Open Exam Prep

This podcast is made by Ran Chen, who holds an EA license, Insurance and Securities licenses (Series 6, 63, 65), and the CFP® designation. He is passionate about opening access to high-quality exam preparation resources and helping learners prepare more effectively for professional certification exams. In this episode you will learn: - How FINRA's Know Your Customer (KYC) rule provides the foundation for all investment recommendations. - The key elements of a customer's investment profile, including financial and non-financial considerations. - How Regulation Best Interest (Reg BI) elevates the suitability standard, requiring you to act in the client's best interest. - The critical d...

This podcast is made by Ran Chen, who holds an EA license, Insurance and Securities licenses (Series 6, 63, 65), and the CFP® designation. He is passionate about opening access to high-quality exam preparation resources and helping learners prepare more effectively for professional certification exams. In this episode you will learn: - The four essential pieces of customer information required by the Customer Identification Program (CIP): name, date of birth, address, and tax ID number. - A registered principal's approval and signature are mandatory on the new account form before any trading can commence. - While a customer's signature is not required on t...

This podcast is made by Ran Chen, who holds an EA license, Insurance and Securities licenses (Series 6, 63, 65), and the CFP® designation. He is passionate about opening access to high-quality exam preparation resources and helping learners prepare more effectively for professional certification exams. In this episode you will learn: - The critical distinction between exempt securities (based on the issuer) and exempt transactions (based on how the security is sold), a common point of confusion on the exam. - The specific financial thresholds for an individual to be considered an accredited investor under Regulation D: over $1 million in net worth or a...

This podcast is made by Ran Chen, who holds an EA license, Insurance and Securities licenses (Series 6, 63, 65), and the CFP® designation. He is passionate about opening access to high-quality exam preparation resources and helping learners prepare more effectively for professional certification exams. In this episode you will learn: - The definition of 'restricted persons' under FINRA Rule 5130 and who is prohibited from buying common stock IPOs. - How the violation of 'free-riding and withholding' applies to 'hot issues' and the requirement for a bona fide public offering. - The rules around prospecting and accepting indications of interest during a new i...

This podcast is made by Ran Chen, who holds an EA license, Insurance and Securities licenses (Series 6, 63, 65), and the CFP® designation. He is passionate about opening access to high-quality exam preparation resources and helping learners prepare more effectively for professional certification exams. In this episode you will learn: - The primary issuance process begins with filing an S-1 registration statement, which initiates a 20-day cooling-off period for SEC review. - During the cooling-off period, underwriters use a preliminary prospectus, or red herring, to gather non-binding indications of interest. - The underwriting syndicate assumes risk, typically in a firm commitment, while t...

This podcast is made by Ran Chen, who holds an EA license, Insurance and Securities licenses (Series 6, 63, 65), and the CFP® designation. He is passionate about opening access to high-quality exam preparation resources and helping learners prepare more effectively for professional certification exams. In this episode you will learn: - The critical difference between correspondence, retail, and institutional communications based on the "25 retail investor" rule. - Why retail communications require pre-approval by a principal while correspondence and institutional communications do not. - The strict prohibition on projecting future investment performance in any client-facing material. - Key disclosure requirements for using testimonials i...

This podcast is made by Ran Chen, who holds an EA license, Insurance and Securities licenses (Series 6, 63, 65), and the CFP® designation. He is passionate about opening access to high-quality exam preparation resources and helping learners prepare more effectively for professional certification exams. In this episode you will learn: - The Series 7, or General Securities Representative license, offers the broadest authority to solicit and sell most types of securities. - Permitted products include equities, corporate and municipal debt, options, variable contracts, and direct participation programs. - A key distinction tested on the exam is that Series 7 reps can sell individual stocks a...

This podcast is made by Ran Chen, who holds an EA license, Insurance and Securities licenses (Series 6, 63, 65), and the CFP® designation. He is passionate about opening access to high-quality exam preparation resources and helping learners prepare more effectively for professional certification exams. In this episode you will learn: - The Series 7 exam has 125 scored questions and 10 unscored pretest items, with a time limit of 3 hours and 45 minutes. - Function 3, covering recommendations and client communications, dominates the exam with 91 questions, making up 73% of your score. - How to structure your study plan to mirror the exam's heavy weighting on Function 3 concepts. ...

