[zieba]

Hey gang,

First, I come with some good news: you’re all going to pass the CPA exam. I know right now it may not be so obvious, but it’s inevitable. Put in the hours, eat a good breakfast and slay that last part. If you’re on the fence about NINJA materials, all I can say is that Jeff’s materials helped me put the exam behind me. I had AUD expire on me and had to make that extra push to get it done, and you will too.

Now to my question: For $1,170 out of pocket I can tack on a Certified Fraud Examiner certification and I’m leaning towards going for it. I’m in the fortunate position that my current job will fulfill the two years of fraud experience required.

My fiance says that it’s a no brainier – after all $1.1K is pretty much the cost of two or three traffic tickets and a trip to Whole Foods – but I want to draw on the experience of the board. Thoughts? I imagine the CFE is a very desirable certification to dress the resume with even if not applying for a position which requires CFE.

AUD - 75*, 88 done 5/14! (*exp)
BEC - 74 , 77
REG - 65 , 76 (10 point combooo!!)
FAR - 69 , 75

Dr: perseverance
Dr: intelligence
Dr: luck
. Cr: . advisory score

[Track55]

It takes money to make money. Use it.

AUD - 74, 99 !!
REG - 74, 92
BEC - 83
FAR - 73, 86

Studying for Ethics exam

California candidate
Business and Industry

[Anonymous]

Personally I think it's a no brainer…. the CPA exam material alone cost more than that lol. I'm looking into the CFE also and the cost isn't an issue.

[zieba]

Remember, what isn't an issue to you may be a genuine obstacle to others.

I did some reading today. It turns out certified members need 20 CPE credits to retain their CFE certification. There are up front costs, but then there are recurring maintenance costs on the back end which I wanted to get a sense of. At first I thought I would have to subscribe to yet another site to get online credits but as it turns out they will accept CPA CPE credits in lieu of dedicated CFA, which makes the decision a bit easier.

I looked at the content specificaton outlines for both the CFE and CFF (offered through the AICPA) and I have to say the CFF material looks a lot more interesting (more expert witness, discovery, legal, report writing….and less theoretical and law as in the CFE). However, the CFF is $360 per year just to maintain and it just so happens that for some reason the CFE is more widely recognized.

AUD - 75*, 88 done 5/14! (*exp)
BEC - 74 , 77
REG - 65 , 76 (10 point combooo!!)
FAR - 69 , 75

Dr: perseverance
Dr: intelligence
Dr: luck
. Cr: . advisory score

[jm962011]

Does the CFE align with your career goals??? I am a CPA and I work in tax but I wouldn't just spend $1k to add CFE after my name because it doesn't align with what I want to do or where I see myself in the next 3, 5, or 10 years. Even though we know people's careers can and will change dramatically over the course of our working lives, I'm sure the CFE would be there later down the road if that's where I see myself heading.

[zieba]

I was thinking more along the lines of checking this box now since my current position qualifies as requisite job experience for certification (it has to be within x number of years before exam date). If down the line you find yourself wanting back “in” you better be in a job that satisfies the requirement.

I currently direct external audits and would like to add discovery, expert witness proceedings, and quite frankly whatever the market finds attractive.

AUD - 75*, 88 done 5/14! (*exp)
BEC - 74 , 77
REG - 65 , 76 (10 point combooo!!)
FAR - 69 , 75

Dr: perseverance
Dr: intelligence
Dr: luck
. Cr: . advisory score

[HoosierDaddy]

I say go for it if you have the money. You get to carry the title for the rest of your life! It will help you stand out from other candidates next time you look for a job and clients might appreciate it.

I'm saving up to earn mine 🙂

-Passed all four sections of CPA exam in 2010 using Becker.
-Former Seasonal Audit Senior with Big Four accounting firm.
-Plan to sit for Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE) and Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialist (CAMS)

[Author]

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