SIE study plan

Distinguish common stock from preferred stock on voting rights, dividend priority, and liquidation priority

Differentiate money market instruments from longer-term debt by maturity, credit risk, and interest rate sensitivity

Calculate current yield and approximate yield to maturity for a bond priced at a discount and at a premium

Classify debt issuers (U.S. Treasury, agency, municipal, corporate) and match each to its dominant risk exposure

Explain the rights and obligations held by the long and the short side of a listed call and a listed put

Compute breakeven, maximum gain, and maximum loss for a long call, a long put, and a covered call

Distinguish open-end funds, closed-end funds, ETFs, and unit investment trusts by pricing method and share creation mechanism

Differentiate fixed, variable, and indexed annuities by accumulation and payout structure

Match each product category to its dominant risk among market, credit, liquidity, interest rate, inflation, and currency risk

Sequence the trade lifecycle from order entry through settlement under the T+1 cycle

Distinguish market, limit, stop, and stop-limit orders by execution condition and price risk

Compare principal (dealer) and agency (broker) transactions and identify which side bears inventory risk

Explain the distinct roles of the executing broker, clearing firm, and the clearing and depository utilities in completing a trade

Differentiate cash, margin, and discretionary accounts by approval requirements, documentation, and trading authority

Calculate initial margin equity, buying power, and the maintenance call amount for a long margin position

Distinguish prohibited practices including insider trading, market manipulation, churning, front-running, and unauthorized trading by definition and typical red flag

Identify the confirmation, statement, and cost-basis reporting obligations attached to customer accounts

Describe the primary market functions of IPOs, follow-on offerings, and private placements and contrast them with secondary market trading

Differentiate exchange-listed, Nasdaq, and OTC market structures including the role of market makers and liquidity providers

Explain how interest rates, inflation, GDP, and Federal Reserve policy transmit into security prices and yields

Classify corporate actions such as splits, stock dividends, rights offerings, tender offers, and calls by their effect on share count and price

Summarize how open market operations and the discount rate affect the money supply, the yield curve, and borrowing costs

Distinguish the SEC, FINRA, MSRB, and state securities regulators by jurisdiction, rulemaking authority, and enforcement powers

Identify the core provisions of the Securities Act of 1933 and the Securities Exchange Act of 1934

Compare SIPC and FDIC coverage by what they protect, the limits, and the situations they exclude

Outline representative registration and continuing education requirements, including the initial and termination filing forms and the CE cycle

Distinguish retail communications, correspondence, and institutional sales material by review and approval requirements

Explain know-your-customer, suitability and Regulation Best Interest obligations, and anti-money-laundering reporting thresholds

Describe the disciplinary path from a regulatory complaint through sanctions to reporting on the representative's record

Re-attempt every previously missed item and restate each as a corrected rule until the error log is cleared at 90% mastery

Complete two full-length timed practice exams under test-day conditions with no notes

Rank the four domains by practice-exam score and re-read only the two lowest-scoring subtopics

Assemble a final one-page last-look sheet of formulas, thresholds, and settlement rules