Knowledge is power.

• Author: Simko, David A.
• Position: A message FROM THE CHAIR

How much time do you have to make yourself more knowledgable, and thereby more powerful? Under today's information overload, it can be difficult to glean the information you need to know while meeting deadlines and still making it to your child's soccer game.

One of the ways The Ohio Society addresses this problem is by offering Professional Issues Updates across the state. In just a morning or an afternoon, you can catch up on everything you need to know about your profession in an easily digestible format.

The discussion includes personal commentary from leaders in the profession, including AICPA President Barry Melancon, CPA, Ohio Society President and CEO Clarke Price, and yours truly. This isn't a dry reading of the headlines--it is an analysis of what the headlines mean to you as a CPA and a member of The Ohio Society. Instead of spending hours poring through publications and Web sites, you can hear and discuss what matters to you in one sitting.

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

The Professional Issues Updates are free to members and worth four credits of CPE. With programs in both the spring and fall, that is eight hours of free CPE just for being a member of The Ohio Society. In other words, you get roughly a 50 percent return on your dues investment by attending just one Professional Issues Update. Attend both the fall and spring series and get a 100 percent return on your membership investment. Not attending the updates means missing a great opportunity for your own professional advancement and getting more out of your membership.

The updates also provide opportunities to meet and network with other CPAs in your area. Are you a sole practitioner? The sole CPA in your company? Meet other CPAs with whom you can talk shop. Even if you are with a large firm like I am, this is an opportunity to meet others in the profession and add to your business network.

The fall updates cover a broad array of topics, including:

* Requirements for serving clients in other states

* Audit work papers becoming public

* The increasing influence of the...