Most professional organizations and licensing boards require professionals to take some sort of continuing professional education (CPE) in order to keep their certifications and licenses. The exact number of hours that are required depend on the organization and the state where you live. In the case of certified public accountants, or CPAs, a certain number of hours of CPE must consist of ethics CPE courses.
There are a lot of different companies that provide ethics CPE courses. Some of these providers include Cpethink.com, Gleim Publications, SmartPros Ltd., Accountants Education Group, Beacon Hill Financial Education, Professional Education Services, Western CPE, Positive Systems, Inc./PASSOnline, UltimateCPE, Bisk Education, and Financial Education Resources.
Many of these courses are self study. Some of these providers offer ethics CPE courses based on the state the accountant is located in, others offer general courses for those in any number of states.
Just how do accountants find ethics CPE courses that meet the requirements of their states? Well, there are a number of different options available. The internet is a great resource for this. Websites for state CPA associations usually list courses that meet the requirement, or give you websites that you can go to in order to find these courses.
One useful website for finding CPE courses is the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA) website. They have a link to the CPEMarket.com website, which is a resource meant to help people find appropriate courses.
You want to make sure that you are informed of all the latest regulations and how they are interpreted so that you are less likely to end up before the Board for a disciplinary hearing for ethical violations.
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