Approved IAR CE Courses

According to a survey done by the Pew Research Center whose results were published in April 2023, 17% of Americans indicated they personally have invested in, traded or otherwise used virtual currency. Additionally, the number of people investing in or engaging in transactions involving virtual currency continue to increase. These statistics strongly suggest that tax preparers must be aware of the nature of virtual currency and its tax treatment. It's to provide that awareness that Tax Treatment of Virtual Currency was written.

In this continuing education session, learners will review How Financial Planners Actually Do Financial Planning, the fourth report in a biannual series by Kitces Research that explores the factors that drive advisor productivity. This report examines four key domains of the financial planning landscape: time, process, technology, and pricing.

This program, which features tax attorney Joe Endres, will address applying residency tax rules tocommuters, occasional visitors, and full-time residents of the various states. It will also identify the practices most states use to determine if a taxpayer has "truly" changed their residence. For example, changing your residence from a high-tax state (think NY, NJ & CA) to a low or no-tax state (think FL) can dramatically reduce the amount of state taxes you have to pay. But high-tax states don't let their residents go smoothly. If you continue to maintain any connection to the former residence (think snowbirds), the high-tax state may contest that you genuinely changed your residence. Note that Mr. Endres specializes in residency and local taxation matters and hasrepresented numerous clients in cases related to this issue.In this webinar, Mr. Endres will teach you how states determine a taxpayer's residency and how tomake the states respect your residency change.

An IAR's foremost ethical duty is to act as a fiduciary for your clients and nowhere is this moreevidenced than when helping individuals, sometimes decades in advance, determine how they will spend their days after a lifetime of working. What Clients Need to Know: Partnering for Retirement Planning is designed to equip investment adviser representatives with an ethical framework and the strategic judgment necessary to guide clients towards a secure retirement. This course explores theprinciples of fiduciary responsibility, conflict of interest management, transparent communication, and describes the many products available for you to build your clients' futures. Your knowledge of your client and the products available matched with your education of your client on their choicesand needs is the crux of determining a sound and suitable financial plan. By the end of this course, you will understand how to navigate the complex landscape of retirement planning with the highestethical standards, ensuring that client interests are always at the front of your advisory services.

This course, led by Bob Keebler, CPA, will focus on the intergenerational transfer of property and will focus on what CPAs should know about trusts and estates. It will cover many topics rangingfrom fundamental legal principles of trusts and estates to how language in the trust instrumentaccomplishes a particular tax result.Bob will also discuss the legal definitions and principles of estates and trusts, the basic principles regarding property ownership, and the types of trusts commonly used. Bob will also delve into trust accounting fundamentals and the specific clauses thatare important to understand, including formula valuation clauses.

In recent years, the Securities and Exchange Commission has been especially active in updating 'old' regulatory rules to modernize them, leading to an ongoing wave of compliance changes for financial advisors. And the regulators don't appear to be done yet, which means financial advisors may want to start preparing now for what could come next! In this session, we will discuss the regulatory (and legislative) developments that are emerging in Washington, which may affect financial planners such as the proposed changes to the Custody Rule, potential new Cybersecurity regulation, new rules on oversight of vendors when Outsourcing, and more.

Many financial planners encounter clients with equity compensation, but fewer have a framework for clients who hold four grant types at once. This session delivers a practical, 201-level coordination framework for managing RSUs, ISOs, NQSOs, and an ESPP as an integrated portfolio rather than four separate planning problems. Attendees work through a real client case study, apply a grant sequencing model, and leave with an actionable tool they can use with clients. Suitable for advisors who already understand equity comp basics and those seeking to learn more, this session goes deep on cross-grant strategy, concentration risk, and AMT credit recovery.

This month, we review December blog articles. This quiz includes the following articles: When Does A Financial Coach Need To Register As An Investment Adviser? The 'ABCS' Test To Determine Status and AI-Generated Financial Advice And The Fiduciary Catch-22.

In this continuing education session, learners will review 2 Nerd’s Eye View blog articles: Why (Most) Advisors Shouldn’t Serve As Clients’ Trustees: Ethical Conflicts, Dual Fiduciary Duties, And The SEC Custody Rule and Why The SEC May No Longer Allow “Hedge Clauses” In Client Advisory Agreements (And How To Replace Them Compliantly).

In the first article, Ben Henry-Moreland examines why financial advisors should generally avoid serving as trustees for their clients' trusts due to conflicts of interest, competing fiduciary obligations, regulatory custody requirements, and potential legal liability. It also explores the circumstances under which advisors may choose to offer professional trustee services, as well as the infrastructure, compliance procedures, and risk-management practices required to do so successfully.

In the second article, Isaac Mamaysky explains why the SEC has intensified its scrutiny of hedge clauses in Investment Management Agreements (IMAs), arguing that such provisions may mislead clients and conflict with an adviser’s fiduciary duty under the Investment Advisers Act. It outlines recent enforcement actions, provides guidance for identifying problematic hedge-clause language, and offers compliant alternatives that limit liability by clearly defining the scope of the advisory relationship rather than attempting to waive client rights.