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What To Know About CPE For CPA Professionals

Anyone who is a Certified Public Accountant must follow the CPE for CPA requirements. The CPE, orContinuing Professional Education, requirements are determined by state boards of accountancy and othermember organizations. These rules on education are required so that accountants will maintain their highlevels of expertise and professional services.

Passing the initial CPA exam is only the first step accountants must take in their professional development.The CPE is designed to allow financial professionals to stay current on the rapidly changing laws regardingthe industry. Depending on the state where they practice, accountants may need to follow the guidelines setby the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy, or the NASBA. There is also the AmericanInstitute of CPAs, or the AICPA. There are also special provisions for any accountants whose work is relatedto the Employee Retirement Security Act or the Government Accountability Office.

One way to meet the requirements is by applying for online classes through a company that meets thestates? requirements for maintaining a license through ongoing professional development. Attending avirtual class offers many benefits. An accountant facing a deadline to meet the requirements will not have towait for a class to open up and can get the class completed quickly. The online classes must meet the samestandards as any traditional class held on a school?s campus.

There are a wide range of categories for classes. One of the more popular ones is regarding the many lawsregarding income taxes, which can change from year to year. For example, there is material available for theAmerican Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012 that affects millions of taxpayers. CPAs are held to a high standard ofprofessional conduct and there are requirements for them to take ethics classes. They also often doconsulting work and may have to take management/consulting classes. Because of the computer age somestates may require finance professionals to be well versed in the use of internet and computer security tools.

Many CPAs conduct audits of the largest companies in America. This means they must be current on all thelaws and regulations regarding those reviews and reporting their results back to the companies. They mustknow what parts of the balance sheet to focus on and what to do if they find irregularities in a company?sbooks. Any time a particular part of the financial industry goes through a reform, such as banks, CPAs areresponsible for making sure those new laws are followed. Finance professionals must have a wide range ofskills that they are constantly developing. They must be able to see the big picture regarding a company?sperformance and still be able to read the small print on a budget and know how much the company?sspending on paperclips.

Besides keeping an eye on Wall Street, most finance experts must also take classes in relation to helpingindividuals. They can advise someone on how to handle their estate to minimize their tax liability. They canalso take classes in retirement planning and how to deal with a large amount of personal debt. An accountantcan also be a person?s best friend if they are going through a divorce and want to try and protect theirassets. If one of their clients does have tax problems an accountant may be able to help them resolve anyissues with the IRS. As finance professionals, CPAs may take classes in their specialized areas so they cancontinue to give competent advice to their clients and meet their ongoing educational requirements.

Document Tags: online accounting, accounting courses, continuing education, cpe courses