CPE Catalog & Events

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.)

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 remeasurement 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. With Topic 842's effective date here, now is the time to get up to speed on this complex new standard.

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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 remeasurement 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. With Topic 842's effective date here, now is the time to get up to speed on this complex new standard.

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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.

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), and a review of the guidance related to ASC 842, Leases, which will be effective in 2022 for private companies.

The best way to ensure engagement quality is through consistent application of a firm's system of quality control. In this course, we will review the key components of such a system, which can be found in the AICPA's quality control standards. Specifically, this course will discuss adherence to relevant ethical standards, client and engagement acceptance and continuance procedures, human resources policies and procedures, engagement performance and monitoring activities, and best practices in designing and implementing effective quality control standards that address the responsibilities of firm leadership. The course will place special focus on addressing the challenges that smaller firms may have when attempting to implement these standards.

When auditors detect findings in Yellow Book and single audits, they do not just communicate them in some shabby little letter to management; they get reported! In this course, we will examine what types of findings get reported, how they get reported, and where they get reported! This course will take you from just checking a box and fulfilling a requirement to developing and delivering findings that make a meaningful difference to your clients.

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This course will discuss common fraud schemes found in business transactions. The course also includes a conversation with Nathan Mueller, a reformed white-collar offender who committed financial statement fraud from a large financial institution. This is the first of five 2-hour courses in Surgent's Fraud Certificate Program. This program includes a combination of lectures, animated videos, and live interviews with white-collar offenders and whistle-blowers. Each course is designed to be engaging and informative and will enhance your understanding of fraud.

Fraud is prevalent - especially since COVID-19 relief packages passed by legislatures around the world opened the till. The overwhelming majority of fraud cases are never publicized. In this course we will build on our knowledge of why people commit fraud to dissect the schemes and discuss transactional controls to help stop fraud faster.

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Fraud is prevalent - especially since COVID-19 relief packages passed by legislatures around the world opened the till. The overwhelming majority of fraud cases are never publicized. In this course we will build on our knowledge of why people commit fraud to dissect the schemes and discuss transactional controls to help stop fraud faster.

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Fraud is all around us, though many times we miss it. As accountants, we have a professional responsibility to detect material fraud. However, our ability to detect fraud is directly related to our understanding of how fraud occurs, how prevalent it is and what types of procedures allow both accountants and companies to detect fraud before it becomes material. In addition to providing a quick update on recently issued accounting and auditing standards, this course will review the latest fraud statistics compiled by the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners (ACFE), and see how COVID-19 has impacted the fraud landscape. Then the course will review our professional responsibilities to both detect fraud and to report actual or suspected fraud, plus identify which procedures are most effective at identifying and preventing fraud.

The financial statement auditor's overall objectives are to obtain reasonable assurance as to whether the financial statements are materially misstated due to fraud or error and to issue a report that includes an opinion. As noted in the independent auditor's report, the risk of not detecting a material misstatement resulting from fraud is higher than for one resulting from error, as fraud may involve collusion, forgery, intentional omissions, misrepresentations, or the override of internal control. This module will highlight the audit procedures required by professional standards to assess the risk of fraud and perform further procedures in response to fraud risk. (Please Note: This module is part of Surgent's Audit Skills Training: Level 2.)

The cost of fraud, dearly paid by governments and nonprofits, is too severe not to learn from. In this course, we will look back on real-world government and nonprofit frauds and derive useful controls to stop them.

Obtaining an understanding of the entity and its environment is critical part of assessing the risk of material misstatement. The auditor obtains an understanding of internal controls by evaluating the design and implementation of key controls over relevant systems as well as entity level and financial reporting controls. This module will provide the participant with an understanding of how to perform the work and document the understanding. Participants may also want to register for the audit skills module on testing internal controls. (Please Note: This module is part of Surgent's Audit Skills Training: Level 1.)

This course provides an overview of several of the key accounting and reporting topics within U.S. GAAP. This includes a discussion of accounting for business combinations, revenue recognition principles, and leasing transactions. This course also addresses topics such as goodwill impairment, segment reporting, how to account for software (both internal-use and for resale) as well as requirements related to accounting changes and error corrections.