Approved IAR CE Courses

Ponzi schemes aimed at defrauding unsuspecting individuals and taking their money have existed for hundreds of years. The Madoff scheme brought this type of scam to the attention of the American public in 2008, but there are many other such schemes that have operated in the United States since then. The purpose of this course is to familiarize tax professionals with Ponzi schemes and help them identify the hallmarks of such schemes. The guidance offered to tax professionals to deal with clients who have suffered Ponzi losses is presented and discussed, together with examples from the U.S. Tax Court in which taxpayers are seeking to recover their losses.

This course will discuss the knowledge and skills required to serve senior clients ethically and effectively. It will cover critical aspects of ethics, retirement income planning, the use of annuities, and estate planning.Chapter 1 delves into the ethical responsibilities and challenges financial professionals face when working with senior clients.In chapter 2 you'll examine the common goals and concerns of many retirees as they transition into retirement. We'll also take a step-by-step look at how to develop a sound retirement plan that accurately projects what a person's retirement income needs will be and how to ensure that funds will last a lifetime.Chapter 3 discuses how retirement today is much different than it was just a few generations ago. As company-sponsored retirement plans have become the exception rather than the norm, individuals are now faced with trying to accumulate enough funds for their futures and then safely and efficiently distributing them during retirement. One investment vehicle that is uniquely situated to accomplish both of these goals is the annuity. And, because annuities are the only investment product that can generate a stream of income that is guaranteed to last a lifetime, they can offer certainty and peace of mind for retirees who are concerned about outliving their incomes. For this reason, annuities have become an especially popular retirement planning tool.With millions of baby boomers set to retire, and with billions of retirement plan dollars ready to be transferred from accumulation objectives to income objectives, financial practitioners need to be aware of how annuities can be used to assist clients in their quest for principal protection, lifetime income, and growth potential.In chapter 4 you'll examine the basic goals of estate planning and the importance of minimizing estate and gift taxes. We'll also examine several estate-planning tools that can help clients achieve their estate- planning objectives as well as the role a financial practitioner plays in the estate-planning process.