[Goods]

Hello All,

Quick survey question. I am about to be licensed in WA state and am researching the annual costs to mantaining my license. My employer (private industry) will cover annual AICPA dues and along with up to $200 in CPE’s.

Question: My understanding was that even in private industry most employers will cover the cost of CPE credits? Have you found this to be the case, especially in private industry? Any feedback would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

FAR - 72, 69, 88 (Nov 2012)
AUD - 89 (Jan 2013)
REG - 85 (Feb 2013)
BEC - 83 (May 2013)
Ethics - Passed

Becker, Wiley TB, Ninja Audio

[Anonymous]

Mickey and others here Congrats!

To be completely honest I am not the best negotiator either. I love the work, love to work and would rather be happy than make $$$$. I have had jobs in the past that paid more and I was miserable.

The good news is that your CPA gives you options. Never forget that point. And keep learning! And I don't mean just CPE.

For me I do mostly self study CPE. My current study is a Controllership Book from the CPE Store. The tests are not hard and I do read all the pages and I do it for me. I feel that I learn more than going to Seminars.

Learn advanced Excel by watching clips on You Tube. Learn VLOOKUPS and a Reverse VLOOKUP using INDEX and MATCH. Learn how to set up a cool database in ACCESS and again if you are not a book person watch YOU TUBE and do what they do.

I get so many special projects just because I learned these things and you will be valuable and the go to person for all departments.

Learn to build a RESUME. My jobs have been different so that no matter what the job or recruiters want I can say I did. Here are a few things….

I worked in Government Defense (Contractor) it was a full time position. I worked in a Public School, Board Meetings, Media, TV, Fund Accounting, Restricted, Non Restricted Funds. Power Company (Nuclear, Hydro, Coal).

Did fixed assets, foreign currency exchanges, computer conversions, SAP, PeopleSoft, etc. Public Companies, 10K, 10Q, etc.

All different positions. Senior Accountant, Assistant Controller, etc. I tried to avoid doing one thing like say just fixed assets.

I am no better than anyone. Learn to be a MENTOR. I love to teach new accountants, mentor, help, etc. I helped many avoid getting fired. That is my way of giving back, teach others.

When I took the exam it was paper. I had to take all four parts and pass two. I passed three and went back took Tax again and passed. Hated memorizing tax. I took Becker and I paid for it. But since then employers normally cover CPE expense and license fees.

But it is a trade off. If they do not, do they offer comp time? Do you like the work? Do they offer other great benefits? Ultimately you have to decide. Just remember money is not the be all end all.

I have worked many places where I was the only CPA. I have been fired and did nothing wrong or refused to do wrong in cooking the books. But because of the CPA I have always found work and usually with in a week! So much for time off.

Seems like a pretty good profession and just about any two of us can do completely different things, such variety. Enjoy the ride it never gets boring, actually better with technology these days.

[Anonymous]

Mickey and others here Congrats!

To be completely honest I am not the best negotiator either. I love the work, love to work and would rather be happy than make $$$$. I have had jobs in the past that paid more and I was miserable.

The good news is that your CPA gives you options. Never forget that point. And keep learning! And I don't mean just CPE.

For me I do mostly self study CPE. My current study is a Controllership Book from the CPE Store. The tests are not hard and I do read all the pages and I do it for me. I feel that I learn more than going to Seminars.

Learn advanced Excel by watching clips on You Tube. Learn VLOOKUPS and a Reverse VLOOKUP using INDEX and MATCH. Learn how to set up a cool database in ACCESS and again if you are not a book person watch YOU TUBE and do what they do.

I get so many special projects just because I learned these things and you will be valuable and the go to person for all departments.

Learn to build a RESUME. My jobs have been different so that no matter what the job or recruiters want I can say I did. Here are a few things….

I worked in Government Defense (Contractor) it was a full time position. I worked in a Public School, Board Meetings, Media, TV, Fund Accounting, Restricted, Non Restricted Funds. Power Company (Nuclear, Hydro, Coal).

Did fixed assets, foreign currency exchanges, computer conversions, SAP, PeopleSoft, etc. Public Companies, 10K, 10Q, etc.

All different positions. Senior Accountant, Assistant Controller, etc. I tried to avoid doing one thing like say just fixed assets.

I am no better than anyone. Learn to be a MENTOR. I love to teach new accountants, mentor, help, etc. I helped many avoid getting fired. That is my way of giving back, teach others.

When I took the exam it was paper. I had to take all four parts and pass two. I passed three and went back took Tax again and passed. Hated memorizing tax. I took Becker and I paid for it. But since then employers normally cover CPE expense and license fees.

But it is a trade off. If they do not, do they offer comp time? Do you like the work? Do they offer other great benefits? Ultimately you have to decide. Just remember money is not the be all end all.

I have worked many places where I was the only CPA. I have been fired and did nothing wrong or refused to do wrong in cooking the books. But because of the CPA I have always found work and usually with in a week! So much for time off.

