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In 2016, The War Rages On for All the Management Accountants

Ever since the CGMA hit the scene, we've all been subjected to the campaign blitz by the AICPA and CIMA to convince everyone that the CGMA is the fairest management accounting credential in all the land.

It was cute in those early days because you could mail in a form, pay a fee and get a CGMA, no questions asked. This allowed the AICPA/CIMA brass to make ridiculous claims like, "WE'RE THE LARGEST MANAGEMENT ACCOUNTING CREDENTIAL IN THE COUNTRY" which is a little like your local Sheriff's office boasting about all their Junior Deputy Sheriffs out there, protecting and serving their respective living rooms. 

Nevertheless, our mockery has not slowed down the CGMA machine. A couple years ago, taking a test became part of obtaining the credential, people started showing CGMA pride on LinkedIn and late last year, the AICPA and CIMA announced that their joint venture that created the credential would be creating a "new accounting association" whose "primary focus would be on accountants working in industry and management accounting."

Funny thing, you may have heard of another global association of "accountants and financial professionals working in business" called the Institute of Management Accountants. They've been around a while, since 1919, have over 75,000 members and even issue a credential, the CMA. Now, I can't say for sure, but my hunch is that the IMA might feel like the AICPA and CIMA are wandering onto a sacred ground where they're most definitely not wanted. Sorta like unwelcome guests in your neighborhood bar. You know the type — they're getting loud, hitting on the bartenders and filling up the jukebox with Creed and Nickelback. There's not really much you can do because you don't want to make a scene, but FUCK THOSE GUYS. WHY DON'T THEY GET LOST.

Despite the ongoing intrusion, the IMA released their annual report today to let everyone know that they're doing just fine, GREAT EVEN: 

The Institute of Management Accountants reported more than 3,500 new professionals earned the Certified Management Accountant credential in 2015, the highest number in any fiscal year and a 17 percent increase over 2014.

The IMA also saw a 19 percent growth in overall CMA candidates last year, according to its newly issued annual report. The organization experienced a 10 percent growth in revenue in fiscal year 2015, and expanded to 138 countries.

There are a combined 300 professional and student chapters worldwide, including eight new chapters in India. As part of its mission to provide members with educational experiences and opportunities for service and involvement, IMA also provided more than 156,000 hours of continuing professional education.

I may be alone in this, but I'm really looking forward to watching the IMA and AICPA/CIMA battle each for all the management accounting souls out there. I want it to get ugly, too. I'm talking hashtags, attack ads, diss songs, etc. Anything that keeps things interesting, frankly. We're still talking about accounting credentials, after all.

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