Financial Advising Neurodivergence Ethics IAR CE On Demand

Last updated May 7, 2026

Approved NASAA IAR CE Course ID C82109.  Approved education for CFP, CIMA, CPA, and IAR practitioners.  

Neurodivergence Advising In Practice offers practical steps fiduciaries can apply with clients. 

The class applies knowledge from Financial Advising Neurodivergence (NASAA Course ID C82066). It provides a way to go deeper on this important topic and you learn to:. 

Frame neurodivergence as a communication and execution responsibility. Focus on actionable client understanding.

Use structured agendas to control cognitive load and meeting flow. Reduce ambiguity and improve decisions.

Maintain non-clinical communication boundaries in client interactions. Avoid diagnosis and preserve role clarity.

Base process design on observed client behaviors and patterns. Adjust methods using evidence, not assumptions.

Verify emotional readiness before advancing client decisions. Slow pacing when overload signals appear.

Adjust delivery for impulsive or resistant behavioral patterns. Match method to execution risk direction.

Design processes around predictable client failure points. Prevent breakdowns before they occur.

Confirm understanding through client restatement of next steps. Make comprehension observable and testable.

Translate advice into concrete, specific, actionable instructions. Eliminate ambiguity in execution steps.

Align communication, environment, and execution into one system. Ensure consistency and reliable outcomes.

The focus is on how communication, interpretation, and execution intersect in real-world advisory practice with respect to financial advising client neurodivergence. 

The analysis emphasizes that client behavior should be understood in context. Clients process information differently and some require more structured decision environments.

Advisors learn to identify situations in which standard communication approaches may introduce risk. This includes identifying where misunderstandings are likely to occur and proactively designing interactions to prevent them. 

Advisors are not to diagnose or categorize clients but are responsible for adapting processes to support informed decision-making by clients with neurodivergence. 

The practice tips specify ways to reduce ambiguity, verify comprehension, and create conditions where clients can engage with confidence and act with clarity. 

Recommendations to clients affected by neurodivergence should be communicated in a way that respects client differences while maintaining consistency, transparency, and accountability. 

When communication, behavior, and execution are aligned, advisory work becomes more reliable, more client-centered, and more effective. Clients with neurodivergence are, thus, able to achieve a better outcome from financial planning advice.


CE Status

Organization Status Course ID
CFP Board Pending 349328
IWI / CIMA To be submitted
NASAA Approved
C82109
NASBA Approved
Approved – Course has been fully approved
Pending Review – Submitted and awaiting review
– Not yet submitted
Not Approved – Course is not approved for CE

Credit Requirements (On-Demand)

To earn credit for this on-demand course, participants must pass a 5-question assessment quiz with a score of at least 70% and complete three ungraded review questions.


Who Should Attend

IARs, CFP® professionals, EAs, CFAs, CPA financial planners, CPA/PFSs, CIMAs, CLUs, ChFCs, and other professionals seeking to adopt practices for advising individuals affected by neurodivergence.


Cost

Free to Advisors4Advisors members ($60/quarter)


CPE / CE Credit

  • Credit Hours: 1/2  

  • Field of Study: Specialized Knowledge 

  • Course Level: Intermediate


Prerequisites

None


Advanced Preparation

None


Delivery Method

Reading 4813 words

Class curriculum

  1. Instructions

  2. Class Content

  3. Review Exercise

  4. Assessment

  5. Feedback

About this class

  • $9.99
  • 0 hours of video content

Instructor

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.

Read the first two practice tips.