Seems like a pretty good profession and just about any two of us can do completely different things, such variety. Enjoy the ride it never gets boring, actually better with technology these days.

[Anonymous]

I work at a local CPA firm and all of my CPA exam review materials, my initial licensing application fee, my CPA exam fees, my current and future membership dues, and my current and future CPEs (including travel, lodging, and meals for out-of-town conferences) are paid for by my employer.

My employer has also offered to pay for any additional education and exam expenses I may incur in obtaining another credential (the PFS) once I've passed all sections of the CPA exam and finish the necessary CPE and experience requirements. From what I can tell, my employer sees the covering of these expenses as a standard practice in the profession and offered reimbursement of my CPA exam expenses as soon as I began the exam process, for which I am immensely grateful.

[Anonymous]

I work at a local CPA firm and all of my CPA exam review materials, my initial licensing application fee, my CPA exam fees, my current and future membership dues, and my current and future CPEs (including travel, lodging, and meals for out-of-town conferences) are paid for by my employer.

My employer has also offered to pay for any additional education and exam expenses I may incur in obtaining another credential (the PFS) once I've passed all sections of the CPA exam and finish the necessary CPE and experience requirements. From what I can tell, my employer sees the covering of these expenses as a standard practice in the profession and offered reimbursement of my CPA exam expenses as soon as I began the exam process, for which I am immensely grateful.

[Anonymous]

I posted a few months ago when I worked in public, but figured that I would update it now that I'm in private. The company that I work for is international and relatively large, in the business support services industry. Nothing is reimbursed. Perhaps if I was in a higher position it would be, but for now, everything is on my own dime. Since I plan to use cheaper, self-study or online CPE methods, it's worth the cost of them to me for the learning obtained. However, I'm still debating whether AICPA and/or state society memberships are worth the cost!

[Anonymous]

I posted a few months ago when I worked in public, but figured that I would update it now that I'm in private. The company that I work for is international and relatively large, in the business support services industry. Nothing is reimbursed. Perhaps if I was in a higher position it would be, but for now, everything is on my own dime. Since I plan to use cheaper, self-study or online CPE methods, it's worth the cost of them to me for the learning obtained. However, I'm still debating whether AICPA and/or state society memberships are worth the cost!

[Anonymous]

Lilla

Good comment and thanks.

I have loved self study (cheap). I use a couple and like having the books as a reference. Seminars are easy if you have a good speaker. But!, I really learn more with self study and the tests are no hard. I do read ALL of the material and I want to read it. Pace my self and it is not a problem.

That said, why belong to a CPA Society or AICPA? I have no problem supporting the bigger AICPA, but the local CPA Society well….could care less about industry CPA's. If I have a legal issue they gladly refer me to a society CPA that is an attorney and for a nice price he/she will help me. So I would be better off not paying dues and spend that money on attorney fees?

Some explains are non-compete agreements. Discrimination that is very obvious. Most of my career has been good but at times I wish the Society was more like my Wife's Teachers Union looking out for me and that is absolutely not the case.

Trying to think of a nice way to say this….being a CPA for 20+ years I have seen a lot. Been treated fairly and very unfairly. Life lessons teaches you much. But most of what I learned is from experience.

Oh, and one other thing. I am a past President of my local CPA Chapter. Truth be told. Great opportunity for networking, but the meals, and 1 or 2 hours of CPE is really not worth the effort. At the price including the meal if not reimbursed. Fun as a new CPA, but it can get old. If you are new worth checking out for the experience and you can decide on your own later if it is worth keeping up.

[Anonymous]

Lilla

Good comment and thanks.

I have loved self study (cheap). I use a couple and like having the books as a reference. Seminars are easy if you have a good speaker. But!, I really learn more with self study and the tests are no hard. I do read ALL of the material and I want to read it. Pace my self and it is not a problem.

That said, why belong to a CPA Society or AICPA? I have no problem supporting the bigger AICPA, but the local CPA Society well….could care less about industry CPA's. If I have a legal issue they gladly refer me to a society CPA that is an attorney and for a nice price he/she will help me. So I would be better off not paying dues and spend that money on attorney fees?

Some explains are non-compete agreements. Discrimination that is very obvious. Most of my career has been good but at times I wish the Society was more like my Wife's Teachers Union looking out for me and that is absolutely not the case.

Trying to think of a nice way to say this….being a CPA for 20+ years I have seen a lot. Been treated fairly and very unfairly. Life lessons teaches you much. But most of what I learned is from experience.

Oh, and one other thing. I am a past President of my local CPA Chapter. Truth be told. Great opportunity for networking, but the meals, and 1 or 2 hours of CPE is really not worth the effort. At the price including the meal if not reimbursed. Fun as a new CPA, but it can get old. If you are new worth checking out for the experience and you can decide on your own later if it is worth keeping up.

[Anonymous]

Lilla

Good comment and thanks.

