CFO Series: Do Creative Accountants Belong in Prison?
June 19, 2026
Vendor Webinar
2 CPE Credits
Instructor
Don Minges
CFO Series: Do Creative Accountants Belong in Prison?
View Bio
Instructor
Don
Minges
View Bio
Don Minges, MBA
Bio
Don Minges is a fractional CFO who worked in diverse industries at various stages of development. He has experience in profitability enhancement, strategic planning, venture capital, mergers and acquisitions, consulting, turnarounds, economic forecasting, cost accounting and financial analysis. Minges has experience raising equity for several growing firms and also has invested equity capital into promising businesses. He has served on the board of directors of many firms. Minges graduated with highest honors from the Fuqua School of Business at Duke.
Creativity is one of the top ten most desirable traits, but should everyone, including accountants, be creative? Are there exceptions? What are the positives and the negatives of creativity? Creativity can be used for good, but creativity can also lead to seriously unethical behaviors. There is a strong relationship between creativity and dishonesty. We will review the negative consequences of creativity and discuss how to properly utilize resourcefulness and imagination. The title is not rhetorical
creativity can easily be great or disreputable. Learn how to make it work for you and be ethical.
Learning Objectives
After attending this presentation, you will be able to...
Analyze the role of creativity in unethical behavior.
Asses the causes of fraud.
Utilize creativity in a beneficial manner.
Major Topics
The major topics that will be covered in this course include:
Should accountants be creative?
The pros and cons of creativity
The inherent problems of creativity; creativity is not an excuse!
The tangled correlations between creativity, ethics and dishonesty
The interrelationship between the Code of Professional Conduct and creativity
Citations from the Code of Professional Conduct.
What is the impact of creative accounting on our constituencies?
How to effectively and ethically harness creativity
CPE Credits Available
2 CPE Credits
2
Regulatory Ethics
Things to Know About This Course
Course Level
Intermediate
Professional Area of Focus
Regulatory Ethics
Prerequisites
None, preferably at least six (6) months of professional financial statement analysis experience and/or at least six (6) months of professional experience in preparing or reviewing accounting processes and reports; experience working with internal clients or external clients and business leaders.
Advanced Preparation
None
Intended Audience
Financial leaders, financial managers, CEOs, CFOs, controllers, accountants, board members, advisors, and consultants; CPAs in public practice and CPAs in industry; business owners, entrepreneurs and professionals who are interested in realizing more value from the organization.
