Fulfill CIRO CE Credits for Cycle 9 Quick and Easy

The requirement for registrants (including both CIRO (dealing) and CIRO (registered) representatives and CSA advising and associate advising representatives) to understand each client’s situation is known across the securities industry as the Know Your Client (KYC) rule. This obligation is a paramount concern and should be the focus of the daily business of a representative. Until the representative knows a client’s particular situation, they cannot make suitable investment recommendations for that client.

You and your firm are uniquely positioned to play a critical role in the detection and mitigation of issues that older and vulnerable clients may be exposed to. Given your proximity to clients you are in a position to detect subtle changes and nuances with respect to client behaviour, changes to investment strategies and objectives, and other changes to mental state which may be a sign of client distress or worse, financial exploitation. This course will help you understand and deal with issues that arise when dealing with older and vulnerable clients. While some of these issues are somewhat obvious and typical, such as KYC information and regular updates, suitability, and KYP and effective communication strategies, others are novel, such as the creation and documentation of a “trusted person”. This course will also help you understand the delicate position you are placed in when a client is determined to be vulnerable and whether you are in a position to seek “safe harbour” for their actions.

Investment advisors and dealer members are uniquely positioned to play a critical role in the detection and prevention of money laundering. This course provides an overview of money laundering issues and discusses the importance of “knowing your client” in relation to maintaining an effective anti-money laundering program.

Like other issues that may impact dealer members as well as the financial services industry as a whole (like money laundering), cybersecurity and privacy is not just an issue for the compliance department to worry about and manage. Given the interaction of investment advisors and sales assistants as front-line staff with clients, investment advisors and dealer members are uniquely positioned to play a critical role in the detection and mitigation of cybersecurity and privacy issues. Â This course will support investment advisors and dealer members in identifying cybersecurity and privacy threats, and help them to avoid falling victim to the perils that accompany such threats.

On January 3, 2019, the Canadian investment universe changed with the introduction of Alternative Mutual Funds (aka Liquid Alts). These funds, relative to regular mutual funds, are allowed greater use of leverage and increased flexibility to short-sell and use derivatives (among other things). Unlike Hedge Funds, they can be sold to retail investors. The Alternative Strategies: Hedge Funds and Liquid Alts Course is designed to provide learners with the features, benefits and risks of alternative strategies. The course will also cover the differences between the two main structures within which to access these strategies: Exempt Market Alternative Funds (i.e. Hedge Funds) and Alternative Mutual Funds. This course has been designed to meet regulatory Know Your Product (KYP) guidelines and has multi-jurisdictional CE accreditations for professional development.

Investors and their advisors will therefore need to understand the intricacies of Bitcoin as an investment vehicle, just as they would seek to understand the business of individual equity. In this course, we explain what Bitcoin is and how it developed. We also explain how to invest in Bitcoin and the risks of various investment products. Finally, we discuss the due diligence and suitability requirements in the investment industry and how they relate to investing in Bitcoin.

To battle the global financial crisis of 2008, central banks across the globe cut interest rates to near zero. More than a decade later, amid the Covid-19 pandemic, interest rates are once again under pressure, but, for many countries, there is little room left to cut rates further. Several central banks have had to resort to unconventional policy measures, including a negative rate policy. This course provides a historical overview of quantitative easing, then examines its impact on financial markets and its lead-in to current policy and negative interest rates.

Upon completion of the course, you will have a solid understanding of Responsible Investments, Investment Options, Trends, and Performance, and Consumer Research and Practical Tips related to RI.