CPE & Event Calendar

As finance professionals we often have dual responsibilities, to use our technical skills and also to exercise our leadership skills to lead a department. But we are often not sufficiently trained in the second, and sometimes most important, skill set. This short program takes an in-depth look at a proven model designed to help us understand both ourselves and other people. In so doing, we gain the skill to lead better, handle problem employees and coworkers, and significantly gain upward mobility within the organization.

There are only two things that any organization needs to accomplish for success: serve the customer well and do it efficiently. This short program will concentrate on the efficiency side, which is always near and dear to the heart of the financial professional. We will develop a well-proven program to increase efficiency in a way that is both embraced by employees and has been found to work. By following this simple formula, any organization can become more efficient.

Did 2020 show us that planning doesn't work? It might seem that way. But, obviously some organizations survived far better than others due to their ability to handle unexpected change. 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. The pandemic has shown us that our planning process must be far nimbler and allow our organization to shift rapidly. 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.

Planning may be one of the most important assignments of the finance professional; however, it is often accomplished in a way that can harm the organization. In many cases, huge sums are spent only to have a planning document developed that does not serve to bring the company together, but rather causes internal division. In some situations the budget can actually harm both productivity and alignment. This course is designed to bring planning, budgeting, and forecasting together into one fully aligned process that is easier, more efficient, and fully engages all parts of the organization. Rather than the plan being owned by the finance department, it is owned and followed by everyone from the CEO to the entry-level employee.

Why do some companies fail while others grow and succeed for generations? Common perceptions often attribute organizational success to great leadership, timing, or unique ideas. Although these traits certainly play a role in helping companies grow, research shows that corporate success often hinges on whether a company is value driven. Such companies have core ideologies that drive almost every major decision. In this course, we look at empirical data on why some companies succeed while others fail. By looking at companies that were created prior to 1950 (e.g., Disney, Marriott, or 3M), we can understand why certain organizations have been able to grow and achieve exceptional success through many different eras in the American economy. The lessons learned from these visionary companies can be broadly applied to organizations of all sizes, including accounting and financial service firms.

As you advance in your public accounting careers, your responsibilities significantly increase. The skills required for continued success go beyond your technical skills but also include others that you may not have had a chance to develop earlier in your careers. Several of these new responsibilities involve engagement management and managing your team. Mastering these skills is key to your long-term success in public accounting. In this session, we'll review the keys to successful management, including ways to best develop your team, how to successfully engage your team and build their trust and how best to present information for retention. Lastly, we'll review the critically important skill of delegation, focusing on what the best tasks are to delegate and how to empower your team without micromanaging them. (Please Note: This module is part of Surgent's Audit Skills Training: Level 4.)

This course provides an overview of the rules and regulations with respect to the management's discussion and analysis (MD&A) section of an entity's consolidated financial statements filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). MD&A has been, and continues to be, a primary focus area of the SEC when reviewing public company filings. In fact, it has consistently ranked in the top 10 of the most frequent comment letters issued by the SEC.

By 2025, millennials will represent 75% of the workforce. Whether you are an owner of a small practice or manager in a multinational corporation, it is important to understand characteristics and expectations of this large segment of the workforce. Research reveals that many of the common stereotypes surrounding millennials are unfounded and counterproductive. This course provides an understanding of who millennials are in comparison to their predecessors, the Gen-Xers and baby boomers. Equally important, the presentation will look at common myths regarding millennials and why understanding this class of employees provides opportunities for your organization to grow and succeed.

Years ago, Peter Drucker said, "what gets measured gets managed," and that is true today. As financial professionals, we understand and desire this, but often it's difficult to get the concept across to the remainder of the organization. This program will take a deep dive into metrics with the goal of making them more actionable for any organization. By doing so, we are in a much better position to sharply increase the success of the organization.

Many experts say that an organization's culture is the single most important thing that will determine its success. Assuming that's true, it's necessary for the finance professional to understand the effect that the finance function has on that culture. This program will take a good look at what causes a better culture, both within the organization and within the department. Then, we will examine how the finance professional can positively influence the culture within the financial function and how that will affect the entire organization.

Did 2020 show us that planning doesn't work? It might seem that way. But, obviously some organizations survived far better than others due to their ability to handle unexpected change. 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! The pandemic has shown us that our planning process must be far nimbler and allow our organization to shift rapidly. Today's dynamic economic environment requires much more careful planning and strategy execution. Come find out how to make that happen for your organization.

Be the go-to person on financial statement compilation and preparation engagements. Specifically designed for those performing preparation and compilation engagements, this course will provide you with a hands-on application for performing preparation and compilation engagements under AR-C Section 70 and 80, respectively. You will learn the ins and outs of applying SSARS No. 21, Clarification and Recodification, as well as the additional guidance related to SSARS engagements through the issuance of SSARS Nos. 22-24 and SSARS No. 26 by the ARSC. In addition to SSARS No. 26, the entire suite of quality management standards is discussed. Most importantly, you will be provided practical examples and illustrations to help you effectively and efficiently perform those engagements, including a detailed discussion of the reporting requirements under AR-C 80 related to compilation engagement. Lastly, the course will review recent peer review feedback on these types of engagements, highlighting areas where you can improve engagement quality.

