Colorado: A Basic CPAs Guidebook for Ethical Behavior (Video) (Course Id 2907)

• Who is this course for?
  This course is intended for anyone needing Continuing Professional Education (CPE), particularly CPAs who want to strengthen their understanding of professional ethics and the Colorado statutes, rules, and regulations governing CPA practice.
• What is this course about or what problem does this course solve?
  This course explains ethical frameworks, the AICPA Code of Professional Conduct, and the Colorado Rules and Regulations that apply to CPAs, helping participants develop ethical judgment, understand their professional responsibilities, and navigate ethical dilemmas while serving both clients and the public interest.
• Where can the knowledge from this course be used?
  The knowledge gained can be applied in public accounting, industry, government, and education, as well as in situations involving financial reporting, taxation, professional conduct, licensure, peer review, client records, firm registration, and other areas governed by Colorado CPA laws and regulations.
• Why is this course important to a CPA or Accountant?
  This course helps CPAs and accountants better understand the ethical standards and Colorado-specific rules that guide professional conduct, enabling them to make sound ethical decisions, protect the public interest, and perform professional accounting services responsibly.
• When is this course relevant or timely?
  This course is relevant whenever a CPA needs ethics-focused CPE, wants to better understand the current Colorado statutes and rules affecting licensed CPAs, or encounters ethical situations requiring professional judgment in practice.
• How is a course like this consumed or used?
  This is a QAS self-study video and text course that participants complete independently, followed by a final examination that must be passed to earn CPE credit.

A CPA is challenged in today’s work world to not only serve his/her client or employer but also to protect the public interest by ensuring that there is transparency in financial reporting or there is fair administration of the tax laws. In balancing the two interests, a CPA may find him or herself in an ethical dilemma. This course covers not only basic ethical frameworks, but also specific rules governing CPA practice and responsibilities. It concludes with a section on how a CPA can put his or her ethics into action.

This course does not fulfill the Colorado Rules and Regulations (CR&R) course requirements for new or reactivating CPAs.

Course Learning Objectives

By the end of the course, the participant will be able:

1. To educate licensees in ethics of professional accounting as CPAs.
2. To convey the intent of the AICPA Code of Professional Conduct and Colorado Rules & Regulations in the performance of professional accounting services/work, not to adhere to the mere technical compliance of such rules.
3. To assist the CPA in applying ethical judgment in interpreting the rules and determining public interest. Public interest should be placed ahead of self-interest, even if it means a loss of job or client.
4. To review and discuss the AICPA Code of Professional Conduct and the Colorado Rules and Regulations and their implications for persons in a variety of practices, including:

5. This course discusses the Colorado Statutes and Rules that pertain to CPAs licensed to practice in the state of Colorado. Students will become familiar with the Colorado Revised Statutes, the Rules of the State Board of Accountancy, and the Policies adopted by the Board currently in effect and how the statutes, rules, and policies pertain to them. Specific rules reviewed include the following: