Approved IAR CE Courses

For about sixty years, an investment adviser could not use a client's praise in an advertisement. The SEC's Marketing Rule changed that. An SEC-registered adviser may now use client testimonials, pay for endorsements and referrals, and advertise awards and rankings, if it meets specific conditions for disclosure, oversight, written agreements, and the disciplinary history of the people it pays.

This beginner-level course explains those conditions in plain language and assumes no prior knowledge of the rule. It starts with the basics, then shows how everyday activities fall under the rule: online reviews, refer-a-friend programs, referral fees to accountants and attorneys, lead-generation websites, paid influencers, and networking-profile recommendations. It covers what must be disclosed and where, what a promoter agreement must contain, who may not be paid, and how the exemptions work. It also addresses third-party ratings, state-registered advisers after NASAA's May 2026 model rule amendments, Form ADV reporting, and recordkeeping.

The final module turns to practice: the deficiencies SEC examiners reported in their December 2025 risk alert, a six-step review for any proposed arrangement, and three case studies. A glossary and a rule reference table are included. The course is written for the individual IAR, because most problems in this area begin with one person doing something that seems ordinary.

This continuing education course provides investment advisory representatives with a comprehensive framework for understanding, developing, and implementing investment strategies that meet diverse client needs. In today's complex financial markets, investment professionals must possess a deep understanding of both traditional and contemporary investment approaches while maintaining a disciplined, client-focused methodology.

This course provides a comprehensive overview of the new SEC Marketing Rule for investment advisers. It covers the key components of the rule, including the expanded definition of "advertisement", general prohibitions, requirements for testimonials, endorsements, and third-party ratings, performance advertising standards, and recordkeeping obligations. The course also discusses the impact of the rule on investment advisers' compliance efforts, marketing strategies, and the overall competitive landscape. Through hypothetical case studies, participants gain practical insights into how to navigate the new rule effectively and develop compliant marketing practices that benefit both advisers and investors.

Long advisory relationships produce real affection, and with it come offers no one planned: a loan for a down payment, a place in a client’s will, a request to serve as trustee, an invitation to invest together. Each one is sincere. Each one also gives the adviser a second role in the client’s life, and a second role is a conflict of interest.
This beginner-level course explains in plain language what the duty of loyalty requires when that happens, and assumes no prior training. It covers the rules on borrowing from and lending to clients, what the rules do and do not say about gifts, being named a client’s beneficiary, the custody consequences of serving as a client’s trustee or holding a power of attorney, business dealings with clients, and the extra care owed to older and vulnerable clients. Rules for dual registrants are included.
The final module gives you five questions to ask about any request or offer and applies them to four case studies, with words you can use to decline without damaging the relationship. A glossary and a rule reference table are included.

This self-study continuing education course provides a comprehensive review of one of the most consequential SEC Division of Examinations 2026 priorities: whether investment recommendations are consistent with product disclosures and with each client's investment objectives, risk tolerance, and financial and personal background. Participants will learn the analytical framework examiners use, examine five specific sub-areas of heightened scrutiny, and apply the principles to realistic scenarios involving older investors, dual-hatted advisers, newly launched private funds, volatility-sensitive products, and advisers new to the private fund space.

When a client retires, an IAR is usually paid only if the client moves her money. Assets left in a former employer’s plan generate no advisory fee; assets rolled into an IRA the IAR manages generate one for decades. The decision is large, hard to reverse, and made by a client who has little experience and limited ability to recover from a mistake. That combination makes rollover and retirement income advice one of the most ethically demanding parts of an IAR’s work.

This course examines that situation as a question of professional ethics. It explains why the duties of care and loyalty exist and what they require before, during, and after a rollover recommendation. It covers the conflicts that arise from asset-based fees, including the less-noticed conflicts that discourage annuities, Social Security delay, and spending. It addresses disclosure a client can use, steps an IAR and a firm can take to reduce a conflict’s influence, the added care owed to vulnerable clients, and honest communication about projections, guarantees, and the limits of an adviser’s knowledge. Four case studies ask the IAR to apply judgment where more than one response could be defended.

Throughout, the course asks three questions drawn from NASAA’s guidance on ethics content: why the duty exists, how the IAR’s conduct affects the client, and how to apply judgment when the facts are unclear. A companion Products and Practice course, From Savings to Income: Retirement Income and Rollover Recommendations, covers the products, tax rules, and mechanics. The two courses do not repeat each other.

The advisory fee is the one place where an adviser’s interest and a client’s interest always point in opposite directions. Most clients never check the bill, and most could not check it if they tried. That makes the way a fee is set, explained, calculated, and collected a test of honesty that comes around every billing period.
This beginner-level course treats fees as an ethics subject. It assumes no prior training and explains each rule in plain language. It begins with the ways advisers are paid and the conflict each one creates, then covers what the SEC’s 2019 fiduciary interpretation, Form ADV, the custody rules, and the NASAA model rules require. It then turns to what goes wrong: the billing errors SEC and state examiners report most often, fees charged for service that is not delivered, fees on cash and unmanaged assets, wrap accounts that rarely trade, and compensation the client was not told about. Worked examples show the arithmetic of a missed breakpoint, an unrefunded prepaid fee, and a quarter-point difference in the rate.
The final module gives IARs five questions to ask in any fee situation and applies them to four case studies. The course reflects rules and guidance through October 2026, including the SEC’s June 2026 risk alert on economic conflicts of interest, the 2026 qualified client thresholds, and NASAA’s May 2026 model rule text. It is educational and product-neutral. A glossary and a rule reference table are included.