunities available to your clients. You will come away from the course ready to educate your individual tax clients and implement tax-savings ideas that will serve their ever-evolving needs -- especially after the tax reform changes.

Properly designing, documenting and evaluating results of analytic review procedures is critical for performing an effective and efficient audit engagement. This module will provide the tips and techniques necessary to gather sufficient appropriate audit evidence to support conclusions using analytic procedures.

Statements of Standards for Accounting and Review Services (SSARS) recently underwent a complete revision through the issuance of SSARS No. 21, Statements of Standards for Accounting and Review Services: Clarification and Recodification. The most monumental change is the creation of a brand new non-attest service entitled "Preparation of Financial Statements." This course will focus on clear and practical guidelines for successfully navigating the changed professional requirements of SSARS No. 21, and subsequent SSARS No. 22 - 24, compared to current practice.

Tax rates are always a critically important factor in choosing the form of business organization, and the individual and corporate rates are particularly important in 2018 and beyond. The rates demand a reconsideration of current businesses and a different analysis for new ventures. By comparing and contrasting the tax aspects of C corporations, S corporations, partnerships, sole proprietorships, and limited liability companies, this course focuses on distinctions that can make big differences. This in-depth course will cover planning opportunities and potential pitfalls in developing a business structure. This course is a must for all practitioners.

The most difficult concepts to master when dealing with flow-through business entities are the basis and distribution concepts. Major error and malpractice issues occur if the CPA does not fully understand the impact of these rules. This course is designed to focus on the practical applications of these rules.

With the passage of the GOP tax bill by Congress in December 2017, the long road to tax reform has brought us the largest overhaul to the tax code since 1986. The widespread changes affect many aspects of individual and business taxes, beginning this year, and your clients will be coming to you with a myriad of concerns and planning questions. Don't get caught off guard. This program will get you up-to-speed on all of the critical aspects of the new law and prepare you to effectively advise both your individual and business clients.

The course provides a comprehensive understanding of the preparation of both S corporation and partnership/LLC tax returns, along with the underlying laws, regulations, etc. The course and instruction delivery is geared toward the basic understanding and progresses to complex issues. The boot camp allows staff to discover the connections and alterations of these widely held entity structures, while also providing a valued reference for the participant's future use. The course utilizes an identical sample trial balance for form preparation, with filled-in completed Forms 1120S and 1065 provided in the case solutions.

Recently, the IRS has dramatically ramped-up its examination of specific individuals and small business taxpayers. Now, more than ever, CPAs need clients to understand the need for documentation and procedures to substantiate what IRS auditors are pursuing. Learn the high audit risk areas and ways to help clients survive an IRS audit with little or no change. It is critical for CPAs in public accounting to understand the risk to clients and to themselves in tax return preparation and planning.

Designed for accounting and auditing practitioners at all levels in both public accounting and business and industry, this course provides an overview of the AICPA's new special purpose framework, Financial Reporting Framework for Small- and Medium-Sized Entities (FRF for SMEsT); a Compilation and Review Update, including a discussion of the recently issued SSARS No. 22 and 23; as well as recent activities of the Auditing Standards Board (ASB) and other AICPA Boards and affiliated organizations. You will learn about the latest standards, exposure drafts, and guidance focusing on issues applicable to accountants and auditors in public accounting and private industry.

While the estate and gift tax have been greatly relaxed, many clients will still require estate planning services in the current year. This course examines the fundamentals of estate planning including critical concepts in marital deduction planning, credit shelter trusts, selection and powers of trustees, and titling and funding issues. The comprehensive manual provides an in-depth analysis of will provisions, checklists, flow charts, and real-life examples.

Whether you are ready or not, the effective date of the new revenue recognition standard is right around the corner. The time to execute your implementation plan is now. Are you ready? In this course, in addition to reviewing the five-step revenue recognition model and the recent Updates that impact the standard, we will explore some industry specific topics that have been challenging for entities adopting the new standard. Topics covered include identifying performance obligations, licenses, customer loyalty programs, other "material right" options, plus other transition issues such as the impact on income taxes and financial systems. As you sprint toward implementation, this course will help make sure that the wind stays at your back.

Excel provides a variety of tools you can use to create, format and enhance charts: contextual Ribbon tab buttons, menus and galleries, shortcut menus, keyboard shortcuts, task panes, and more. This course allows you to explore using these tools to create and format common chart types.

