CE Submission & Approval Status

Organization Status Course ID
CFP Board Approved 351821
IWI / CIMA Approved
 26A4AI30675
NASAA Pending review  
NASBA Approved 
Approved – Course has been fully approved
Pending Review – Submitted and awaiting review
To Be Submitted : Not yet submitted
Not Approved – Denied approval 

What to do when sound advice is ignored.

Wednesday, August 19, 2026, 4 p.m. ET

Last updated August 17, 2026

Technically sound financial advice does not always produce client action.  Why? What can a fiduciary do about it?

This class gives advisors a practical framework for determining why a client is not implementing a recommendation and what to address first.

Participants learn to distinguish five common barriers—misunderstanding

  • cognitive bias
  • emotion
  • relationship conflict
  • low readiness
  • recognize when more than one barrier is operating 

A neutral, question-based method for identifying the controlling barrier is introduced and explained. The controlling barrier must be addressed before the client can move forward. 

The presentation emphasizes observation, inquiry, and appropriate initial responses. It does not train advisors to diagnose clients or provide mental-health treatment; instead, it strengthens the advisor’s ability to clarify, explore, sequence, and facilitate sound client decision-making within the advisor’s professional role.

At this class, advisors learn to:

LO 1. Explain why technically appropriate financial advice may fail to produce client action.

LO 2. Identify five common barriers to action: misunderstanding, cognitive bias, emotion, relationship conflict, and low readiness.

LO 3. Distinguish a misunderstanding of financial advice from an emotional or motivational objection.

LO 4. Recognize common cognitive biases, including loss aversion, anchoring, and overconfidence, that may impede financial decisions.

LO 5. Describe how fear, shame, grief, anger, and anxiety can affect a client’s ability to process information and act.

LO 6. Recognize when disagreement between spouses, partners, or family members is preventing implementation.

LO 7. Assess a client’s motivation and confidence to determine whether low readiness is the primary barrier.

LO 8. Use neutral, open-ended questions to investigate resistance without labeling, confronting, or diagnosing the client.

LO 9. Determine the controlling barrier that should be addressed first when several barriers are present.

LO 10. Select an appropriate initial response to the controlling barrier.

Instructor(s)

Frank Murtha

Frank Murtha, who holds a Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology, has taught at The City University of New York, Penn State, and New York University. In 2001, Dr. Murtha co-founded MarketPsych Inc., a statistically valid assessment for identifying investor personality traits, and he consults to institutional investors on macro- and micro-behavioral economics. In early 2021, he co-founded Financial Counseling Institute.

Credit Requirements (Live Attendance)

To earn credit at a live class, CPAs and IARs regulated by NASAA must respond to three unscored polls. No exam is required for live attendance.

Who Should Attend

IARs, CFP® professionals, EAs, CFAs, CPA financial planners, CPA/PFSs, CIMAs, RMAs, CPWAs, and other professionals seeking a deeper understanding of financial planning psychology and professional responsibility and behavioral ethics.

Cost

Free to Advisors4Advisors members ($60/quarter)

$34.99 for nonmembers 

CPE / CE Credit

  • Credit Hours: 1 hour

  • Field of Study:  Behavioral Ethics

  • Course Level: Overview

Prerequisites

None

Advanced Preparation

None

Delivery Method

Group Internet-Based (Live webinar)

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