Approved IAR CE Courses

As education costs and tax laws evolve, high-net-worth families are increasingly using 529 plans as more than college savings vehicles'they are powerful tools for estate planning and wealth transfer. This advanced session explores the emerging strategy of Dynasty 529 Planning, where families leverage long-term compounding, strategic gifting, and multigenerational beneficiary designations to build a lasting educational legacy while reducing estate tax exposure.Advisors will gain insights into how Dynasty 529s integrate with trusts, gifting strategies, and tax-efficient legacy planning, as well as how to apply the SECURE Act 2.0's Roth rollover provisions for unused funds. Compliance, documentation, and risk management best practices will also be covered, equipping advisors to confidently position 529s as part of a family's broader estate strategy.

This course provides financial professionals with a clear understanding of how oil and gas investments can create income, deliver meaningful tax advantages, and diversify portfolios. Participants will explore the global energy landscape, key market trends, and the legal and tax frameworks that make these opportunities unique. Through case studies and real-world examples, the course highlights how strategic structuring and due diligence can enhance returns while managing risk. Attendees will leave with practical insights into how energy investments fit into a broader financial strategy for clients seeking tax-efficient alternatives.

For families preparing for college, admissions and financial decisions are often deeply connected — and the timeline can catch even well-prepared families off guard. Early Decision is binding and typically requires committing before a family can compare financial aid offers. While Early Action preserves flexibility; it often comes with earlier FAFSA and CSS Profile deadlines than families expect. Choosing the wrong path can mean forfeiting negotiating leverage on aid, missing merit scholarship cutoffs, or locking in a school before 529 withdrawal and cash-flow strategies are fully mapped out.

This session, presented by Rick Clark and Brennan Barnard — two of the most respected voices in college admissions — will break down these admissions options, explore current trends and data across the college admissions landscape (including rising application volumes, shifting yield strategies, and how colleges use ED/EA to manage enrollment and financial aid budgets), and highlight what financial advisors should know when helping families evaluate college choices, affordability, and their broader education planning strategy. Attendees will leave with a clearer framework for advising clients on when financial decisions need to be locked in relative to where a student applies.

This presentation will equip financial planners with the knowledge and tools to help early retirees navigate the health insurance gap before Medicare eligibility. We'll explore key healthcare cost concerns, common misconceptions, and the various insurance options available, including COBRA, ACA Marketplace plans, and off-market alternatives. Attendees will also learn strategic financial planning techniques'such as optimizing income for ACA subsidies'to make health insurance more affordable. Through real-world case studies, interactive discussions, and actionable frameworks, advisors will leave with the confidence to integrate health insurance planning into their client conversations effectively.

During this session, the presenter, a senior portfolio specialist, will provide a 2026 economic and market outlook. The presenter will also share research on the growth of AI as a megatrend and the impact AI can have on the economy and the markets. You will also hear her view on the Federal Reserve, fixed income, and equities markets.

This fast-paced update equips advisors with a practical playbook for todays mixed macro signals. Youll learn how to interpret soft versus hard data, translate construction and retail trends, and reconcile weak job formation with still.low unemployment. Independent economist Fritz Meyer shows why Boomer wealth and top.decile spending underpin consumption, while household balance sheets remain broadly healthy. Youll connect abundant liquidity to asset price strength and tie 2026 earnings estimates, market breadth, and valuations to client recommendations. Finally, youll align portfolios with the Feds path, a dis.inverting curve, and anchored inflation expectations to keep client plans on track.

During uncertain times, it is critical to gain an understanding of what is most likely to happen to the economy. This is an essential part of the business planning process. In the Economic Indicators course, we explore the nature of the business cycle and delve into the different types of economic indicators, including those related to labor, retail sales, expenditures, housing, manufacturing, inflation, and consumer confidence. The course also provides extensive coverage of the reports issued by the Federal Reserve. This course is the ideal tool for enhancing the reliability of your planning process.

This course gives financial professionals a data-driven economic update focused on how advisors can use key indicators to guide practice decisions and client strategy. Through a structured review of services strength, housing stability, retail sales resilience, labor-market tightness, the wealth effect, and household debt metrics, the class explains how real-time trends shape consumer behavior and market expectations. The MP4 lesson walks advisors through GDP growth patterns, equity-market breadth, and forward earnings forecasts so they can better interpret signals that influence portfolio construction. Each segment connects economic research to practical planning applications, reinforcing the analytical approach required in today's fiduciary environment. By the end, participants gain a clearer understanding of how to apply economic data to improve decision-making, enhance client communication, and meet modern CE, CPE, and IAR CE standards.

This one-credit course helps IARs, CFP®, CPA, and CPA/PFS financial advice professionals explain July 2026 economic, market, and investment-strategy conditions to clients. The class connects geopolitical and oil risk, real-time economic indicators, household wealth and demographics, liquidity, productivity, market volatility, earnings, valuations, bond yields, Federal Reserve policy, and inflation to practical advisory conversations. Participants learn to distinguish durable signals from headlines, frame data and forecasts without overstating certainty, and support disciplined portfolio and planning decisions. Watch a slide presentation by A4A's independent economist or read a transcript optimized for CE.