Todd Rosenfeld, Chief Learning Officer at STC, discusses STC’s Investment Advisor Representative (IAR) continuing education courses for 2023.
As you know, investment advisor representatives (IARs) are required to have 12 CE credits per year: six credits on ethics and professional responsibility, and six credits on products and practices. If you are dually licensed as a registered representative and an investment advisor representative and you complete the annual regulatory element CE, you’re only required to have six credits on ethics and professional responsibility. It’s important to know that any courses completed in 2022 cannot be taken in 2023 – you will not receive credit. Duplicate courses are not permitted.
Ethics and Professional Responsibility Courses in 2023
STC has a strong offering of courses for ethics and professional responsibility this year:
- Application of Regulation Best Interest (BI) – This course builds on last year’s course and has a lot of application and case studies regarding BI, which is really a strong focus for FINRA, the SEC and the states.
- ESG Disclosure Requirements – This course takes you through environmental, social, and governance (ESG) investing and opposition to it, as well as disclosure rules and an SEC rule proposal regarding ESG investments.
- Examining the SEC’s Marketing Rule – This course covers the important terms associated with “advertisements” introduced in the SEC’s Marketing Rule as well as the numerous exceptions and prohibitions. It also covers the use of testimonials, which are now allowed as long as there are proper disclosures.
- Ethical Concerns in a Rising Interest Rate Market – We’re all reading about what happens when interest rates rise. This course explores the responsibilities and ethical requirements of IARs in talking about that situation with their clientele.
- Ethical Considerations for Dually Registered Personnel – This course examines the multiple challenges and conflicts of interest that firms face if they’re dually registered as both a broker-dealer and investment adviser.
- Investment Advisers and Their Code of Ethics – This course examines SEC Rule 204A-1, which requires federally registered investment advisers to implement a code of ethics to articulate the ethical principles and conduct that are expected of their investment adviser representatives.
STC offers the 2023 Ethics and Professional Responsibility Courses as a 6-hour IAR CE Bundle and as individual courses, so you have the flexibility to train to meet your personal requirements. We also offer a 12-hour IAR CE Bundle for both ethics and products and practices courses.
Products and Practices Courses for 2023
We also have a strong offering for products and practices course this year:
- Digital Assets – This course focuses on cryptocurrencies, and it’s a good course to take if you or your staff are interested in learning more about some of the regulatory requirements, recent innovations and regulatory initiatives regarding digital assets, especially cryptocurrencies.
- Exchange-Traded Funds – The course provides a brief history of investment funds and how exchange-traded funds (ETFs) evolved from index mutual funds, and examines the characteristics, investment objectives, and risks associated with ETFs.
- Municipal Bond Basics – As tax rates increase municipal bonds are becoming more attractive again. This course examines the importance of municipal bonds and their types, and provides an overview of the tax implications of investing in municipal debt.
- Retirement Plans 2.0 – This course covers the retirement plan rule changes effective 2023 with the Secures Act 2.0 and the new dollar amount limitations for retirement plans under the Act.
- Variable Annuities 2.0 – This course takes an in-depth look at variable annuities, the contractual agreement between the owner and the insurance company, and the fundamental characteristics inherent in these contracts.
- Alternative Investments – This course explains the characteristics and risks of alternative investments, including, hedge funds, private equity, venture capital, private debt, REITs, infrastructure investments, and commodities, in the context of Modern Portfolio Theory.
That’s the exciting set of courses we have for 2023. We have a 12-hour bundle and two 6-hour bundles to make the decision-making easy for you to complete your IAR CE this year. You just choose a bundle, pay a discounted price and you will receive those courses in your home. View our course selection.
