Finance Exam Prep

About Finance Exam Prep

Finance Exam Prep is a daily podcast designed to help future tax and finance professionals pass their certification and licensing exams with clarity and confidence. Built and operated by OpenExamPrep, this podcast breaks down major tax exams into focused, easy-to-digest episodes covering the CPA & Enrolled Agent (EA) Exam, including Part 1 (Individuals), Part 2 (Businesses), and Part 3 (Representation, Practices, and Procedures). Each episode targets one key tax concept, common exam trap, or high-frequency test topic—making it ideal for studying during commutes, workouts, or short study sessions. Created by Ran Chen, EA, CFP®, a financial professional and exam specialist who has personally passed multiple professional licensing exams, Tax Exam Prep was developed from firsthand experience with how complex—and often poorly explained—tax exam material can be. The goal is simple: make tax exam preparation clearer, more accessible, and more effective through structured explanations and modern learning tools. Whether you’re preparing for the EA Exam, transitioning into a tax career, or reviewing before test day, this podcast is designed to guide you step by step—one concept at a time. Free practice tools, AI-powered explanations, and additional exam prep resources are available at: https://open-exam-prep.com/

Publisher

Ran Chen, EA, CFP®

Category

business · education · education

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

15 Jan 2026

Latest episode

11 Oct 2026

Latest episodes

267 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   11 Oct 2026

   Enrolled Agent Exam [Part 3] 67, Penalty Abatement and Reasonable Cause

   This podcast is made by Ran Chen, who holds an EA license, Insurance and Securities licenses (Series 6, 63, 65), and the CFP® designation. He is passionate about opening access to high-quality exam preparation resources and helping learners prepare more effectively for professional certification exams. In this episode you will learn: - The three strict requirements for the First-Time Abate (FTA) administrative waiver. - How the core standard of "ordinary business care and prudence" is applied in reasonable cause cases. - The critical exam trap involving reliance on a tax advisor and the need for full disclosure. - Key differences between penalty abatement and the much more limited criteria for interest abatement. - The taxpayer's right to appeal a denied penalty abatement request. For more free exam prep tools, practice questions, and AI-powered explanations, visit https://open-exam-prep.com/ or YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@Open-exam-prep

2. 

   10 Oct 2026

   Enrolled Agent Exam [Part 3] 66, Bankruptcy and the Collection Statute

   This podcast is made by Ran Chen, who holds an EA license, Insurance and Securities licenses (Series 6, 63, 65), and the CFP® designation. He is passionate about opening access to high-quality exam preparation resources and helping learners prepare more effectively for professional certification exams. In this episode you will learn: - How the automatic stay halts most IRS collection but allows certain actions like audits and assessments. - The '3-2-240 Plus' mnemonic for determining if income taxes can be discharged in bankruptcy. - Why trust fund taxes, like withheld payroll taxes, are never dischargeable. - How to calculate the tolling of the 10-year Collection Statute Expiration Date (CSED) due to bankruptcy. - The ethical line an EA must not cross regarding providing legal bankruptcy advice to avoid the unauthorized practice of law. For more free exam prep tools, practice questions, and AI-powered explanations, visit https://open-exam-prep.com/ or YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@Open-exam-prep

3. 

   9 Oct 2026

   Enrolled Agent Exam [Part 3] 65, Trust Fund Recovery Penalty Representation

   This podcast is made by Ran Chen, who holds an EA license, Insurance and Securities licenses (Series 6, 63, 65), and the CFP® designation. He is passionate about opening access to high-quality exam preparation resources and helping learners prepare more effectively for professional certification exams. In this episode you will learn: - The Trust Fund Recovery Penalty (TFRP) is a personal assessment against individuals for unpaid payroll taxes, not a business liability. - Liability hinges on two standards: being a "responsible person" with significant financial control and "willfully" failing to pay the taxes. - Willfulness does not require malicious intent; consciously paying other creditors before the IRS is sufficient to meet the standard. - Upon receiving Letter 1153, the proposed assessment, a taxpayer has a critical 60-day window to file a protest with IRS Appeals. - The IRS can assess the full penalty against multiple individuals, but is restricted to collecting the total unpaid tax amount only once. For more free exam prep tools, practice questions, and AI-powered explanations, visit https://open-exam-prep.com/ or YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@Open-exam-prep

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

Apple Podcasts (US)

5.0 / 5

1 ratings

Contact Finance Exam Prep

Guest appearances

Does not typically book guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.