I've been looking into Sequoia CPE myself after seeing the price point, and this thread has been really helpful! One thing I haven't seen mentioned yet is their customer support experience. Has anyone had to deal with their support team for technical issues or questions about credit reporting? I'm particularly curious because I've had bad experiences with budget CPE providers in the past where you basically get what you pay for in terms of support - email only, slow response times, etc. Given that CPE deadlines are usually pretty firm, having reliable support when issues come up can be crucial. Also, for those who've used it multiple years - do they send good reminders about upcoming renewal deadlines and credit requirements? I'm terrible at tracking that stuff on my own and my current provider sends helpful alerts throughout the year.

I've been using Sequoia CPE for about 6 months now and wanted to add my perspective to this discussion. The $100 price point is definitely legitimate - I was initially skeptical too, but there really aren't any hidden fees or catches. What I particularly appreciate is their course completion tracking system. It clearly shows your progress through each module and automatically updates your transcript when you finish courses. The certificates are professional-looking PDFs with all the required information for state board reporting. One tip I'd share: if you're planning to use them, sign up early in your CPE cycle rather than waiting until the last minute. While the courses are available 24/7, it's nice to have the flexibility to spread your learning throughout the year rather than cramming everything in before a deadline. The unlimited access really does mean unlimited - I've completed over 35 hours so far with no restrictions or additional charges. For the price point, it's hard to beat. The content quality is solid even if the platform isn't as polished as some premium providers. Definitely worth considering if you want to keep your CPE costs reasonable without sacrificing credit quality.

I've been dealing with this exact frustration for almost two years now! Making around $55k annually from options trading but completely unable to contribute to any retirement accounts because capital gains don't count as earned income. It's maddening to be financially successful but locked out of tax-advantaged retirement savings. This thread has been absolutely incredible - I had no idea about the educational content approach that so many people have successfully used. The idea of turning my trading knowledge into legitimate earned income is brilliant and seems much more straightforward than trying to qualify for trader status. I've been primarily focused on momentum trading with options on tech stocks, and I've developed some solid entry/exit strategies that have kept me profitable through various market conditions. Based on what I'm reading here, there's real demand for practical education from consistently profitable traders. The success stories from @5405fa7ab1d2 generating $9,500 and @3c1ecb24a1c5 making $12k from educational content are really inspiring. Even creating $6-8k in earned income would solve my IRA contribution problem completely. I'm thinking about starting with content around momentum trading setups and risk management, since those are my strongest areas. The 8-10 hours per week time commitment mentioned by others seems very manageable, especially if it helps reinforce my own trading discipline. Has anyone had experience specifically with momentum trading education? I'm wondering if there's as much demand for that approach compared to more conservative strategies like covered calls or credit spreads that others have mentioned. Thanks everyone for sharing such detailed real-world experiences - this gives me hope that I can finally start building retirement savings again while sharing valuable knowledge with other traders!

This thread has been incredibly eye-opening! I'm in almost the exact same situation as the original poster - been trading options successfully for about 2.5 years, making around $58k annually, but completely locked out of IRA contributions due to the earned income requirement. I had pretty much given up on retirement contributions until reading all these success stories about the educational content approach. The idea of turning my trading expertise into legitimate earned income is brilliant and seems so much more practical than trying to navigate the complex trader status requirements. I've developed some solid strategies around weekly options and volatility plays that have kept me consistently profitable, even during the choppy markets we've had recently. Based on what I'm reading here, there's clearly demand for real-world education from traders who are actually making money rather than just theoretical content. The success stories from multiple people generating $6k-$12k in educational income while maintaining their trading performance are really encouraging. Even creating $7k in earned income would let me start maxing out IRA contributions again. I'm thinking about starting with content around weekly options strategies and volatility management, since those are areas where I've had the most success and seem to trip up a lot of newer traders. The 8-10 hours per week time commitment that others mentioned sounds very reasonable. One question for those who've successfully gone this route: did you find it helpful to start with written guides, video content, or one-on-one coaching? I want to make sure I structure this properly from the beginning so it clearly qualifies as legitimate business income for IRA purposes. Thanks everyone for sharing such detailed experiences - this gives me real hope that I can finally solve this retirement contribution problem while helping other traders at the same time!

Just to add another perspective - I've been through this exact situation in Texas. Technically, the IRS rule is that the person legally obligated on the loan (you) would claim the interest. However, if your divorce decree specifically orders your ex to make the payments, there's an argument that he's making them on his own behalf, not on yours. If there's no specific language in your decree about who gets the tax deduction, you might consider filing Form 8822 with the IRS to change the address where the 1098 is sent. That way, your ex could at least have the documentation he needs if he tries to claim it.

I went through something very similar in Colorado after my divorce. The mortgage was in my name only, but my ex was awarded the house and required to make payments until refinancing. What saved me a lot of headaches was getting a written agreement from my ex about how we'd handle the tax situation. We agreed that since he was making the payments and living in the house, he would claim the mortgage interest deduction on his return, and I wouldn't report his payments as income to me. We both kept documentation of this agreement in case either of us got questioned by the IRS. The key thing is that your divorce decree language really matters here. If it specifically requires him to make the mortgage payments as part of the property settlement (not as a favor to you), there's a stronger argument that he's making those payments for his own benefit, not yours. I'd definitely recommend reviewing your decree carefully before deciding how to file, and maybe getting a quick consultation with a tax pro who handles divorce situations.

Just an FYI - I worked at a bank for years in operations. If you added the child as a joint owner, the bank is required to get your child's SSN for the account and report a portion of the interest under that SSN. Usually it's split 50/50 for joint accounts unless you specified different ownership percentages when opening the account.

Great question! You're dealing with a common banking vs. tax law confusion. While banks typically issue 1099-INTs based on whose SSN is on the account (often splitting 50/50 for joint accounts as Dmitry mentioned), the tax reporting responsibility depends on who legally owns the income. For minor children, parents are indeed responsible for reporting the child's income, but they have options on HOW to report it - either on the child's separate return or on the parent's return using Form 8814, as Mei Wong explained earlier. The key issue here is determining the true legal ownership. If you added your child as joint owner purely for estate planning convenience (so the account passes to them automatically), but you're still the one funding the account and controlling it, then you might have grounds to ask the bank to issue corrected 1099s in your name only. However, if the account was intended as a gift to your child or set up for their benefit, then the current 1099 reporting might be correct, and you'd need to handle it on the tax side using one of the methods already discussed. I'd recommend talking to both the bank about the account setup AND possibly consulting a tax professional to make sure you're handling this correctly going forward.

One thing nobody has mentioned yet is that the form 8962 repayment limitation is income-based, so it varies depending on your household income as a % of the federal poverty level. If your income is just slightly above one of these thresholds, you might be able to reduce your income enough to qualify for a lower repayment limit. For 2024 returns (filed in 2025), I believe the limits are: - Under 200% FPL: $350 single/$700 family - 200-300% FPL: $950 single/$1,900 family - 300-400% FPL: $1,500 single/$3,000 family - Over 400% FPL: No limitation, full repayment

I've been dealing with Form 8962 repayment limitations for a while now, and one thing that really helped me was understanding the timing of when to report income changes to the marketplace. If you know your income is going to be higher than expected (like getting a bonus or new contract), you can actually report this change during the year and reduce your advance premium tax credit payments. This prevents you from having to pay back as much at tax time, even with the repayment limitation protection. The key is to report changes within 30 days if possible. I learned this the hard way after two years of hitting the repayment cap. Now I check my projected annual income every quarter and update the marketplace if there's a significant change. It's made my tax filing much smoother and reduced the amount I have to repay each year.