This podcast is made by Ran Chen, who holds an EA license, Insurance and Securities licenses (Series 6, 63, 65), and the CFP® designation. He is passionate about opening access to high-quality exam preparation resources and helping learners prepare more effectively for professional certification exams. In this episode you will learn: - The difference between a Currency Transaction Report (CTR) for cash transactions over $10,000 and a Suspicious Activity Report (SAR) for suspicious activity of $5,000 or more. - The absolute prohibition against "tipping off" a client that a SAR has been filed on their account. - The definition of a "specified adult" as someone o...

This podcast is made by Ran Chen, who holds an EA license, Insurance and Securities licenses (Series 6, 63, 65), and the CFP® designation. He is passionate about opening access to high-quality exam preparation resources and helping learners prepare more effectively for professional certification exams. In this episode you will learn: - What constitutes material nonpublic information and how it's tested on the exam. - The specific requirements for establishing tipper-tippee liability, including the 'personal benefit' test. - How firms use 'Chinese Walls' as a procedural safeguard to prevent the misuse of inside information. - Key market manipulation tactics like wash trades, marking t...

This podcast is made by Ran Chen, who holds an EA license, Insurance and Securities licenses (Series 6, 63, 65), and the CFP® designation. He is passionate about opening access to high-quality exam preparation resources and helping learners prepare more effectively for professional certification exams. In this episode you will learn: - The two primary components of fiduciary duty for an investment adviser are the duty of care and the duty of loyalty. - The duty of care includes providing suitable advice, seeking best execution, and ongoing monitoring. - The duty of loyalty requires advisers to place client interests ahead of their own a...

This podcast is made by Ran Chen, who holds an EA license, Insurance and Securities licenses (Series 6, 63, 65), and the CFP® designation. He is passionate about opening access to high-quality exam preparation resources and helping learners prepare more effectively for professional certification exams. In this episode you will learn: - Advisory contracts must be in writing and detail the services, term, fee formula, and any discretionary authority. - A change in the majority ownership of an advisory firm is considered an "assignment" and requires client consent. - Performance-based fees are prohibited unless the client is a "qualified client" with at least $1.1 m...

This podcast is made by Ran Chen, who holds an EA license, Insurance and Securities licenses (Series 6, 63, 65), and the CFP® designation. He is passionate about opening access to high-quality exam preparation resources and helping learners prepare more effectively for professional certification exams. In this episode you will learn: - The SEC Marketing Rule now allows testimonials and endorsements, but requires clear disclosures about compensation and client status. - Performance advertising must show net returns with equal prominence whenever gross returns are displayed to provide a fair and balanced view. - Investment advisers are strictly prohibited from claiming they are "approved" b...

This podcast is made by Ran Chen, who holds an EA license, Insurance and Securities licenses (Series 6, 63, 65), and the CFP® designation. He is passionate about opening access to high-quality exam preparation resources and helping learners prepare more effectively for professional certification exams. In this episode you will learn: - To distinguish between exempt securities (based on what they are) and exempt transactions (based on how they are sold). - That securities issued directly by a bank are exempt, while those issued by a bank holding company are not. - Why variable annuities are considered non-exempt securities that must be registered, u...

This podcast is made by Ran Chen, who holds an EA license, Insurance and Securities licenses (Series 6, 63, 65), and the CFP® designation. He is passionate about opening access to high-quality exam preparation resources and helping learners prepare more effectively for professional certification exams. In this episode you will learn: - When to apply Registration by Coordination for securities offerings registered with the SEC and sold in multiple states. - The specifics of Registration by Qualification, used for intrastate offerings not registered with the SEC. - The purpose of Notice Filing for federal covered securities like mutual funds. - The distinct timing a...

This podcast is made by Ran Chen, who holds an EA license, Insurance and Securities licenses (Series 6, 63, 65), and the CFP® designation. He is passionate about opening access to high-quality exam preparation resources and helping learners prepare more effectively for professional certification exams. In this episode you will learn: - How to determine if an offer falls under a state Administrator's jurisdiction based on origination and receipt. - The crucial two-part test an Administrator must satisfy to deny, suspend, or revoke a registration. - The key differences between a punitive action like revocation and a non-punitive action like cancellation. - The s...

