April 16, 2025 – In a significant move to enhance the skills of accounting and finance professionals, Surgent CPE has unveiled a new lineup of Continuing Professional Education (CPE) courses. This announcement comes on CPA Day 2025, marking a pivotal moment for professionals aiming to stay current in the rapidly evolving fields of AI, taxation, and cybersecurity.
As the tax season concludes, CPAs are now focusing on meeting their CPE credit requirements. Surgent’s new courses offer a timely solution, with nearly 50 new options designed to keep professionals ahead in their industry.
According to Elizabeth Kolar, Executive Vice President of Surgent, “Understanding the pressing needs of our audience, Surgent is excited to offer a robust selection of timely and practical courses that empower accounting professionals to stay ahead in a dynamic industry.”
The new lineup includes 30 live webinars starting April 22 and 18 new on-demand courses on Microsoft Excel and Power BI, ensuring flexibility for busy professionals. Notably, the courses cover a range of topics, including AI, taxation, and cybersecurity.
Nick Spoltore, Vice President of Tax and Advisory Content, highlights the importance of staying informed post-tax season, especially with new tax laws expected in 2025. “Our tax-focused courses provide essential tools for enhancing practitioner effectiveness and delivering value to clients,” he said.
For professionals navigating the growing influence of technology in accounting, the addition of five specialized courses on artificial intelligence will enhance knowledge and skills in this critical area.
For more information on the new courses, visit SurgentCPE.com.
Getting licensed or staying ahead in your career can be a journey—but it doesn’t have to be overwhelming. Grab your favorite coffee or tea, take a moment to relax, and browse through our articles. Whether you’re just starting out or renewing your expertise, we’ve got tips, insights, and advice to keep you moving forward. Here’s to your success—one sip and one step at a time!
November marked another cooldown for commercial real estate, with total deal volume dropping 10% year over year and falling below even 2020’s levels. While overall activity is slowing, investors are concentrating their money on bigger, more resilient assets—driving a 51% surge in deals over $100 million and pushing average transaction sizes well above historical norms. Multifamily remains the strongest sector, office deals are becoming more strategically focused, and medical office and data centers continue to outperform as long‑term demand stays solid.
After years of stalled activity, commercial real estate may finally be nearing a rebound. Experts say that expected interest‑rate drops in 2026 could reignite investor confidence, unlock sidelined capital, and boost deal flow across multiple sectors. But the outlook isn’t uniformly sunny—multifamily faces oversupply, industrial is cooling after years of rapid growth, and weakening employment conditions may slow absorption. For professionals across real estate, mortgage, insurance, and finance, the shifting landscape presents both challenges and major opportunities for those who stay informed and properly licensed.
Consumer Reports delivered a major warning to Congress, highlighting how rapidly expanding fintech tools—especially AI‑driven platforms—are outpacing consumer protections. In testimony before the House Subcommittee on Digital Assets, Financial Technology and AI, CR called for stronger, clearer rules to prevent hidden fees, predatory practices, and confusion within digital financial products. For professionals in real estate, mortgages, insurance, and finance, these emerging regulations may soon influence lending decisions, underwriting, credit evaluations, and compliance expectations across the industry.
Amazon is preparing to cut up to 30,000 corporate jobs by mid‑2026 as it pivots aggressively toward automation and AI. Following 14,000 layoffs in late 2025, the company is eliminating layers of management to redirect billions into robotics, generative AI systems, and supercomputing partnerships. While warehouse hiring continues for seasonal demand, Amazon’s internal shift reveals a broader nationwide trend: white‑collar roles across tech, finance, logistics, and more are being reshaped by automation at unprecedented speed.
Florida’s real estate market enters 2026 with new leadership at the helm as Chuck Bonfiglio, broker-owner of AAA Realty Group, is officially installed as President of Florida Realtors. With more than 230,000 members behind the association, Bonfiglio highlights affordability, insurance reform, and taxes as key priorities while expressing optimism about easing mortgage rates, stabilizing prices, and growing inventory. Backed by years of statewide and national Realtor leadership, he aims to guide professionals through another transformative year alongside a newly appointed 2026 leadership team.
Tampa isn’t cooling off—it’s getting smarter. After years of rapid expansion, the city’s commercial real estate market has shifted into a more disciplined, selective phase. Population growth remains strong, office leasing is outperforming national trends, industrial activity is normalizing sustainably, and retail is seeing renewed investor confidence. With capital becoming more cautious and health care real estate emerging as a major growth sector, Tampa is entering a new era focused on strategy, execution, and long‑term fundamentals.
