Accounting Certifications - CPA, CMA, CFM, CIA, CFE, EA, CGFM

With approximately 450,000 active CPAs in the United States, the CPA certification is the most popular professional designation for accountants. Earning the CPA designation is no easy feat, as the CPA exam is known for its extreme difficulty. Information about the CPA Exam and licensing information.

The CMA and CFM designations are sponsored by the Institute of Management Accountants. Accountants with the CMA certification earn competitive salaries to those with the CPA certification, but according to recent Institute of Management Accountants Salary Guides, compensation is greater for those who are dual holders of the CMA and CPA. Prepare for the CMA exam by getting review / study guides here.

The CFM designation will be of interest to a broad range of professionals including current CMAs who wish to broaden their certification, personnel within the corporate finance organization (treasury, planning, analysis), finance educators, and students. Three parts of the CMA exam form the basis of the CFM exam, with one part on the latter covering advanced topics in Corporate Financial Management, including financial markets and instruments, risk management, corporate restructuring, financial statement analysis, and investor relations.

In today's era of specialization, Certified Fraud Examiners are widely recognized as experts in the anti-fraud field. Career opportunities abound for CFEs, and more are growing. The unfortunate reason is simple... fraud has always been with us, and it has never been more prevalent. (Enron, WorldCom, Tyco, etc.)

Professional financial planners assist their clients in managing, sheltering and expanding their assets through the development of a comprehensive plan geared toward a client's financial objectives and resources. Virtually anyone with income and expenses can use a Financial Planner and concerns about inflation, changing tax laws and the need to plan early for retirement are more prevalent than ever before.

Evaluating emerging technologies, analyzing opportunities, examining global issues. Assessing quality, economy, and efficiency. Providing accurate and timely communication. Such diversity gives internal auditors a broad perspective on the organization. And that makes internal auditors a valuable resource to executive management and boards of directors in accomplishing overall goals and objectives, as well as strengthening internal control and governance.

Often called the best kept secret in accounting, Enrolled Agents provide an important - and marketable - service to the public, government and accounting community. An EA is an individual designation provided by the IRS. It is one of the few designations that signify a concentration of competency in the field of taxation. Unlike CPAs, who may or may not provide tax services, Enrolled Agents specialize in taxation.

Certified Government Financial Manager (CGFM)

Over 13,000 individuals have received the CGFM designation, the first certification broad enough to cover the whole field of government financial management - federal, state and local. It deals not with testing a person in a specific area, but with measuring a wide range of knowledge and skills that a professional needs to succeed in the federal government financial environment, or to meet the unique challenges faced by state and local government financial managers.