Year-End Reminder: Ensure IAR CE Compliance Before the CRD/IARD Renewal Shutdown

As the calendar year draws to a close, it’s essential for Investment Adviser Representatives (IARs) and their firms to take a proactive approach toward meeting continuing education (CE) obligations. With the annual FINRA CRD/IARD Renewal Shutdown scheduled to begin on December 26, 2025, and more states than ever enforcing IAR CE requirements – including Illinois, which goes live in 2026 – compliance teams face growing complexity and shrinking timelines to ensure every IAR remains in good standing.  Failing to complete CE requirements before the shutdown can trigger serious consequences – from administrative terminations and client reassignments to lost compensation eligibility […]

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Iowa’s New Adjuster Licensing Requirements: Your Comprehensive Guide

In April 2025, the Iowa legislature passed SF 619, marking a pivotal shift in how insurance adjusters are licensed and regulated within the state. This new law introduces licensing for Independent Adjusters, Staff Adjusters, Appraisers, and Umpires for the first time. The transition period to licensing will require different procedures depending on when an adjuster’s application is submitted, their experience level, and their adjuster licensing history. On June 9th, 2025, Iowa released Bulletin 25-04, outlining the transitional and long term filing process for these new license types.  This blog will walk you through the essentials of Iowa’s independent and staff […]

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FAQs for IAR CE: What to Know About NASAA’s Investment Adviser Representative Continuing Education Model Rule

Several states have adopted and implemented investment adviser representative continuing education (IAR CE) requirements, while many other states continue to join them in implementing these new requirements. Once implemented, Investment adviser representatives have until the compliance date to meet IAR CE requirements if they conduct advisory business in a state that has adopted the North American Securities Administrators Association (NASAA)’s Investment Adviser Representative Continuing Education Model Rule. As an approved IAR CE provider, RegEd answers some of the most common questions that IARs and firms have about these first-time requirements. To see a map of adopted states, visit here. Implementing […]

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Key Takeaways from ARM Annual Conference 2025 

Our regulatory affairs team was onsite at the ARM Annual Educational Conference 2025 and gathered key insights from the sessions and discussions that took place. The conference brought together industry leaders and experts to discuss the latest developments and best practices in regulatory affairs, focusing on compliance, registration processes, continuing education, and technological advancements. Here’s a look at some of the most important takeaways from the event. Key Changes to FINRA Fees & MFA In November 2024, FINRA approved new fee increases scheduled for 2026, which will impact all registration fees. This includes the introduction of a tiered fee structure […]

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Key Takeaways from the FINRA 2025 Annual Conference: Embracing Change and Innovation in Financial Regulation 

The FINRA 2025 Annual Conference provided a comprehensive look into the evolving landscape of financial regulation and the ongoing efforts to enhance market integrity, investor protection, and operational efficiency. Several RegEd subject matter experts, including members of our regulatory affairs team, were in attendance, and they made note of these key takeaways from the event.  As the financial services industry faces new challenges and opportunities, key discussions from this year’s conference focused on modernizing regulatory practices, enhancing cybersecurity measures, and leveraging innovative technologies like AI. Here are the major insights and takeaways from the event:  1. Modernizing Regulation: Adapting to […]

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Insurance Compliance Lifecycle: A Closed-Loop Process to Managing Regulatory Change Successfully

Each year, thousands of regulatory changes are made that could materially affect the insurance industry, and the number is rising. In any given year, more than 40,000 regulations—including legislative bills, administrative rules, bulletins, advisories, alerts, directives, and interpretive guidance—must be vetted to determine if they affect the business of insurance. According to RegEd’s internal research, there were about 2,400 new or revised state regulations enacted or adopted that directly affected the insurance industry in 2013. In 2021, there were over 3,300, an increase of almost 40%. As the number escalates, new regulations themselves are becoming more complex, especially around risk […]

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Market Conduct Exams: Best Practices to Ensure a Smooth Process and Stay Under the Radar for Future Examinations

By David Sheehan For an insurance company, the key objective of a market conduct examination (MCE) is to avoid it. As regulators pay more attention to problem areas, behaving well in the marketplace in the first place mitigates the chances of being examined. The No. 1 defense against an unscheduled market conduct examination is a documented and well managed compliance program, and companies that follow a few best practices find they can stay under the regulatory radar, and when they are selected for examination, they can be fully prepared to make it go smoothly. 1. Know the handbook. The NAIC’s […]

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SEC Issues New Guidance on IA Marketing Rule: Key Takeaways for Compliance and Marketing Teams

On March 20, 2025, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) issued additional guidance on its Investment Adviser Marketing Rule, clarifying longstanding gray areas that have challenged compliance teams and marketing departments alike. While the new FAQs provide helpful interpretations, they may also necessitate revisions to existing advertising materials, especially for firms promoting performance metrics. Key Highlights of the New SEC Guidance The Marketing Rule, originally adopted in 2020, has transformed the landscape for investment adviser advertising, consolidating decades-old advertising regulations into a modernized framework. Yet, some provisions remained open to interpretation. The SEC’s latest guidance specifically addresses how advisers […]

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Key Takeaways from FINRA’s 2025 Annual Regulatory Oversight Report: What Compliance Professionals Need to Know 

Each year, FINRA’s Annual Regulatory Oversight Report serves as a critical resource for compliance professionals, outlining evolving risks, regulatory expectations, and areas where firms continue to face challenges. The 2025 report reflects key developments across multiple risk areas, emphasizing third-party risk management, artificial intelligence (AI), the remote inspections pilot, outside business activities (OBA), private securities transactions (PST), and communications with the public among others.  For firms, these insights are not just a review of recent findings — they offer a roadmap for where FINRA’s examiners will be focusing their attention in 2025. Below, we break down some key takeaways from […]

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It’s the Final Countdown…Get Your IAR CE Renewals Straight; Don’t be Late!

Happy Renewal Season!!! As year-end 2024 approaches, it’s a great time to review the Investment Adviser Representative Continuing Education (IAR CE) status for your associates required to satisfy this annual requirement.  IARs who fail to satisfy their IAR CE requirement for two consecutive years risk being administratively terminated in jurisdictions that have implemented an IAR CE requirement unless they satisfy ‘at a minimum’ the full 2023 requirement before year-end 2024.  Although not rocket science, there are some complexities around the unique nature of the IAR CE program that still creates some confusion for the industry.  For example, it’s important to […]

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