Approved IAR CE Courses

Over half a million divorces occur in America every year, indicating that financial planners are likely to encounter client couples facing divorce within their practice. Due to the adversarial nature of the legal process, the emotional and financial strain on divorcing couples is often exacerbated, leading clients to experience significant stress and leaving advisors looking for ways to offer help. While financial planners are uniquely positioned to provide impactful support due to the collaborative and problem-solving nature of their work, they must navigate complex ethical considerations when working with clients undergoing divorce. This includes maintaining professional integrity while managing evolving client relationships and knowing when to call in specialized divorce planning experts.In this webinar, expert Michael Kothakota will discuss how financial planners can position themselves to support clients facing divorce. He will cover strategies to navigate the ethical and emotional aspects of divorce planning, ensuring that planners are well-equipped to provide the best possible guidance during such a challenging time.

Michael E. Kitces, MSFS, MTAX, CFP, CLU, ChFC, RHU, REBC, CASL, is the Head of Planning Strategy at Buckingham Strategic Partners, a turnkey wealth management services provider supporting thousands of independent financial advisors. In addition, he is a co-founder of the XY Planning Network, AdvicePay, New Planner Recruiting, fpPathfinder, and FA BeanCounters, the former Practitioner Editor of the Journal of Financial Planning, the host of the Financial Advisor Success podcast, and the publisher of the popular financial planning industry blog Nerd's Eye View through his website Kitces.com which is dedicated to advancing knowledge in financial planning. In 2010, Michael was recognized with one of the FPA's 'Heart of Financial Planning' awards for his dedication and work in advancing the profession.

In this continuing education session, learners will review 2 Nerd’s Eye View blog articles: Recommending A Corporate Trustee: Finding One Who Will Serve The Client’s Interests (Without Competing For Client Relationship) and The 6-Figure Care Decision: Evaluating Continuing Care Retirement Communities (CCRCs) And Other Later-Life Housing Strategies

In the first article, author David Haughton explores the critical role of trustee selection in ensuring a client’s estate plan functions as intended, with particular focus on when and how financial advisors should recommend a corporate trustee. The discussion examines the differences between individual trustees, traditional corporate trustees, professional trustees, and advisor-friendly trust companies, along with the implications of directed versus delegated trust structures.

Second, author Kathleen Rehl explores how financial advisors can guide clients through later-life housing decisions, with a particular focus on Continuing Care Retirement Communities (CCRCs). The discussion reframes the decision away from simply comparing amenities or monthly costs and toward evaluating how housing and long-term care will be delivered, coordinated, and funded over time. The article outlines the structural differences between aging in place, 55+ communities, assisted living, and CCRCs, highlighting how each option allocates financial, longevity, and care-coordination risks.

Election season can represent a stressful time for many clients, leading to an uptick in emotional responses, such as anger, anxiousness, or worry. Advisors know that clients bring their whole selves to their engagements, and advisors often must address these feelings to help clients progress with their financial goals and objectives productively. Barbara Kay explains how advisors can quickly assess their client's personality types and then provides guidance on how advisors can adapt their approach to connect with and calm clients based on their unique needs. Throughout her presentation, Barbara explains the scenarios that may cause clients stress and why and provides some context around how stress can present itself depending on the client's personality type. Barbara concludes with advice on how financial advisors can use financial counseling techniques to effectively communicate with clients during times of high emotion and address client biases.

In this continuing education session, learners will review 2 Nerd's Eye View blog articles: From Acknowledgment To Engagement: Key Questions To Reframe Issues And Get Action When Clients Are Off Track and Converting A Primary Residence Into Rental Property: Tax Strategies To Preserve Gain Exclusion, Defer Gain Recognition, And Leverage Deductible Expenses. In the first article, Meghan Lurtz shares strategies to turn to flounder meetings into collaborative, engaging conversations that inspire clients to take ownership of their financial plans. In the second article, Jeffrey Levine explains the key tax implications and opportunities when converting a primary residence into a rental property, including how to maximize deductions, preserve the Section 121 home-sale gain exclusion, and use deferral strategies such as a 1031 exchange.

This quiz includes the following articles: Maximizing Split-Interest Charitable Deductions With New Pooled Income Funds Over CRTs, and Can A Charitable Remainder UniTrust (CRUT) Truly Replace The Benefits Of The 'Stretch' IRA?

This quiz includes the following articles: (1) Equity Compensation Planning as a Niche: Market Opportunities and Differentiated Value and (2) Investing a Roth IRA in Early Stage Growth Companies without Violating Prohibited Transaction Rules

This quiz includes the following articles: Adjusting Monte Carlo Success Thresholds By Tolerance For Spending Volatility, Getting Comfortable Delaying Social Security With Six-Month 'Reversible' Delays, and Analyzing Net Unrealized Appreciation (NUA) Opportunities For Privately Held Company Employee Stock Ownership Plans (ESOPs)

This quiz includes the following articles: This quiz highlights a series of articles surrounding questions and other critical communication skills that advisors will want to consider in order to deepen and enrich client relationships through the financial planning process.

This quiz reviews the following two blog articles: Why High Equity Valuations And Low Bond Yields Won't (Necessarily) Break The 4% Rule and Maximizing The Step-Up In Basis By Gifting Assets Between Spouses.