Ethics & Professional Responsibility for Texas CPAs Webinar

To provide Texas CPAs and other finance professionals with ethics education that satisfies the Texas ethics CPE requirement while strengthening their understanding of TSBPA rules, professional standards, and ethical decision-making.

• The four core ethical principles: independence, integrity, objectivity, and competence
• The relationship between morals and ethics in professional decision-making
• History and evolution of ethics in the accounting profession
• Evolution of ethics requirements for Texas CPAs
• Texas Public Accountancy Act and the authority of the Texas State Board of Public Accountancy (TSBPA)
• Texas Administrative Code (TAC) and TSBPA Rules of Professional Conduct
• Comparison of the TSBPA Rules of Professional Conduct and the AICPA Code of Professional Conduct
• Ethical responsibilities of CPAs in public accounting, industry, government, and non-practice
• Professional judgment, ethical reasoning, and decision-making frameworks
• Independence, integrity, objectivity, competence, and professional skepticism in practice
• Historical accounting frauds and ethics case studies, including Enron, McKesson & Robbins, Waste Management, and Wirecard
• Current ethical challenges facing the profession, including technology, globalization, and emerging risks
• TSBPA ethics CPE requirements, investigations, disciplinary actions, and enforcement
• Practical application of ethical principles through real-world scenarios and case studies

James Tacker, Owner, Tacker & Raforth, PC

To provide Texas CPAs and other finance professionals with ethics education that satisfies the Texas ethics CPE requirement while strengthening their understanding of TSBPA rules, professional standards, and ethical decision-making.

DETAILED LEARNING OBJECTIVES

• Identify how the Texas Rules of Professional Conduct apply to CPAs working in education

• Recognize the TSBPA’s disciplinary authority over Texas licensees working outside traditional practice settings or locations

• Distinguish the mandatory professional conduct rules applicable to CPAs working in industry and government

• Apply the integrity and objectivity requirements to financial reporting pressures in a corporate environment

• Identify recognized authoritative sources of Generally Accepted Auditing Standards

• Explain the disclosure requirements for a permissible departure from GAAP

• Identify the professional standards applicable to tax services

• Recognize the consequences of associating a CPA’s name with financial statements without complying with GAAS

• Identify the authoritative body responsible for establishing accounting principles under Texas professional standards

• Describe the alternative Texas CPA licensure pathway effective August 1, 2026

• Identify the rolling three-year CPE requirement for Texas CPAs

• Identify the Texas-specific ethics CPE requirement for licensees

• Identify the minimum annual CPE requirement for Texas CPAs

• Recognize conduct considered discreditable under the Texas Rules of Professional Conduct

• Identify sanctions that may be included in a TSBPA Agreed Consent Order

• Determine the deadline for reporting a felony conviction to the TSBPA

• Identify the professional services that subject a CPA firm to peer review

• Identify the standard peer-review cycle for CPA firms

• Determine when a sole proprietorship must be licensed by the TSBPA

• Recognize when a CPA firm may claim an exemption from peer review

• The four core ethical principles: independence, integrity, objectivity, and competence
• The relationship between morals and ethics in professional decision-making
• History and evolution of ethics in the accounting profession
• Evolution of ethics requirements for Texas CPAs
• Texas Public Accountancy Act and the authority of the Texas State Board of Public Accountancy (TSBPA)
• Texas Administrative Code (TAC) and TSBPA Rules of Professional Conduct
• Comparison of the TSBPA Rules of Professional Conduct and the AICPA Code of Professional Conduct
• Ethical responsibilities of CPAs in public accounting, industry, government, and non-practice
• Professional judgment, ethical reasoning, and decision-making frameworks
• Independence, integrity, objectivity, competence, and professional skepticism in practice
• Historical accounting frauds and ethics case studies, including Enron, McKesson & Robbins, Waste Management, and Wirecard
• Current ethical challenges facing the profession, including technology, globalization, and emerging risks
• TSBPA ethics CPE requirements, investigations, disciplinary actions, and enforcement
• Practical application of ethical principles through real-world scenarios and case studies

James Tacker, Owner, Tacker & Raforth, PC