CEA Study Guide 2026
Everything you need to pass the CEA exam in one place: the exam format, every topic to study, real practice questions with explanations, flashcards, and full-length practice tests. Free, no sign-up needed.
📚 CEA Topics to Study (69)
✍️ Sample CEA Questions & Answers
1. What is a 'backdoor Roth IRA' contribution strategy used by high-income earners?
The backdoor Roth strategy allows high-income earners who exceed direct Roth IRA income limits to make non-deductible traditional IRA contributions and immediately convert them to a Roth IRA, subject to the pro-rata rule.
2. Under the SECURE Act 2.0 (effective 2023), at what age must required minimum distributions (RMDs) begin for individuals born between 1951 and 1959?
SECURE Act 2.0 increased the RMD starting age to 73 for individuals born between 1951 and 1959, and to 75 for those born in 1960 or later.
3. How should CEA professionals handle confidential information related to family governance & wealth transfer?
Confidential information must be handled according to established protocols, regulatory requirements, and professional ethics standards, including proper access control and disclosure procedures.
4. A conservator is appointed for an elder. What is the conservator's primary legal obligation regarding the ward's assets?
A conservator owes a fiduciary duty to manage the ward's assets solely in the ward's best interest, not for the benefit of others.
5. Which of the following business succession strategies is MOST appropriate when the owner wants to transfer the business to family members who lack the capital to purchase it outright?
Systematic gifting of business interests using the annual gift exclusion and lifetime exemption allows intra-family transfers without requiring the recipients to have purchase capital.
6. What is 'surcharge' in the context of trustee liability?
Surcharge is the primary remedy for trustee misconduct, requiring the breaching trustee to make the trust whole for any losses resulting from the breach of fiduciary duty.