This podcast is made by Ran Chen, who holds an EA license, Insurance and Securities licenses (Series 6, 63, 65), and the CFP® designation. He is passionate about opening access to high-quality exam preparation resources and helping learners prepare more effectively for professional certification exams. In this episode you will learn: - The four core obligations of Regulation Best Interest: Disclosure, Care, Conflict of Interest, and Compliance. - That Reg BI applies specifically to broker-dealers making recommendations to retail customers, not to Investment Advisers. - The critical distinction between the Reg BI standard and the higher, ongoing fiduciary standard imposed on Investment Advisers. ...

This podcast is made by Ran Chen, who holds an EA license, Insurance and Securities licenses (Series 6, 63, 65), and the CFP® designation. He is passionate about opening access to high-quality exam preparation resources and helping learners prepare more effectively for professional certification exams. In this episode you will learn: - The specific definition of an 'agent' under the Uniform Securities Act and how it differs when representing a broker-dealer versus an issuer. - Key exclusions from the agent definition, particularly for individuals representing issuers in exempt security or exempt transactions. - State registration triggers for broker-dealers, including having a place of b...

This podcast is made by Ran Chen, who holds an EA license, Insurance and Securities licenses (Series 6, 63, 65), and the CFP® designation. He is passionate about opening access to high-quality exam preparation resources and helping learners prepare more effectively for professional certification exams. In this episode you will learn: - Broker-Dealers earn transaction-based commissions and are held to a suitability standard. - Investment Advisers earn fees for providing ongoing advice and are held to a higher, fiduciary standard. - The method of compensation—commissions for transactions versus fees for advice—determines whether one is acting as a BD agent or an IAR. ...

This podcast is made by Ran Chen, who holds an EA license, Insurance and Securities licenses (Series 6, 63, 65), and the CFP® designation. He is passionate about opening access to high-quality exam preparation resources and helping learners prepare more effectively for professional certification exams. In this episode you will learn: - The five specific job functions that define an individual as an Investment Adviser Representative (IAR). - The examination requirements for IAR registration, including the Series 65 or the Series 7 and 66 combination. - Which professional designations, such as CFP®, CFA®, and ChFC®, grant a waiver from the Series 65 exam. - The key differences in s...

This podcast is made by Ran Chen, who holds an EA license, Insurance and Securities licenses (Series 6, 63, 65), and the CFP® designation. He is passionate about opening access to high-quality exam preparation resources and helping learners prepare more effectively for professional certification exams. In this episode you will learn: - Form ADV Part 1 is the regulatory filing for the SEC and states, while Part 2 (the brochure) is the disclosure document for clients. - Part 2A is the firm's brochure, detailing services and fees, while Part 2B is the supplement, detailing the backgrounds of specific advisory personnel. - The client brochure must b...

This podcast is made by Ran Chen, who holds an EA license, Insurance and Securities licenses (Series 6, 63, 65), and the CFP® designation. He is passionate about opening access to high-quality exam preparation resources and helping learners prepare more effectively for professional certification exams. In this episode you will learn: - The broad definition of "custody" and how it's tested on the exam. - The critical role and requirements of a qualified custodian. - The purpose and exceptions to the annual surprise examination rule. - How custody is disclosed on Form ADV. - The concept of inadvertent custody and common exam traps a...

This podcast is made by Ran Chen, who holds an EA license, Insurance and Securities licenses (Series 6, 63, 65), and the CFP® designation. He is passionate about opening access to high-quality exam preparation resources and helping learners prepare more effectively for professional certification exams. In this episode you will learn: - The five-year record retention rule and the specific two-year accessibility requirement. - Key records advisers must maintain, including financial statements, client agreements, and communications. - The strict standards for electronic recordkeeping, specifically the WORM (Write Once, Read Many) format. - Common exam traps, such as the fiscal year start date for r...

This podcast is made by Ran Chen, who holds an EA license, Insurance and Securities licenses (Series 6, 63, 65), and the CFP® designation. He is passionate about opening access to high-quality exam preparation resources and helping learners prepare more effectively for professional certification exams. In this episode you will learn: - The minimum net worth requirement for a state-registered investment adviser with custody of client assets is $35,000. - An investment adviser with discretionary authority over client accounts must maintain a minimum net worth of $10,000. - An adviser can post a $35,000 surety bond as an alternative to meeting the minimum net worth requirement f...

