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: - The core distinction between fundamental analysis (evaluating a business's intrinsic health) and technical analysis (evaluating market trends and price charts) for the Series 65 exam. - How the P/E ratio is used to assess if a stock is overvalued or undervalued, and its typical association with growth and value companies. - 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 cumulative preferred stock requires issuers to pay all missed dividends (arrears) before paying common stockholders. - How convertible preferred stock offers the potential for capital appreciation by allowing conversion into common stock, usually for a lower dividend. - Why callable preferred stock benefits the issuer, who can redeem shares when 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 difference between statutory and cumulative voting rights and how they are tested. - How preemptive rights protect shareholders from dilution during new share issuance. - The mechanics of forward and reverse stock splits and their impact on an investor's total position value. - The standard market capitalization classifications (large-cap, mid-cap, 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 fundamental inverse relationship between bond prices and interest rates. - How to identify the correct order of yields (Nominal, Current, YTM, YTC) for both premium and discount bonds. - That duration, not maturity, is the key measure of a bond's price sensitivity to interest rate changes. - How to spot 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: - General Obligation (GO) bonds are backed by the issuer's full faith, credit, and taxing power, and require voter approval. - Revenue bonds are financed by the income from a specific project, like a toll road or airport, and their creditworthiness depends on a feasibility study. - Municipal bond interest is exempt 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: - Secured bonds are backed by specific assets (collateral), while unsecured bonds, known as debentures, are backed only by the issuer's creditworthiness. - The trust indenture is the formal legal agreement between the bond issuer and the trustee that details all terms, features, and covenants of the bond. - Callable bonds benefit 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 key difference in government backing between GNMA (full faith and credit) and FNMA/FHLMC (implicit guarantee). - How mortgage-backed securities and pass-through certificates are structured to provide monthly income to investors. - The direct relationship between falling interest rates and increased prepayment risk for holders of mortgage-backed securities. - Common 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 key maturity and interest payment differences between T-bills, T-notes, and T-bonds. - The unique tax treatment of Treasury securities: federally taxable but exempt from state and local taxes. - How TIPS provide inflation protection and the associated concept of 'phantom income'. - Why STRIPS are not issued directly by the 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 key features of Treasury Bills, including their risk-free nature and issuance at a discount. - The characteristics of commercial paper, such as its 270-day maximum maturity for SEC exemption. - The role of Negotiable CDs as tradable, interest-bearing bank deposits. - How Banker's Acceptances facilitate international trade through a bank's g...

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 a strengthening U.S. dollar negatively impacts the returns of a U.S. investor holding foreign securities like ADRs. - The critical distinction between sovereign risk (a government defaulting on its debt) and regulatory risk (a government changing laws). - Why American Depositary Receipts (ADRs), despite trading in U.S. 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: - Inflation risk, or purchasing power risk, means an investment's nominal return may not outpace rising costs, leading to a negative real return. - The Series 65 exam tests inflation risk through suitability scenarios where conservative, fixed-income investments jeopardize a client's long-term financial goals. - Liquidity risk is directly measured by the bid-ask 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 inverse relationship between interest rates and existing bond prices. - How duration measures a bond's sensitivity to interest rate changes. - Why bonds with long maturities and low coupons have the highest interest rate risk. - What reinvestment risk is and why it occurs when interest rates fall. - Common 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: - Systematic risk, also known as market risk, is non-diversifiable and impacts the entire market through factors like interest rates and inflation. - Unsystematic risk is unique to a specific company or industry and can be significantly reduced through diversification. - Beta is the specific metric used to measure a security's systematic 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: - How to differentiate between mean, median, and mode in a set of investment returns and why the median is crucial when outliers are present. - That standard deviation is the primary measure of an investment's volatility and risk on the Series 65 exam; a higher number means higher risk. - The significance 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: - The Net Present Value (NPV) decision rule: Accept projects with a positive NPV and reject those with a negative NPV. - The Internal Rate of Return (IRR) decision rule: Accept projects where the IRR is greater than the required rate of return or hurdle rate. - For the Series 65 exam, NPV 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 inverse relationship between discount rates and present value; a higher rate leads to a lower present value. - Why an annuity due, with payments at the beginning of a period, is always more valuable than an ordinary annuity, which has payments at the end. - How to apply the Rule 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: - The current ratio measures short-term liquidity, while the quick (acid-test) ratio provides a stricter measure by excluding less-liquid inventory. - The debt-to-equity ratio reveals a company's financial leverage and risk, with a higher ratio indicating greater reliance on debt. - The P/E ratio values a company based on its current 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 purpose and key components of the income statement, including the difference between revenue and net income. - How the balance sheet provides a snapshot of a company's financial health through the accounting equation: Assets = Liabilities + Shareholders' Equity. - The function of the statement of cash flows and its relationship to 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: - How a strengthening U.S. dollar negatively impacts U.S. exporters and benefits U.S. importers. - The direct relationship between a strong dollar and a U.S. trade deficit. - How a weakening U.S. dollar can help reduce a trade deficit by making exports cheaper and imports more expensive. ...

