Advisors4Advisors

Conditional Membership Price

One live class: $39.99 one-time. Or A4A membership: $69.99 every three months. A $36 FINRA fee is owed if you take more than three classes and cancel before the end of your first three months.

Already a member? Sign in and open your classes; this class is included while your membership is active.

Last updated October 16, 2026

Tuesday, October 27, 2026 • 4–5 p.m. Eastern
Frank Murtha, Ph.D. • 55 minutes of planned instruction

Cass Sunstein is a giant in behavioral finance and perhaps its most influential figure in translating behavioral insights into practical frameworks for individual decision-making, public policy and institutional design. Frank Murtha, Ph.D., examines Sunstein’s contribution through Nudge, coauthored with Richard H. Thaler. The class focuses on choice architecture, defaults, framing, commitment devices, social influence and clearer comparisons in financial counseling, while preserving informed client choice. The Price of Happiness may be referenced briefly for context.

Who should attend

Financial advisors, investment advisers and CFP professionals seeking practical behavioral-finance and financial-counseling approaches.

Continuing education status

NASAA IAR CE: Submitted — approval pending
IWI CE: Submitted — approval pending
CFP CE: Pending Review
NASBA CPE eligibility: Verification in progress

Credit approval has not yet been obtained. Any available credit and completion requirements will be confirmed before the live class. Course enrollment alone does not establish credit eligibility.

Behavioral Finance Learning Objectives

By the end of this 55-minute class, participants will be able to:

• Choice architecture and freedom of choice. Explain how nudges change a decision environment while preserving options and distinguish them from coercion or material financial incentives.
• Automatic and reflective thinking. Distinguish automatic from reflective thinking and explain how anchoring, availability and overconfidence affect financial judgment.
• Defaults and status quo bias. Explain how inertia influences retirement-plan participation and distinguish a default from an informed, suitable saving decision.
• Framing and loss aversion. Compare gain and loss frames for the same financial trade-off and identify a balanced presentation for clients.
• Present bias and saving commitments. Explain how present bias undermines saving and how advance commitments in Save More Tomorrow support follow-through.
• Social norms and herd behavior. Distinguish useful peer information from pressure to follow an unsuitable crowd in saving and investment decisions.
• Making complex choices understandable. Organize financial options around client goals and compare their costs, risks and likely consequences clearly.
• Feedback and progress toward goals. Explain how timely, understandable feedback helps clients assess progress and reconsider financial decisions.
• Transparency and client agency. Evaluate whether a proposed nudge preserves client choice and makes its purpose and financial trade-offs understandable.
• Applying Nudge in financial counseling. Select a transparent, client-centered nudge and explain how it supports follow-through while remaining aligned with the client’s goals.

NASAA does not endorse any particular provider of CE courses. The content of the course and any views expressed are my/our own and do not necessarily reflect the views of NASAA or any of its member jurisdictions.