This podcast is made by Ran Chen, who holds an EA license, Insurance and Securities licenses (Series 6, 63, 65), and the CFP® designation. He is passionate about opening access to high-quality exam preparation resources and helping learners prepare more effectively for professional certification exams. In this episode you will learn: - The specific Assets Under Management (AUM) thresholds that determine whether an Investment Adviser must register with the state or the SEC. - The rules and limitations of the de minimis exemption for state registration. - How operating as a multi-state adviser can affect SEC registration eligibility. - The precise triggers and t...

This podcast is made by Ran Chen, who holds an EA license, Insurance and Securities licenses (Series 6, 63, 65), and the CFP® designation. He is passionate about opening access to high-quality exam preparation resources and helping learners prepare more effectively for professional certification exams. In this episode you will learn: - The three-prong test (ABC: Advice, Business, Compensation) for defining an investment adviser. - How the L.A.T.E. exclusion for lawyers, accountants, teachers, and engineers is tested on the exam. - The critical distinction between advice that is "solely incidental" versus a primary business activity. - The specific Assets Under M...

This podcast is made by Ran Chen, who holds an EA license, Insurance and Securities licenses (Series 6, 63, 65), and the CFP® designation. He is passionate about opening access to high-quality exam preparation resources and helping learners prepare more effectively for professional certification exams. In this episode you will learn: - A Qualified Domestic Relations Order (QDRO) allows for a penalty-free, but taxable, transfer of retirement assets to an ex-spouse during a divorce. - Hardship withdrawals are only permitted for specific, IRS-defined 'immediate and heavy financial needs' and are subject to taxes and potential penalties. - Rule 72(t) allows for penalty-free early w...

This podcast is made by Ran Chen, who holds an EA license, Insurance and Securities licenses (Series 6, 63, 65), and the CFP® designation. He is passionate about opening access to high-quality exam preparation resources and helping learners prepare more effectively for professional certification exams. In this episode you will learn: - That ERISA governs private-sector retirement plans to protect employee assets. - The 'prudent man rule' requires fiduciaries to act with the skill and care of a knowledgeable expert. - Prohibited transactions, such as self-dealing or transacting with a party-in-interest, are strictly forbidden to avoid conflicts of interest. - Plan sponsors have a...

This podcast is made by Ran Chen, who holds an EA license, Insurance and Securities licenses (Series 6, 63, 65), and the CFP® designation. He is passionate about opening access to high-quality exam preparation resources and helping learners prepare more effectively for professional certification exams. In this episode you will learn: - The specific RMD age requirements based on birth year as set by the SECURE 2.0 Act. - How to calculate an RMD using the prior year-end balance and the IRS life expectancy factor. - The rules for a client's first RMD, including the April 1st deadline and the trap of taking two d...

This podcast is made by Ran Chen, who holds an EA license, Insurance and Securities licenses (Series 6, 63, 65), and the CFP® designation. He is passionate about opening access to high-quality exam preparation resources and helping learners prepare more effectively for professional certification exams. In this episode you will learn: - That 529 plan contributions may be deductible at the state level, but not the federal level. - How the five-year gift tax averaging, or 'superfunding,' rule works for 529 plans. - The specific types of qualified education expenses for both 529 plans and Coverdell ESAs. - The strict annual contribution limit of $2,000 per b...

This podcast is made by Ran Chen, who holds an EA license, Insurance and Securities licenses (Series 6, 63, 65), and the CFP® designation. He is passionate about opening access to high-quality exam preparation resources and helping learners prepare more effectively for professional certification exams. In this episode you will learn: - That Traditional IRA deductibility is determined by income only if the individual is covered by a workplace retirement plan. - How Roth IRA contribution eligibility is based entirely on Modified Adjusted Gross Income (MAGI), regardless of workplace plan coverage. - The mechanics of a Backdoor Roth IRA, a strategy for high-income e...

This podcast is made by Ran Chen, who holds an EA license, Insurance and Securities licenses (Series 6, 63, 65), and the CFP® designation. He is passionate about opening access to high-quality exam preparation resources and helping learners prepare more effectively for professional certification exams. In this episode you will learn: - The critical difference between defined benefit and defined contribution plans is who assumes the investment risk: the employer or the employee. - Employee contributions to a 401(k) are always 100% immediately vested, meaning they belong to the employee from day one. - Employer contributions, such as matching funds, are subject to vesting s...

