Approved IAR CE Courses

The course will cover the fundamental characteristics and benefits of life insurance policies and annuities. Life insurance is an integral part of an individual's financial plan and this will explain how risk is transfered through the use of life insurance, the terminology used in insurance, the importanceinsurable interest and the statements found on the application. The differences between term, wholelife, universal life, and variable life insurance will be reviewed, as well as the tax treatment of distributions from the policies. The course will also cover the use of annuities as a retirement vehicle,the parties to an annuity contract, and the types of annuities. A review of what takes place during the accumulation and annuity phases, the different payout options, and the suitability concerns when selling annuities.

The course will review the definition of real estate and how real estate fits into the U.S. economy.Students will also learn the legal defintion of a security and which real estate related investmentsare considered securities. Then the course will review the characteristics of two popular securitiestied to real estate, real estate investment trusts (REITs) and real etate limited partnerships.

Over time, all types of clients have begun to appreciate the benefits of an account that assessesone fee to cover both investment advisory services and brokerage transaction costs. With the popularity of wrap fee accounts, a significant number of details must be provided to prospective clients. This course will examine the different types of wrap fee programs and the importance ofthe brochures that are provided to investors. The approaches taken by both FINRA and NASAArelated to wrap accounts will be examined. Additionally, suitability considerations will be reviewed forclients who may be interested in wrap accounts.

In this continuing education session, we review 2 articles from the Nerd Eye's View: Inspired Discovery: Asking Vision Questions to Focus on Clients' "Ideal Self" and 'ReFire' Instead Of 'Just' Retire: A Framework To Help Clients Plan For Purpose In Retirement. In the first article, Kathleen illustrates how retirement can be reframed not as an end, but as a phase of life centered on fulfillment, self-exploration, and purpose. In the second article, Meghaan Lurtz explains how advisors can restructure discovery meetings to start with vision-oriented questions that encourage ideal-self conversations, moving the meeting from a technical discussion to one that is more inspiring and meaningful for clients.

For many financial advisors, compliance can feel like a regulatory box to check 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 Jim Lundy, Patrick Noel, and Leila Shaver to discuss the practical realities of keeping your firm compliant without compliance becoming an undue burden, what regulators and examiners are really focusing on when it comes to compliance audits, where otherwise well-meaning advisors can still unwittingly get into compliance trouble, and what RIAs need to keep in mind as they seek to create a positive culture of compliance.

This course equips investment adviser representatives, compliance staff, and senior executives with a practical understanding of the SECs 2024 amendments to Regulation S-P, which expand requirements for safeguarding customer information and managing cybersecurity risks. Participants will learn how to implement incident response programs, meet new customer-notification rules, and comply with national-security delay provisions. The course also addresses service-provider oversight, disposal of customer information, and updated privacy notice requirements, translating regulatory mandates into actionable steps for advisory firms. While focused on SEC-registered advisers, the content highlights broader fiduciary expectations and aims to strengthen operational risk management and customer data protection.ormation.

This self-study course gives Investment Adviser Representatives a clear, practical framework for identifying and managing portfolio risks. Youll distinguish systematic vs. unsystematic risk, translate simple risk measures (volatility, beta, correlation, drawdown) into allocation choices, and apply diversification principles using mutual funds and ETFs. The course emphasizes real-world decision makinghow to set and document an appropriate risk posture in the IPS, construct diversified models, avoid hidden concentrations, and maintain discipline through rebalancing and client education. Designed to align with NASAA IAR CE Products and Practices themes, the course focuses on suitability, fiduciary duty, and plain-English client communications about risk and reasonable expectations.

This quiz will include a review of the following articles: Implementing Retirement Income Guardrails To Facilitate (The Right) Spending Raises And Spending Cuts, Providing Mortgage Advice In A Higher Interest-Rate Environment: Opportunities For Advisors To Add Value, and How Different Monte Carlo Models Perform In The Real World: Assessing Quality Of Predictiveness In Retirement Income Forecasting Models

Monte Carlo analysis has become the dominant methodology for advisors to analyze retirement income planning strategies. But the way the results of Monte Carlo analysis are framed for clients can invoke different emotional responses and can affect portfolio withdrawal rate decisions. With this in mind, advisors can take advantage of a range of options to improve their use of Monte Carlo analysis, including framing the results as a 'Probability of Adjustment' rather than 'Probability of Success', comparing results using historical scenarios, leveraging regime-based models, and using risk-based guardrails. Using these methods, advisors can potentially provide clients with greater peace of mind regarding their retirement income choices and better help them achieve their specific income and legacy goals.

For about sixty years, an investment adviser could not use a client's praise in an advertisement. The SEC's Marketing Rule changed that. An SEC-registered adviser may now use client testimonials, pay for endorsements and referrals, and advertise awards and rankings, if it meets specific conditions for disclosure, oversight, written agreements, and the disciplinary history of the people it pays.

This beginner-level course explains those conditions in plain language and assumes no prior knowledge of the rule. It starts with the basics, then shows how everyday activities fall under the rule: online reviews, refer-a-friend programs, referral fees to accountants and attorneys, lead-generation websites, paid influencers, and networking-profile recommendations. It covers what must be disclosed and where, what a promoter agreement must contain, who may not be paid, and how the exemptions work. It also addresses third-party ratings, state-registered advisers after NASAA's May 2026 model rule amendments, Form ADV reporting, and recordkeeping.

The final module turns to practice: the deficiencies SEC examiners reported in their December 2025 risk alert, a six-step review for any proposed arrangement, and three case studies. A glossary and a rule reference table are included. The course is written for the individual IAR, because most problems in this area begin with one person doing something that seems ordinary.