Approved IAR CE Courses

In recent years, the Securities and Exchange Commission has been especially active in updating 'old' regulatory rules to modernize them, leading to an ongoing wave of compliance changes for financial advisors. And the regulators don't appear to be done yet, which means financial advisors may want to start preparing now for what could come next! In this session, we will discuss the regulatory (and legislative) developments that are emerging in Washington, which may affect financial planners such as the proposed changes to the Custody Rule, potential new Cybersecurity regulation, new rules on oversight of vendors when Outsourcing, and more.

This session is a practical, on-the-ground compliance update for investment advisers who need to know not just what the rules say, but where the SEC is focusing its attention and what that means for how they run their firms. Compliance attorney Chris Stanley walks through the current state of Reg S-P and what written incident response programs need to look like in practice, common custody triggers and how to comply with the custody rule’s requirements, where SEC examiners are spending their time and what they want to see, and how advisors should think about the SEC’s recordkeeping rule in the context of modern technology.

In this session, advisors will gain critical insights into the evolving regulatory landscape impacting investment advisers. Compliance expert, Max Schatzow, will explore FinCEN’s final rule expanding the definition of “financial institution” under the Bank Secrecy Act, along with new AML/CFT reporting requirements. Attendees will learn about recent amendments to Regulation S-P, which mandate written incident response programs and enhanced oversight of service providers. The session also covers current SEC examination priorities, equipping advisors with practical strategies to maintain compliance in an increasingly complex regulatory environment.[

What do you do when you suspect an aging client is being financially exploited, often by a friend or family member taking advantage of them? Two regulatory tools exist specifically to help you act: the trusted contact framework and temporary disbursement hold authority. But many advisors either don't know these tools exist, don't understand the conditions under which they can be used, or are so uncertain about the rules that they default to doing nothing (to avoid accidentally breaching client privacy) while allowing a client's assets to remain at risk.

Join Amy as she takes a deep dive into these two specific provisions of NASAA's Model Act to Protect Vulnerable Adults from Financial Exploitation: what they actually say, what they allow, what they require, and why regulators created them in the first place. Using real case scenarios, attendees will work through exactly how to apply these tools in practice: when a trusted contact can be reached out to and for what purpose, what triggers the authority to place a temporary hold on a disbursement, what documentation must accompany that hold, and what happens next. 

This month, we review December blog articles. This quiz includes the following articles: When Does A Financial Coach Need To Register As An Investment Adviser? The 'ABCS' Test To Determine Status and AI-Generated Financial Advice And The Fiduciary Catch-22.

In this continuing education session, learners will review 2 Nerd’s Eye View blog articles: Why (Most) Advisors Shouldn’t Serve As Clients’ Trustees: Ethical Conflicts, Dual Fiduciary Duties, And The SEC Custody Rule and Why The SEC May No Longer Allow “Hedge Clauses” In Client Advisory Agreements (And How To Replace Them Compliantly).

In the first article, Ben Henry-Moreland examines why financial advisors should generally avoid serving as trustees for their clients' trusts due to conflicts of interest, competing fiduciary obligations, regulatory custody requirements, and potential legal liability. It also explores the circumstances under which advisors may choose to offer professional trustee services, as well as the infrastructure, compliance procedures, and risk-management practices required to do so successfully.

In the second article, Isaac Mamaysky explains why the SEC has intensified its scrutiny of hedge clauses in Investment Management Agreements (IMAs), arguing that such provisions may mislead clients and conflict with an adviser’s fiduciary duty under the Investment Advisers Act. It outlines recent enforcement actions, provides guidance for identifying problematic hedge-clause language, and offers compliant alternatives that limit liability by clearly defining the scope of the advisory relationship rather than attempting to waive client rights.

In this continuing education session, learners will review 3 Nerd's Eye View blog articles: Why Don't Prospects Commit? How 'Negative Close' Can Be A Powerful Way To Help Prospects Move Forward, Five 'Self-Persuasion' Questions To Connect With Prospects Who Say They're Interested' But Aren't Moving Forward, and Fix, Fine, Flourish: A Framework To Take Clients From (Just) 'Fine' Stagnancy To Being Engaged Again. In the first article, Sydney Squires explains why prospects may be struggling to commit and how advisors can utilize the negative close strategy to close more prospects. In the second article, Dr. Meghaan Lurtz explains why prospective clients may experience ambivalence about engaging with financial advisors and how advisors can utilize self-persuasion questions to help clients feel more confident in the decision to work with an advisor. In the final article, Meghaan explains why prospective clients may experience ambivalence about engaging with financial advisors and how advisors can utilize self-persuasion questions to help clients feel more confident in the decision to work with an advisor.

In this continuing education session, we review 2 blog articles: Why Pre-Commitment Strategies Can Work And 3 Steps To Implement Them With (The Right) Prospects and Motivational Interviewing Techniques To Help Clients Talk Themselves Into Implementing Advice.

In Motivational Interviewing Techniques To Help Clients Implement Advice, Derek Hagen explains how financial advisors can use motivational interviewing techniques to help clients resolve ambivalence about change and strengthen their own motivation to implement financial planning recommendations.

In Why Pre-Commitment Strategies Can Work And 3 Steps To Implement Them With (The Right) Prospects, Meghaan Lurtz describes how advisors can use structured pre-commitment strategies—such as offering free or low-cost plans alongside effective prospect screening and value-focused conversations—to improve conversion rates while avoiding burnout from working with poorly qualified prospects.

In this continuing education session, learners will review two blog articles: Why Pre-Commitment Strategies Can Work And 3 Steps To Implement Them With (The Right) Prospects and Maximizing The Step-Up In Basis By Gifting Assets Between Spouses. In the first article, Dr. Meghaan Lurtz, FBS explains the psychology behind pre-commitment strategies along with the potential pitfalls of using the pre-commitment strategy of providing a free financial plan to prospects. In the second article, Jeff Levine, CPA/PFS, CFP', AIF, CWS', MSA explains how maximizing the step-up in basis at death can be a powerful planning tool and details how advisors can help spouses to proactively plan for the step-up rules during life to maximize their benefit.

In this continuing education session, learners will review 2 Nerd’s Eye View blog articles: Why Taxable Custodial Accounts Are Better Than OBBBA “Trump Accounts” For Kids’ Savings and Reducing ACA Health Insurance Premiums After The Expiration Of The ‘Enhanced’ Premium Tax Credit.
In the first article, Ben Henry- Moreland, CFP®, evaluates the implications of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) provision that created Trump Accounts – new retirementstyle accounts for children under age 18—and contrasts them with traditional taxable custodial accounts. The article explains Trump Account rules, contribution limits, tax treatments, and how issues like Required Minimum Distributions (RMDs), Roth conversions, and the “kiddie tax” impact longterm savings outcomes. It emphasizes the relative flexibility and potential tax benefits of custodial accounts compared to Trump Accounts, and highlights planning considerations when advising families on savings vehicles for minor children.
In the second article, Ben Henry-Moreland also explores how the expiration of the enhanced Premium Tax Credit (PTC) at the end of 2025 affects health insurance premiums for clients purchasing coverage through Affordable Care Act Marketplace plans. It outlines how the PTC works and the impact of reverting to pre 2021 subsidy rules, including changes to income thresholds, household eligibility, and resulting premium increases. The article then provides practical planning strategies – such as managing modified adjusted gross income (MAGI) through retirement contributions, HSA/FSA contributions, timing of income, and other techniques – to help clients preserve PTC eligibility or minimize the financial burden of higher premiums in 2026 and beyond.