This course introduces you to the Excel 2016 software and then guides you through basic Excel features using step-by-step hands-on activities.

Join us for our annual expedition through the harbors and swamps on the tax landscape this season. We will uncover issues with wide applicability and importance this year and explore the practical implications, potential pitfalls, and planning opportunities.

Specifically tailored for practitioners who do not perform audits, but provide other attest and non-attest services to small and medium-sized businesses, this course is a comprehensive update covering recently issued accounting, compilation, and review standards, as well as other professional guidance impacting small and medium-sized business accountants. The course uses practical examples and illustrations to help you understand and apply the material in practice.

This course goes beyond the basics and addresses important practical issues that an experienced practitioner must know about S corporations.

Most of our clients are pass-through entities for which many of the general business strategies are subject to additional limitations. To provide the tax planning strategies for closely held business clients that will bring more revenue, this course focuses on the special concerns and techniques the practitioner needs to thrive in this market.

Accounts receivable tends to carry higher risk of material misstatement due to the complexity and subjectivity involved with recognition, measure and valuation. In addition, revenue recognition is presumed to be a significant fraud risk. This module will explain tips and techniques for auditing common accounts receivable risks.

With the far-reaching changes brought about by recent tax reform, careful planning takes on new importance. This course presents the most important income tax planning ideas wealthy clients and closely held business owners need to consider this year to take advantage of the present and plan for the future. It highlights areas in the income tax return that suggest future opportunities for the individual client.

Designed for accounting and attestation practitioners at all levels in both public accounting and business and industry, this course provides an overview of recent accounting, compilation, preparation, review, and attestation matters including: recently issued Accounting Standards Updates (ASUs); the FASB's comprehensive new Revenue Recognition standard - Topic 606; Lease Accounting - Topic 842; Financial Instruments; SSARS No. 21, Clarification and Recodification and other new standards issued by the ARSC; recent AICPA and PCAOB releases; and other important A&A practice matters you should be aware of.

This course is a great foundation to introduce new preparers to tax rules related to business returns. The course provides new staff coverage of tax areas affecting all business entities, providing staff training which they may carry to other business entity returns. Such business tax topics include the sale of assets used in any trade or business (Form 4797), depreciation (Form 4562), deductible vs. non-deductible items, and the basics of uniform capitalization. The objective of this course is to train new staff accountants, data processing employees, para-professionals, and bookkeepers to prepare a complicated federal corporate income tax return. It is a hands-on, practical course in filling out most tax forms, with extra emphasis on form changes due to new tax law.

In this course we will cover key tax considerations necessary in understanding and structuring partnership and operating agreements. You will come away with understanding the most essential issues to consider and the tax consequences of various drafting and structuring choices.

With two active standard setters (i.e., the GASB and FASB), there are always important developments occurring in government and nonprofit accounting. Time is valuable and it's hard to stay current in today's rapidly changing environment. Let us save you time and effort in staying current through this informative update course. The purpose of this course is to enable you to excel in the constantly changing government and nonprofit environment. The course materials utilize a highly illustrative and innovative format. Over a dozen focused exercises are included to provide an enhanced working knowledge of the latest developments in government and nonprofit accounting.

Specifically tailored for practitioners who do not perform audits, but provide other attest and non-attest services to small and medium-sized businesses, this course is a comprehensive update covering recently issued accounting, compilation, and review standards, as well as other professional guidance impacting small and medium-sized business accountants. The course uses practical examples and illustrations to help you understand and apply the material in practice.

This year more than ever practitioners need to keep abreast of tax changes affecting pass-through entities used by their business clients and employers, and this enlightening course delivers that information. You will learn invaluable knowledge, strategies, techniques, innovative tax-planning concepts, income-generating ideas, and other planning opportunities available to S corporations, partnerships, LLCs, and LLPs. Continually updated for developments.

Business clients seek practical solutions to their tax issues, and this course provides advisors with effective tax planning strategies for the closely held business. Include in your advisory attach‚ case ammunition which will assist businesses in dealing with employee-related issues, depreciation, related parties, buy-sell agreements, fringe benefits, and so on. Providing sound advice will be a money maker both for clients and your firm.

