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Based on the founding principles of the Credit Research Foundation over 60 years ago, CRF is committed to providing quality educational and training programs. CRF's roots are grounded in this discipline.
To foster that mission, the Credit Research Foundation has developed the foremost training platform for B2B credit and business finance professionals - CRFOnline Classroom™ .
Announcement - CRF is pleased to announce that the CRFOnline Classroom™ courses now qualify for NACM Career Road Map Points towards CBF and CCE certification and NACM Educational Recertification Points towards CCE recertification. ( For details on specific courses click on Detailed Course Descriptions).
CRF's cutting-edge online classroom is designed for today's economic turmoil to provide the best training available in both content and instruction and to:
- Cut travel
- Increase productivity and
- Improve your training experience
The CRFOnline Classroom™ will:
- Present engaging content, delivered by highly recognized and respected instructors in the field of credit, accounts receivable and financial management;
- It will generate the highest return on investment for your training dollar;
- Deliver credit training anywhere you have Internet access, and
- Test your competency at the completion of each module to ensure you are benefiting from the work.
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Videos on this CRF website require a Flash enabled browser. |
Click the player start button to see a video that discusses the objectives and role of the CRFOnline Classroom™ for today's credit and financial professionals.
Employees often require training at short notice. Sometimes a suitable public training course cannot be found because of different personnel needs and time availability. In addition, business demands require flexibility.
CRF's Online Classroom™ platform provides great flexibility and added value to allow credit personnel to receive the best training available, the most cost effective way, at a time that fits the employee and the company's schedule.
Our CRFOnlineClassroom™ has been developed to accommodate two distinct class environments. They are:
1. Classes that involve several modules are more detailed and rigorous. Here we put students into a group environment where the group or virtual class benefits from a cohort learning experience. This virtual classroom facilitates discussion among classmates and the instructor; but, you will work at your own pace. 2. On-Demand classes where you will work alone, following along in our classroom at your own pace, but with no other students. You will have access to the instructor in the event you need help by email. These classes are one or more module(s) each and are very specific subject matter learning experiences.
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Our virtual classroom technology will be open for the period of time the session runs (usually 6-8 weeks), but for ultimate convenience, students can participate anytime, at their convenience during the session offering - all you need is a computer, the Internet and speakers.
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You will have feedback from the instructor on any questions or help needed while taking the course.
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On the group classes, you will be able to interact with your fellow "classmates" and instructor in the virtual class through the Discussion Board.
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Our on-line platform includes an onscreen notepad enabling the student to compose, review, save and print notes as they work through the presentation.
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All reading materials are downloadable right on the Classroom page where students also have access to the class calendar and announcements and discussion board.
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The CRFOnline Classroom™ is a viable alternative to in-house training because it is designed for situations where one, or many people, need affordable training.
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Credit Research Foundation's Online Classroom™ works for you to provide a learning solution that has been proven to be effective by hundreds of US companies in live workshop settings. We've taken the travel and expense out of the best training your credit staff can get.
CRFOnline Classroom™ is a registered trademark of the Credit Research Foundation™. |
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Course 140: Preparing for Bankruptcies and Customer Insolvencies
Developed and Delivered by
The Bankruptcy & Restructuring practice group of Cooley, LLP 
This course offers students a comprehensive overview of how to prepare for, and best position your company when customers become financially insolvent or enter into bankruptcy.
Taught by three principals – Larry Gottlieb, Jay Indyke and Cathy Hershcopf - from the nationally recognized law firm of Cooley LLP, students will participate in seven learning sessions totaling five hours of intensive online classroom training.
Each session is followed by an assessment test to measure how well information is being retained. These assessments tests are not counted toward the final grade; but are designed to help students focus additional time on sections of the course that may require further review of the material in preparation for the Final Exam. The Final Exam consists of selected questions from the seven assessment tests and will be graded. Students receiving a score of 70% or higher will be awarded a framed CRF “Certificate of Professional Development” to acknowledge their accomplishment. A Glossary of Terms is also provided to help explain the terms used in this course and to save for future reference.
Preparing for Bankruptcies and Customer Insolvencies is an on-demand course, allowing students to work independently and at their own pace to accommodate the time demands of busy professionals. Students may take as little or as much time as they need to complete the course. Prior to taking the Final Exam, students may revisit any or all of the seven video learning sessions.
The seven online learning sessions cover the following categories:
· Protecting and Elevating Claims
· Material Case Events
· Contracts in Bankruptcy
· General information about claims in Bankruptcy
· Case Exit Strategies
· Cross Border Issues
· Related Matters Outside of Bankruptcy
Detailed course description
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Course 101: Basic Financial Statements
Developed and Delivered by
Steven C. Isberg, Ph.D, Senior Research Fellow, Credit Research Foundation
Course 101 - Basic Financial Statements
The purpose of this online course is to provide participants with an understanding of financial statement structure and the relationships between business activity, accounting transactions, and financial reporting. Students will be able to put the knowledge and skills gained through this course to immediate use to benefit their organization.
