Podcast
Open Exam Prep
Hosted by Ran Chen, EA, CFP® · EN
Open Exam Prep: Mastering Financial Exams
The path to becoming a certified financial professional is known for its difficulty, and finding high-quality, accessible study material shouldn't be the hardest part.
Created by Ran Chen—an AI application enthusiast, Financial Advisor, and holder of the EA (Tax), Life Insurance, Series 6/63/65, and CFP® designations—this podcast was born from personal experience. Having navigated these challenging exams himself, Ran realized the need for better resources and created Open Exam Prep as a free solution for aspiring professionals.
Each episode breaks down complex major exam topics into clear, digestible lessons, covering everything from tax planning and estate strategies to retirement solutions and investment principles. Whether you’re studying during your commute, workout, or downtime, we are here to guide you—one question, one topic, one victory at a time.
Visit for more content: https://open-exam-prep.com/
87episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
Series 7 Exam Prep 44, Long Calls and Long Puts
3w ago00:03:36Tap to summarizeThis 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 long call is a bullish strategy with unlimited maximum gain and a maximum loss limited to the premium paid. - A long put is a bearish strategy where the maximum gain is the strike price minus the premium, and the maximum loss is the premium paid. - The breakeven point for a long call is calculated by adding the premium to the strike price (Strike + Premium). - The breakeven point for a long put is calculated by subtracting the premium from the strike price (Strike - Premium). - Use the mnemonic "Call Up, Put Down" to remember the breakeven calculations: for calls, you add the premium to the strike; for puts, you subtract. For more free exam prep tools, practice questions, and AI-powered explanations, visit https://open-exam-prep.com/ or YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@Open-exam-prep
Transcribe →Series 7 Exam Prep 43, Options Contract Basics
3w ago00:03:31Tap to summarizeThis 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 call option gives the buyer the right to buy a stock, while a put option gives the right to sell. - An option's premium is composed of its intrinsic value (the in-the-money amount) and its time value. - A call is 'in-the-money' when the market price is above the strike price; a put is 'in-the-money' when the market price is below the strike price. - Exercise is the act of the buyer using their right, while assignment is the seller being obligated to fulfill the contract. - Options trading requires special account approval and risk disclosure due to the complexity and potential for significant losses. For more free exam prep tools, practice questions, and AI-powered explanations, visit https://open-exam-prep.com/ or YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@Open-exam-prep
Transcribe →Series 7 Exam Prep 42, Variable Life and Insurance Products
4w ago00:03:08Tap to summarizeThis 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 in variable insurance products, the policyholder bears the investment risk, and the cash value fluctuates based on the performance of the separate account. - The key difference between Variable Life (fixed premiums) and Variable Universal Life (flexible premiums and death benefits). - That the separate account holds the investment subaccounts for variable contracts, segregated from the insurer's general account. - Since variable contracts are securities, they must be sold with a prospectus and require both insurance and securities licenses to sell. - While the cash value is not guaranteed, a variable life policy has a minimum guaranteed death benefit. For more free exam prep tools, practice questions, and AI-powered explanations, visit https://open-exam-prep.com/ or YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@Open-exam-prep
Transcribe →Series 7 Exam Prep 41, Variable Annuity Suitability and Exchanges
4w ago00:05:29Tap to summarizeThis 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 FINRA Rule 2330 is the critical regulation for variable annuity recommendations and the specific customer information required. - How to identify and analyze common exam traps related to deferred sales charges (CDSCs), bonus credits, and different share classes. - The key tax consequences of variable annuity withdrawals, including ordinary income treatment, LIFO accounting for earnings, and early withdrawal penalties. - The stringent suitability considerations for 1035 exchanges, including the 36-month rule and the need to demonstrate a clear client benefit. - The heightened suitability standards for senior investors and the crucial role of principal review and approval in the sales process.
