Approved IAR CE Courses

Guide to Social Security Benefits is an educational tool to help advisors through the maze of programs, rules and regulations that affect many if not all their aging Baby Boomer clients, their spouses and dependents.

Change is constant, yet navigating it is often a challenge for individuals, especially during pivotal financial moments. This session equips financial advisors with the tools and frameworks to become effective agents of change, leveraging the Transtheoretical Model (TTM) to guide clients through the complexities of financial decision-making. Attendees will explore real-world case studies, uncover techniques to manage client ambivalence, and develop strategies to foster client confidence and self-efficacy. By mastering the art of adaptive communication and scenario planning, advisors can help clients align their financial behaviors with long-term goals, creating meaningful, lasting change.

Behavioral finance shapes financial planning, and AI is changing client behaviors. With more than half of Americans turning to AI for financial guidance, clients increasingly arrive with conclusions already formed (JD Power). Join us for a presentation where we will discuss:

- How Dual Process Theory explains client decision-making, and why AI now acts as a third processing system
- The core cognitive biases shaping client behavior, including herd mentality, loss aversion, heuristic simplification, present bias, and deference to algorithmic answers
- Practical planning strategies to account for AI influences and framing techniques that resonate with client needs

Healthcare ranks on top of the list as a big worry for clients as they approach retirement. In this session, Dr. McClanahan will share her checklist of preparing clients for their healthcare and insurance issues before retirement, at retirement, during retirement and at the end of life.

This course examines topics that investment adviser representatives should know beforerecommending hedge funds. Concepts and terminology are presented for a broad range ofhedge fund'related topics. The course covers the development and original philosophy behindhedge funds, as well as how hedge funds have evolved beyond their original purpose of hedging. Who can invest in hedge funds is covered, as well as the fact that hedge funds are unsuitablefor many investors, especially small retail investors. The course delves into many of the strategiesemployed by modern hedge funds. The course discusses risks associated with hedge funds, therole of diversification, funds of hedge funds, and liquid alts.

This CE course equips investment adviser representatives (IARs) with a practical, fiduciary-firstframework for using hedging as a client-centered risk management tool. Moving beyond optionsmechanics alone, the course explains how hedging works as portfolio insurance, when it may (and may not) serve a client's best interest, and how to evaluate trade-offs such as explicit premiums, opportunity costs, and tax considerations. Learners will explore core distinctions'static vs. dynamic and active vs. passive hedging'then address common myths that derail implementation and expectations. The course emphasizes real-world advisory workflows: assessing client suitability (financial, psychological, and practical dimensions), integrating hedging into an IPS, communicating clearly using intuitive analogies and scenario testing, and establishing documentation, disclosure, supervision, and monitoring practices aligned with regulatory expectations.

The course will explain some basic terms and concepts related to hedging. This course will also review the fundamentals of hedging and which type of risk can be hedged. We'll also review the different investments that are commonly used as hedges including, options, futures, forwards, and inverse ETFs. The final section of this course will explain the basics of dynamic hedging and option risk measurements.

In this continuing education session, learners will review 3 Nerd's Eye View articles: Why Held-Away Asset Management Technology Is Being Scrutinized By State Regulators (And How Advisors Can Compliantly Manage Clients' 401(k) Assets), How RIAs Can Launch A Private Fund: Legal Requirements And Common Missteps, and A Recordkeeping Checklist For Financial Planning Services: Proactive Documentation Of Service Delivery To Reduce Regulatory Scrutiny. In the first article, Ben-Henry Moreland discusses the challenges financial advisors face when managing clients' employer-sponsored retirement accounts, how data aggregation tools have evolved to address these challenges, and the regulatory concerns associated with held-away asset management. In the second article, Richard Chen explains how RIAs can establish a private fund along with the regulatory requirements and risks associated with managing a private fund. In the third article, Travis Johnson, IACCP' explains bookkeeping requirements for Registered Investment Advisers (RIAs) and how to use checklists to assist firms in auditing their books and records.

In this continuing education session, the learner will read three articles from the Nerd's Eye View blog: 'Using 'Magic Wand' Questions To Help Clients Articulate Financial Needs And Goals (That They Otherwise Struggle To Express)', 'Drafting A Power Of Attorney (POA) Using A Comprehensive 'Kitchen Sink' Approach To Avoid Common Pitfalls', and 'Using A Testamentary Charitable Remainder Unitrust (T-CRUT) To Give Twice To Both Loved Ones And Charitable Organizations'. In 'Using 'Magic Wand' Questions To Help Clients Articulate Financial Needs And Goals (That They Otherwise Struggle To Express)', Dr. Meghaan Lurtz discusses how to use "magic wand" questions to ease client tensions while exploring their financial goals, concerns, and dreams. How this strategy can be used to facilitate financial discussions with couple clients is also discussed.In 'Drafting A Power Of Attorney (POA) Using A Comprehensive 'Kitchen Sink' Approach To Avoid Common Pitfalls', David Hauhgton, JD, CPWA, explains the common power of attorney features that could lead to rejection by financial institutions and how they can be addressed through conscientious drafting or with actions post-rejection.In 'Using A Testamentary Charitable Remainder Unitrust (T-CRUT) To Give Twice To Both Loved Ones And Charitable Organizations,' Kathleen M. Rehl, PhD, CFP, CEFT emeritus, explains how Testamentary Charitable Remainder Unitrusts function and shares her experience in establishing one. She concludes this article with a review of the pros and cons of implementing a T-CRUT and the types of clients these trusts may be a good fit for.

A unique element of financial planning is that client relationships can last for a very long time, with many advisors assisting clients over the course of decades as their financial planning needs evolve in step with their personal lives. Due to this aspect of the planning relationship, it is almost inevitable that an advisor will encounter a time when a client is diagnosed with a terminal illness. And while it is important for the advisor to review technical areas of the financial plan (from cash flow to estate planning) with these clients, an even more critical consideration is how to best communicate and interact with a client whose thoughts are consumed by their illness. If the advisor isn't aware of the strategies for working with a client with a 'sick brain', all the best financial plans will be useless.