Approved IAR CE Courses

In times of market and economic uncertainty, the guidance you provide to clients and prospects is more important than ever. With markets experiencing their first meaningful pullback of 2026, investors may have questions about how the war in Iran, high oil prices, and other economic concerns affect their financial plans.
In this webinar, James Liu, CFA, founder and CEO of Clearnomics, will walk through timely insights, charts, and talking points that address clients’ the most common concerns. The session focuses on helping advisors provide clear perspectives that frame current developments in a historical context, reinforce the value of planning and discipline, and demonstrate to clients why well-constructed portfolios and financial plans are designed to navigate these situations.

Medicare Open Enrollment is on the horizon, and so is a flood of TV commercials informing clients about their best Medicare Advantage options. However, Medicare Advantage commercials do not inform clients about all of their Medicare options or of key details they need to be aware of to avoid costly coverage gaps and penalties. In this webinar, Elaine Floyd examines 10 common Medicare mistakes that advisors can help clients avoid. She explains critical enrollment considerations involving Medicare Parts A and B, Medigap, COBRA, employer insurance, health savings accounts, and Part D prescription drug plans.
Elaine also discusses how Medicare Advantage plan restrictions, IRMAA surcharges, and a spouse’s insurance needs can affect retirement planning decisions. Through practical case studies, she demonstrates how advisors can help clients compare coverage options, coordinate enrollment deadlines, and anticipate both current and future healthcare needs.

When speaking with clients about the legacy they want to create with their remaining assets at death, there are 3 basic options. They can leave their money to their family, the government via taxes, or charity. For most clients, leaving a legacy of tax payments is not the plan, creating the necessity for the optimization of gifting during life. For clients with charitable intentions, Dr. Russell James gives a masterclass on his top 10 rules for charitable planning for clients. Starting with his number one rule of never donating cash and delving into more advanced charitable giving strategies such as charitable swapping, using retained life estate deeds, and creating charitable trusts. He further explains ways to utilize charitable planning to offset income-producing events, such as required minimum distributions and Roth conversions. The presentation concludes with ideas of how charitable planning can help maintain wealth for multiple generations, furthering the impact a client's legacy can have while avoiding some of the potential pitfalls of inheritance.

In this continuing education session, learners will review 2 Nerd Eye's View articles: Using A 1035 Exchange To Turn An Unneeded Life Insurance Policy Into An Annuity and How Employer Roth Contributions To Solo 401(k) Plans Reduce The QBI Deduction (And Increase Taxes) For Self-Employed Workers. In the first article, Ben Henry-Moreland explains the options clients have to address permanent life insurance policies that are no longer needed and the various tax implications of those options. In this article, Ben also walks through how to execute a 1035 exchange into an annuity, providing details on the advantages of this option, when it may make sense for a client, and how to avoid 'boot' and taxation of withdrawals before 1035 exchanges. In the second article, Ben explains the impacts of pre-tax and Roth contributions to solo 401(k)s on Section 199A deductions. Ben highlights how business owners can utilize a variety of contribution types, such as employee elective deferrals, employer contributions, and after-tax contributions, to avoid the negative consequences of making Roth employer contributions.

Creating a stable income from retirement savings can be counterintuitive, as advisors must ensure income stability while navigating market volatility and sequence-of-returns risk, which can significantly impact a client’s portfolio and increase exposure to longevity risk. In this webinar, Michael Finke explains how advisors can align investment strategies with specific retirement spending goals by differentiating between essential and discretionary expenses. He then outlines 3 strategies for using fixed income to meet essential spending needs: withdrawals from bond funds, building Treasury bond ladders to match future liabilities, and transferring longevity risk through annuities. Together, these approaches provide a framework for creating a more stable and predictable retirement income plan while balancing tradeoffs among risk, flexibility, and guarantees.