Transcribe →Series 7 Exam Prep 40, Variable Annuities Basics
4w ago00:02:53Tap to summarizeThis 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 variable annuity premiums are invested in a separate account, meaning the contract owner bears the investment risk. - How accumulation units are purchased during the pay-in phase and convert to a fixed number of annuity units at annuitization, resulting in a variable payout. - That all growth within a variable annuity is tax-deferred, with withdrawals taxed as ordinary income. - About key costs like surrender charges for early withdrawals and mortality and expense (M&E) charges that cover insurance guarantees. - Why variable annuities are only suitable for long-term retirement goals and generally not for seniors or those needing liquidity. For more free exam prep tools, practice questions, and AI-powered explanations, visit https://open-exam-prep.com/ or YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@Open-exam-prep
Transcribe →Series 7 Exam Prep 39, ETFs, Closed-End Funds, and UITs
4w ago00:03:14Tap to summarizeThis 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 ETFs and Closed-End Funds trade intraday on exchanges, unlike mutual funds which price once daily at NAV. - Why an ETF's price stays close to its NAV due to the creation and redemption process by authorized participants. - How Closed-End Funds have a fixed number of shares, causing their market price to be driven purely by supply and demand. - The two defining, testable features of a Unit Investment Trust (UIT): a fixed, unmanaged portfolio and a specific termination date. - That UITs are redeemable securities, priced at NAV with the issuer, and do not trade on the secondary market. For more free exam prep tools, practice questions, and AI-powered explanations, visit https://open-exam-prep.com/ or YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@Open-exam-prep
Transcribe →Series 7 Exam Prep 38, Mutual Fund Taxation and Distributions
4w ago00:02:53Tap to summarizeThis 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 mutual fund distributions are taxable to the shareholder in the year received, even if they are reinvested. - The distinction between dividend distributions, which are generally taxed as ordinary income, and capital gains distributions, which are always taxed as long-term capital gains to the shareholder. - How reinvested distributions increase an investor's cost basis and why failing to track this leads to overpaying taxes. - The common exam trap of "buying the dividend," where an investor purchases shares just before a distribution and incurs an immediate tax liability. - The application of the wash sale rule to mutual funds, which disallows a loss if the same or a substantially identical fund is purchased within 30 days. For more free exam prep tools, practice questions, and AI-powered explanations, visit https://open-exam-prep.com/ or YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@Open-exam-prep
Transcribe →Series 7 Exam Prep 37, Mutual Fund Share Classes and Sales Charges
Jul 1400:03:24Tap to summarizeThis 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: - Class A shares are for long-term investors with large investment amounts due to front-end loads and breakpoint discounts. - Class B shares are suitable for long-term investors with smaller investment amounts, featuring a back-end load (CDSC) that declines over time. - Class C shares are best for short-term investors because of their ongoing high 12b-1 fees, despite having little or no front-end load. - How to use a Letter of Intent (LOI) or Rights of Accumulation (ROA) to help clients qualify for breakpoint discounts on Class A shares. - The importance of comparing the total costs of each share class over a client's specific investment time horizon to determine suitability. For more free exam prep tools, practice questions, and AI-powered explanations, visit https://open-exam-prep.com/ or YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@Open-exam-prep
Transcribe →Series 7 Exam Prep 36, Mutual Fund Structure and NAV
Jul 1300:03:08Tap to summarizeThis 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: - Open-end mutual funds continuously issue and redeem shares directly with investors. - All mutual fund orders are subject to the forward pricing rule, executing at the Net Asset Value (NAV) calculated after the order is received, typically at the 4:00 PM market close. - Investors buy load fund shares at the Public Offering Price (POP), which is the NAV plus a sales charge, and redeem their shares at NAV. - The prospectus must be delivered to investors at or before the sale, while the more detailed Statement of Additional Information (SAI) is available only upon request. - Mutual funds cannot be traded intraday because their price is set only once per day, unlike exchange-traded closed-end funds or stocks. For more free exam prep tools, practice questions, and AI-powered explanations, visit https://open-exam-prep.com/ or YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@Open-exam-prep
Transcribe →Series 7 Exam Prep 35, Alternative Investments and Hedge Funds
Jul 1200:04:03Tap to summarizeThis 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 income and net worth thresholds that define accredited investors and qualified purchasers for the Series 7 exam. - How lock-up periods create liquidity risk in alternative investments and why this makes them unsuitable for investors with short-term needs. - The mechanics of the "two and twenty" fee structure in hedge funds and how it impacts suitability. - The high-risk strategies like leverage and short selling employed by hedge funds and their exam implications. - A mnemonic to quickly assess the suitability of alternative investments for a client based on their risk tolerance, sophistication, net worth, and time horizon. For more free exam prep tools, practice questions, and AI-powered explanations, visit https://open-exam-prep.com/ or YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@Open-exam-prep
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