CPE + Events Catalog

Many of us expect to use logic when it comes to how we allocate our investments. The adage of "buy low, sell high" is a saying that makes logical sense. So, why do we always seem to do the opposite? Every day we are faced with decisions, and we are often influenced by two seemingly opposing voices that come from two different parts of our brain. The frontal cortex processes lots of information to help us make logical and informed choices. But there's also a small part of the brain, known as the reflexive brain, that is responsible for emotions and survival instincts. Often, this reflexive brain can have a detrimental effect on the way we handle our investments. This course will discuss some behavioral biases that affect our financial decisions. As humans, we need to be aware of how our reflexive behavior impacts our investment decision-making ability. By uncovering and understanding these biases, we may have a better chance of meeting our long-term financial goals.

Managing a strong network is one of the most important things you can do to grow professionally. Yet despite its importance, maintaining an effective network is often not taught in undergraduate and graduate schools. The good news is that managing and growing a network is easier than it sounds. In fact, most professionals have some level of basic networking skills simply from helping someone find a job, attending an industry conference, or seeking professional connections through social media. Effective networking involves more than simply collecting contacts. Strong networks should be relevant to your career and consist of people you trust. Personal networks are just as important as professional networks and the two often overlap. In this course, we explore ways to strengthen and grow networks by examining proven strategies that have helped individuals meet their personal and professional goals.

Starting and owning a small business has often been referred to as the "Third Pillar of Wealth," right behind investments and owning real estate. Essentially, all businesses start off as "small businesses." Small businesses, however, require a large amount of preparation in order to successfully launch and grow. Starting a business requires the owners and managers to address a host of issues, including an understanding of applicable laws, appropriate financing, staffing requirements, marketing, liability protection, and many more. This course provides a broad overview of the critical issues business owners, as well as their professional advisors, must consider when starting and growing a small business. There is extensive research regarding best practices in this area, and this webinar is intended to distill down such information and focus on what is critical to get a small business up and running as seamlessly as possible.

All would agree that successful communications are key to any successful venture, including audits. However, given the tight deadlines, complex issue resolution and the often remote working environment of the audit teams and clients, there are many barriers to achieving effective communications on audit engagements. In this module, we'll review common barriers to effective communication, models for effective communication which are easy to understand and utilize, the importance of both verbal and non-verbal communication skills, and the often over-looked element of communication - effective listening.

Ethics are the hallmark of our profession, and we must be uncompromising in our commitment to acting ethically. However, many ethical dilemmas arise unexpectedly as we perform our daily tasks, and challenge us, as there often appears to be several ways forward. We need to decide which is the correct one. In this game, the learner plays the role of an auditor at Surging Auditors LLP and must complete common activities from their daily task list. As they complete these tasks, the player navigates unexpected encounters with colleagues, clients, and friends with questions that challenge decision-making skills and knowledge of the AICPA Code of Professional Conduct and other ethics guidance. Those responses and decisions are measured to ensure the player maximizes opportunities that benefit the firm and themselves while remaining independent and within ethical boundaries.

This intensive 2-hour course is designed to unlock the potential of array formulas in Microsoft Excel. Array formulas are a vital tool in Excel for their unique ability to perform multiple calculations on one or more items within an array, making them indispensable for complex data analysis and calculations. They enable users to write fewer, more powerful formulas, leading to cleaner and more efficient spreadsheets. This course is tailored to enhance your data analysis and spreadsheet management skills by delving into the advanced aspects of array functions. Through a combination of theoretical knowledge and practical exercises, you will learn to streamline your work and improve efficiency in Excel.

Transform your Excel skills with our comprehensive training program, designed for users at all levels seeking to master the full suite of Excel capabilities. From powerful data analysis tools like PivotTables and advanced functions such as XLOOKUP, to the nuances of data validations and conditional formatting, this course offers a deep dive into Excel's most impactful features. Whether you're streamlining complex data sets, enhancing your reporting skills, or just looking to boost your productivity, this session provides the insights and techniques you need to leverage Excel to its fullest potential, making it an indispensable tool in your professional or personal toolkit.

In the ever-evolving world of data analysis and office productivity, Microsoft Excel remains at the forefront, continuously introducing new and powerful features. This comprehensive course is designed to familiarize participants with the most recent and significant updates in Excel as well as some old favorites. This course offers an in-depth exploration of these features, ensuring learners can harness their full potential for the efficient and innovative use of Excel.

With the constant churning of governmental accounting standards, now is the time to know more than just what the standards say; we need to know what they mean and how they will affect governmental entities. This course is designed to do just that! The course materials utilize a highly illustrative and innovative format. Over 15 focused exercises are included to provide an enhanced working knowledge of the most critical challenges in governmental accounting today.

With the constant churning of governmental accounting standards, now is the time to know more than just what the standards say; we need to know what they mean and how they will affect governmental entities. This course is designed to do just that! The course materials utilize a highly illustrative and innovative format. Over 15 focused exercises are included to provide an enhanced working knowledge of the most critical challenges in governmental accounting today.

