Establishing an appropriate asset mix is a dynamic process and it plays a key role in determining a portfolio's overall risk and return. As such, a portfolio's asset mix should reflect the client's goals at any point in time. There are a few different strategies for establishing asset allocations. This course will review the key models and help the financial advisor develop an asset allocation strategy that is appropriate given the individual client's needs.
Training Topics
- Identify how to assess risk tolerance - Define strategic asset allocation, tactical asset allocation, and core-satellite asset allocation - Identify how each method is used and how diversification and rebalancing play a role - Identify how asset allocation should change in and throughout retirement.
This course is designed to provide an understanding of the roles and structures of different types of annuities, as well as important considerations when recommending an annuity: features, risks, benefits, costs, and suitability factors. This course also discusses important tax considerations including tax deferral and recharacterization of taxable income upon distribution, and the regulatory pitfalls of recommending annuities to fund other types of already tax-deferred investment vehicles including IRAs. The learner will have one year from the date of purchase to fully complete the course.
Training Topics
- Define what an annuity is, the different types + how each operate - Identify the role an annuity plays in retirement income planning including death + living benefits given increasing lifespans - Identify different ways of categorizing annuities: immediate vs. deferred; fixed, variable, + indexed; single premium vs. multiple premium; lifetime vs. period certain - Identify who bears the investment risk in the types of annuities - Define the various fees/costs associated with annuities, and identify your obligation to ensure client understanding - Identify the income tax consequences of annuities, including tax deferral, income recharacterization, qualified + non-qualified annuities + the impact of annuities in tax-deferred accounts
This course provides a detailed review of the basics of disability insurance and addresses concerns related to individuals and businesses. Topics include the need for disability insurance, how the policies work and how they are issued. Broad issues of a policy such as underwriting, defining a disability and riders will be covered. Several case studies provide excellent examples of issuing the most applicable policies.
Training Topics
- Define disability income insurance and understand the basic features - Identify concerns related to both individuals and businesses - Identify how policies work and how they are issued - Define what a disability is and the different riders offered
This course will help the students understand the psychological and financial impact that market volatility has on consumers and on the retirement planning process. It discusses how variable products can provide tools and solutions to mitigate the effects of market uncertainty on retirement portfolios. Asset allocation, dollar cost averaging, guaranteed living benefits and other ideas will be discussed as they relate to long-term retirement planning under all types of market conditions.
Training Topics
- Define different investing strategies: dollar cost averaging, split annuities, asset allocation, guaranteed living benefits, death benefit, and enhanced earnings futures - Identify the differences between investing strategies and how they help overcome market volatility. - Identify the advantages and disadvantages of different investing strategies
Estate planning is the process in which consideration is given to accumulating and allocating income and assets for the purpose of creating a better quality of life for an individual and others during life and after death. To achieve the goals sought by estate planning, the accumulation and retention of income and assets must be accomplished by avoiding the severe impact of income, estate and gift taxes, as well as ensuring the disposition of assets at death. This course will provide you an understanding of the key components of estate planning to allow you to create the appropriate financial plan for your client.
Training Topics
- Define estate planning and its various parts - Identify how property transfers upon death and the different documents needed - Identify the different types of trusts, including revocable and irrevocable - Identify how charities and charitable contributions can be included in trusts - Define estate and gift taxes and their impact on an estate - Identify the role of life insurance in estate planning
This course covers some of the basics of ethics, including offering a glance at past legislation that has brought us to where we are today. By also outlining the importance of the professional, this course gives a concrete explanation of the importance of ethics to today's financial professional.
Training Topics
- Define the basis for ethics and how professional conduct supports ethics - Identify the characteristics of a professional - Identify different events that helped mold financial ethics - Define professionalism and what attributes contribute to professional conduct - Identify how compliance, ethics, and professionalism work together
This course will provide an overview of the characteristics of ethics and professionalism. Topics included are the standards by which a professional should be judged and a study of ethics on its philosophical and compliance levels. * This course is not Texas classroom equivalent.
Training Topics
- Define the basis for ethics and how professional conduct supports ethics - Identify the characteristics of a professional - Define professionalism and what attributes contribute to professional conduct - Identify how compliance, ethics, and professionalism work together
By taking a look at the roles and rights of the three parties (owner, annuitant and beneficiary) of an annuity, along with some of the major variations found in different annuity contracts, this course covers many important aspects of income planning for heirs. It will also help to better understand the various outcomes of the available annuity contracts and recognize the disposition and tax consequences of each scenario. The learner will have one year from the date of purchase to fully complete the course.
Training Topics
- Define what an annuity is, the different types and how each operate - Identify the role an annuity plays in retirement income planning including death and living benefits given increasing lifespans - Identify who bears the investment risk in the types of annuities - Identify distribution options at the owner/annuitant's death - Define the various fees/costs associated with annuities, and identify your obligation to ensure client understanding - Identify the income tax consequences of annuities
This course will provide an understanding of the need for planning for retirement income needs as a part of the financial planning process. The topics covered include the need for planning, asset allocation, annuitization, and payout options available. The course concludes with an enumeration of the steps that need to be taken to plan for retirement income, including a detailed case study.
