Approved IAR CE Courses

This course provides practical foundations for implementing longevity planning in financial advisory practices, focusing on operational tools, client workflows, and practice refinement to address extended lifespans beyond traditional retirement models.Participants will learn to apply the Longevity Framework personally and professionally, utilizing scorecards, worksheets, and marketing strategies to enhance client engagement, revenue growth, and practice value.By integrating best practices and self-awareness techniques, the course transforms advisory services to proactively mitigate longevity risks, boost referability, and future-proof practices through experiential learning and measurable outcomes.

If you run a fee-only practice adhering to fiduciary standards, or aspire to do so, this course is 'must see CE/CPE.' A teacher in Utah Valley University's financial planning program, Professor Craig Israelsen, Ph.D., details a systematic way to manage a profitable professional practice consistent with doing what's best for clients. The class ostensibly shows how to drive investment expenses to deliver a broadly diversified portfolio personalized to each client for as little as 10 basis points but in doing so reveals a way for practitioners to be compensated with an ongoing fee for adding personal advice on tax, financial planning, and specialized investments. Understanding how investment costs erode wealth is essential to a professional practice. This course explores the long-term impact of fund expenses and advisory fees on both portfolio accumulation and retirement income. Through detailed analysis and real-world examples, attendees learn how small differences in costs'measured in basis points'can lead to large differences in outcomes. The session also introduces the seven asset/12 category portfolio as a practical model for building low-cost, diversified portfolios. Advisors gain insights into managing sequence-of-returns risk, aligning asset allocation with withdrawal strategy, and helping clients preserve and grow their retirement savings.

For many financial advisors, compliance can feel like a regulatory box to check in order to offer financial advice. But at its core, regulation is designed to protect consumers, and when the intent behind the rules is understood, it becomes easier to follow them effectively. In this session, Chief Financial Planning Nerd Michael Kitces is joined by compliance experts Terria Heng, Emil Ali, and Leila Shaver to discuss the latest developments in compliance, what RIAs need to keep in mind as they seek to create a positive culture of compliance, develop and operate within their compliance policies and procedures, and what to watch out for to minimize the risk of audit deficiencies when compliance reviews inevitably come.

Employee stock options can be a powerful part of a client's compensation package, yet they often introduce concentration risk, unexpected tax consequences, and a higher likelihood of triggering alternative minimum tax. In this session, Daniel Zajac explains the full lifecycle of incentive stock options (ISOs), from grant to disposition, with an emphasis on how to identify tax opportunities, mitigate risks like single stock concentration and AMT exposure, and develop strategies that align with client cash flow needs and long-term goals. Participants will leave with actionable frameworks for advising clients on ISO planning and integrating stock compensation into a client's broader financial plan.

Appreciated assets can be both the foundation for wealth and the source of significant tax liability that must be addressed. However, addressing the potential tax impact of these appreciated assets can be a sore spot for clients, often leading them to hold onto assets to their disadvantage or make hasty decisions without considering the various options for addressing capital gains in their portfolio. In this webinar, Tim Steffen, CPA/PFS, CFP', CPWA', delves into the mechanics of capital gains taxation and explores actionable strategies that financial advisors can use to thoughtfully manage their clients' capital gain taxes, considering their clients' objectives and needs. Advanced capital gains management strategies such as custom indexing, Qualified Opportunity Zone Funds, exchange funds, and 351 exchanges will be discussed.

Managing IAR Conflicts Effectively is a practical, regulatory-focused course designed for Investment Adviser Representatives (IARs) who must navigate real-world conflicts of interest while upholding ethical and fiduciary standards. This course explores how compensation structures, product recommendations, and firm affiliations can create ethical dilemmas - and what IARs must do to disclose and mitigate these conflicts. Learners will gain a working knowledge of SEC expectations, Form ADV and Form CRS disclosure requirements, and supervisory best practices. Engaging examples and scenario-based reflections support the development of sound judgment and effective communication strategies. This course reinforces the importance of transparency, documentation, and ethical conduct in today's advisory landscape.

This course explores the compliance risks investment adviser representatives (IARs) face when using personal devices or communication channels not approved by their firm. It explains how regulatory requirements apply to everyday client interactions and shows how unapproved messaging can create recordkeeping failures, fiduciary duty concerns, and cybersecurity vulnerabilities. Through real-world enforcement examples and practical scenarios, IARs will learn strategies to keep communications compliant, protect client information, and strengthen professional integrity in today's remote and technology-driven work environment.

This course covers business management for the state-registered investment adviser. It is divided into four sections and discusses business filings and records, compliance and registration functions supporting the business, business management and operations, and a summary of the resources available to investment advisers.

This month we review the March Blog articles in two quizzes. This quiz includes the following articles: The Impact Of New IRS Proposed Regulations On The SECURE Act: RMDs, Eligible Designated Beneficiaries, Trusts, And More! and Strategies For Maximizing (Or Minimizing!) Rule 72(t) Early Distribution Payments Using IRS Notice 2022-6.