Be the go-to person on financial statement compilation and preparation engagements. Specifically designed for those performing preparation and compilation engagements, this course will provide you with a hands-on application for performing preparation and compilation engagements under AR-C Section 70 and 80, respectively. You will learn the ins and outs of applying SSARS No. 21, Clarification and Recodification, as well as the additional guidance related to SSARS engagements through the issuance of SSARS Nos. 22-24 and SSARS No. 26 by the ARSC. In addition to SSARS No. 26, the entire suite of quality management standards is discussed. Most importantly, you will be provided practical examples and illustrations to help you effectively and efficiently perform those engagements, including a detailed discussion of the reporting requirements under AR-C 80 related to compilation engagement. Lastly, the course will review recent peer review feedback on these types of engagements, highlighting areas where you can improve engagement quality.

The past few years have shown us the need for numerous projects and the need to manage those projects in a unique way. Project management is an important part of every organization; however, often companies do not differentiate between project management and operations management. Sometimes the finance professional is called upon to serve on a project team, or in other cases is in a position to manage a project within the finance or accounting department. In either case, he or she should be well versed in both the theory and practice of project management. While project management has probably been around since the time of building the pyramids, the modern discipline started to take hold in large organizations in the late '50s and early '60s. From there it spread to smaller organizations to the point where almost any-sized organization can benefit from its ideas. This course is designed for the finance professional of the small and medium-sized organization. It is not meant for the experienced project manager of a large organization or the person wanting training for project management certification. In an effort to avoid talking theory without concrete examples, we will often use examples born from projects needed as a result of our experiences with COVID-19.

This past year has shown us the need for numerous projects and the need to manage those projects in a unique way. Project management is a way of thinking highly recognized and practiced by large organizations, but often neglected by the smallest companies and entrepreneurs. This course quickly discusses the basics of project management thought and practice and then spends the majority of the time exploring some of the greatest mistakes that can be made, the ways to avoid them, and some of the tricks that have been introduced into the discipline. In the program we will explore some of the specific types of project management as well as some of the available software programs to make the task of project management easier. In an effort to avoid talking theory without concrete examples, we will often use examples born from projects needed as a result of our experiences with COVID-19.

This past year has shown us the need for numerous projects and the need to manage those projects in a unique way. Project management is a way of thinking highly recognized and practiced by large organizations, but often neglected by the smallest companies and entrepreneurs. This course quickly discusses the basics of project management thought and practice and then spends the majority of the time exploring some of the greatest mistakes that can be made, the ways to avoid them, and some of the tricks that have been introduced into the discipline. In the program we will explore some of the specific types of project management as well as some of the available software programs to make the task of project management easier. In an effort to avoid talking theory without concrete examples, we will often use examples born from projects needed as a result of our experiences with COVID-19.

Regulators, investors, other capital markets stakeholders and users of the financial statements need accurate and transparent financial information for decision making. One reason that why the capital markets are as efficient as they are today, is that users believe that they can trust audited financial statements, in part, due to the fact that they are audited. The AICPA instituted its Enhancing Audit Quality Initiative in 2014 to help to improve regulator and stakeholder trust when it was being questioned. Education, outreach and changes to the peer review program have helped to increase audit quality over the last 8 years. In early 2021 the Auditing Standards Board issued an exposure draft that would make significant changes to the requirements that firms implement a system of quality control. The new standard will require a risk-based approach to quality management and enhance the guidance on the role of the engagement quality reviewer and the audit partner. This module will discuss these topics including the proposed changes to the quality standards which are expected to be effective in 2024. (Please Note: This module is part of Surgent's Audit Skills Training: Level 5.)

In many smaller organizations the job of risk manager is housed with the CEO, and many of the staff who better understand the details of the various risks are not included in risk-management discussions. This program will take a hard look at risk management and show how to develop a program that is specifically designed to work well in a small business. Based on proven management techniques, the risk-management system will better focus on good risk management and especially strong mitigation.

For all the work performed on the audit, the one thing that the public sees is the auditor's report. So we need to make sure that the opinion is correct. With the effective date of SAS 134, the auditor's report underwent significant changes. This session will cover the format of the revised auditor's report and discuss the responsibilities of both management and the auditors which are now explicitly identified in the revised report. The session will also cover other conforming changes made to the auditor's report with the effective date of SAS 137-140. Lastly, the session will address both when, and how, the auditor would issue qualified and adverse opinions and when the auditor would disclaim an opinion. The session will also address when the auditor is required to add either an Emphasis of Matter or Other Matter paragraph and its contents. (Please Note: This module is part of Surgent's Audit Skills Training: Level 4.)

This course provides an overview of two of the most popular SEC topics which result in comment letters from the SEC. This includes a discussion of management's discussion and analysis (MD&A) as well as Non-GAAP Financial Measures. These two areas consistently rank in the Top 10 for the most frequent comment letters issued to public companies by the SEC.