Approved IAR CE Courses

Recent developments, including US retrenchment from global trade and the increasing size of the national debt, have raised alarms about the potential erosion of the dollar's status as the world's dominant trade and reserve currency. Apollo Lupescu, PhD will explore how markets are interpreting “de-dollarization” and rising concerns about US national debt levels.

This session will provide advisors with a practical introduction and deeper dive into the structured notes market. We'll explore how these investments are constructed, the problems they are designed to solve, where they may fit within a client portfolio, and how advisors are incorporating structured note strategies into their practices. Advisors will leave with a foundational understanding of the asset class and a framework for evaluating when structured notes may be appropriate.

Timed agenda:
Introduction to CAIS (3 minutes)
Structured Investments Market Trends (3 minutes)
Components of a Structured Note (5 minutes)
Structured Notes in Portfolio Construction (4 minutes)
Types of Structured Notes
Growth Notes & Dual Directional Notes (4 minutes)
Yield Notes & Contingent Yield Examples (4 minutes)
Protection Notes: PPNs & CDs (3 minutes)
Auto-Callable Yield Note: Sample Terms & Scenarios (5 minutes)
Historical Outcome Analysis (5 minutes)
The Bank's Role in the Structured Notes Process
· Deal Structuring & Issuance (3 minutes)

· What Impacts Pricing (4 minutes)

Key Investment Risks (3 minutes)
Questions (4 minutes)

For clients with highly appreciated investment real estate, the tax bill at sale can be the single biggest obstacle to portfolio diversification and estate planning. This session goes beyond the basics of the 1031 exchange to explore how the 721 UPREIT — a lesser-known but powerful structure — can help advisors move clients from active property ownership into institutional real estate while deferring capital gains taxes, simplifying estate transfer, and eliminating the landlord burden. Forum Investment Group's exchange specialists will walk through real client profiles, common ownership complications, and the key questions advisors should be asking before a property goes to market.

Many clients enter retirement with well-funded portfolios, thoughtful income plans, and confidence that they have “done everything right.” Yet even a strong retirement plan can be dramatically reshaped by the realities of aging: home care, family caregiving, cognitive decline, housing transitions, assisted living, memory care, hospice, estate settlement, and emotionally difficult family decisions.

This one-hour CE program uses the fictitious case study, “The $3 Million Retirement Plan That Life Rewrote,” to examine how care needs can transform a financially secure retirement over time. Attendees will explore how proactive longevity planning can help advisors identify care-related risks, evaluate funding strategies, incorporate housing and home equity decisions, support family communication, and use a practical preparedness framework before a crisis limits the client’s options.

Social Security is an essential component of the retirement planning process, with millions of Americans currently receiving some form of Social Security benefit. And while the appropriate filing strategies are unique to the individual circumstances of each client, understanding how to address a handful of key questions can go a long way toward helping them make informed decisions. In this seminar we will aim to unpack the most impactful Social Security questions facing retirees today.