CeriFi CPEdge

What it is

CeriFi CPEdge is a continuing professional education (CPE) provider for accountants and tax professionals. Its home page introduces it as "CeriFi CPEdge (formerly Checkpoint Learning)", and a banner headed "New Name, New Look, Same Passion" presents CPEdge as "the new identity for Checkpoint Learning." The self-study page describes the courses as "the highest quality self-study CPE for CPAs and Enrolled Agents" and says the company has "more than 25 years of experience as a technology-based CPE provider."

CPEdge belongs to CeriFi, whose footer address is in Alpharetta, GA, and whose footer lists its other education brands, among them Spidell and Fast Forward Academy in tax and accounting. This entry covers CPEdge itself. The home page offers two routes: choose from a range of expert-led courses, or take a subscription plan for unlimited learning.

Ways to learn

The site's menu lists the formats on offer: webinars and virtual conferences, on-demand webinars, self-study courses, seminars, conferences, certificate programs and nano courses. Courses are grouped under Accounting & Auditing, Taxation, Ethics, Management, Professional Development, Specialized Knowledge, Technology and Yellowbook.

The home page shows the kind of material in each list. Trending courses include a Monthly Tax Alert, Accounting Changes and Error Corrections, a GAAP Guide on the balance sheet and Ethics for CPAs. New titles include External Confirmation Changes Under SAS 150, Liquidating Distributions in a Corporation or Partnership, a Small Business Advisory course on tax entity selection and optimization, and Customer Service as a Business Strategy. Upcoming live events include a Quarterly Government Alert, Special Tax Issues for Senior Citizen Clients, a session on the decedent's final return, and Reviewing Tax Returns: So Much More Than Just Checking for Errors.

Self-study courses

Self-study is the core of the catalog. The company says it maintains "more than 500 self-study CPE courses, with 30-50 new courses added each year," running from basic to advanced. A single course can carry up to 17 credits, and the self-study page says "A variety of print and online CPE credit options helps you reach your target."

Online courses are self-paced. Learners can "Start in your office and continue anywhere, anytime," saving their work and picking up again "even if you don't have WiFi access." Exams are graded automatically, so there is no wait for results, and a passing learner receives "an instant certificate of completion." There is no cap on attempts: "Take your exam as many times as you need to pass and master your subject." Ethics, which many states require, gets its own promise: "If your state requires it, we offer it."

For those who prefer paper, Gear Up self-study courses "are available in print format with optional video and audio presentations." Gear Up also runs the seminars and conferences that the subscription tiers discount.

A testimonial on the self-study page, from Teresa Kerbe, explains the appeal for someone in public accounting: "I no longer have to track what courses I have taken and when I took them. It is all done for me through CeriFi CPEdge. If I need to access my course completion certificates, all I need to do is sign onto my online account and there it is under the Activity History tab."

Subscription plans

The self-study page compares three CPE packages, Professional, Premier and Premier Plus, with "plans available over one, two and three years." For multi-year subscriptions the page notes that buyers make a single purchase upfront. Every package includes the full self-study library and the company's compliance tracking tool, which records and analyzes courses against the learner's licenses.

• Professional, pitched "FOR THOSE WHO ARE BUDGET CONSCIOUS AND LIKE TO STUDY AT THEIR OWN TIME, EVEN OFFLINE." It lists a CPE credit value of 1,700+, the CPE tracker and compliance monitoring, and 500+ self-study courses.
• Premier, marked Most popular, whose included webinars "ADD THE OPTION TO EARN CPE CREDITS ONLINE WITHOUT THE EXAM." It lists 3,500+ CPE credits, the tracker, the self-study library, live webinars, the two-day Year-End Update Conference at a discount, and online seminars and conferences at a discount (up to 24 hours).
• Premier Plus, "FOR INDUSTRY-LEADING PROFESSIONALS WHO VALUE WEBINARS AND IN-PERSON EVENTS." It lists 4,200+ CPE credits, live and on-demand webinars, the two-day Year-End Update Conference included ($700 value), online seminars and conferences at a discount (up to 40 hours), nano courses, professional development learning plans, and a subscription to Spidell's Federal Taxletter.

The comparison table also shows discounts of 20% and 25% on Gear Up seminars and conferences for the plans that include them. The comparison shows no prices; each plan has a subscription selector and an Add to cart button.

A footnote matters for planning: "Some state requirements cannot be met with self-study CPE credits only. Some require a variety of formats." That is one reason to look past the entry plan if a state board demands live hours.

Compliance tracking

The tracker is included in every package and covers "all 50 state boards of accountancy and over 20 additional regulators/ certifications, including PCAOB, Yellow Book, CFE, CFP, IRS Enrolled Agents, and CTEC." For professionals who hold a CPA license alongside an EA credential, a CFE or a CFP, that means one record of courses checked against several sets of rules. The footer links to CPE accreditation information and a License/CPE Info resource.

For firms

A Buy for Team menu covers group CPE subscriptions, firm learning management and custom course development, and a separate CPE Network entry sits under subscriptions. The self-study page says "Companies can purchase different subscription packages for their users and track progress individually," and invites firms with more than 50 users to contact the company for a price quote.

Support and resources

Sales has its own phone line in the site header, and a Contact Us page, user guides, system requirements and an Our Experts page sit under Resources. A newsletter offers updates and special offers.

Who it suits and who it does not

CeriFi CPEdge suits CPAs and Enrolled Agents who need a steady supply of tax and accounting CPE every year and want the record-keeping handled for them. The 500+ self-study courses, the offline option and unlimited exam attempts serve professionals who study around client work, and the tracker earns its place for anyone juggling several licenses or credentials. Firms get group subscriptions, per-user packages and progress tracking.

The caveats are practical. A learner on the Professional plan relies on self-study, and the site itself warns that some states will not accept self-study alone. The richer plans add webinars and conference access, so a CPA who needs live hours should compare the tiers against their state's rules. Firms above 50 users buy on a quote rather than at list price.