This course is a `deep dive' into all things real estate tax related for the mid-level practitioner moving into this complex area. You will deepen your understanding of the complex considerations and strategies that individuals must navigate in acquiring, holding, managing, constructing, and disposing of real estate. You will leave the course able to navigate critical issues associated with the relevant returns and plan strategically for your company or clients.

Designed for accounting and attestation practitioners at all levels in both public accounting and business and industry, this course provides a comprehensive review of recent standard setting activities of the PCC, FASB, ASB, and ARSC. Not only will this course bring you up-to-date on the requirements, it also provides you with many hands-on examples and illustrations to help you apply the guidance in practice. You'll learn about the latest standards, exposure drafts, and guidance focusing on issues applicable to accountants and attestation practitioners in public accounting and private industry. This course also includes a discussion of common audit quality issues noted in peer reviews; updates practitioners on the latest developments impacting compilation, preparation, and review engagements; and discusses other matters of interest to all accountants.

In this course, we will address critical considerations that a mid-level practitioner needs to understand when moving into the complex area of advising clients and preparing returns related to the acquiring, holding, managing, constructing, and disposing of real estate. You will leave the course able to navigate many of the key issues associated with the relevant returns and plan strategically for your company or clients.

Long-lived assets may be either finite or indefinite lived, tangible or intangible in nature. The carrying value of these long-lived assets should be evaluated at each measurement date to determine whether there is an impairment loss necessary due to declines in an asset's fair value. This module will describe the tips and techniques for determining whether an impairment loss risk exists, and how to calculate, record and disclose any such loss.

Both public and private CPAs must be up-to-date on changes to various potentially relevant standards, including: U.S. GAAP, audits of nonissuers, compilations and reviews. This module provides recent and proposed changes to relevant professional and regulatory standards.

With so much going on in the Accounting, Compilations and Review, and Auditing arena lately, it's easy to have missed some of the more important issues and challenges facing the profession today and into the near future. This course, designed for accounting and auditing practitioners at all levels in both public accounting and business and industry, will provide you with a year in review look at some of the more important issues and challenges facing CPAs. We will identify and discuss specific areas within the profession that are likely to affect you and your clients, thereby keeping you "in the know" on these critical topics. Examples and illustrations provide hands-on application to further enhance your understanding of the matters presented.

Federal estate and gift taxes currently affect few clients, but there are many other issues involved in settling an estate or administering a trust. Clients who are beneficiaries of a trust or estate often turn to their financial advisors to understand the administrative process and its effect on their interests. This course enables the accountant to cut through the jargon to understand the legal concepts, communicate a real-world explanation to clients, and serve, in some instances, as an executor or trustee or as an advisor to them. After taking this course, practitioners will feel more confident to serve in a fiduciary capacity. Updated for developments relative to estate taxation.

Designed for accounting and attestation practitioners at all levels in both public accounting and business and industry, this course provides a comprehensive review of recent standard setting activities of the PCC, FASB, ASB, and ARSC. Not only will this course bring you up-to-date on the requirements, it also provides you with many hands-on examples and illustrations to help you apply the guidance in practice. You'll learn about the latest standards, exposure drafts, and guidance focusing on issues applicable to accountants and attestation practitioners in public accounting and private industry. This course also includes a discussion of common audit quality issues noted in peer reviews; updates practitioners on the latest developments impacting compilation, preparation, and review engagements; and discusses other matters of interest to all accountants.

Understanding the forces affecting your A&A public practice is critical to success in today's complex and rapidly changing market. In this session we will tackle pressing issues at a "need to know" level and then discuss the practical implications. You will come away armed with the "big picture." Preparedness is half the battle, so do not miss this critical briefing.

The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 made significant changes to a taxpayer's ability to deduct entertainment expenses, including meals. This program is a two-hour intensive webinar on the changes recently made to the deductibility of entertainment expenditures that practitioners will need to advise their clients.

Practitioners who provide non-audit services must strike the right balance between complying with relevant professional and regulatory standards while mitigating litigation and other practice management risks. This course contains many best practices for managing the accounting, reporting, and performance issues associated with the attest services of compilations and reviews where reports are issued, as well as the SSARS 21 preparation of financial statements nonattest service.

Financial statements may contain significant uncertainties requiring special audit consideration for evaluating proper treatment in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles and relevant auditing standards. This module provides tips and techniques for obtaining sufficient appropriate audit evidence to support conclusions.

