HAWTHORNE, N.Y.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Thirty-five years ago, MS-DOS was released by Microsoft on the first IBM PC, Ronald Reagan became President and SmartPros opened its doors for business. Now, after leading nearly seven million educational courses that have helped countless financial professionals to advance their careers, SmartPros is widely recognized as one of the pioneers in accredited professional education.
“Coming out of college, I would have never guessed that I would be where I am today,” said Jack Fingerhut, co-founder of SmartPros. “After graduation, I worked in a major CPA firm for three years, moved to a corporate financial position and then went back to public accounting. It was then that I realized my true love and calling, continuing professional education (CPE).”
The idea came to him while working as a manager in the CPE Department and as a line auditor, during a time when video was first making its way onto the home market scene. He quickly realized that it was the perfect tool for training, and could also be used to help accountants meet yearly CPE requirements. It was in May of 1981, when Fingerhut left the accounting firm and co-founded SmartPros.
In the late ‘80s, SmartPros introduced its flagship product—the Financial Management Network (FMN)—that provides monthly news (and CPE) to accountants on hot topics in the profession and is still used today. While technology has changed greatly over the years—moving from VHS/Beta tape to DVD to video streaming and online learning—the constant has been Jack’s passion for learning and education and finding new ways to enhance a student’s learning experience.
Today, SmartPros combined subscription libraries feature more than 1,000 course titles covering subjects in the accounting, financial services and information technology industries. Content is delivered via the award-winning SmartPros eCampusTM Learning Management System (LMS), offering enterprise-wide distribution and administration capabilities for corporations and associations.
The vast majority of SmartPros courses meet the requirements for accredited professional education, such as continuing professional education (CPE) credits for certified public accountant, certified management accountant, certified financial manager, certified fraud examiner, certified internal auditor and enrolled agent designations, as well as many others.
SmartPros offers an unmatched depth of regulatory training in areas that are complex and difficult to navigate and acquire – at the same time making it interesting and engaging – critical in today’s business.
In 2015, SmartPros became part of Kaplan Inc., a leading global provider of education, training and certification for organizations and individuals, and operates within the Kaplan Professional Education division.
“SmartPros has demonstrated a commitment to learning and education, and in finding new ways to enhance a student’s learning experience,” said Dr. Andrew C. Temte, President of Kaplan Professional Education. “We look forward to the next 35 years, as SmartPros continues to bring innovation and new insights to accredited learning.”
For more information, go to www.smartpros.com.
About Kaplan
Kaplan, Inc. serves over 1.2 million students globally each year through its array of higher education, test preparation, professional education, English-language training, and university preparation, and offerings to individuals, institutions, and businesses. Across its 75-plus year history, first as small test-prep pioneer and then an early online education leader and now a global education provider, Kaplan has been recognized for expanding educational access and using technology and learning science innovations to continually improve outcomes for its students and partners. Kaplan has operations in over 30 countries, employs more than 19,000 full and part-time professionals, and maintains relationships and partnerships with more than 1,000 school districts, colleges, and universities, and over 2,600 corporations and businesses.
Kaplan Professional Education helps professionals obtain in-demand certifications, licensing and designations that enable them to advance and succeed in their careers. Through live and online instruction, Kaplan Professional Education provides test preparation, licensing, continuing education, and professional development programs to businesses and individuals in the accounting, insurance, securities, real estate, financial planning, and information technology industries.
Kaplan is a subsidiary of Graham Holdings Company (NYSE: GHC) and its largest division. For more information, please visit www.kaplan.com.
