Approved IAR CE Courses

Options are notorious for being one of the most challenging products for students who are studying for securities-related qualification exams and for registered representatives and investment adviser representatives who do not regularly use them in their practice. This course is designed to help you gain a basic understanding of options, how they work, and when they can be suitably applied.

In this 120-minute session, leading experts in the field of behavioral finance and human-centric advising'including Hal Hershfield, Heather and Doug Boneparth, Meghaan Lurtz, and Ross Marino'share actionable insights on how financial advisors can provide more meaningful, personalized client experiences. The session focuses on deepening client relationships by moving beyond traditional financial metrics and integrating behavioral science into the advisory process. Hal Hershfield introduces the concept of the "future self" and explains how advisors can help clients make long-term financial decisions by fostering empathy for their future selves. Heather and Doug Boneparth explore the dynamics of money in relationships, providing tools for guiding couples in overcoming financial conflicts and aligning their financial goals. Ross Marino brings a practitioner's perspective, emphasizing the importance of building a human-first practice where clients feel seen, heard, and understood. Meghaan Lurtz wraps up by offering techniques for asking better questions, especially during challenging client interactions, ensuring that clients feel supported during life transitions and financial crises.

One of the most valuable jobs a financial planner has is that of a decision-partner. Financial decisions are often hard, financial decisions are often large, and the financial landscape is always changing. The gift of a financial decision-partner is invaluable. This unique webinar will look at advisors as decisions partners in a variety of ways including: psychology's impact on decisions with Morgan Housel, homeownership decisions with Kyla Scanlon, technology's role in the advisor-client relationship with Jason Periera, supporting first-time financial decision-makers with Valerie Rivera, portfolio decisions with Cem Karsan, and then the Shaping Wealth team explores the latest ideas on financial planners as decision-partners. Money and how consumers feel about it matters. This webinar provides insights into the various ways advisors can more effectively talk to their clients and use investor psychology to support them in pivotal times.

Join the DFI enforcement team for an inside look at the latest investment fraud and scams. Attendees will gain practical knowledge to help identify and respond to fraud affecting advisers and their clients.

Qualified Small Business Stock (QSBS) under IRC Section 1202 offers significant tax advantages to founders, investors, and advisors who understand how to navigate its requirements. Enhanced by the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA), these benefits can translate into meaningful tax savings, but only if specific qualifications are met. In this session, expert Lisa Fetherngill will explore the requirements to qualify for QSBS treatment, highlight potential pitfalls and nuances, and review both tax and non-tax advantages of QSBS status. Attendees will also discover advanced planning opportunities, including strategies to combine QSBS treatment with gifting and other techniques to maximize benefits for clients.

Financial professionals often cite 'fit' as the most important factor in maintaining long-term client relationships, but few take the time to formally assess investor personality. This course addresses that gap using the well-established NEO Five-Factor Model, a framework used by psychologists, HR professionals, and educators to predict behavior. Advisors who understand investor personality can guide clients with greater empathy, tailor communication more effectively, and reduce emotional decision-making triggers that lead to suboptimal outcomes.Unlike courses that touch lightly on risk tolerance or investor profiling, this class delivers a structured, scientifically grounded approach to personality assessment. It's designed for CFPs, CPAs, IARs, CIMAs, and other CE-seeking professionals who want to incorporate behavioral insights directly into planning workflows. You'll learn to recognize how key personality traits'such as conscientiousness, neuroticism, and openness'manifest in investor behavior and what those traits mean for long-term portfolio guidance.

Concentrated stock positions can expose clients to significant portfolio risk while creating complex tax and liquidity issues. However, addressing these concerns can be challenging when tax implications, behavioral biases, and emotional attachments can make clients reluctant to diversify. In this webinar, John Nersesian, CFP, CIMA, CPWA, examines the risks associated with concentrated equity holdings and strategies such as staged sales, hedging, variable prepaid forwards, exchange funds, tax-loss harvesting, and charitable planning that can address different client objectives. In the webinar, John also explores specialized planning opportunities involving equity compensation and employer stock, including 83(b) elections and Net Unrealized Appreciation (NUA). Throughout the presentation, John emphasizes selecting and combining strategies based on each client's objectives rather than treating diversification as a one-size-fits-all solution, ensuring that clients can both address their concentrated stock positions and feel supported by their advisor in determining the best way to do that.

Financial advisors often work with clients who are nearing or in retirement, and healthcare is one of the most pressing concerns for people as they approach retirement age and beyond. But although it's important to make sure the numbers all add up and that clients have the resources to pay for healthcare costs throughout their retirement, what's even more important (but often forgotten) is that they - and the people who might become responsible for caring for them - are aligned on their healthcare goals, so they can maintain their desired quality of life even when health issues arise.Join Carolyn McClanahan, founder of Life Planning Partners, at the October Kitces Monthly Webinar, where she will discuss the real-life challenges faced by planners and their clients around meeting healthcare needs in retirement, including pre-planning before a medical event occurs to ensure the client's goals are communicated with and supported by family and health care providers, deciding who will provide care (be it family members, friends, or professional help) and how they will be paid, and learning what government assistance programs may be available to help with the cost of care.