This podcast is made by Ran Chen, who holds an EA license, Insurance and Securities licenses (Series 6, 63, 65), and the CFP® designation. He is passionate about opening access to high-quality exam preparation resources and helping learners prepare more effectively for professional certification exams. In this episode you will learn: - How to calculate the taxable equivalent yield of a municipal bond to compare it to a taxable bond. - The rules of tax-loss harvesting, including the 61-day wash sale rule window. - The strategy of asset location for placing investments in the most tax-efficient accounts. - The requirements for a dividend t...

This podcast is made by Ran Chen, who holds an EA license, Insurance and Securities licenses (Series 6, 63, 65), and the CFP® designation. He is passionate about opening access to high-quality exam preparation resources and helping learners prepare more effectively for professional certification exams. In this episode you will learn: - The critical difference between short-term capital gains (taxed at ordinary income rates) and long-term capital gains (taxed at preferential rates). - The holding period for long-term capital gains is more than one year, and inherited securities are automatically treated as long-term. - The wash sale rule disallows a tax loss if t...

This podcast is made by Ran Chen, who holds an EA license, Insurance and Securities licenses (Series 6, 63, 65), and the CFP® designation. He is passionate about opening access to high-quality exam preparation resources and helping learners prepare more effectively for professional certification exams. In this episode you will learn: - The mechanics of how Dollar Cost Averaging (DCA) leads to a lower average cost per share compared to the average share price. - Key differences and exam-tested scenarios for Dollar Cost Averaging versus lump-sum investing. - How systematic investing and automatic reinvestment plans are practical applications of DCA. - Common exam t...

This podcast is made by Ran Chen, who holds an EA license, Insurance and Securities licenses (Series 6, 63, 65), and the CFP® designation. He is passionate about opening access to high-quality exam preparation resources and helping learners prepare more effectively for professional certification exams. In this episode you will learn: - To differentiate passive bond strategies: laddering for steady cash flow, barbells for a yield/liquidity mix, and bullets for a specific future liability. - That immunization is a method to offset interest rate risk by matching a portfolio's duration to an investor's time horizon. - To identify the motives behind different b...

This podcast is made by Ran Chen, who holds an EA license, Insurance and Securities licenses (Series 6, 63, 65), and the CFP® designation. He is passionate about opening access to high-quality exam preparation resources and helping learners prepare more effectively for professional certification exams. In this episode you will learn: - Why passive investing, through index funds, typically features significantly lower expense ratios than active management. - How the low portfolio turnover of index funds leads to greater tax efficiency by minimizing capital gains distributions. - The long-term performance data indicating that a majority of active managers fail to outperform their benchmarks a...

This podcast is made by Ran Chen, who holds an EA license, Insurance and Securities licenses (Series 6, 63, 65), and the CFP® designation. He is passionate about opening access to high-quality exam preparation resources and helping learners prepare more effectively for professional certification exams. In this episode you will learn: - Strategic allocation is a long-term, passive strategy based on a client's policy statement, while tactical allocation involves short-term, active deviations to exploit market opportunities. - A constant ratio plan rebalances a portfolio back to its target percentages when market movements cause the allocation to drift. - A constant dollar plan maintains a...

This podcast is made by Ran Chen, who holds an EA license, Insurance and Securities licenses (Series 6, 63, 65), and the CFP® designation. He is passionate about opening access to high-quality exam preparation resources and helping learners prepare more effectively for professional certification exams. In this episode you will learn: - The Sharpe Ratio uses standard deviation to measure return per unit of total risk, making it ideal for non-diversified portfolios. - The Treynor Ratio uses beta to measure return per unit of systematic risk, making it the correct choice for well-diversified portfolios. - Jensen's Alpha is a measure of a manager's s...

This podcast is made by Ran Chen, who holds an EA license, Insurance and Securities licenses (Series 6, 63, 65), and the CFP® designation. He is passionate about opening access to high-quality exam preparation resources and helping learners prepare more effectively for professional certification exams. In this episode you will learn: - Standard deviation measures an investment's total risk, which is the combination of systematic and unsystematic risk. - Beta is a narrower metric that measures only the systematic, or market, risk of an investment relative to a benchmark like the S&P 500. - Alpha represents the excess return an investment earns above i...