Approved IAR CE Courses

Introduction to the Six Steps of MedicareStep 3: Select specific plansAfter identifying the best Medicare path, the next step is to choose your plans. In its early days, Medicare was a 'one-size-fits-all' type of coverage. But no more. There are many (and for some, too many) coverage options available.Step 4: Enroll in MedicareYou might think there is only one way to enroll in Medicare. But, once again, that would be simple. How you enroll in Medicare depends on your timing and situation.Step 5: Enroll in PlansThen after enrolling in Part A and Part B, it's time to sign up for the specific plans. There is more than one way to do this.

The One Big Beautiful Bill Act's permanent $15 million estate and gift tax exemption ($30 million for married couples) has quietly upended the assumptions behind thousands of existing estate plans. Clients who purchased life insurance for estate tax liquidity — often inside irrevocable trusts — may no longer need it for that purpose, while others still have real income-tax-driven reasons to keep coverage in force. This session gives CFP® professionals and IARs a practical framework for revisiting legacy trust and insurance structures now that federal estate tax is a non-issue for the vast majority of clients: when and how to decant or restructure irrevocable trusts built for a lower-exemption world, options for repurposing unneeded life insurance (1035 exchanges to annuities or long-term care hybrids, sales in the life settlement market), and how to benchmark policy cost reasonableness plus why clients with large qualified plan balances may still need insurance for income tax liquidity.

This session focuses on delivering high-impact estate planning strategies for clients with $2–$5 million in net worth, emphasizing practical solutions that balance tax efficiency, control, and cost. Advisors will learn how to avoid both under-planning and unnecessary complexity while addressing key risks related to taxes, business ownership, and trust funding.

This session examines how advisors can effectively plan for the control, access, and transfer of both digital assets and real estate within modern portfolios. It provides practical strategies for overcoming access challenges, optimizing trust structures, and coordinating ownership to enhance protection, efficiency, and long-term planning outcomes.

This session focuses on ensuring estate plans remain effective over time by addressing real-world challenges such as family dynamics, beneficiary readiness, and administrative complexity. Advisors will learn how to incorporate strong governance, thoughtful trustee selection, and flexible planning tools to create plans that adapt and function in practice—not just on paper.

This session explores how accepting an inheritance or gift can create unintended tax, legal, and financial consequences, and when strategic use of qualified disclaimers may be more advantageous. It equips advisors with practical strategies for coordinating disclaimers and trust design to preserve flexibility, protect beneficiaries, and align outcomes with long-term planning goals.

This two-hour ethics program, led by RIA lawyer Richard Chen, examines the ethical, regulatory, and supervisory risks arising from the use of artificial intelligence (AI) tools in advisory practice. Investment adviser representatives will explore how commonly used AI applications—such as large language models, AI meeting notetakers, and content-generation tools—can create heightened risks related to client confidentiality, accuracy of advice, marketing compliance, and recordkeeping.
Through practical examples and realistic case studies, participants will evaluate how improper AI use may lead to violations of fiduciary duty, Regulation S-P obligations, advertising standards, and books-and-records requirements. The course emphasizes the ethical responsibility of advisors to understand, supervise, and critically evaluate AI-generated outputs, reinforcing that human judgment and professional oversight remain essential when integrating AI into client-facing activities.

This intensive course, presented by compliance lawyer Michelle Atlas-Quinn, is meticulously structured to provide investment adviser representatives with a deep dive into the ethical standardsand fiduciary responsibilities critical to their roles. Acknowledging that investment advisers are held to a higher standard within the financial industry, this course will ensure they possess a thorough understanding of the foundational principles, stringent regulations, and best practicesthat inform and guide professional conduct and decision-making.

As clients age, the language we use to discuss financial matters with them is important. Our fiduciary responsibility, always important, may include additional roles, as necessitated byage or family situation. As trusted advisors, understanding the unique social, familial,physical, and cognitive issues seniors face will help in guiding their financial decision-making.The Senior Safe Act, a consumer protection law passed in 2018, requires advisors to report any exploitation of seniors and exempts advisors of any liability, provided the advisor hashad the proper training. This course is designed to provide you with the proper training, to include practical guidance for communication that ensures suitable guidance and product recommendations for the senior client, especially those with diminished cognitive capacity. You will also learn steps you can use to ethically serve seniors and protect yourself. And you will be educated on the regulators' (Finra and SEC) stance on serving seniors.