CPE Catalog & Events

Budgets are the vehicle for allocating resources, measuring activities, and identifying needed changes and improvements. An organization's strategy is the primary driver of costs. To be effective, the budget must be linked to strategy and long-term plans. Numerous organizations have achieved a series of short-term targets (budgets) but failed longer term, demonstrating the lack of this necessary linkage. Forecasting, a critical part of any successful budgeting process, can be flawed by technical errors, organizational structure, or emotional forces. The establishment of a system to collect, process, and analyze big data can provide significant insights into the budgeting and forecasting process. An efficient system of incorporating big data and analytics into normal activities will improve management's decision-making. This brief program offers specific actions to improve your forecasting and budgeting activities. In addition, more advanced techniques are identified for the participant's further review, which can be applied throughout an organization. Good budgets effectively allocate resources, provide information for decision-making and serve as an early warning system for unforeseen events. A poor budgeting process fosters a false sense of security, provides inappropriate or inaccurate data, and reinforces the status quo. Budgets are about the organization's story, not just the raw numbers!

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The role of financial professionals has and continues to change in organizations. The stereotype of collecting and reporting data has been replaced by a broader vision, which focuses on improving an organization's results today and preparing it for the future. This brief program offers specific actions that can be implemented by financial personnel to expand their role through improving their organization. The actions and techniques provided build upon and improve activities that exist in many organizations (measuring, budgeting, hiring, risk management, etc.), as well as providing insights into capital allocation, cash management, valuation techniques, variables that influence capacity levels, M&A activity and actions to increase efficiency and innovation. Updated to include the impact of regulations, additional examples of M&A, alliances and strategic spin-offs/splits, methods to improve efficiency from existing activities, the impact of COVID-19, as well as current organizational changes employed to manage and accelerate growth.

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Mergers, acquisitions, and partnering have long been strategic vehicles to grow or change an existing organization. Corporate America has extensive experience in merging with or acquiring firms. However, its track record of being able to unify an acquired firm with the acquirer and provide a single organization with increased growth potential has been somewhat shaky. This session provides a roadmap including specific actions for financial professionals focused on improving the results of an acquisition, sale, formation of an alliance, and/or outsourced activities. This program continues to be updated based upon trends and recent events. In addition to traditional topics, it includes discussions on the impact of taxes, corporate structures to manage M&A and internal venture capital, strategic spin-offs/splits, issues concerning goodwill, and managing outsourced activities. The program expands the topics covered in the Controllership Skills Update Series. As with the other programs, this brief session is aimed at renewing and expanding participants' existing skills, by providing specific actions to improve an organization's results. Real-world examples are used throughout the session.

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Designed for accounting and attestation practitioners at all levels in both public accounting and business and industry, this course provides a detailed review of the multitude of FASB and AICPA standards issued over the past few years. The course also provides many hands-on examples and illustrations to help apply the guidance in practice and discusses other important A&A practice matters to be aware of, including an update on peer review and audit quality.

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Designed for accounting and attestation practitioners at all levels in both public accounting and business and industry, this course provides a detailed review of the multitude of FASB and AICPA standards issued over the past few years. The course also provides many hands-on examples and illustrations to help apply the guidance in practice and discusses other important A&A practice matters to be aware of, including an update on peer review and audit quality.

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There is no shortage of data, but relatively few organizations have an environment and process to isolate, capture, analyze, and convert data into actionable information. Too often, we collect as much data as possible, continue to use historic measurements, and communicate data using traditional vehicles. Good decisions are not the result of the amount of data gathered, but of the quality and understanding of the information. The goal of this program is to explore a number of analytical tools and techniques and identify applications for them within an organization. Analytical techniques will be introduced throughout the discussion, and a significant amount of time will be spent addressing the steps needed to establish a data-driven environment and identifying and discussing potential/specific applications. In this way, participants get experience they can begin to use in their organizations. An expanded list of reference books and next level software is also provided.

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Data analytics and mining are the fastest growing disciplines in accounting and general management. Many organizations are either planning programs or have them already underway. Unfortunately, a number of these attempts fail due to poor planning/preparation and a lack of commitment, training, and clear vision of the program's goals. Today there is no shortage of data, but relatively few organizations have established an environment and ongoing process to isolate, capture, analyze, and convert data into actionable information. At times, even organizations that are employing leading-edge analytics are doing it with traditional, limited sets of data. This session explores how an organization can successfully become data driven. The discussion includes numerous examples demonstrating how accounting and financial professionals can build upon their current analytical skills to better perform traditional tasks and assume a role as a business partner with others in their organization. The program is aimed to assist those just beginning the journey, as well as those who want to test their current efforts or are considering the need for a restart. In addition to discussing a number of analytical tools, including available software, lists of reference books and next-level software are provided. This program continues to build upon the Controllership Update Series.

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Even after we complete our work at an institution, the question sometimes lingers: "Did I pick the right major?" Major program determination is difficult in a single audit and sometimes we feel ill prepared to make the best decision. This course will give you the counseling and assistance you need to feel confident in your major program selection under the Uniform Guidance for Federal Awards requirements.