Training Topics
- Identify the need for planning for retirement income - Identify the types of risk and how to measure risk - Define annuities and how annuitization affects retirement income - Identify different tax traps and how to choose a type of payout
This course provides an overview of individual retirement accounts including traditional and Roth IRAs, eligibility, funding, distribution, and taxation. It also discusses RIA rollovers from qualified plans, and the DOL's proposal to expand the definition of a fiduciary to those who recommend such rollovers or otherwise work with IRA clients. The learner will have one year from the date of purchase to fully complete the course.
Training Topics
- Define what an IRA is, the different types and how each operates - Identify the basic components of an individual retirement account - Identify the differences between traditional and roth IRAs - Identify the different ways of converting of an IRA - Identify the potential role of the DOL Rule in IRA rollover decisions - Identify the tax consequences of both traditional and roth IRAs
This course provides an understanding of the concepts of asset allocation and its importance in financial planning. The topics covered include the definitions of asset allocation and asset classes, the concepts of risk and how they relate to the asset allocation process, and a discussion of the client information that is needed to properly allocate the client assets. The learner will have one year from the date of purchase to fully complete the course.
Training Topics
- Define asset allocation and discuss its importance, define asset classes, and distinguish the differences among various investments. - Define the concept and value of risk, learn about volatility and standard deviation as measures of risk, review systematic and unsystematic risk, and how it all relates to the risk/return tradeoff. - Identify investing methods, the use of diversification to reduce portfolio risk, and how correlation is used to obtain the efficient frontier. - Identify the value of diversification in keeping risks balanced in the context of portfolio theory.
On completing this course professionals will be able to understand the importance of ethics in the insurance industry. They will learn the standards and requirements they are to uphold and how to successfully implement these when dealing with both clients and insurance companies. This will course will allow the professional to create both a personal and professional code of ethics which they can follow in each and every aspect of their business.
Training Topics
- Define ethics and professional conduct - Identify what components contribute to an ethical system and ethical decision-making - Identify how ethics appears and operates in modern society - Define professionalism and how it intertwines with ethics - Identify how ethics affects and can be applied to the insurance industry
This course will familiarize the participant with the growing financial needs of retirement and the need for saving and investing for retirement. Subjects in the course include calculating income needs for retirees, future value of money and retirement spending. The participant will learn about different sources of retirement income including fixed and variable annuities in addition to various types of retirement income savings tools.
Training Topics
- Identify different sources of retirement income such as Social Security and fixed and variable annuities - Identify how to calculate income needs for future retirees, including the replacement ratio method and the shorthand formula method - Define the future value of money and retirement spending - Identify the differences between expenses pre-retirement and in retirement - Identify the differences between employer-sponsored retirement plans, self-employed retirement plans, and individual retirement plans
Planning for retirement can involve multitudes of subjects. The more people are educated on the value of annuities, the more they will want this product. One of the last things on young couples' minds is retirement planning. Couples may think about who would care for their children if they died. They may have had a will drawn up to protect their property for their heirs. Providing an income for their retirement, however, seems to be the last to be planned. The earlier a young couple plans for their retirement, the more their retirement will be free from financial anxieties. This course requires a basic knowledge of annuities and the terminology used in the sale of annuities.
Training Topics
- Define what an annuity is, the different types and how each operate - Identify the role an annuity could play in retirement income planning including providing death benefits and living benefits - Identify the different ways of categorizing annuities: immediate vs. deferred; fixed, variable and indexed; single premium vs. multiple premium; lifetime vs. period certain - Identify who bears the investment risk in different types of annuities - Define the various fees and costs associated with annuities - Identify the income tax consequences of annuities, including tax deferral, income recharacterization, qualified and non-qualified annuities and the impact of placing annuities in tax-deferred accounts
Today's retirees are more active and have longer life expectancies than ever. It is not uncommon for retirement to last 20 or even 30 years, and during that time, today's retirees are likely to continue to travel, entertain, and otherwise continue to live - and consume - as they have become accustomed. This trend is only expected to continue as younger Baby Boomers enter retirement, and in the not so distant future, Gen Xers approach retirement as well. Given these trends, planning for senior needs is more important than ever. The learner will have one year from the date of purchase to fully complete the course.
Training Topics
- Discuss typical characteristics of retirees and financial challenges they face in retirement. - Explain the primary methods of calculating retirement income needs. - Understand the integration of retirement income/distributions from an array of investment vehicles including from taxable accounts, tax deferred retirement accounts like IRAs and 401(k)s, and tax-free accounts like Roth IRAs. - Describe Social Security Maximization techniques and taxability of Social Security benefits. - Understand suitability considerations when working with elderly clients.
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