As a general rule, every insurance agent who sells annuities should complete product knowledge and related training before marketing and selling these complex contracts. What's more, most if not all states require advisers licensed to solicit annuities to satisfactorily complete specific hours of training prior to license renewal. Those requirements vary from state to state. For resident advisers in California, for example, this requirement is part of, and not in addition to, other continuing education requirements.

The training required by state insurance departments typically consists of topics related to annuities in general, and to state laws, regulations, statutes and requirements related to annuities, prohibited sales practices, the recognition of various indicators that prospective senior insureds may lack the short-term memory or judgment to knowingly purchase an insurance product, and fraudulent and unfair trade practices.

Topics covered in continuing education programs primarily intended to promote the sale or marketing of annuities typically do not qualify for credit towards training requirements in most states. Any course or seminar that is disapproved by state insurance departments will be presumed invalid for credit towards the training requirement in most states unless the insurance commissioner approves it in writing.

Topics covered in this course are intended to be of a general nature and may be used for both initial product training and advanced continuing education. The author and publisher do not claim that the material in this program applies to all states. Thus, participants are advised to consult the laws governing sale of annuities in the states in which they are licensed for statutes applicable in those states.