C5: Financing, Credit & Compliance at the Counter

Course Overview

Financing, Credit & Compliance at the Counter (Course C5) provides fine jewelry sales associates, bridal consultants, luxury boutique managers, and showroom directors with the technical, mathematical, and legal expertise required to present consumer financing seamlessly, transparently, and ethically. Developed in alignment with Synchrony Financial, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), Truth in Lending Act (Regulation Z), Equal Credit Opportunity Act (Regulation B), and the Jewelers Vigilance Committee (JVC) / FTC Jewelry Guides (16 CFR Part 23), this 6-module masterclass bridges consultative sales psychology with strict federal regulatory compliance.

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Curriculum Modules

1. Module 1: How Retail Financing Actually Works — Private-label credit cards (PLCC), revolving credit lines, the tripartite credit relationship, Merchant Discount Rates (MDR), and instant POS underwriting cascades.
2. Module 2: Presenting Financing Early and Ethically — Introducing financing during Stage 2 Discovery as an empowering concierge amenity, dual-pricing presentation habits, mental accounting psychology, and anti-predatory guardrails.
3. Module 3: Deferred Interest, Promo Periods and Plain-Language Explanations — True 0% APR vs Deferred Interest, the catastrophic retroactive interest trap, exposing the statement minimum payment trap, the N-1 safe payoff formula, and mandatory counter disclosure scripts.
4. Module 4: What You Cannot Promise: Approvals, Terms, Credit Scores — Truth in Lending Act (Reg Z) trigger terms, Equal Credit Opportunity Act (Reg B) non-discrimination rules, prohibited marital inquiries, credit score inquiry mechanics, and the Dignified Adverse Action protocol.
5. Module 5: Layaway, Installments and BNPL — Traditional in-house layaway bailment custody, modern Buy Now Pay Later (Affirm, Klarna) fintech platforms, the CFPB May 2024 BNPL Interpretive Rule, closed-end retail installment contracts (RISC), and UCC-1 lien perfection.
6. Module 6: FTC Guides and Product Representation for Sellers — FTC Jewelry Guides (16 CFR Part 23), unqualified diamond nomenclature, mandatory lab-grown descriptors, gemstone treatment revelations (permanence, care, value), precious metal marking tolerances (10k gold, platinum alloys, vermeil), and eliminating deceptive counter appraisals.

What’s Included in This Masterclass:

• ✓ 6 comprehensive, university-grade study modules (~25,000 words total)
• ✓ 30 high-resolution analytical frameworks, operational flowcharts, and regulatory reference figures
• ✓ Verbatim consultative role-play dialogues, compliance scripts, and plain-language disclosure templates
• ✓ 6 Daily Huddle Cards for morning store team briefings
• ✓ 6 10-Question Knowledge Check Quizzes with detailed pedagogical rationales