In the past, using TIA to study for exams has been a relatively solitary endeavor.  You watched the videos, worked the problems, and occasionally emailed your instructor for assistance.  If you prefer to learn that way, then don’t worry, you can still do it that way.  Think of the forum as an additional (and optional) way to enhance your learning.  You might just browse other student’s questions, and decide to give it a try later on.

Although a few TIA members have gone out of their way to interact with others by posting on the Actuarial Outpost or other public forums, the TIA forum makes it incredibly easy for all of us to interact with other members.  Any time you have a question or a topic for discussion, you can immediately enter the subject forum and make your post.  Everyone else that is subscribed to the seminar will see that there is a new post in that subject forum, and can respond immediately, seconding or answering your topic.  Watch the short video posted in the “Introduction” section of the course to see how the forum works.

Making your experience at TIA more interactive will result in much more powerful and effective learning.  But another terrific aspect of the forum is that it will act as a growing and changing knowledge base of answered questions.  As your instructor, I’ve found that I answer the same question by email many times.  The forum will allow me to post answers to questions in a way that will remain readily available to all seminar users.  After a while, you’ll find answers to many of your questions instantly in the forum, instead of needing an email response.

But the forums aren’t just for my answers to questions.  As you probably know, there is no better way to test your knowledge than to try to answer the questions that other learners ask.  You should try to answer the questions that other members post as often as you can.  Other members can chime in to ask more about your answer too, and I’ll be keeping an eye on things to make sure that all the questions receive accurate and useful responses.

As always, we want your learning experience here at TIA to be a positive one.  When interacting with each other on the web, please be sure to maintain a cheerful attitude and encourage your fellow learners.  Feel free to immediately flag any post that you feel would discourage anyone from interacting.

The forum is open now, so go ahead and watch the introduction video and get started!

Everything is contained in PDF files, and I have made it easy for you to print all the materials. I consolidated the PDFs into three HUGE files. You’ll need to buy a BIG binder. This year’s stack of paper clocks in at about 2,100 pages.

I will start updating the 2012 overheads and practice problems for 2013 in December.

I have added a new section X with the exams and solutions for 2009-2011. I made some corrections to the solutions for all three exams today.

I made corrections to the outline for IRC 4974, 4975 and 4980. Since the change was to IRC 4975 prohibited transaction definitions, I added the outline to the Introduction section of the online seminar.

I added outlines that were missing from the online seminar CD. These were for the 411(d)-3 regulation and the 54.4980F regulation. These outlines are related to IRC 411, so I added them to that section of the online seminar.

I made a few minor changes today:

• I updated Vesting Rules - Problem Review F (item E.1.P.F) to include solutions for 2009 exam problems 1 and 2, which were missing.
• I revised my discussion of page 2 of the 401-414 overheads (item A.1.2.A) to clarify the recent syllabus changes that moved IRC 415 and IRC 416 from EA-2A to EA-2B.
• I added part 5 of the IRC 415 discussion (item L.1.5), which I had inadvertently left out.

Marel - Submitted on 2012/01/24 at 10:35pm
I hate my life but at least this makes it bearable.

Anisha - Submitted on 2012/01/24 at 8:37pm   I will be putting this dazzling insight to good use in no time.

Queenie - Submitted on 2012/01/22 at 5:02am
The paragon of understanding these issues is right here!

Leatrice - Submitted on 2012/01/21 at 8:20pm
I thought I’d have to read a book for a discovery like this!

As shown on my web site, January 31 is when I send out the EA-2B materials. I’m finalizing the materials to distribute to all of you.

If you purchased the live or online course, you will receive a box with 1,600+ pages of material. In addition, you’ll get a CD-ROM (with PDF files for overheads, outlines and practice problems) in the box.

If you are getting a free-peat of the online course, you will receive a CD-ROM in the mail.