"The CMA is the recognized professional designation for managment accountants and financial managers and is recognized by many as the equivalent to a CPA for these accounting professionals."

I became a member of the Denver chapter of the IMA in 1990. I joined with the specific intent of becoming a CMA. I believed that possession of this credential was necessary for my career to be successful. I remember reading the above quotation many times and in many different IMA pamphlets and publications, and in non-IMA study guides and review courses. Now, let me tell you why I believe the statement to be true.

By the time a person passes the CMA exam, that person has a working knowledge of the theoretical underpinnings of financial and managerial accounting, decision analysis, the marketplace, relevant restrictions placed on business, the structure of business, and perhaps most importantly, a knowledge of the psychology of the work place. A working knowledge means that the concepts are understood to the point where they can be applied, communicated to others, and be reasonably defended when scrutinized. This is the level to which the CMA understands the Body of Knowledge.

Then there are the Standards of Ethical Conduct for Management Accountants. The Standards help to assure that all CMA's, (and indeed all IMA members), act honestly, responsibly, and always with the employer's best interest in mind, provided that the employer is acting ethically. This is of great help to employer, employed accountant, and the community at large. Additionally, there is one component of the Standards which acts as a catalyst and empowers the CMA.

The final portion of the Competence section of the Standards is, for me, what empowers the Body of Knowledge. That portion states that, "Management Accountants have a responsibility to: "Communicate information fairly and objectively," and that they/we, "Disclose fully all relevant information that could reasonably be expected to influence an intended user's understanding of the reports, comments, and recommendations after appropriate analysis of relevant and reliable information."

Therefore, CMA's have the responsibility, (and if the responsibility exists, the right exists alongside it), to develop recommendations and communicate them to appropriate levels of management within the company or entity. This responsibility, (or right), can effectively transform the CMA from being a reporter, to being a visionary; from being a part of the control cycle, to being a part of the planning cycle; from being someone who reacts to what has happened, to being someone who helps map out what will happen. When you understand a business, this can occur through the intelligent use of accounting data, (both past and projected), analyzed carefully, reviewed thoughtfully and presented tactfully.

I am proud to be a CMA and I am honored to be counted as a fellow member of the IMA with all the CMA's from the Denver chapter.