The purpose of this course is to give registered investment adviser representatives (IARs) a thorough explanation of, and orientation to, the ethical and professional responsibility rules and duties with which they must comply to perform their jobs. The course will explain the various common law and statutory sources of IAR ethical standards, focusing mainly on fiduciary duties. It will also examine the NASAA Model Rule and its relation to the ethical requirements for IARs, the history and meaning of the fiduciary standard, ethical requirements under federal law and regulation, the professional, ethical obligations under the various state securities acts and regulations. It will conclude by examining the relationship of each of these to requirements under the rules and regulations of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA), particularly for those who are dually registered, and the rules of the various bodies which issue and govern securities industry professional credentials.
Crypto Investing Risks; Best Ethics IAR CE In 2026 examines how cryptocurrency products and tokenized investments create new risks that advisers must carefully consider in a rapidly changing regulatory environment.
Tyler Gellasch, who wrote key provisions of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, as former Counsel in the Senate, explains how weaker oversight, regulatory loopholes, and shifting jurisdiction between regulators are likely to reduce protections clients expect.
You learn how and when recommending tokenized securities, stablecoins, or crypto-related derivatives may conflict with your duty to act in a client’s best interest.
To be clear, none of the protections of public securities come with crypto investments. Explaining the difference in risks of crypto versus securities investments is only one key takeaway from this class. However, making sure clients understand they are not buying securities regulated by FINRA, the SEC and states is almost incidental to the main goal of the class.
You also learn about the crypto industry's $200 million PAC aimed at federally preempting states from regulating crypto. Also discussed is the cancellation of a Senate banking committee meeting after Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong pulled his support of a bipartisan compromise the night before the Committee was scheduled to meet.
This course provides an overview of financial statements, how to access them, and theirsignificance to IARs. Concepts and terminology are presented to help IARs understand thethree main types of financial statements'balance sheets, income statements, and cash flowstatements'and how they interrelate. The course covers methods of accessing a company'sfinancial statements, including the use of EDGAR to search SEC filings. Coverage of the balancesheet includes a discussion of different classes of assets and liabilities, the need for theequation assets - liabilities = owners' equity to balance, and the role of retained earnings intracking a company's performance over time. Coverage of the income statement includes thedistinction between revenues, gross income, operating income, and net income, as well as howvarious expenses are categorized, such as COGS, depreciation, PP&E, and taxes. Coverage ofthe cash flow statement includes the distinction between cash-basis accounting and accrual-basisaccounting, how cash flows are categorized, and the distinction between sources of cash and uses of cash.
For most clients, the years around retirement bring the largest and least reversible financial decisions of their lives: what to do with an employer plan balance, when to claim Social Security, whether to take a pension as a lump sum, and how to turn savings into income that lasts. An IAR cannot advise on those decisions without a working knowledge of the products and rules involved.
This course covers the risks that define retirement income planning, the main sources of retirement income, the distribution rules as amended by the SECURE Act and SECURE 2.0, and the common withdrawal strategies. It then covers the rollover decision in detail: the four options for a plan balance, the factors SEC staff expects advisers to consider, the rules that can make a rollover costly for a particular client, and the mechanics of moving money correctly. The final module gives IARs a six-step process for analyzing and documenting a rollover recommendation.
The course is educational and product-neutral. A companion Ethics and Professional Responsibility course, The Rollover Conflict: Ethics in Retirement Income and Rollover Advice, covers the ethical side of the same decisions. The two courses do not repeat each other.
Completing continuing education is both a professional responsibility and an ethical imperative for investment adviser representatives. This course helps IARs understand why continuing education requirements exist, why it is an ethical obligation to remain up-to-date on industry knowledge, and how the system of continuing education laid out in the Model Rule on Continuing Education for Investment Adviser Representatives provides a framework for fulfilling this obligation. This coursealso covers the expectations for IAs and IARs regarding compliance and recordkeeping, statevariations in continuing education requirements, and how engaging constructively with continuingeducation benefits clients.
This course provides Investment Adviser Representatives (IARs) with a practical understanding of Outside Business Activity (OBA) rules and their role in identifying, mitigating, and disclosing conflicts of interest. Grounded in fiduciary duty under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940 and applicable SEC, NASAA, and state regulations, the course covers key requirements including prior notice, firm approval, compensation considerations, and regulatory disclosures. Participants will learn how OBAs intersect with fiduciary obligations, when activities may create material conflicts, and how to deliver clear, “full and fair” disclosures to clients. The course also distinguishes OBAs from private securities transactions and clarifies common exemptions, equipping IARs to act in the best interests of their clients while maintaining regulatory compliance.
The Hormuz Strait crisis is contextualized by examining previous oil shocks, including the 1973–1974 Arab Oil Embargo, 1979–1980 Iranian Revolution, 1990–1991 Gulf War, and 2007–2008 Global Commodity Price Spike.
This monthly course is in its 16th year and provides financial professionals with a structured framework for interpreting economic data and applying it to investment advice.
This month's class enables advisers to:
Review Performance of Main GDP Growth Drivers. Inflation, job formation, and other fundamentals are reviewed, enabling informed financial decisions based on current facts.
Analyze Stock Market Reaction To Recent News. Learners will feel better able to assess the impact of geopolitical events, such as Israel/Iran tensions and U.S. elections, on market performance, valuations, and volatility.
Know Key Facts About Federal Reserve Monetary Policy. Learners will be better educated about how to interpret Federal Reserve rate policy and grow conversant in the facts needed for making data-driven investment decisions.
Formulate Investment Strategies Based on Earnings Valuations on the S&P 500. Learners will be able to develop long-term investment strategies by analyzing current earnings valuations versus modern history.
Grow Better Able To Create A Personal Economic Growth Outlook Based on Authoritative Sources. Learners will be able to develop their own GDP growth outlook informed by the most recent consensus forecasts of leading professional economists.
Review Important News & Analysis In The Wall Street Journal. Poignant news and analysis, as reported in The Wall Street Journal, the largest U.S. financial news outlet, about the current financial economic situation are reviewed. A curated review of important WSJ articles keeps participants current on what’s happening in financial economics based on an authoritative source.
Retirement planning remains one of the most important and high-risk advisory services provided by Professionals. From rollover recommendations and retirement income design to beneficiary planning and fiduciary obligations, advisers must balance client goals, regulatory expectations, and long-term financial outcomes when developing retirement strategies.
In this comprehensive course, Attendees will explore retirement account structures, rollover analysis, ERISA considerations, distribution planning, and retirement income strategies for advisory professionals. Attendees will review practical approaches involving IRAs, 401(k)s, 403(b)s, defined benefit plans, RMD planning, beneficiary coordination, and documentation standards used in retirement engagements.
This course familiarizes agents with the retirement planning market and the retirement planning process by covering three main areas: analyzing and identifying retirement income needs and how to address those needs, health care and health insurance options, and estate and distribution planning. Topics include needs analysis, Social Security, life insurance and annuities, investment products, qualified plans and IRAs, plans for small business owners, long-term care, and wealth distribution.
The class for investment adviser representatives focuses on compliance with the SEC's marketing rule, particularly for performance advertising. Key topics include creating compliant performance advertisements, understanding and adhering to rules regarding hypothetical and actual performance, and ensuring that advertisements are fair, balanced, and substantiated. The course emphasizes maintaining policies, procedures, and records to avoid SEC enforcement actions and the complexities of creating performance composites versus using representative accounts. Practical advice on balancing marketing objectives with compliance requirements and managing resources effectively for performance advertising is also provided.