Initial Distrust

In a recent article published by the AARP, it was reported that there are more than 70 titles that financial pros use to lend authority to whatever they are telling and selling investors.

Jack Herstein, Assistant Director of Nebraska’s Department of Banking and Finance, says there are many designations that no one knows anything about. And he said that the standards vary widely in terms of what is required to obtain these designations. Many of the preparatory programs require years of experience and study; others only took hours and an open book exam. Some were more marketing and selling techniques than anything else.

So what Hernstein and his department did was review all the designations in the marketplace and have asked everyone doing business in Nebraska to drop designations that "state or imply a specialized knowledge of the needs of senior investors." The State has now deemed only five titles as acceptable: CFP, ChFC, PFS, CFA and CIC. While Hernstein says he won’t elaborate on titles that disappoint, he said: "If something's not on the list, people can draw their own conclusions."

Keir Educational Resources

This week 360training reached an agreement with Keir Education Resources to distribute their Certified Financial Planning (CFP) supplemental study material.

The CFP designation is one of the most coveted in the insurance and financial services industry and the coursework culminates with the candidate sitting for the official 10 hour CFP Certification Examination. 360training will distribute Keirs Basic CFP Review Package which retails for $375.00 and the Online Review Class that retails for $549.00.

Look for more details on 360training’s insurance and financial services portal, www.learninsurance.com

Securities Exam Prep Tool Evolution

Security license exam prep methodologies have quickly evolved over the years like most things technological in nature. At first, and for many years, there were only two options: classroom and/or self-study.

While classroom and textbook self-study continue to be the staple, new means of exam prep have emerged in the past few years, such as the addition of CD-ROM based coursework and exam simulators on CD-ROM. Then the natural progression to the Internet occurred, where today you can take complete series exam prep courses online that are flash-based, audio, interactive sessions integrating rich media, streaming video, corrective feedback built in quizzes, and flash cards online. Exam simulators are now also delivered entirely online allowing the user to customize their practice exams to prepare for specific areas of a particular exam.

Enter the webinar as the next natural step in exam prep evolution. Thanks to improved bandwidth and the technology to support it, webinars are now an efficient and effective methodology for delivering exam prep training.

Securitiescampus.com is launching a series of webinar modules designed for the person who has already taken the exam, needs help with a particular area, or is confused after having completed a class. These 1.5 to 2 hour webinars will focus on the most difficult areas of the most popular licenses and cost only $99.00.

Series 7 Modules: Options Basic, Options Advanced, Municipal Securities, Customer Accounts and Suitability, Trading Securities, and the Securities Industry Rules and Regulations.

Series 65 Modules: Customer Recommendations and Portfolio Analysis, Registration and Requirements – Firms and Agents, Registration of Securities, Professional Conduct

Series 24 Modules: Supervision of Market Making and Trading, Supervision of Investment Banking, and Financial and Record Keeping Rules

The goal is to launch these webinars in early May. Stay tuned for more information in the weeks to come.