STUDY FOR THE SECURITIES INDUSTRY ESSENTIALS EXAM (SIE) EXAM

The Securities Industry Essentials (SIE) Exam is a necessary first step if you plan to sit for many securities exams, including the Series 6 and Series 7 exams. If you do intend to sit for the SIE Exam, make sure that you know about self-regulatory organizations (SRO's), what they are, who they are, and what their purpose is. FINRA publishes a Content Outline for the SIE Exam, and Section 1.1.2 specifically talks about Self-Regulatory Organizations(SRO's), indicating that you should expect to see questions about SRO's on your exam. Bob Eder discusses SRO's in his Study for the Securities Industry Essentials (SIE) Exam. Here is a sample of Bob Eder's treatment: Self-Regulatory Organizations                                                      ...

Several weeks ago, Bob Eder's blog discussed RILAS or Registered Index Linked Annuities. In this blog Bob discusses the major penalties and charges that can reduce a client's return. These penalties include, but are not limited to, surrender charges; interim value adjustments and mid-term investment withdrawals; and tax penalties. This information is based on a publication of the SEC's Office of the Investor Advocate entitled "Report on Activities Fiscal Year 2023." A "RILA" has both insurance components and investment components. An investor puts money into a RILA, generally with a minimum requirement of $10,000 to $20,000.  After making this initial investment, the RILA purchaser then decides how much premium to put into investment options. These investments are relatively short-term, generally not exceeding six years.  This short-term character of RILA investments means that the investment options generally will not exceed the life of the RILA contrac...