Not-for-profit entities have recently applied critical new standards related to contributions of nonfinancial assets, leases, and more. Now is the time to know more than just what the standards say - we need to know what they mean and how they will affect not-for-profit entities. This course is designed to do just that! The course materials utilize a highly illustrative and innovative format. Over 15 focused exercises are included to provide an enhanced working knowledge of the challenges in not-for-profit accounting.

In recent years, not-for-profits have applied critical new standards related to contributions of nonfinancial assets, leases, and more. However, with all the focus on the new stuff, have we forgotten any of the old stuff? FASB ASC 958 has a great deal to say about various accounting and reporting issues in the form of its implementation guidance and illustrations. Not knowing this guidance can result in lost time and erroneous applications of GAAP. In this course, we will review some of the most critical illustrative not-for-profit guidance issued by the FASB.

The recent pandemic showed us one very important thing: the nimble business was in a far better position to change quickly and survive. Some organizations are nimbler, but why? The reason is that they know that change will happen quickly, and they specifically plan for that change. This program will take a look at planning and direct the participant into a planning system that is established to handle change more quickly.

We see multiple stories about the rapid growth of artificial intelligence (AI) and its entry into our lives in the form of AI tools, including ChatGPT. They seem to be everywhere. It is difficult to overstate how much things will change with the rise of these new technologies, or how important it is that companies embrace the opportunity to execute them correctly. Having conversations regarding the proper adoption of these technologies and tools is a crucial first step, including drafting policies to assist companies with their beneficial and thoughtful implementation and use. This course will define the state of AI tools, what benefits and risks exist, and which steps to take to begin adopting these technologies with appropriate guardrails, policies, and training. It is less likely that AI will destroy industries, and more likely that companies that embrace AI will overtake those companies that do not.

The phrase "time management" is misleading. No one manages time. Instead, we manage events in our lives which consume time. Like money, time is both finite and valuable; it should be budgeted and used wisely. Those individuals who "manage" or budget their time wisely often are more productive, less stressed, and able to achieve their goals more effectively than others. Professionals by nature place a high value on their time. Still, successful time management strategies vary based upon the personality, motivation, and discipline of each individual. This course provides simple, practical, and powerful techniques that help professionals work efficiently and achieve better balance in their lives. Successful time management skills also reduce the risk of burnout, which in turn improves the likelihood of achieving success in any endeavor.

New accountants, whether coming right out of school or from industry will find that the accounting profession is heavily governed by technical and ethical standards. In addition, the new accounting professional will need to understand new terminology as well as what their team members and clients expect of them by way of job performance and client service. This module will help those transitioning to the accounting profession to understand the role of the accountant in public accounting and in industry, discuss the major standards relating to ethics including integrity, objectivity, independence and serving the public trust. (Please Note: This module is part of Surgent's Audit Skills Training: Level 1.)

Surgent has partnered with UiPath(TM), the world's leading robotic process automation (RPA) software company, to provide this CPE course that gives learners practical application in RPA. Participants in this course receive an engaging introduction to RPA through an experiential, use-case approach. They learn how general, real-world problems can be solved in a non-RPA environment. The course teaches skills that enable participants to create a robot using free UiPath software to automate the solution. By automating repetitive tasks and streamlining workflows with RPA, firms and their employees can benefit from fewer errors, increased productivity, and job satisfaction.

According to a recent study, over 70% of accounting professionals suffer from burnout, leading to feelings of exhaustion, inefficiency, and dissatisfaction with their careers. Recurring challenges for accounting and finance professionals include long hours, repetitive work, pressing client demands, and changing rules and regulations. Together, these conditions contribute to chronic workplace stress. Burnout is real, and firms that ignore this common problem pay a high price. Nearly three out of five employees in accounting and finance professions report psychological harm from work-related stress, including an overall feeling of lack of interest, motivation, or energy. Fortunately, individuals and organizations are beginning to take career burnout more seriously, especially in the post-pandemic era. This course looks at the causes of accounting burnout and examines strategies organizations are implementing to address and reduce a well-known but often overlooked problem.

The control and compliance requirements for single audits differ from the requirements for GAAS audits. As a result, sometimes it's difficult to tell where the auditor's responsibilities start and stop in a single audit. This course is designed to help you proceed and succeed in applying the single audit control and compliance requirements. Over 15 focused exercises are included to provide an enhanced working knowledge of the most critical challenges in single auditing today.

The control and compliance requirements for single audits differ from the requirements for GAAS audits. As a result, sometimes it's difficult to tell where the auditor's responsibilities start and stop in a single audit. This course is designed to help you proceed and succeed in applying the single audit control and compliance requirements contained in the 2024 revision to the Uniform Guidance for Federal Awards. Over 15 focused exercises are included to provide an enhanced working knowledge of the most critical challenges in single auditing today.