Crypto Custody and Fiduciary Duty examines how the safekeeping of digital assets challenges traditional investment-adviser standards of care. This course explores the evolving regulatory framework surrounding custody of cryptocurrencies and other digital assets under SEC Rule 206(4)-2, pending Safeguarding Rule proposals, and state interpretations. Participants learn to distinguish between qualified and non-qualified custodians, evaluate due diligence and disclosurerequirements, and identify operational and cybersecurity risks unique to blockchain-based custody. Through real-world case studies'including the FTX collapse and SDIRA parallels'advisers gain practical tools for assessing custodian integrity, structuring compliant disclosures, and managing emerging risks such as quantum computing and DeFi exposure. Designed for state-registered IARs, the course emphasizes translating complex custody arrangements into plain-language client communication. Advisers complete the program equipped to uphold fiduciary, ethical, and regulatory whileduties while navigating a rapidly changing digital-asset landscape.
This course is about digital assets, specifically cryptocurrency. The course explains whatcryptocurrency is and how it is created. This includes information about the underlying blockchain technology. Additionally, this course contains information about how cryptocurrency is exchanged and the benefits and drawbacks of cryptocurrency. This includes discussions of the technological benefits, the risks of volatility, the lack of regulation of markets, possible scams, and the environmental costs of cryptocurrency mining. Finally, this course describes some current and upcoming regulations in cryptocurrency, including the classification of digital assets as securities and initial coin offerings.
This course examines topics that investment adviser representatives should know regardingdebt securities issued by corporations, municipalities, GSEs, and the U.S. Treasury. Concepts and terminology are presented for a broad range of debt-related topics, with examples where appropriate. The course covers types of bonds available to investors, maturity structures, differentways of characterizing a bond's yield, the relationship between interest rates and bond pricesin the secondary market, accrued interest, and the money market. Sections delve into specific categories of debt securities, such as T-bills, STRIPS, TIPS, asset-backed securities,collateralized mortgage obligations, and municipal bonds.
This course offers a look into the world of digital assets through the lens of fiduciary duty. Examplesdiscussed include cryptocurrency, dApps, DeFi Projects, Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs), and more. The course provides information on the function of these digital assets and asset tools, as well as ananalysis of the benefits and drawbacks to an IAR and their clients. This includes adiscussion of whether IARs have the tools to provide a sufficient suitability analysis on thesedigital assets for their clients. The course culminates in an assessment of the SEC's regulatoryframework for these assets, and their identification of pitfalls and challenges that may affect IARswho add digital assets to their clients' portfolios.
This course examines how to develop a system of professional ethics. The course begins by discussing how being a 'professional' - can bring greater respect and compensation, but with this designation also comes a higher standard of conduct. The course covers the the core principles of professional ethics, including honesty, fairness, and competence, as it applies to an IAR's job. Honesty must be used in communications about the IAR's credentials and business. Fairness is shown to be important in matters of disclosure, fees, confidentiality, and loyalty. Competence must underly a professional's credentials. The importance of using ethical principles when creating brochures, direct mailings, and business cards is also discussed. The course also goes over strategies for how how prospects can be ethically converted into clients. Finally, the course concludes with a discussion of the SEC's Form CRS (Customer/Client Relationship Summary) andthe 'conversation starters' that the SEC requires financial professionals to use to prompt pragmatic discussions between advisers and clients.
This course provides an overview of diversification as an aspect of investment strategy. Thepurpose and benefits of diversification are outlined, as are specific types of diversification, such asdiversification across asset classes or sectors of the economy. The role of correlation in properlydiversifying is covered, including how the usefulness of diversification changes at different levelsof correlation. The course discusses the limitations of diversification, including overdiversificationand the inability of diversification to eliminate systematic risk. Common diversification myths areidentified and challenged. The course covers practical considerations such as strategic vs. tacticalasset allocation, the core-satellite method, and rebalancing.