Approved IAR CE Courses

 Retirement planning is a top financial priority, and consumers need self-directed options to accumulate and distribute funds efficiently. The insurance industry offers variable annuities for this purpose. This course covers the design, function, benefits, costs, limitations, and tax treatment of variable annuities, along with their investment options and techniques for retirement income distribution.

This course takes an in-depth look at variable annuities, the contractual agreement between the owner and the insurance company, and the fundamental characteristics inherent in these contracts.Readers will learn about both accumulation period and annuity period, including the process of purchasing and valuing the contract during accumulation and the different methods of receivingpayments (either through withdrawals or annuitization). The tax treatment of payments and the ability to utilize a 1035 exchange will be examined. The course concludes with a review of the factors that should be considered when comparing different insurance companies offering annuities.

Take your knowledge of variable contracts to the next level. Learn to describe the formal characteristics of fixed premium variable life, variable universal life, and variable annuities to prospects and clients; determine suitability requirements of variable contracts; and explain and recommend asset allocation based on your clients' needs.

Explore the steps in the variable life insurance and annuity sales process through a series of case studies. Meet the clients, conduct a fact-finding interview, create a plan, present the plan, and follow up to determine if the plan continues to best serve the client.

To Educate the Insurance Agent about annuity structure and various types of annuitiesand how and when they are applied to a clinet's wealth accumulation and distribution plan.Considerable emphasis is placed on Suitability.

Viatical and Life Settlements: The Secondary Market for Life Insurance Policies introduces students to the life settlement industry. It discusses the development of the secondary market for life insurance policies and identifies the benefits such a market brings to both insurers and consumers. The settlement process is examined, and each step in the process is discussed.

This course explores the role of multifamily real estate within today’s economic and investment landscape. Participants will review key market trends affecting the sector, including demographic demand, housing affordability challenges, supply dynamics, and the impact of interest rates on real estate performance. The session also examines how multifamily housing compares to other asset classes in terms of diversification, volatility, and long-term investment potential. Through market analysis and case studies, attendees will gain a clearer understanding of the opportunities and risks associated with multifamily real estate investing in the current environment.

According to a survey done by the Pew Research Center whose results were published in April 2023, 17% of Americans indicated they personally have invested in, traded or otherwise used virtual currency. Additionally, the number of people investing in or engaging in transactions involving virtual currency continue to increase. These statistics strongly suggest that tax preparers must be aware of the nature of virtual currency and its tax treatment. It's to provide that awareness that Tax Treatment of Virtual Currency was written.

In this continuing education session, learners will review How Financial Planners Actually Do Financial Planning, the fourth report in a biannual series by Kitces Research that explores the factors that drive advisor productivity. This report examines four key domains of the financial planning landscape: time, process, technology, and pricing.