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This course provides an overview of the disclosure requirements for SEC Form 8-K, the broad form used to notify investors in U.S. publicly traded companies of certain events that may be important . This course provides an overview of the key disclosure requirements for several of the triggering events requiring the filing of a Form 8-K with the SEC. This course also provides information about how the Form 8-K requirements have evolved over time.

This course provides an overview of the disclosure requirements regarding risks and uncertainties. The disclosure requirements related to risks and uncertainties are prescribed by the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) in ASC Topic 275. For public business entities that file their annual and interim reports with the U.S. Securities & Exchange Commission (SEC), there are also additional disclosure requirements required by Regulation S-K. This course focuses on general disclosure requirements outlined in U.S. GAAP. This course also provides illustrative examples from both the GAAP implementation guidance as well as actual SEC filings from public business entities.

As a byproduct of the audit, the auditor has a responsibility to communicate certain information to management and those charged with governance, primarily related to risk and internal control deficiencies. In some cases the auditor may be required to report outside the entity, for example, when fraud is identified. Some of these communications to management and those charged with governance occur at the beginning of the audit, others during the audit and at the end of the audit. Two-way communication is very important to meet professional responsibilities and also as a client service. This module will discuss the most significant of the required communications and explore how to make them more effective. (Please Note: This module is part of Surgent's Audit Skills Training: Level 5.)

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As a byproduct of the audit, the auditor has a responsibility to communicate certain information to management and those charged with governance, primarily related to risk and internal control deficiencies. In some cases the auditor may be required to report outside the entity, for example, when fraud is identified. Some of these communications to management and those charged with governance occur at the beginning of the audit, others during the audit and at the end of the audit. Two-way communication is very important to meet professional responsibilities and also as a client service. This module will discuss the most significant of the required communications and explore how to make them more effective. (Please Note: This module is part of Surgent's Audit Skills Training: Level 5.)

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In these rapidly changing times, an entity may experience significant uncertainties. This is especially true at this time due to issues entities have experienced as a result of the pandemic declared in March 2020 which are still ongoing for many. New accounting principles issued by the FASB are requiring more estimates which could give rise to significant uncertainties. A primary focus right now for management is the requirement to evaluate entity's ability to remain a going concern. In addition, new audit standards, effective for calendar year end 2021 audits. This module provides tips and techniques for obtaining the audit evidence needed to support conclusions on contingencies and going concern. These issues require disclosure and may result in accruals. (Please Note: This module is part of Surgent's Audit Skills Training: Level 3.)

When performing an audit, an auditor bases his/her opinion about whether the financial statements are free from material misstatement on a variety of tests on the underlying account balances and classes of transactions. Some balances, such as debt, may be tested 100% but more often, such as is the case with accounts receivable, the auditor will use sampling applications to obtain sufficient evidence to support the opinion and will not test 100% of the population. The auditor will also use sampling when testing control activities to conclude on the effectiveness of the controls. Compliance and accuracy in the accumulation of information is also tested by sampling. This module explores the different sampling applications used in a financial statement/compliance audit. (Please Note: This module is part of Surgent's Audit Skills Training: Level 1.)

During a financial statement audit the auditor obtains an understanding of the entity and its environment (including its internal control), performs a risk assessment and from that work designs substantive procedures that will be responsive to the level of risk assessed. At the end of the audit, the auditor assesses the sufficiency and appropriateness of the audit evidence obtained to ensure that he/she has considered everything necessary to provide an opinion on the financial statements. This module addresses the characteristics of audit evidence and how the auditor evaluates the sufficiency and appropriateness of the evidence throughout the audit. (Please Note: This module is part of Surgent's Audit Skills Training: Level 5.)

The Yellow Book devotes approximately 30 pages to the topic of independence. This course is designed to help you fully understand the Yellow Book independence requirements. Learn where the limits are, where the limits are not, and how to stay on the right side of the requirements.

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 now-effective changes to the lease accounting guidance. 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 ASC 842, such as disclosures and 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. Lastly, the course will cover all recent updates to the originally issued guidance in Topic 842, including that related to discount rates.

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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 now-effective changes to the lease accounting guidance. 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 ASC 842, such as disclosures and 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. Lastly, the course will cover all recent updates to the originally issued guidance in Topic 842, including that related to discount rates.

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Designed to keep you up to date on recent activity of the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB), this course will summarize recently issued Accounting Standards Updates (ASUs) issued by the FASB in 2020 and 2021 year to date. The course will discuss the main provisions of the ASU, application guidance, and information on transition and the effective dates for the new ASU. This course is the place to go to stay current on all FASB-related matters.

This course provides a detailed discussion on the key topics related to financial reporting. The course will focus on all recent ASUs issued by the FASB with a concentration on issues of greatest significance to most accounting practitioners. Specifically, the course will review all recently issued FASB updates, with a focus on those related to leases (ASC 842), and credit losses (ASC 326), which will impact virtually all companies. The course will address other challenging areas of accounting, such as accounting for income taxes and for debt instruments. Lastly, it will provide you with a comprehensive review of recent Private Company Standard-Setting activities and what is on the FASB's technical agenda. This course is the place to go for a detailed understanding of all the goings on at the FASB that impact smaller and medium-sized companies.