Approved IAR CE Courses

Off-channel communications are communications that take place outside of ordinary or official communication channels. When used and managed correctly, they can be very beneficial. When they aren't managed correctly, violation of supervision and recordkeeping rules and regulations surrounding such communications can occur. This course will discuss communications in general, the different categories of off-channel communications, the rules and regulations governing their use, and real-world examples of failure to comply.

FINRA recently implemented a rule to address elder financial abuse and potential conflicts of interest when registered persons are named beneficiaries or hold positions of trust for customers. Member firms have updated policies and provided training on this rule. This course explains the rule, its purpose, and the customer abuses it aims to prevent, detailing the environment and sanctions related to these concerns.

Making the right decision regarding employees, colleagues, and coworkers can be a balancing act. Some people have a hard time discerning the difference between appropriate (legal) and inappropriate (illegal) behavior in the workplace. Federal and state laws exist to protect victims of harassment, outlining what practices are prohibited and imposing penalties for violation of those laws. This course covers those federal laws, as well as state-specific requirements for the states of California, Connecticut, Illinois, and New York. We are going to look at the laws focused on prevention of harassment and discrimination in the workplace. Guidance will be provided through examples to assist you on staying on the right side of the line drawn between right and wrong.

“Best Interest” in financial advising can mean various things, such as the most beneficial product, a duty of loyalty and care, or fair pricing. This course explores Regulation “Best Interest,” its meaning, origins, challenges, and its impact on broker-dealers and investment advisers in the financial industry.

This course will focus on the regulations that affect investment adviser representatives (IARs).

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.

Protecting senior investors is an essential part of your role and has long been a focus of regulators. Through the adoption of rules and regulations, regulators provide guidance and define your obligations concerning your dealings with this segment of the population. This course will look at issues facing senior investors and will discuss applicable rules and regulations to assist you in serving your senior investor clients.

This course examines the ethical issues encountered during the sales process when marketing insurance and financial products to seniors. Seniors represent a vibrant and rewarding sector of the insurance and financial planning market, and financial professionals should understand and be able to adapt their marketing and sales efforts to the unique needs and goals of this consumer group.

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.

The planning and saving needs of all generations differ in many ways. This course will explore serving clients of different generations through a discussion of financial planning and planning for retirement.