CPE & Event Calendar

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.

Stepping into the shoes of an outside technical consultant, each participant must perform an ASC 606 assessment for Quality Tiles, Inc. (QTI), a company recently acquired by Home D‚cor and More, Inc. (HDM). HDM management needs to ensure the company is in compliance with GAAP related to revenue recognition before the next board meeting. Participants will meet with GTI's controller and must strategically ask the right questions. Based on the information received, they will apply guidance in ASC 606, which can be complex, to a series of revenue recognition considerations to determine if revenue is being recognized appropriately.

The risk assessment process requires the auditor to understand internal controls over financial reporting and report deficiencies to management and those charged with governance as defined by professional standards. Auditors may be also required or decide to test internal controls for effectiveness. This module builds on the previous module on internal control extending the participant's skills to effective and efficient testing of internal controls and communicating deficiencies. (Please Note: This module is part of Surgent's Audit Skills Training: Level 3.)

A significant number of projects fail to achieve their initial goals and/or are not completed within budget and their original timetable. As a team member, a CMA has a unique skill set and experiences to assist in project management. In addition to their analytical training and knowledge of budgets and controls, they typically have ongoing contacts with other professionals from a variety of backgrounds. Familiar analytical tools/techniques can be applied to managing projects. This brief program is designed to aid both experienced and less experienced participants in increasing their knowledge of, and comfort with, the steps and skills needed for success.

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.

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.

The use of technology by businesses of all types, including CPA firms, has exploded in recent years, creating the need for proactive and robust cybersecurity risk management practices. This trend has created the need for a data-driven decision-making process but has also introduced risks into many companies' operating environment. This course will explore the most common technology risks and trends that every CPA should know to better advise and serve clients.

During the audit of the financial statements, an auditor will obtain evidence from many sources to support the account balances, transactions, and events that occurred during the period, as well as the financial statement disclosures. This course discusses the use of management's specialists, the auditor's specialists, inventory counting services, pricing services and internal audit. (Please Note: This module is part of Surgent's Audit Skills Training: Level 5.)

Employee turnover has always been expensive, and experts warn that the cost of employee attrition keeps rising. Tight labor markets, a strong economy, and increasingly collaborative jobs are just some of the explanations given for the high price of losing employees. While some of these "macro" factors are beyond an employer's control, there is substantial research showing practices employers can implement that encourage employees to remain and grow with an organization. So, why do people quit? It is commonly thought that employees often leave their jobs because they do not like their boss, they perceive low opportunities for growth, or they are offered a better opportunity somewhere else. However, new research reveals that what really affects career decisions are employees' sense of how they are doing compared to their peers or where these individuals thought they would be at a certain point in life. This course provides an overview of how to improve employee retention. Whether you are a sole practitioner with one or two employees or part of a much larger organization, this course will be valuable to you.