The Statement of Ethical Professional Practice is the IMA’s formal code of ethics for management accountants and financial professionals. It’s built around four guiding principles — Honesty, Fairness, Objectivity, and Responsibility — and four supporting standards: Competence, Confidentiality, Integrity, and Credibility. The Statement also includes a “Resolution of Ethical Conflict” framework that walks you through how to handle an ethics issue, starting with internal discussion with your immediate supervisor and escalating through the chain of command. Every IMA member and CMA agrees to abide by this code, and it is tested directly on the CMA exam. Print it out and read it carefully, both for the exam and for the rest of your career.