Session Objectives
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The Balance Sheet: This session provides participants with an understanding of the elements and basic structure of a balance sheet for a corporate entity.
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The Income Statement: This session provides participants with an understanding of the elements and basic structure of an income statement for a corporate entity.
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Basic Accounting Transactions: This session provides participants with an understanding of the double-entry accounting system, how transactions affect different accounts and how account balances are used to create financial statements with application to a retailing environment.
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Accounting Transactions in the Manufacturing Environment: This session extends the lessons learned in Session 3 to cover more detailed transactions, in particular those that are found in a manufacturing environment.
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Cash Flow Statements: This session provides participants with the ability to construct a cash flow statement from a set of balance sheets and an income statement and understand its meaning.
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Market Value Transactions: This session provides participants with an understanding of a variety of “marked to market” and other market value transactions and how they affect the appearance and meaning of balance sheets and income statements.
Detailed course description |
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Course 102: Financial Ratio Analysis
Developed and Delivered by
Steven C. Isberg, Ph.D, Senior Research Fellow, Credit Research Foundation
Financial Ratio Analysis
The purpose of this online course is to provide participants with an understanding of the different types of financial ratios. This is the companion to CRF 101: Basic Financial Statements. Students will learn what makes up financial ratios and what they convey about the current financial status and financial direction of companies as revealed in their financial statements. Knowledge and skills gained through this course can be put to immediate use to benefit their organization.
This course consists of the following video and slide sessions:
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Overview of Financial Analysis and the Dupont Ratio
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Profitability and Efficiency Ratios
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Liquidity and Leverage Ratios
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Structure and Performance of Retailers
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Structure and Performance of Distributors
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Structure and Performance of Manufacturers
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Structure and Performance of Technology Companies
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Structure and Performance of Service Companies
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Comprehensive Financial Analysis Part 1
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Comprehensive Financial Analysis Part 2
Detailed course description |
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Course 125: Receivable Management
Developed and Delivered by: Lyle P Wallis, CCE,, Vice President of Research, Credit Research Foundation
Receivable Management - The course, intended for credit team members looking to enhance their level of knowledge in credit management, provides an insight into the key components of formulating a strategy designed to enhance efficiencies in managing a business receivable portfolio.
Most "Principles" courses in credit today are geared toward the entry level credit person who has a need to learn what credit is all about. This program, on the other hand is designed for those individuals who already have a general understanding of the credit management function. It provides the student who has a genuine interest in receivable management a deeper understanding of the intricacies in administering a receivable portfolio and places them on a career path to becoming a productive manager in the discipline of credit management.
Receivable Management Syllabus:
Lesson 1: Fundamental Aspects of Credit Management
Lesson 2: Credit Department Structure
Lesson 3: Credit Decision Making
Lesson 4: Collections
Lesson 5: Managing Customer Deductions
Lesson 6 & 8: The Legal Aspects of Commercial Credit Granting & Dealing with a Distressed Customer
Lesson 7: Risk Mitigation Strategies & Devices
Lesson 9: Evaluating Receivable Management Performance
This course is taught by Lyle Wallis, CCE, Vice President of Research for the Credit Research Foundation. Lyle has over 30 years of practical credit management experience working for several major US corporations. The material in this course is largely based on material compiled by the Credit Research Foundation.
Detailed course description |
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Course 150: Mechanic’s Liens – A National Perspective
Developed and Delivered by
Jerry Bailey - Executive Sales and Education Services Manager for NCS
This course offers students a comprehensive overview of how to preserve a business’s credit position in building projects through the exercise of the lien process for private sector projects and the bonding process in public sector projects.
Who should take this course? Owners and employees of contractors, sub-contractors and material suppliers to building projects.
This course is taught by Jerry Bailey who has 15 years of experience in administering the lien filing process and teaching about it. He imparts his extensive knowledge in this 1-hour and 40-minute classroom video and slide presentation.
The main topical areas covered are:
• Introduction to the lien process
• Value of protecting accounts receivable
• Examination into the different interests in a building project
• Steps required to protect lien rights
• Diligence involved with each step
• Issues to be considered in the foreclosure process.
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Course 110: Principles and Methods of Collection
Developed and Delivered by:
Emil Hartleb, Executive Director, Commercial Collection Agency Association
Jessica Butler, Principal, Attain Consulting Group, LLC
Lyle Wallis, VP Research, Credit Research Foundation
Principles and Methods of Collection - This program provides introductory and mid-level skills refinement training.
This course, Principles and Methods of Collections provides the students with an understanding and insight into the importance of their roles in the management of Accounts Receivables. It also provides concise and practical information and actual role playing scenarios on effective and ineffective collection techniques that will help serious students increase their proficiency in the collection process. It is designed to indoctrinate those new to credit into the field of collections and to provide tips and techniques to help seasoned collection professionals sharpen their skills.