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 inverse relationship between interest rates and bond prices, often visualized as a seesaw. - A normal, upward-sloping yield curve typically signals expectations of economic expansion. - An inverted, downward-sloping yield curve is a classic indicator of a potential economic recession. - The Federal Funds Rate is the volatile overnight lending 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: - How the Series 65 exam tests the Consumer Price Index (CPI) and the concept of real, inflation-adjusted returns. - The critical difference between demand-pull and cost-push inflation, with clear, exam-style examples. - Why deflation is a significant risk to the economy and how it impacts different asset classes like stocks and bonds. ...

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 core difference between fiscal policy (Congress/President) and monetary policy (Federal Reserve) for the Series 65 exam. - How expansionary fiscal policy (increased spending, tax cuts) is used to combat recessions. - How contractionary fiscal policy (decreased spending, tax hikes) is used to fight inflation. - The relationship between deficit spending, 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: - How the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) uses open market operations as its primary tool to influence the money supply. - The direct impact of the Fed buying government securities to expand the money supply and selling them to contract it. - The distinction between the discount rate, which the Fed 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: - Leading indicators, such as the S&P 500 and building permits, are forward-looking and aim to predict the economy's future direction. - Lagging indicators, including the CPI and GDP, confirm economic trends after they have already taken place. - A critical Series 65 exam trap is the distinction between 'initial unemployment claims' (a l...

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 phases of the business cycle are expansion, peak, contraction, and trough. - A recession is defined as two consecutive quarters of declining GDP, while a depression is six consecutive quarters of declining GDP. - Leading economic indicators predict future economic activity, coincident indicators show the current state, and lagging i...

This podcast is made by Ran Chen, who holds an EA license, Insurance and Securities licenses (Series 6, 63, 65), and CFP designation. He is passionate about opening up information to help everyone prepare better for financial certification exams. This episode covers content for the Series 6 Exam. In this episode you will learn: - The three stages of money laundering: placement, layering, and integration. - Key requirements of a Customer Identification Program (CIP) and Know Your Customer (KYC) rules. - The specific rules for filing a Suspicious Activity Report (SAR), including the $5,000 threshold and 30-day deadline. - How to identify the prohibited practice...

This podcast is made by Ran Chen, who holds an EA license, Insurance and Securities licenses (Series 6, 63, 65), and CFP designation. He is passionate about opening up information to help everyone prepare better for financial certification exams. This episode covers content for the Series 6 Exam. In this episode you will learn: - Learn the key differences between retail communications, correspondence, and institutional communications. - Understand the strict principal pre-approval rule for all retail communications. - Discover the separate filing obligations with FINRA for new firms and specific investment products. - Identify prohibited claims and exaggerated language that are frequent exam traps. ...

This podcast is made by Ran Chen, who holds an EA license, Insurance and Securities licenses (Series 6, 63, 65), and CFP designation. He is passionate about opening up information to help everyone prepare better for financial certification exams. This episode covers content for the Series 6 Exam. In this episode you will learn: - The "100-100" rule for when an investment company must register with the SEC under the Act of 1940. - How a fund's board of directors must be structured and how 12b-1 fees change that requirement. - The core principles of the FINRA suitability rule through concrete exam-style scenarios. - How...

This podcast is made by Ran Chen, who holds an EA license, Insurance and Securities licenses (Series 6, 63, 65), and CFP designation. He is passionate about opening up information to help everyone prepare better for financial certification exams. This episode covers content for the Series 6 Exam. In this episode you will learn: - The critical difference between Joint Tenants with Rights of Survivorship (JTWROS) and Tenants in Common (TIC) accounts. - How assets are passed to beneficiaries upon the death of an account owner in various account types. - The specific rules and limitations governing custodial accounts like UGMA and UTMA for...

This podcast is made by Ran Chen, who holds an EA license, Insurance and Securities licenses (Series 6, 63, 65), and CFP designation. He is passionate about opening up information to help everyone prepare better for financial certification exams. This episode covers content for the Series 6 Exam. In this episode you will learn: - The core principle of FINRA Rule 2111 and the "Know Your Customer" obligation. - How to analyze the key components of a customer's profile: risk tolerance, time horizon, and objectives. - Matching specific investment types (like stocks, bonds, and mutual funds) to different client goals. - Identifying common suitability traps...

This podcast is made by Ran Chen, who holds an EA license, Insurance and Securities licenses (Series 6, 63, 65), and CFP designation. He is passionate about opening up information to help everyone prepare better for financial certification exams. This episode covers content for the Series 6 Exam. In this episode you will learn: - The strict $2,000 annual contribution limit is per beneficiary, not per contributor. - How income limitations for contributors (MAGI phase-outs) can prevent contributions. - The broad range of qualified expenses, including for elementary and secondary school (K-12). - Critical differences between a Coverdell ESA and a 529 Plan, a common point...

