Professional Development and Event Catalog
Surgent’s Weekly Expert Hour
2:00pm - 3:00pm
Online
1.00 Credits
Member Price: $59
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As financial and tax professionals well know, information overload is a constant struggle we face because things change quickly, and the sheer number of changes being made on a daily basis is enormous. Of great importance to small and medium tax and advisory firms is differentiating between changes that are relevant to our practice and our clients and changes that are new but totally irrelevant. Distinguishing between the two is difficult and time-consuming. Mike Tucker and a team of experts are pleased to present a weekly series designed to eliminate the clutter and get you what you need to stay up-to-date and perform for your clients. Mike and his co-presenters will dispense news on current events impacting taxes, finance, and industry. The subject matter will differ each week and intermittently include topics such as Social Security and Medicare. The panelists will discuss personal and corporate tax matters as well as other late-breaking news related to practitioners' personal finances and those of their clients. Every financial professional will benefit from this series. This is a cost-effective way for accountants to fulfill their compulsory continuing education because this weekly series will include almost 40 one-hour presentations. Sign up today — your clients and your bottom line will thank you.
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Surgent's Key Roth IRA and Roth 401(k) Rules for Funding and Tax-free Distributions
2:00pm - 4:00pm
Online
2.00 Credits
Member Price: $99
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How much can clients contribute to a Roth IRA, Roth 401(k), Roth SEP IRA, or Roth SIMPLE IRA? When do enhanced (super) catch-up contributions apply, and when must those catch-up contributions be made on a Roth basis? How does a Roth distribution qualify as tax-free? How did SECURE Act 1.0 and SECURE Act 2.0 fundamentally change Roth funding and distribution rules? These are among the core Roth questions advisors must be able to answer with confidence. As Roth accounts continue to play an increasingly central role in retirement savings strategies — and as contribution rules become more layered and complex — Roth proficiency is no longer optional. In addition, new rules governing age-based enhanced catch-up contributions and the Roth mandate for certain higher-income participants have added a new level of coordination between tax planning, payroll, and retirement plan design. In this course, Denise Appleby simplifies the critical rules that govern Roth funding and Roth distributions across Roth IRAs, Roth 401(k)s, and related employer plans. Emphasis is placed on understanding how the rules interact, where advisors commonly make mistakes, and how recent legislative changes affect real-world planning.
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Surgent's Employee vs. Independent Contractor: Achieving Success in a Worker Classification Audit
3:00pm - 5:00pm
Online
2.00 Credits
Member Price: $99
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The IRS believes, perhaps with some justification, that many workers classified as independent contractors are actually employees and should be treated as such for tax purposes. The result is that worker classification audits are frequent and often costly for business clients, both in terms of time as well as money expended. This program prepares accounting and finance professionals to assist their clients with worker classification audits, and to avoid them if possible, by discussing and explaining the circumstances under which workers will most likely be characterized as employees or as independent contractors. The program also deals with the first line of defense against the IRS in worker classification audits — Section 530, as well as the common law factors distinguishing an employee from an independent contractor. This program also explores the IRS Voluntary Classification Settlement Program and discusses whether a practitioner should advise a client to request admission into this program.
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Surgent's The Complete Guide to Payroll Taxes and 1099 Issues
9:00am - 5:00pm
Online
8.00 Credits
Member Price: $279
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Employment taxes are often overlooked as an area where more planning may be effective. Payroll taxes have become an increasing burden for the average business, and IRS penalties for noncompliance have risen dramatically in recent years. The Service has announced that uncovering noncompliance by employers ranks high on its audit list. This course presents a comprehensive overview of federal payroll taxes, Form 1099, and related compliance issues.
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The Best S Corporation, Limited Liability, and Partnership Update Course by Surgent
9:00am - 5:00pm
Online
8.00 Credits
Member Price: $299
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This year practitioners need to keep abreast of tax changes affecting pass-through entities used by their business clients and employers, and this enlightening course delivers that information. You will learn invaluable strategies, techniques, innovative tax-planning concepts, income-generating ideas, and other planning opportunities available to S corporations, partnerships, LLCs, and LLPs. In addition, this course will discuss current trends and emerging issues, helping practitioners stay informed about relevant and significant topics that may impact their clients. Continually updated to reflect enacted legislation.