The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act sunset has put a spotlight on estate planning for the past few years. However, after the Republican sweep in the 2024 election, estate planning may become lower on the client priority lists. Although major estate tax impacts from changing tax law are no longer expected, there are still several ways that neglecting estate planning can make wealth transfers more complex than necessary and may leave the client's wishes completely unmet. In this webinar, Martin Shenkman explains the vital role financial advisors can play in assisting clients with estate planning without venturing into the unauthorized practice of law. Executable service offerings for clients with and without AI are discussed, such as creating estate planning summaries, reviewing client account titles, highlighting issues in power of attorney planning, helping prepare client's assets for management by a power of attorney, and discussing how provisions in revocable trusts can be used to minimize the risks of elder abuse.

Withdrawal recommendations are a well-known aspect of retirement planning, but relying on the same default strategies can expose clients to unnecessary taxes, penalties, and missed planning opportunities. With a complex mix of standard rules and lesser-known exceptions governing retirement accounts, advisors must go beyond the basics to achieve tax-efficient outcomes. In this webinar, Tim Steffen provides a comprehensive overview of key income tax considerations affecting retirees, including withdrawal strategies from retirement accounts, Roth account rules, and Required Minimum Distributions (RMDs).

He then breaks down how different types of distributions are taxed, highlighting key nuances such as the pro rata rule, rollover requirements, penalty exceptions, Qualified Charitable Distributions (QCDs), and the strategic use of Net Unrealized Appreciation (NUA). Advisors will gain practical insights into advanced planning strategies to reduce taxable income around retirement withdrawals.

In this continuing education session, learners will review two Nerd's Eye View articles: 529-To-Roth IRA Rollovers: Taking Advantage Of The New Option To Move Education Savings To Retirement Savings and Planning For Adoption: Understanding Different Pathways And Their Costs, Tax Breaks, And Financial Assistance Available. In the first article, author Ben Henry-Moreland walks the reader through the 529-to-Roth rollover option created by the SECURE 2.0 Act. In this article, Ben explains the 529-to-Roth rollover provisions, the limitations of this Roth rollover option, and when this option may be a useful planning tool. In the second article, Kathleen Boyd provides a deep dive into financial planning for adoptive parents, starting with a description of the various pathways to adoption and their associated costs. Kathleen then explains the various financial assistance programs available for adoptive parents and the potential for tax planning opportunities for families going through the adoption process.

This month, we review 2 blog articles. The first article, A Proposed Salesperson's Exemption To The DoL's Retirement Security Rule?, the XY Planning Network Public Comment letter submitted to the Department of Labor regarding its proposed Retirement Security Rule, is shared with Nerd's Eye View readers. The ethical concerns of consumers not understanding if they are working with an advisor or a salesperson are discussed along with the regulatory history separating advice and sales. In FinCEN's New 2024 Requirement For State-Registered RIAs (And Other Small Businesses) To Report Beneficial Ownership Information (BOI), new reporting requirements proposed by the Corporate Transparency Act (CTA) are summarized, covering exemption businesses, reporting deadlines, necessary information, and penalties for non-compliance.

In this continuing education session, learners will review 2 Nerd's Eye View blog articles: Artificial Intelligence Compliance Considerations for Investment Advisers and The Third Anniversary of the Investment Adviser Marketing Rule: Compliance Tips and Key Takeaways from Three Years of SEC Enforcement. In the first article, Chris Stanley provides a comprehensive roadmap for integrating AI tools in ways that uphold an adviser's fiduciary obligations, while addressing current regulations governing data privacy, disclosure, recordkeeping, and client communications.In the second article, Isaac Mamaysky examines the real-world enforcement patterns and compliance challenges that have emerged since the rule took effect in 2022. Since the SEC's Marketing Rule went into effect in 2022, several enforcement trends have become clear. Through a review of SEC enforcement actions, this article highlights common pitfalls, including improper use of hypothetical performance, noncompliant testimonials and endorsements, and misleading third-party ratings.