This podcast is made by Ran Chen, who holds an EA license, Insurance and Securities licenses (Series 6, 63, 65), and CFP designation. He is passionate about opening up information to help everyone prepare better for financial certification exams. This episode covers content for the Series 6 Exam. In this episode you will learn: - The tax advantages of 529 plans, including tax-deferred growth and tax-free withdrawals for qualified expenses. - Contribution rules and the special five-year front-loading provision for gift tax purposes. - What constitutes a qualified education expense, including tuition, fees, books, and room and board. - The tax implications and penalties associated...

This podcast is made by Ran Chen, who holds an EA license, Insurance and Securities licenses (Series 6, 63, 65), and CFP designation. He is passionate about opening up information to help everyone prepare better for financial certification exams. This episode covers content for the Series 6 Exam. In this episode you will learn: - The primary differences between 401(k), 403(b), and 457 retirement plans. - How employer matching contributions are calculated and function as a key benefit. - The critical distinction between cliff vesting and graded vesting schedules. - A common exam trap: vesting only applies to employer contributions, not your own. - A...

This podcast is made by Ran Chen, who holds an EA license, Insurance and Securities licenses (Series 6, 63, 65), and CFP designation. He is passionate about opening up information to help everyone prepare better for financial certification exams. This episode covers content for the Series 6 Exam. In this episode you will learn: - The difference between after-tax contributions and tax-free qualified distributions in a Roth IRA. - The two critical requirements for a qualified distribution: being age 59 ½ and satisfying the five-year holding period. - How the five-year holding period is calculated and why its start date is a common exam trap. - H...

This podcast is made by Ran Chen, who holds an EA license, Insurance and Securities licenses (Series 6, 63, 65), and CFP designation. He is passionate about opening up information to help everyone prepare better for financial certification exams. This episode covers content for the Series 6 Exam. In this episode you will learn: - The 2024 contribution limits and catch-up provisions for Traditional IRAs. - How income and workplace plan participation affect the tax-deductibility of contributions. - The age for Required Minimum Distributions (RMDs) as updated by the SECURE 2.0 Act. - The standard 10% penalty for early withdrawals and how it is applied. - A...

This podcast is made by Ran Chen, who holds an EA license, Insurance and Securities licenses (Series 6, 63, 65), and CFP designation. He is passionate about opening up information to help everyone prepare better for financial certification exams. This episode covers content for the Series 6 Exam. In this episode you will learn: - Death benefits from life insurance policies are typically received income tax-free by beneficiaries. - Cash value within a life insurance policy grows on a tax-deferred basis. - Policy loans are not considered taxable distributions for standard, non-MEC policies. - A life insurance policy becomes a Modified Endowment Contract (MEC...

This podcast is made by Ran Chen, who holds an EA license, Insurance and Securities licenses (Series 6, 63, 65), and CFP designation. He is passionate about opening up information to help everyone prepare better for financial certification exams. This episode covers content for the Series 6 Exam. In this episode you will learn: - The meaning of flexible premiums in a Variable Universal Life (VUL) policy and how they affect cash value. - The difference between the two primary death benefit options, Option A (level) and Option B (increasing). - How VUL policies combine the investment risks and potential rewards of variable products...

This podcast is made by Ran Chen, who holds an EA license, Insurance and Securities licenses (Series 6, 63, 65), and CFP designation. He is passionate about opening up information to help everyone prepare better for financial certification exams. This episode covers content for the Series 6 Exam. In this episode you will learn: - Variable life insurance is a permanent policy combining a death benefit with investment options. - Premiums are fixed, with a portion funding the insurance and the rest invested in a separate account chosen by the policyholder. - The policy's cash value fluctuates based on the performance of the chosen...

This podcast is made by Ran Chen, who holds an EA license, Insurance and Securities licenses (Series 6, 63, 65), and CFP designation. He is passionate about opening up information to help everyone prepare better for financial certification exams. This episode covers content for the Series 6 Exam. In this episode you will learn: - The purpose of an IRC Section 1035 exchange and its primary tax-deferral benefit. - The specific types of "like-for-like" exchanges that are permitted for insurance and annuity contracts. - The single most important prohibited exchange that is frequently tested on the exam. - Critical rules that must be followed for...

This podcast is made by Ran Chen, who holds an EA license, Insurance and Securities licenses (Series 6, 63, 65), and CFP designation. He is passionate about opening up information to help everyone prepare better for financial certification exams. This episode covers content for the Series 6 Exam.

In this episode you will learn:

- How tax-deferred growth works within a variable annuity's separate account.

- The Last-In, First-Out (LIFO) method for taxing withdrawals from non-qualified annuities.

- How to calculate the taxable portion of a partial withdrawal and identify the remaining cost basis.