AICPA CPE Direct Review of FunCPE Courses

CPE Made Easier

The following excerpt is from the article titled “CPE Made Easier” in the AICPA CPE Direct publication.

FunCPE (www.funcpe.com) “offers serious CPE in an entertaining format,” believes Customer Service Manager Carolyn Weaver when I asked her about their courses.

“Our informal research indicated that many CPAs were just “going through the motions” to obtain their required CPE hours, she added. We sought out course materials that were not only interesting, but also practical.”

Weaver continues, “Although we admit it is difficult to find humor in the tax and accounting material, our imaginative course developers include humorous questions in every exam. We are able to keep our costs low by using downloadable materials [for most courses].”

Although not all of FunCPE materials are downloadable, the majority of their courses are. And at an average cost of $3.15 per CPE hour, they are definitely one of the most inexpensive providers of online CPE and quite possibly the most “fun.”

“CPE Made Easier.”  AICPA CPE Direct July-Sept 2003: 6-1 – 6-21. Print.

Advantages of Online CPE

The CPE Direct article lists seven advantages to obtaining your CPE online:

  1. Convenience – available 24/7
  2. Lower course costs – lower than in-person or traditional mailed self-study courses
  3. Lower travel costs – no travel for online courses
  4. Easier CPE record keeping – most providers keep an online record and allow reprinting of certificates
  5. More course material options –  general uptrend in courses offered online
  6. Course preview available – Some providers show outline and objectives of course prior to enrolling
  7. Testing – Review exams available and final exam required, while seminars have no test requirements

American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA)

The American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) was established in 1887 as a professional organization for what were then called “Public Accountants.” The AICPA now has over 431,000 members, making it the largest single professional association representing the accounting profession in the world.

Benefits of membership in the AICPA include:

  • Continuing education classes (CPE), both online courses and live seminars
  • Subscription to the Journal of Accountancy and several e-newsletters
  • Discount on CPE courses and other products
  • Professional guidance, research and standards
  • Conferences and workshops on accounting, auditing, legal, business advisory, tax education, forensic accounting, business valuation and many other accounting related topics

CPE Direct

CPE Direct, publisher of the FunCPE article quoted above, is an AICPA program of self study that allows you to earn CPE credit by completing a self-study program developed from topics covered in the Journal of Accountancy.

With a CPE Direct subscription, you receive a quarterly study guide with a variety of content including:

  • Journal of Accountancy articles,
  • Checklists and
  • Practice tools with a final examination.

The subscription to CPE Direct is available at the AICPA Store.