Lest anyone mistake my view, I firmly believe in continuing professional education. I want to learn something of use, both professionally and personally, every day; I hope that in some cases my readers will take the will for the deed.

Howbeit, as this year draws to its cliché, I am bombarded by pitches from alleged CPE providers, intimating dire consequences if I don’t cough up.

I sent off an e-mail to Office of Enrollment to request clarification, after trying their phone number, which is useless.

I would make a political remark about IRS funding, but this is a non-political blog; there are enough toxic waste sites, and I am sure there will be a lot more without any additions from me.

How much of the stuff the CPE-floggers put out is of use? A few are valuable; without naming names, education tax credits and tax issues in divorce have helped. But the tenth course in “choosing an entity for the small business” is neither instructive nor amusing.

But obviously there’s money in it. Hence the title of this rant.