The 2009 Basics & Beyond Year-end Update was held as scheduled in Des Moines with thirty plus hearty souls (a bit over twenty percent of those registered) attending despite a blizzard that raged outside. A bunch of them drove into Des Moines on Tuesday and stayed at the hotel overnight (including one who lives in Ankeny .)   What amazes us is that about two thirds of those who couldn't make the seminar in Des Moines transferred to our seminars in Omaha , Sioux City , Davenport or Cedar Rapids . After living 38 years in Iowa , we really shouldn't be surprised at what flexible and neat people live there.

As we've stated on our web site and in all our publicity every year for more than fifteen years, our full schedule does not allow us to reschedule seminars; therefore every attempt will be made to hold each seminar regardless of weather conditions.  We do that because many of the attendees MUST have the CPE hours in order to renew their licenses. 

That said, we still want to do something for those of you who just couldn't reschedule, while still being fair to those who did make it to one of our seminars. In the hope that it will help if you registered for Des Moines and couldn't transfer to any of our other seminars, we're including a free self-study examination along with your Year-end Update Seminar materials. If you complete and date the self-study examination in 2009, you may be able to obtain eight hours of 2009 continuing education credit (including one hour of ethics). If you choose to complete and date the examination in 2010 you may be able to receive 2010 continuing education credit instead. Just be sure to carefully follow the submission instructions on the cover page of the self-study examination so that you receive credit for the year you select.

Seminar Materials and examinations were shipped via priority mail on December 21, 2009 to those Des Moines seminar  registrants who requested them in writing.  The post office advises us that the packages should all be delivered no later than December 26.