Detailed course description |
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Course 135: Defending Preferences in Bankruptcy
Developed and Delivered by:
Hal Schaeffer, President, D&H Services
Defending Preferences in Bankruptcy
In today's challenging economic environment, credit professionals must be more prepared than ever to recognize signs of financial distress among their customers. This course teaches what to look for to determine whether a customer is experiencing such financial distress and what to do to protect against financial losses from sales to distressed customers.
This course provides practical advice on what specific steps can be taken once a customer files bankruptcy in order to be better prepared to reduce or even prevent any financial losses to your company.
This course will also provide the precise definition of a preference payment and what practical measures can be taken to reduce your company's exposure to preference actions and how to reduce financial losses due to correctly filed preference actions by a bankrupted customer's estate.
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Course 115: Unclaimed Property Law Compliance for A/R Management
Developed and Delivered by:
Karen Anderson, Senior Compliance Advisor, Abandoned Property Services LLC
Brad Komarek, Credit Manager/Assistant Treasurer, Arizant Healthcare
Unclaimed Property: The Risk & the Reality for Credit and A/R Managers - This program provides introductory level and skills refinement training.
Don't Be Caught Unprepared - Know How to Account for Unclaimed Property
Unclaimed property can come in a variety of forms such as unused customer/client credits, refunds, unapplied cash, and uncashed vendor checks. While some may view this as free money for a company, the reality is quite the opposite. All unclaimed property must be accounted for to the appropriate state and eventually must be returned to those states. Not properly accounting for unclaimed property may result in state fines and penalties or even criminal penalties.
By taking this course you'll learn the basic information required to properly account for unclaimed property within your company and how to prepare for any state audits of your company's unclaimed property.
This course is designed as a refresher for those with some knowledge and experience as well as for the beginner in the topic of unclaimed property.
Detailed course description |
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Course 120: Managing Sales Tax Exemption Certificates
Developed and Delivered by: Silvia Aguirre, Senior Principal, Tax Technology Services LLC
Be Prepared for Sales and Use Tax Audits - This program provides introductory level and skills refinement training.
If your company sells products or services to other companies, chances are no sales taxes are required to be charged on those sales. However, it is important to have the proper sales tax exemption certificates maintained and filed for those sales or your company could be subject to negative state audit findings and even fines and penalty charges. This course is designed to provide the basic information needed to prepare a company to properly file and maintain sales tax exemption certificates and to prepare to successfully defend against any state sales tax audits.
This class is taught by Silvia Aguirre, principal of Tax Technology Services, LLC, a company that helps businesses comply with state sales and use tax regulations. Silvia also has extensive prior experience as a state sales tax regulator so she knows the subject both from the perspective of the auditor and company being audited.
This course is designed as a refresher for those with some knowledge and experience as well as for the beginner in the topic of Managing Sales Tax Exemption Certificates.
Detailed course description |
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Course 130: Doing Business with the Federal Government
Developed and Delivered by:
George Reaver, Director, Government Receivables & Research Bureau
This course, “Doing Business with the Federal Government” is designed to help those who are seeking or currently doing business with the federal government get paid for the delivery of their goods and services on a timely basis.
George Reaver, the instructor, imparts his extensive knowledge and experience of the federal contracting and payment processes, to provide students with an overview of the federal bureaucracy and payment process. The payment procedures taught in this course should give greater clarity to those new to the federal contracting process as well as provide a greater insight to those who have some experience with it.
Course Topics:
- How to administer a federal contract
- An overview of the Federal governmental department structure
- Contracting Rules and Regulations
- Where the major payment dispersing centers are for various agencies
- The major components necessary for a successful contracting and payment arrangement
- Invoice processing, including electronic invoicing
- The Disbursement Process
- An explanation of the different types of Federal Contracts
- The contract modification process
Major terms will be defined and explained such as:
- Wide Area Workflow
- Federal Acquisition Regulations
- Defense Federal Acquisition Regulations
Detailed course description
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Course 145: Credit Knowledge Essentials
Developed and Delivered by:
Attorney Scott Blakeley – Principal of Blakeley & Blakeley LLP
Scott Blakeley is a seasoned attorney knowledgeable in issues related to credit and receivable management. His firm includes experienced attorneys whose practice focuses on creditor’s rights, bankruptcy, and corporate litigation.
This course offers students an overview of the fundamental elements in the field of receivable management and the basic legal issues and requirements pertaining to them.
There are three video instructional sessions which cover:
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Credit applications and vendor contracts;
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Fair Credit Reporting Act and Equal Credit Opportunity Act and;
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Federal & State Antitrust Laws.
This course is ideal for beginners in the field of receivable management as well as those who want to refresh or expand their knowledge of some of the fundamental legal aspects of credit management.
Detailed Course Description |
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