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Surgent's Tax Practitioner Horror Stories
10:00am - 12:00pm
Online
2.00 Credits
Member Price: $99
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In life and in tax practice, often the best way to learn something is to profit from the mistakes of others. In tax practice, mistakes can result in tax liabilities for clients and malpractice lawsuits against the tax professional. Don't let this happen to you. In this program, we attempt to learn from the mistakes of others to avoid making them ourselves. We go through a series of "horror story" case studies that are both entertaining and educational. Practicing tax is a risky, sometimes horrifying business. Take this opportunity to prepare yourself for the risks that come with practicing tax by learning from these sobering, cautionary case studies.
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Surgent's Top 10 Celebrity Estate Mistakes and How to Avoid Them
10:00am - 12:00pm
Online
2.00 Credits
Member Price: $99
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This course uses the lives of the rich and famous as a template to better understand the realm of estate planning. With stories ripped from the headlines, we will examine pitfalls and best practices. Did you know that Prince died without a will, opening the door for 45 people claiming to be his beneficiaries? Or that Michael Jackson was not careful in properly funding his trust, leading to delays and legal battles in the administration of his estate? Even Abraham Lincoln, it turns out, did not have a will. In discussing an array of celebrities, from Jackie Kennedy, Joan Rivers, Jimi Hendrix, and Whitney Houston to Aretha Franklin, Barry White, Leona Helmsley, and Florence Griffith Joyner, the course is designed as an enjoyable learning experience with tips for all levels of expertise. We may not have their fame or fortune, but we can certainly walk the red carpet when it comes to estate planning.
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Surgent's Stock vs. Asset Acquisitions of C Corporations
1:00pm - 3:00pm
Online
2.00 Credits
Member Price: $99
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A business conducted as a C corporation can be purchased through an asset acquisition or a stock acquisition. In an asset acquisition, the buyer purchases the business by purchasing the assets that make up the C corporation's ongoing business. In a stock acquisition, the buyer purchases the stock of the C corporation that owns all or a majority of the business assets. The seller and the buyer are usually at odds over how to structure the acquisition. Accounting and finance professionals advising their clients should be fully conversant in the tax rules that apply to stock and asset acquisitions. Discussing and explaining those rules is the focus of this course.
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Surgent's Succession Planning for the Small Business Owner: Finding the Exit Ramp
1:00pm - 4:30pm
Online
4.00 Credits
Member Price: $159
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The life cycle of the small business can be summed up in three segments: 1) starting the business; 2) operating the business; and 3) getting out of the business. This course focuses on getting out of the business. The most elusive element of owning a small business can be finding the proper exit strategy. This course is designed to provide the business consulting practitioner with tools and concepts to advise the small business owner and assist them in developing the right exit strategy. The course covers exit strategies related to third-party sales and succession planning within a family.
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Surgent's A Guide to Gig Economy Tax Issues
2:00pm - 4:00pm
Online
2.00 Credits
Member Price: $99
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The IRS defines the "gig economy" as people earning income providing on-demand work, services, or goods on either a part-time or full-time basis. The economic times we live in are changing, and accounting and finance professionals must learn how the rules apply in this new gig economy. The tax rules that apply to gig workers challenge traditional ideas of who is an employee and who is an independent contractor, and accounting and finance professionals must have the knowledge to make this determination. This program addresses federal and state tax issues accounting and finance professionals must address with clients and their own workers.
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Surgent's Avoiding the Top 10 Mistakes That Can Wipe Out Retirement Savings
2:00pm - 4:00pm
Online
2.00 Credits
Member Price: $99
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Years of growth in a retirement account can be wiped out by one mistake. As such, retirement account owners and their advisors should take care to ensure that IRAs are operated in compliance with the governing regulations. This includes ensuring that distributions are handled properly, and that movement of retirement assets, including between IRAs and employer plans, does not violate the limitations that apply.
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Surgent's Understanding S Corporation Taxation: Compensation Issues and Entity-Level Taxes
2:00pm - 4:00pm
Online
2.00 Credits
Member Price: $99
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Even though they have been around for several years, the tax laws pertaining to S corporations remain some of the more difficult areas of the Internal Revenue Code. In this course, we will examine how S corporations break away from the normal tax rules for flow-through entities. We will explore which employee benefits are disallowed for S corporation shareholders, as well as which taxes are assessed at the entity level. Finally, we will discuss how state level taxation may have changed permanently with the addition of PTE elections.
