Approved IAR CE Courses

This course provides an overview of financial statements, how to access them, and theirsignificance to IARs. Concepts and terminology are presented to help IARs understand thethree main types of financial statements'balance sheets, income statements, and cash flowstatements'and how they interrelate. The course covers methods of accessing a company'sfinancial statements, including the use of EDGAR to search SEC filings. Coverage of the balancesheet includes a discussion of different classes of assets and liabilities, the need for theequation assets - liabilities = owners' equity to balance, and the role of retained earnings intracking a company's performance over time. Coverage of the income statement includes thedistinction between revenues, gross income, operating income, and net income, as well as howvarious expenses are categorized, such as COGS, depreciation, PP&E, and taxes. Coverage ofthe cash flow statement includes the distinction between cash-basis accounting and accrual-basisaccounting, how cash flows are categorized, and the distinction between sources of cash and uses of cash.

This course provides an in-depth exploration of comprehensive financial planning strategies, including investment management, asset allocation, retirement planning, and estate preservation. Participants will gain practical knowledge of the six-step financial planning process, client relationship management, and the ethical and regulatory frameworks shaping the financial industry, including the Department of Labor (DOL) Fiduciary Rule. Designed for professionals seeking to enhance their expertise, the course emphasizes compliance, transparency, and actionable solutions to meet diverse client needs in a dynamic economic landscape.

Ongoing monitoring meetings get boring. Advisors and clients alike are not thrilled to be having the same meeting again and again where there is nothing new or exciting to report. Yet, when clients hit the 'fine' phase of the client-advisor relationship, this can be the perfect time to start having 'flourish' conversations and bring some fun back to the client-advisor relationship and transform the boring monitoring meetings. Join us and learn about thinking of the three phases of the client advisor relationship as fix, fine, flourish and the questions to ask clients that move them from fine to flourish which ends up brining the advisors back to where they are happiest, at fix.

In this session, learners will review two Nerd's Eye View blog articles: Hiring Your First Employee: What You Need To Know To Cover Your Compliance Obligations, When Are Advisors (Financially) Liable For Negligent Investment Advice? (And Who Pays For It), and The SEC Playbook For Newly-Registered Advisers: Preparing For The SEC Examination And Complying With The Information Request Letter. In the first article, Jacqueline Hummel walks advisors through the critical considerations and compliance obligations when hiring their first employee. Topics such as whether to hire an independent contractor or employee, registration requirements for investment advisors, and determining how new hires will be supervised are discussed. In the second article, Ben Henry-Moreland reviews the legal precedence for advisor liability when providing advice to clients and discusses the implications on firms and individual advisors for negligence. In the third article, Chris Stanley provides a detailed overview of the process of going through an SEC Examination and highlights best practices for preparation for newly registered investment advisers.

This course provides investment professionals with a comprehensive overview of fixed and variable annuities, highlighting their unique features, benefits, and risks. Learners will explore key contract provisions such as interest crediting methods, surrender charges, payout options, and riders, as well as the regulatory framework governing these products. By comparing the safety and predictability of fixed annuities with the market-driven potential of variable annuities, participants will gain the knowledge to evaluate suitability and guide clients toward informed retirement planning decisions.

This course provides a comprehensive understanding of the fiduciary duty standards under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940 as they apply to the sale of fixed indexed annuities. Participants will learn to identify and assess conflicts of interest when an Investment Adviser Representative (IAR) is dually licensed as an insurance agent, analyze the SEC's arguments and jury findings in the SEC v. Cutter case, and recognize regulatory limitations on switching between fiduciary and non-fiduciary roles. The course also covers best practices for mitigating legal and regulatory risks, drafting compliant client disclosures, and establishing firm-wide procedures for supervising IARs selling insurance products.

Form ADV is a critical regulatory filing required by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) for Investment Advisory firms. It serves as a comprehensive disclosure document that provides essential information about the firm's operations, services, and fees to clients, prospects and regulatory authorities. Understand the common pitfalls and challenges associated with the regulatory filings, allowing you to proactively address potential issues, mitigate regulatory risks, and minimize the likelihood of enforcement actions. Learn best practices for organizing, collecting, and updating the required information efficiently.

This quiz includes the following articles: Form U4: Common Missteps And Best Practices For RIAs; and RIA Code Of Ethics: Important Nuances To Note In Relatively Straightforward Requirements