This course guides you through creating formulas using Financial, Date & Time, Math & Trig, Statistical, Lookup & Reference, Database, Text and Logical functions.

One of the ways to perform a more effective and efficient audit is to maximize the use of substantive analytic procedures in the detailed audit plan. This module will provide the tips and techniques for strengthening substantive analytic procedures.

Accountants need to know how to effectively and efficiently research technical accounting and financial reporting issues for preparation and fair presentation of financial statements in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles.

Those in charge of the day-to-day supervision of engagements need to consciously embrace and demonstrate characteristics that will enable him/her to transition to a firm leader. This includes a focus on three key pillars: financial success, retaining client through superior client service, and developing other professionals.

Clients often ask their tax advisors whether they have the "best" pension plan and whether they are using it to its maximum advantage. This program is designed to help tax practitioners answer this often-asked question intelligently as it explains how the various pension plans that are currently available work and analyzes why a small or medium-sized business owner would choose one plan rather than another.

The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 has had a tremendous impact on all industries, including commercial real estate. It has liberalized the depreciation provisions for 2018 and later years. This premium webinar will take an in-depth look at the current rules that tax practitioners will need to advise their clients on, and includes a number of illustrative examples on bonus depreciation, construction, and improvement property scenarios.

The most comprehensive tax reform since the mid-1980s has been ushered in under The Tax Cuts & Jobs Act. New tax brackets take effect in 2018. The standard deduction will see increased utilization, and the personal exemption is gone -- just as kaput as the long-outlawed practice of deducting credit card interest. These are just a few of the changes that will affect your clients this coming season, and they will look to you to understand the issues and develop a plan that serves their best interests. In this course, tax advisors will be fully updated on the most important aspects of tax reform as well as major trends on the horizon with a view toward planning. Individual, partnership and corporate taxation, as altered by tax reform, will be included. Important Note: Surgent does not recommend taking both this course and our Best Individual Tax Update (BITU) course due to overlapping content.

Being a successful coach requires tackling various responsibilities, including motivating, providing positive and constructive negative feedback, and otherwise getting the best performance out of engagement team members in the given situation. This module provides tips and techniques for critical coaching responsibilities.

As they gain more experience, staff are expected to take on more complex assignments with minimal supervision. The course is designed to assist experienced staff to take the next step by taking a deeper analysis into critical issues affecting the entire life-cycle of present S corporation clients. Discussions utilizing real life examples are designed to allow intermediately experienced participants to analyze and solve problems, such as they may face within their own offices.

With different tax rates for individuals and trusts, tax planning takes on more importance. Plus, with Social Security going bust and interest rates at an all-time low, new ideas for financial planning for retirement must be considered. The purpose of this course is to explore practical tax-planning ideas that practitioners can use to assist clients with their needs. This course is crucial for CPAs who are looking for good ideas that can save clients money! Continually updated for legislative developments after tax reform.

The employer-employee relationship strains both sides in uncertain times, and businesses need CPAs, controllers, and other advisors to provide understanding of the complex legal, tax, and health care issues associated with all aspects of employment, especially now. This course provides in-depth coverage of this critical area. Updated and supplemented throughout the year for breaking developments.

If you are a practitioner who wants the latest information on tax changes affecting your business clients or employers, then you should take this enlightening course. You will learn invaluable knowledge, strategies, techniques, innovative tax-planning concepts, income-generating ideas, and other planning opportunities available to S corporations, partnerships, LLCs, and LLPs. Continually updated for items regarding tax reform.

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 of all the other related retirement planning issues.

Most CPAs have been preparing individual income tax returns for years, and while many of the returns are easy, there are always a number of issues that come up in busy season of which experienced practitioners wish they had more knowledge. This course is designed to explore the tough tax issues for experienced practitioners and help them provide better planning strategies and results for their higher income clients.

Fraud involves an intentional act to deceive, which may result in material misstatement in the financial statements due to fraudulent financial reporting or misappropriation of assets. Management's responsibility is to design, implement, maintain and monitor a system of internal control to prevent, or detect and correct, fraud. This module will focus on real-life and practical examples of fraud in smaller- and mid-size environments, including nonprofits.

Financial statement auditors are engaged to provide reasonable assurance that financial statements are not materially misstated, whether due to fraud or error. Professional standards require auditors to obtain sufficient and appropriate evidence to support that opinion. It is critical for effective and efficient auditors to have a clear understanding of all the important elements and concepts related to a financial statement audit.

