What is the purpose of insurance continuing education courses?

This month, I celebrate my 20th year as a licensed insurance agent. I also got a new notice of new continuing education requirements beginning January 1, 2025.

For those agents who offer cash value life insurance contracts in California (me), we are required to complete an additional 4 hour CE course on cash value life insurance. https://www.insurance.ca.gov/0200-industry/0110-whats-new/upload/Notice-New-2025-Life-Insurance-Policies-Four-Hour-Course.pdf

For those agents who are also licensed to sell variable life insurance contracts (they have mutual fund sub-accounts), they must also complete an additional 2 hour CE course. https://www.insurance.ca.gov/0200-industry/0100-education-provider/upload/Notice-2025-Variable-Life-Insurance-Policies-Two-Hour-Course-Curriculum-3.pdf

This is in addition to:

• Anti-Money Laundering (4 hours)

• Ethics (3 hours)

• California Anti-Fraud (1 hour)

• Annuities (8 hour initial and 4 hour every renewal period)

• Long Term Care (8 hours each renewal period)

There's lots that need to be done to maintain my license. All of those CE requirements pretty much re-review the entire California insurance code, aside from health insurance and Medicare. (Medicare has their own CMS requirements that I have never done.)

That's all these requirements do: re-review the state insurance code every two years.

What is interesting is that by the mere fact of having a license, it is implied that one knows every aspect of the state insurance code for where you are licensed. I guess it's time that the state actually requires that you re-review nearly the entire insurance code to keep your license active.

I am all for it, because I know there are quite a few amateur agents out there who tend to skirt the spirit of the laws on how these contracts are represented and how agents represent themselves.

With the proliferation of network marketing financial services companies (that, in my opinion tend to minimize the severity of the work they do and damage they can cause when not properly represented), I think it's a very sound regulatory requirement.

It often doesn't take me too long to do them. Two years ago, I did all my CE requirements (32 hours worth) in less than an hour.

I don't learn anything in these CE courses. It's a good refresher, but there's nothing new for me to learn in these courses. When I want to really elevate my knowledge, I pursue designation studies. My Chartered Life Underwriter (CLU) and Chartered Financial Consultant (ChFC) designations from The American College and the TRUE ongoing learning I do with the networking and knowledge shared in the IARFC and NAIFA associations... that is where I really do a lot of upgrading of my knowledge base and practice management skills. Learning from my peers does a great deal for me.

These regulatory CE requirements are good to re-review. I appreciate that.

But calling CE "continuing education"? Nope. Not a chance.

/end rant