This course equips advisors with the knowledge and tools to navigate ethical challenges during times of financial crises and market volatility. Advisors will explore key ethical principles, such as transparency, accountability, and empathy, while learning how to manage client relationships under pressure. Through real-world case studies and actionable frameworks, participants will examine the complexities of balancing short-term decisions with long-term goals, addressing conflicts of interest, and using financial products responsibly. The course emphasizes best practices for ethical crisis management, including leveraging technology, understanding behavioral finance insights, and fostering a firm-wide culture of integrity. Advisors will also gain insights into emerging challenges, such as data privacy, sustainable investing, and the ethical use of artificial intelligence.
The course will examine the importance of maintaining ethical policies and procedures when clients are faced with making decisions during times of market uncertainty. A description is provided of the different types of market volatility and how investors typically react. Some of the most effective methods that can be used to manage client concerns will be covered. Case studies will be provided throughout to provide real-world examples of the various issues and how they should be handled.
In today's increasingly complex regulatory and technological landscape, business continuity and succession planning have become essential components of an investment adviser's fiduciary responsibility. These two documents serve as operational guardrails, protecting both clients and advisory firms from disruption, client uncertainty, and reputational harm. This self-study guide was developed to equip financial professionals with a comprehensive understanding of the ethical, regulatory, and practical considerations involved in developing and maintaining effective business continuity and succession strategies.
This course provides a foundational framework for understanding how ethical decision-makingoccurs in a business context. The course covers how ethical standards are established, as well as the importance of observing them. The investment adviser representative is encouraged toevaluate how the norms within a workplace can have a positive or negative impact on the ethicalbehavior of individuals. Theories of ethics are discussed, including the history, advantages,and limitations of each, with examples to illustrate the implications of different approaches toethics. Through discussion and examples, the representative is encouraged to take a balancedand thoughtful approach to understanding ethical decision-making. The course distinguishesbetween actions that are obligatory, permissible, and impermissible. The course discusses theinvestment adviser representative's obligation to take the client's values into account whenmaking investment recommendations. Examples of ethical decision-making are presented thatrequire the IAR to either determine the best course of action or understand the thought processbehind a particular ethical decision.
Ethics in the securities industry is guided by specific rules and common law decisions. FINRA’s monthly disciplinary actions provide an industry overview. In early 2023, the SEC proposed amendments to strengthen its ethics compliance program, reflecting the industry’s focus on ethical practices to build investor trust. This course examines the ethical duties of registered individuals and reviews instances of fraud, forgery, and other ethical failings.
This course examines the previous regulatory approach to investment adviser advertising and thenanalyzes the purpose of the new SEC Marketing Rule. The important terms used in the new rule willbe defined and explained to ensure understanding of the application of the rule. The rule's numerousexceptions and prohibitions will be explained so that readers understand how advisers must analyzethe particular facts and circumstances of each advertisement for compliance. Since the rule nowpermits advisers to use testimonials and endorsements as well as third-party ratings, the course willcover the specific conditions and requirements for their use/inclusion. Finally, the requirements for including performance advertising are examined.
This course provides an overview of 1031 like-kind exchanges and how Delaware Statutory Trusts (DSTs) and 721 exchanges may be used in real estate investment planning. Participants will review the basic rules and timelines of a 1031 exchange, along with common replacement property options available to investors. The course also introduces the structure of 721 exchanges and how they may allow investors to transition real estate holdings into a REIT structure. By the end of the session, attendees will have a clearer understanding of these strategies and how they may be used in client conversations around tax deferral and portfolio diversification.