I have loved self study (cheap). I use a couple and like having the books as a reference. Seminars are easy if you have a good speaker. But!, I really learn more with self study and the tests are no hard. I do read ALL of the material and I want to read it. Pace my self and it is not a problem.

That said, why belong to a CPA Society or AICPA? I have no problem supporting the bigger AICPA, but the local CPA Society well….could care less about industry CPA's. If I have a legal issue they gladly refer me to a society CPA that is an attorney and for a nice price he/she will help me. So I would be better off not paying dues and spend that money on attorney fees?

Some examples are non-compete agreements. Discrimination that is very obvious. Most of my career has been good but at times I wish the Society was more like my Wife's Teachers Union looking out for me and that is absolutely not the case.

Trying to think of a nice way to say this….being a CPA for 20+ years I have seen a lot. Been treated fairly and very unfairly. Life lessons teaches you much. But most of what I learned is from experience.

Oh, and one other thing. I am a past President of my local CPA Chapter. Truth be told. Great opportunity for networking, but the meals, and 1 or 2 hours of CPE is really not worth the effort. At the price including the meal if not reimbursed. Fun as a new CPA, but it can get old. If you are new worth checking out for the experience and you can decide on your own later if it is worth keeping up.

[Anonymous]

Lilla

Good comment and thanks.

I have loved self study (cheap). I use a couple and like having the books as a reference. Seminars are easy if you have a good speaker. But!, I really learn more with self study and the tests are no hard. I do read ALL of the material and I want to read it. Pace my self and it is not a problem.

That said, why belong to a CPA Society or AICPA? I have no problem supporting the bigger AICPA, but the local CPA Society well….could care less about industry CPA's. If I have a legal issue they gladly refer me to a society CPA that is an attorney and for a nice price he/she will help me. So I would be better off not paying dues and spend that money on attorney fees?

Some examples are non-compete agreements. Discrimination that is very obvious. Most of my career has been good but at times I wish the Society was more like my Wife's Teachers Union looking out for me and that is absolutely not the case.

Trying to think of a nice way to say this….being a CPA for 20+ years I have seen a lot. Been treated fairly and very unfairly. Life lessons teaches you much. But most of what I learned is from experience.

Oh, and one other thing. I am a past President of my local CPA Chapter. Truth be told. Great opportunity for networking, but the meals, and 1 or 2 hours of CPE is really not worth the effort. At the price including the meal if not reimbursed. Fun as a new CPA, but it can get old. If you are new worth checking out for the experience and you can decide on your own later if it is worth keeping up.

[Anonymous]

Not sure how many here know Advanced Excel or VBA.

I use VBA programming all the time. Here are a few examples of why I use it. Budget templates are about 50 tabs in Excel. If you hide them you have to unhide them one at a time unless you write VBA code to Globally un-hide them. Or, Password Protecting a sheet is one at a time, but if you want to password 20 sheets it is one at a time or VBA code to do it Globally.

OK, so why do I reply with this response? If the employer is un-willing to reimburse CPE then I explicitly code into my VBA developed my me and un-licensed use it prohibited. I learned this on my own at my own expense and the employer should not benefit legally from it if I leave my employment and it is my intellectual property not theirs.

Employers may claim any of your work is theirs, but if you develop at home based on unreimbursed CPE training the laws are extremely difficult to enforce due to intellectual property. Especially evident that the employer explicitly did not pay for it.

So if you write complex Access Databases, Excel code or complicated spreadsheets with advanced formulas document with your property rights all over the place. In code and in references to it. Take ownership of what you learn on your own. It is your intellectual property not the employers!

[Anonymous]

Not sure how many here know Advanced Excel or VBA.

I use VBA programming all the time. Here are a few examples of why I use it. Budget templates are about 50 tabs in Excel. If you hide them you have to unhide them one at a time unless you write VBA code to Globally un-hide them. Or, Password Protecting a sheet is one at a time, but if you want to password 20 sheets it is one at a time or VBA code to do it Globally.

OK, so why do I reply with this response? If the employer is un-willing to reimburse CPE then I explicitly code into my VBA developed my me and un-licensed use it prohibited. I learned this on my own at my own expense and the employer should not benefit legally from it if I leave my employment and it is my intellectual property not theirs.

Employers may claim any of your work is theirs, but if you develop at home based on unreimbursed CPE training the laws are extremely difficult to enforce due to intellectual property. Especially evident that the employer explicitly did not pay for it.

So if you write complex Access Databases, Excel code or complicated spreadsheets with advanced formulas document with your property rights all over the place. In code and in references to it. Take ownership of what you learn on your own. It is your intellectual property not the employers!

[Anonymous]

I work in industry (banking) and my company budgets $3500 a year per CPA for CPE and renewal fees.

[Anonymous]

I work in industry (banking) and my company budgets $3500 a year per CPA for CPE and renewal fees.

[Anonymous]

I work in the industry for a publically traded company and nothing is reimbursed. But, that's that!

[Author]

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