Wolters Kluwer acquires CPE Link

Expanded learning solutions to appeal to a wide spectrum of tax professionals.

Wolters Kluwer Tax & Accounting announced today that it has signed and completed an agreement to acquire CPE Link, a leading online provider of continuing professional education (CPE) for accountants, tax preparers, and financial advisors. The acquisition will expand and complement Wolters Kluwer's existing learning portfolio and enable us to reach a broader range of customers.

CPE Link, based in San Jose, CA, and founded in 2008, has five full-time employees and serves more than 10,000 practitioners in the tax and accounting space. Through its proprietary web-based learning management system (LMS), CPE Link offers an easy way for today's practitioners to meet all their mandatory CPE requirements and keep up with the latest industry changes via live webcasts, and multi-media, mobile friendly on-demand courses. The transaction is expected to have a positive but immaterial impact on adjusted EPS, while generating a return on investment above Wolters Kluwer’s cost of capital within 3 to 5 years.

“The acquisition of CPE Link allows us to strengthen our current learning offerings, expand our product line to address tax and accounting professionals’ specific needs, and cater to more practitioners with a broader range of targeted online learning opportunities,” said Josh Braunstein, EVP and General Manager of Wolters Kluwer Tax & Accounting, Research & Learning. “CPE Link offers an easy way for today's practitioners to meet all of their mandatory CPE requirements and keep up with the latest industry changes, which is very much in line with our commitment to delivering content and tools that are simple, practical, accurate and allow people to gain faster insight.”