Ethics in Financial Counseling for IAR Continuing Education

Ethics in Financial Counseling for IAR Continuing Education is approved NASAA IAR CE, Course ID C28358. This class is approved CPA CPE. It was submitted for review by CFP Board and IWI for 2026 credit, but not for 2025 credit.
NASAA's $3 per class filing fee is included with membership ($60 quarterly).

Designed for CFP CE, CPA CPE, and CIMA CE as well as IAR CE, this course equips you with practical ethics financial counseling skills to improve client decision-making, especially under stress.

Drawing on his experience in counseling psychology, Dr. Frank Murtha explains how to maintain professional boundaries, apply Rogerian principles, and assess emotional distress within the scope of financial advising. Participants learn to use tools such as the 3-3-3 grounding technique to address anxiety and empower clients during periods of financial uncertainty.

Through case studies involving individuals and couples, the class highlights real-world ethical dilemmas and demonstrates how fiduciary duties intersect with emotional dynamics in advisory relationships.

Designed for IAR CE, CFP CE, CPA CPE, and CIMA CE audiences, the class provides actionable guidance that strengthens ethical practices, enriches client outcomes, and supports compliant client-centered financial counseling.

What You Learn

You learn to:

Distinguish psychology from financial ethics and appreciate the importance of ethics education in shaping an advisory firm.

Apply a clear ethics code to real client interactions, demonstrating correct professional conduct.

Maintain clear professional boundaries and use structured approaches to avoid boundary conflicts.

Apply Rogerian counseling principles — genuineness, empathy, and positive regard — to improve client communication.

Assess client emotional distress and identify how stress influences financial decision-making.

Identify signs of potential clinical mental decline and recognize when emotional issues exceed normal financial stress.

Address emotional issues ethically using tools such as CURE to stabilize distressed clients.

Use structured tools to empower distressed clients, including crisis plans and grounding techniques.

Navigate ethical dilemmas in individual client cases, including emotional dependence and boundary pressure.

Resolve ethical conflicts within couples, addressing transparency, conflict, and fiduciary responsibilities.

Who Should Take This Class

This CE class is ideal for:
- Investment Adviser Representatives (IARs) looking to satisfy CE requirements with real-world value
- CFP® professionals seeking practical tools to strengthen client relationships
- CPAs and CIMAs interested in incorporating behavioral insights into portfolio planning
- Financial therapists and counselors looking for science-based tools to improve advisor-client fit
Whether you're a solo practitioner or work within a larger advisory firm, this course delivers ideas you can immediately use to improve your work.

How This Class Helps You Meet CE/CPE Requirements

If this class qualifies for educational credit across CFP, CIMA, and CPA financial planning professionals as well as IAR CE, it's a way to earn credit for two licenses in half the usual time and at no additional cost to members.

Advisors4Advisors ensures the course is regulator-compliant and suitable for on-demand or live delivery formats. Upon completion, you'll receive credit tracking and a downloadable certificate for your records.

Course Format and On-Demand Access

The class is delivered as an on-demand webinar recording, available to stream anytime. It's approximately 52 minutes in length and comes with downloadable presentation slides. You can watch the session at your own pace and revisit it as often as needed. When the live version, you'll have the opportunity to engage with the material in a live format and ask questions.

Why This Course Stands Out From Other CE/CPE Options

Many CE providers offer surface-level engagement with behavioral finance concepts. This class goes deeper—using one of the most rigorously tested personality models in modern psychology. By aligning your client approach with investor personality insights, you create deeper trust, fewer miscommunications, and more consistent client outcomes. If you're looking for a CE course that makes you better at both the technical and emotional aspects of advising, this is it.

How to Enroll in IAR CE Ethic Classes

To take the class, simply visit the Advisors4Advisors course catalog and enroll in the on-demand version. You'll get instant access to the class recording, materials, and your CE/CPE credit. You’ll also have the option to take a brief quiz to validate your learning. Start earning your CE credit while gaining tools that improve your advisory relationships for years to come.

Cost

Free to Advisors4Advisors members ($60/Qtr.)

1 CPE/CE Credit

Ethics field of study

Class has been submitted to NASAA for approval as Products & Practices IAR CE.

Approved by CFP Board for CFP CE, IWI for CIMA CE, and by NASBA for CPA CPE.

Prerequisites: None

Advanced Preparation: None

Course Level: Update

Delivery Method: Webinar replay

Learning Experience:
Earning credit requires successfully completing the following sections:

Instructions
Video presentation
Three polls for CPAs and IARs
Satisfaction survey
Scored assessment

Provider Approvals
Advisors4Advisors is approved as a CE provider by:

CFP Board, which regulates CE for Certified Financial Planners.
North American Securities Administrators Association (NASAA). NASAA does not endorse any particular provider of CE courses. The content of the course and any views expressed are those of the instructor and do not necessarily reflect the views of NASAA or any of its member jurisdictions. The class is submitted for approval NASAA.
National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA) as a Quality Assurance Service (QAS) Self-Study Provider, enabling CPA CPE credit live and on-demand webinars. State boards of accountancy retain final authority on course acceptance. Complaints regarding registered sponsors may be submitted to the National Registry of CPE Sponsors at www.nasbaregistry.org.
Investments & Wealth Institute, enabling credit for CFP®, CIMA®, and CPWA® professionals.

Administrative Policies

For information on administrative policies, such as refunds, cancellations and complaints, email [email protected].

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