Approved IAR CE Courses

The appeal of a Roth-style retirement account is the potential for tax-free growth for life. However, the reality is that creating a Roth account has a 'cost' - the upfront tax liability of contributing to (or converting into) the account, which is avoided with a traditional pre-tax IRA or 401(k). As a result, optimal Roth strategies do not merely involve contributing to or converting into Roths, but managing the timing and leveraging the available tax law to maximize the strategy. Join Chief Financial Planning Nerd Michael Kitces at the September Kitces Monthly Webinar, where he'll share techniques to maximize Roth contributions, including 'Backdoor Roth' IRAs and 'Mega Backdoor Roth' 401(k) strategies, leveraging the Roth recharacterization rules to optimally fill lower tax brackets, and being able to ensure that an investment in a Roth has a positive return before being required to commit to it!

A core concept of tax planning is to pay taxes at the lowest rates. But what will your clients’ tax rates be when they need to access their retirement funds? That unknown is a major risk for many retirees, but it is a risk that a Roth IRA conversion can help to reduce and/or eliminate. In this session attendees will gain an understanding of critical Roth conversion rules, as well as some of the advanced conversion strategies that practitioners can use to help clients transition as much money as possible from tax-deferred accounts to tax-free accounts at the lowest cost.

This comprehensive course explores sophisticated approaches to transferring wealth efficiently while minimizing tax burdens. Key topics include lifetime gifting strategies, such as annual exclusion gifts, leveraging the lifetime gift tax exemption, and employing family limited partnerships (FLPs) and family LLCs. Attendees will gain insights into charitable giving techniques, including donor-advised funds, charitable remainder trusts (CRTs), and charitable lead trusts (CLTs). Advanced tools like GRATs (Grantor Retained Annuity Trusts), IDGTs (Intentionally Defective Grantor Trusts), and SLATs (Spousal Lifetime Access Trusts) will also be covered. Additionally, participants will learn how to optimize wealth transfer through life insurance strategies using Irrevocable Life Insurance Trusts (ILITs) to ensure the death benefit remains outside the taxable estate. This program is essential for professionals aiming to provide clients with cutting-edge estate planning solutions.

This course will cover the four-step financial planning process and will touch upon the concept of advice engagement, highlighting strategies for fostering more meaningful conversations and delivering advice in a more effective manner. Through a blend of theoretical frameworks, practical insights, and interactive exercises, this course is designed to help you navigate the complexities of financial planning with confidence, integrity, and a client-centric focus.

This course comprehensively examines social media ethics and compliance for state-registered investment adviser representatives. The course begins by exploring the transformation of client communication in the digital age and the strategic value of social media in modern advisory practices. Following the introduction, the course examines the regulatory framework governing social media use, including the Marketing Rule's application to state-registered advisers and the pivotal Netflix case study illustrating Regulation Fair Disclosure requirements. The course then delves into compliance obligations, covering recordkeeping requirements, Write Once, Read Many (WORM) protocols, and managing third-party content. Practical implementation strategies include platform selection, content development, and risk management procedures. The course examines data privacy and security requirements, particularly Regulation S-P. Special attention is given to the emerging role of financial influencers ("finfluencers") and the regulatory challenges they present. Detailed case studies demonstrate successful implementation strategies and enforcement actions.

Does thinking about tax notices remind anyone else of the Jaws theme song? As with the iconic movie, it is just a matter of time before your clients receive a dreaded IRS letter. These 'love letters' from the IRS often send clients into a panic, unsure of how to respond and worried over receiving notices that often suggest they have done something wrong or owe money (and truly, who could blame them!). In several instances, these matters are rather simple, albeit time-consuming, to address, but often clients find themselves without counsel for what to do if they receive these letters. In this webinar, Steven Jarvis, CPA, explains how financial advisors can assist clients who have received letters from the IRS without crossing boundaries into tax representation or the provision of tax advice. Throughout the session, Steven walks advisors through common IRS notices, such as letters of discrepancy and differences of estimated tax payments, and provides examples of actions advisors can take to assist clients in moving toward a response.

In this continuing education session, learners will review 2 Nerd's Eye View blog articles: Ethical Considerations When Advising Couples During The Good Times And The Bad and How Can RIAs Effectively Manage Compliance Risk and Client Dignity When Addressing Diminished Capacity and Financial Exploitation?In the first article, Shelitha Smodic, CFP', explores the ethical complexities financial advisors face when working with couples, particularly during marital conflict or divorce. It emphasizes the importance of fiduciary duty, informed consent, documentation, and clearly defined engagement terms to protect both clients and the advisor-client relationship.In the second article, Richard Chen, founder of Brightstar Law Group, explains how advisors can ethically and compliantly respond to clients experiencing diminished cognitive capacity or financial exploitation. It outlines the legal, regulatory, and practical challenges involved, and provides a framework for prevention, intervention, and post-intervention care that respects client autonomy while safeguarding their financial wellbeing.

In this continuing education session, learners will review 2 Nerd Eye View blog articles: Quantifying (More Accurately) The Real Impact Of A Financial Advisor's Costs On Their Clients' Nest Eggs and Enhancing Client Conversations About Charitable Giving: Sample Questions, Scripts, and Tools for Better Engagement. In the first article, Derek Tharp, PhD, CFP, CLU, RICP, evaluates criticisms of advisory fees and their impacts on clients by personal finance author Ramit Sethi. Derek highlights the mathematical and practical concerns of Ramit Sethi's methodology for assessing the cost of financial advisors and the value they provide. He then explains the value that advisors can bring to clients. In the second article, Kathleen Rehl, PhD, CFP, CEFT Emeritus, explains the benefits of incorporating charitable planning into a financial planning practice, providing a practical guide that addresses concerns about engaging in charitable giving conversations with sample scripts and ideas for how to create client value in this area.

This course prepares Investment Adviser Representatives (IARs) to meet regulatory expectations for business continuity planning (BCP). Learners will explore key BCP components - data protection, communication protocols, office relocation, succession, and third-party risk management - with a focus on practical application and fiduciary responsibility. The course emphasizes real-world scenarios, compliance best practices, and the adviser's role in supporting plan execution. By course end, learners will be equipped to contribute to firm-wide continuity strategies that protect clients and ensure regulatory readiness.