The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 liberalized the use of certain methods of accounting for qualified small businesses for 2018 and later years. This program is a two-hour intensive webinar on these provisions.

In today's rapidly changing world, finance professionals are required to wear many hats and are often the keys to the success of the organization. On one hand, they need to be abreast of the latest proven financial skills for making the best decisions, and on the other hand they need the best skills to motivate, manage, and lead people. Being pigeon-holed into one area or another is neither good for career building nor for the good of the organization. We'll cover the latest issues that all CFOs and controllers need to know about and provide how-to guidance to allow for immediate use in their organizations.

The most difficult concepts to master when dealing with flow-through business entities are the basis and distribution concepts. Major error and malpractice issues occur if the CPA does not fully understand the impact of these rules. This course is designed to focus on the practical applications of these rules.

CPAs perform various attest and non-attest services for clients. This includes bookkeeping, preparing financial statements, compilations and reviews. This module will focus on managing the accountant's risks associated with performing various non-audit services.

Many organizations spend huge amounts of money and effort at planning, forecasting, and budgeting and all too often the three disciplines are separated and not connected throughout the company. It appears that people who are doing the strategic planning aren't talking with the people who are doing the budgeting or forecasting. Also, there is a lack of uniform accountability throughout the organization. This course is designed to completely integrate the planning process and show how it can move from long-range thinking, through medium-term planning, through the annual budget, and to the monthly cash-flow forecast. This course will teach the participant how to avoid many political pitfalls that end up causing a lack of accountability and often cause the planning process to be demotivating to the staff. This isn't just a strategic planning course or a budgeting course. It is a course that looks at the entire planning process from beginning to end and shows how much smoother it can be when it is an integrated process. While it is a technical course discussing many of the technical tricks and tips for producing a good plan, it is also a management course in that it will discuss the political aspects of planning.

If only we could see ourselves as others see us. This course is designed to review some common pitfalls and real-world issues. Learn the traps taxpayers fall into -- before you make the mistake. The material includes a study of the law underlying the tax or practice issue, which will assist practitioners in satisfying their professional standards of practice and will help in preparing business returns. Avoid these missteps, plan for a better tax result, and benefit from a wealth of knowledge that can be applied to practice.

The objective of this course is to train new staff accountants, data processing employees, para-professionals, and bookkeepers to prepare a complicated federal individual income tax return. Over the years, thousands of new staff have received practical, hands-on experience to become familiar with tax forms. This course covers the latest tax law changes, making it essential for your new staff. The manual includes numerous "Tips for new preparers."

Accounting and financial reporting for construction contractors may be the most difficult area to be in compliance with the various standards. Also, construction engagements are, in many instances, more "dangerous" than most lines of businesses due to the many users of the financial statements. In this course, we will discuss why construction accounting and financial reporting are so complex, and discuss the relationship between the contractor and the surety, from both an underwriting and claims perspective. We will also explore what the surety looks for in order to maximize potential bond credit.

This course guides you through creating and opening PowerPoint presentations; inserting, reorganizing, and deleting slides; applying a design theme and switching between different PowerPoint views. You learn how to insert various types of content on slides, such as bulleted lists, tables, charts, shapes, pictures, SmartArt graphics and sound clips; how run a slide show and how to preview and print audience handouts; how to add animation and transition effects to slides; how to create a custom design theme and a custom template, which you use to create a new presentation; how to integrate Excel workbook data and charts in a presentation using copy and paste; how to add footer text, a date and slide numbers to slides; how to run a full-screen slide show using slide show controls; and how to run a slide show in Presenter view. Note that this course emphasizes using traditional keyboard and mouse actions to perform tasks in PowerPoint and Excel 2016. Some relevant tips for working with PowerPoint 2016 with a Windows 10 touch-screen device are also provided.

A CPA may perform attest services under relevant professional standards, including compilations, reviews and audits. Reviews and audits are also considered assurance services, providing either limited or reasonable assurance that financial statements are free of material misstatement. In addition, the CPA may perform non-attest services, such as bookkeeping or preparation of financial statements. 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.

Employment taxes are often overlooked as an area where more planning may be effective. Payroll taxes have become an increasing burden for the average business and IRS penalties for noncompliance have risen dramatically in recent years. They have also been subject to employer incentives. The Service has announced that uncovering noncompliance by employers ranks high on its audit list. This course presents a comprehensive overview of federal payroll taxes, Form 1099, and related compliance issues.

