Approved IAR CE Courses

This interactive course explores the psychological, emotional, and behavioral factors that affect whether clients implement financial advice. Drawing from Self-Determination Theory, the Stages of Change model, and adult learning principles, the course equips financial professionals with practical tools to foster motivation, reduce resistance, and promote follow-through. Participants will learn how to structure discovery conversations, respond to client ambivalence, and communicate in ways that enhance autonomy and internal buy-in. Through live discussion, role play, and real-world case work, advisors will build confidence in applying behavioral insight to the planning process.

In this eye-opening session, college planning experts Beth Walker and Joe Messinger will show financial advisors how even high-income, high-asset families — including business owners — can implement sophisticated strategies to optimize financial aid outcomes. Using real-world case studies, they will demonstrate how strategic income timing, asset positioning, and business planning decisions can meaningfully reduce out-of-pocket college costs, even for clients who assume they won’t qualify for aid.

Jonathan Sparling of Private 529 Plan will join Beth and Joe to present sophisticated 529 plan strategies many advisors overlook. Jonathan’s review will include the power of grandparent-owned 529 plans, how funding 529 accounts during low-income years can create meaningful state tax arbitrage opportunities, how ownership structuring can position 529s as a powerful financial aid asset strategy for divorced or remarried families, and how deliberate beneficiary “generation shifting” can extend tax-free compounding across decades. Jonathan will also explore he unique value of private 529 plans — including the ability to lock in tuition at participating private colleges, hedge tuition inflation risk, reduce reported parental assets (depending on structure), and potentially improve financial aid positioning.

In this continuing education session, learners will review 3 Nerd's Eye View blog articles: Why Don't Prospects Commit? How 'Negative Close' Can Be A Powerful Way To Help Prospects Move Forward, Five 'Self-Persuasion' Questions To Connect With Prospects Who Say They're Interested' But Aren't Moving Forward, and Fix, Fine, Flourish: A Framework To Take Clients From (Just) 'Fine' Stagnancy To Being Engaged Again. In the first article, Sydney Squires explains why prospects may be struggling to commit and how advisors can utilize the negative close strategy to close more prospects. In the second article, Dr. Meghaan Lurtz explains why prospective clients may experience ambivalence about engaging with financial advisors and how advisors can utilize self-persuasion questions to help clients feel more confident in the decision to work with an advisor. In the final article, Meghaan explains why prospective clients may experience ambivalence about engaging with financial advisors and how advisors can utilize self-persuasion questions to help clients feel more confident in the decision to work with an advisor.

In this continuing education session, we review 2 blog articles: Why Pre-Commitment Strategies Can Work And 3 Steps To Implement Them With (The Right) Prospects and Motivational Interviewing Techniques To Help Clients Talk Themselves Into Implementing Advice.

In Motivational Interviewing Techniques To Help Clients Implement Advice, Derek Hagen explains how financial advisors can use motivational interviewing techniques to help clients resolve ambivalence about change and strengthen their own motivation to implement financial planning recommendations.

In Why Pre-Commitment Strategies Can Work And 3 Steps To Implement Them With (The Right) Prospects, Meghaan Lurtz describes how advisors can use structured pre-commitment strategies—such as offering free or low-cost plans alongside effective prospect screening and value-focused conversations—to improve conversion rates while avoiding burnout from working with poorly qualified prospects.

In this continuing education session, learners will review two blog articles: Why Pre-Commitment Strategies Can Work And 3 Steps To Implement Them With (The Right) Prospects and Maximizing The Step-Up In Basis By Gifting Assets Between Spouses. In the first article, Dr. Meghaan Lurtz, FBS explains the psychology behind pre-commitment strategies along with the potential pitfalls of using the pre-commitment strategy of providing a free financial plan to prospects. In the second article, Jeff Levine, CPA/PFS, CFP', AIF, CWS', MSA explains how maximizing the step-up in basis at death can be a powerful planning tool and details how advisors can help spouses to proactively plan for the step-up rules during life to maximize their benefit.

In this continuing education session, learners will review 2 Nerd’s Eye View blog articles: Why Taxable Custodial Accounts Are Better Than OBBBA “Trump Accounts” For Kids’ Savings and Reducing ACA Health Insurance Premiums After The Expiration Of The ‘Enhanced’ Premium Tax Credit.
In the first article, Ben Henry- Moreland, CFP®, evaluates the implications of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) provision that created Trump Accounts – new retirementstyle accounts for children under age 18—and contrasts them with traditional taxable custodial accounts. The article explains Trump Account rules, contribution limits, tax treatments, and how issues like Required Minimum Distributions (RMDs), Roth conversions, and the “kiddie tax” impact longterm savings outcomes. It emphasizes the relative flexibility and potential tax benefits of custodial accounts compared to Trump Accounts, and highlights planning considerations when advising families on savings vehicles for minor children.
In the second article, Ben Henry-Moreland also explores how the expiration of the enhanced Premium Tax Credit (PTC) at the end of 2025 affects health insurance premiums for clients purchasing coverage through Affordable Care Act Marketplace plans. It outlines how the PTC works and the impact of reverting to pre 2021 subsidy rules, including changes to income thresholds, household eligibility, and resulting premium increases. The article then provides practical planning strategies – such as managing modified adjusted gross income (MAGI) through retirement contributions, HSA/FSA contributions, timing of income, and other techniques – to help clients preserve PTC eligibility or minimize the financial burden of higher premiums in 2026 and beyond.

In today's dynamic planning environment, many clients are concerned about how their withdrawal strategies will withstand market volatility. However, presenting clients with traditional Monte Carlo-based 'Probability of Success' (PoS) metrics can leave clients feeling anxious if the PoS declines, often leaving clients with a sense of ambiguity about what that metric means for their financial lives. This webinar explores a more effective and client-centric framework: risk-based guardrails paired with Historic Market Visualization (HiMaV).In this webinar, Dr. Derek Tharp unpacks the limitations of conventional PoS outputs and demonstrates how guardrails expressed in terms of dollars can improve retirement income strategies and communication. Attendees will learn how to structure guardrail thresholds based on portfolio movements, apply dynamic adjustments grounded in personalized Monte Carlo simulations, and overcome common behavioral pitfalls by visualizing long-term strategy outcomes using HiMaV. Through practical examples, including step-by-step implementation and a compelling client case study, this session provides a blueprint for integrating guardrails and HiMaV into financial planning practices.