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The Best Federal Tax Update Course by Surgent
9:00am - 5:00pm
Online
8.00 Credits
Member Price: $299
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In this continually revised course, tax advisors will be fully updated on the most recent enacted legislation and IRS guidance, as well as major trends on the horizon with a view toward planning considerations. This update course is designed for all practitioners, both those working in public accounting as well as those in private industry, who need the latest information on tax changes. Please Note: Due to content overlap, it is recommended that this course NOT be taken together with BITU.
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Surgent's Buying and Selling a Business: Tax and Structuring Overview
9:00am - 12:30pm
Online
4.00 Credits
Member Price: $159
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One of the major transactions CPA clients are faced with is the purchase or disposition of a business. To help tax professionals advise those clients, this course offers a comprehensive analysis of the business and tax aspects of buying and selling a business. It is a practical guide to help practitioners and industry CPAs understand structuring techniques. All CPAs, including controllers and executives in industry, should understand how difficult the process of buying and selling a business has become.
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Surgent's Tax Planning for Rental Real Estate
9:00am - 12:30pm
Online
4.00 Credits
Member Price: $179
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The taxation of real estate is tricky. Taxpayers can own real estate in a number of different ways, including direct and indirect investments. There are numerous exceptions to being classified as a rental activity. How do you know if someone is a real estate professional? In this course, we will explore all these issues and many more. Through real-world examples and discussion, this course will delve into exceptions to rental status, qualifications for material participation, and requirements for active status. Additionally, we will cover the QBI and Section 1237 safe harbors and touch on some planning ideas related to depreciation recapture.
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Surgent's Top Ten Questions from Partnership Clients Regarding the Section 754 Election
9:00am - 12:30pm
Online
4.00 Credits
Member Price: $159
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This program is an in-depth analysis of the Section 754 election and the two adjustments associated with the election under Section 743(b) and Section 734(b). The 754 election is a highly technical provision that provides great tax benefits to the owners of the partnership, and particularly in the case of Section 743(b), a new partner. This course covers the most common questions encountered by practitioners in their daily practices. The program includes a number of examples that provide insights into the mechanics of the two adjustments that follow upon a Section 754 election.
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Surgent's Social Security and Medicare: Planning for You and Your Clients
9:00am - 5:00pm
Online
8.00 Credits
Member Price: $279
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Social Security seems poised for changes in benefits and eligibility age. The leading edge of the baby boomer generation has already reached retirement age. Financial and tax planners can expect increased demand for strategies that dovetail Social Security with other retirement and estate planning objectives. This course provides tax and financial planning professionals with both the background information on the Social Security system and the strategies clients will need in dealing with Social Security, and the myriad other related retirement planning issues.
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Surgent's Section 529 Plans: A Comprehensive Guide
10:00am - 12:00pm
Online
2.00 Credits
Member Price: $99
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This course provides a thorough examination of qualified tuition programs (Section 529 plans), focusing on their tax treatment, planning applications, and recent legislative changes. Participants will learn how 529 plans operate, what qualifies as education expenses, and how contributions, distributions, and beneficiary changes are treated under federal law. The course explores practical planning strategies, including 529-to-Roth IRA rollovers, multigenerational "dynasty" 529 planning, grandparent-owned account considerations, and interplay with financial aid. It also addresses state-level variations, compliance issues, and common pitfalls. Using real-world scenarios, the course evaluates when 529 plans are advantageous, the limitations families may encounter, and alternative approaches to education and long-term savings. Participants will gain a clear understanding of tax benefits, penalties, strategic funding approaches, and planning opportunities for high-net-worth families as well as typical households.
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Surgent's Where To Live in Retirement
10:00am - 12:00pm
Online
2.00 Credits
Member Price: $119
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Deciding where to live in retirement is a challenge that involves a multitude of factors that differ for everyone. Each person and couple should evaluate their current living situation to see where their goals and lifestyles in retirement can best be met. The program covers the various factors that most people should consider when thinking about where to spend their retirement years.
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Surgent's Understanding Partnership Taxation: PTE Elections, 754 Elections, and Selling a Partnership Interest
2:00pm - 4:00pm
Online
2.00 Credits
Member Price: $99
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Partnership tax law is always difficult. However, when certain transactions come up, not knowing how to handle them can be costly to clients and practitioners. In this course, we discuss several of these types of situations. We will explore the tax impacts of a PTE election and how a 754 election affects the inside basis of partnership assets. We will then examine those tricky look-through provisions on the sale of a partnership interest in order to properly calculate the tax implications.