Both businesses and individual clients face major changes in the tax landscape. Tax professionals face a considerable challenge: delivering effective planning advice and services to address recent developments while staying nimble to respond to further changes in the coming months. This course addresses contemplated and implemented changes including the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. It also encompasses the latest cases and rulings and new tax legislation as developed.

ASU No. 2016-14, Presentation of Financial Statements of Not-for-Profit Entities, will usher in the most significant changes to not-for-profit financial reporting in over 20 years when it becomes effective for December 31, 2018, year-ends. To properly implement the new financial reporting model professionals will need to have a strong, working knowledge of the new requirements. Now is the time to obtain that knowledge! This course will explain the new requirements, illustrate how the requirements will manifest themselves in the financial statements, and explain key options that not-for-profits have in implementing the requirements. The course will also examine other key issues on the horizon related to revenue recognition and leases. The course materials utilize a highly illustrative and innovative format to provide an enhanced working knowledge of not-for-profit financial reporting.

The effective date for Topic 606, Revenue from Contracts with Customers, is rapidly approaching. Are you ready? Designed for accounting and auditing practitioners at all levels in both public accounting and business and industry, this course provides a thorough review of the FASB's comprehensive new revenue recognition guidance found in Topic 606. The course begins with a quick overview of the new guidance from 30,000 feet, before diving into the details of the FASB's new five-step revenue recognition model. Additional guidance, presentation, and disclosures are also presented in this course. Plenty of examples are used to illustrate the practical application of the ins and outs of the new guidance (including journal entries) to help you better understand and apply the complexities of this completely revamped area of accounting. Additionally, the course discusses the recent Accounting Standard Updates (ASUs) to Topic 606 that provide additional guidance on such issues as licenses, collectibility, and performance obligations. Revenue recognition changes could impact wording in contracts, tax planning strategies, budgets, debt covenant compliance, incentive compensation plans, and more. In other words, this comprehensive change in revenue recognition is so much more than simply understanding the resulting debits and credits in the financial statements. As such, it is imperative that all accounting and auditing practitioners at all levels, in both public accounting and business and industry, begin their review and preparation for implementing Topic 606 NOW.

Organizations that fall victim to fraud (and that is every organization in the world) have many controls in place to combat fraud. We will discuss means and methods to stop fraud and the controls that victim organizations employ to seek improvements for our organizations.

Designed for practitioners and their staff, whether in public accounting or business and industry, this course provides an overview of recent FASB accounting and reporting developments. The course begins by reviewing recent Private Company Council (PCC) activities and recently issued Accounting Standards Updates (ASUs), analyzing guidance that has a major effect on all industries, including those covering revenue recognition and leases. Special attention is given to standard setters' activities that affect small and medium-sized entities. Examples and illustrations provide hands-on application to help you assess and implement the new standards and guidance applicable to your practice and clients.

As they gain more experience, staff are expected to take on more complex assignments with minimal supervision. The course is designed to be a stepping stone for staff interested in pursuing more advanced partnership and LLC issues than mere preparation, via deeper life-cycle study into critical areas of formation, special allocations of income and deductions, basis calculations and implications of recourse and nonrecourse debt, basis step-up under 754 on transfer of an ownership interest, distributions, self-employment tax issues, and termination/liquidation of the LLC.

Specifically designed for compilation, preparation, and review practitioners and their staff, this course will provide you with an overview, update, and hands-on application for performing compilation, preparation, and review engagements. You will learn the ins and outs of SSARS No. 21, Clarification and Recodification. The course will also cover the changes that have occurred with the issuance of SSARS Nos. 22 and 23 with regard to compilation of pro forma financial information engagements, engagements on prospective financial information, as well as in other areas relevant to SSARS No. 21 engagements, including lessons learned from early peer reviews of SSARS No. 21 engagements. Not only will this course bring you up to date on SSARSs requirements and guidance, but more importantly, it will provide you with practical examples and illustrations to help you effectively and efficiently perform compilation, preparation, and review engagements. This course will walk you through the content of The Essential SSARS No. 21-23 Implementation Toolkit, which is a comprehensive resource to help ensure that you satisfy professional, ethical, and technical requirements for all SSARS Nos. 21-23 services.