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RICP®

Retirement Income Certified Professional®

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Best For

Financial professionals with retiree clients in need of income solutions.

Timing

<12 Months

Format

Set yourself apart as a certified retirement planner through our self-paced, online curriculum and support from the nation’s preeminent retirement planning thought leaders.

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Tuition

Starting at  
$995/course 

Three-course package available for $2,695

 

 

Enroll Now Request Info
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Experience the RICP® Program

Specialize in Retirement Income Planning

Join respected retirement income thought leader and RICP® Program Director Eric Ludwig, PhD, CFP® and alumna Kristin Shea, RICP® to see how you can earn a powerful retirement planning certification online with us.

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Admissions Requirements

There are no prerequisite courses, financial planning certifications, or prior experience in retirement income planning required to begin the RICP® Program, but you must have three years’ experience in financial planning or a related profession to use the designation.

To earn the RICP® designation, you must:
1. Successfully complete the three required courses
2. Agree to comply with The American College Code of Ethics and Procedures 

Participation in the annual Professional Recertification Program is required to maintain the designation.
 

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Tuition & Scholarships

Program tuition can be paid on a per-course basis or packaged together at a reduced rate. Tuition covers your course fees, final exam, and course materials, including:

  • Downloadable content for easy following
  • Video lectures and expert interviews
  • Practice exams and assessment questions

Individual course: $995  
3-course package: $2,695

Scholarship opportunities for active-duty military personnel, veterans, and spouses, African American financial professionals, women and other qualifying groups are available.

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What You'll Learn

As a financial planning certification specializing in retirement planning, the RICP® gives you the practical, applicable knowledge to build sustainable, holistic, and integrated retirement income strategies for every client situation and income style covering all of these elements:

  • Strategies for Social Security claiming
  • Approaches to contain healthcare and long-term care costs
  • Tools for estate and legacy planning
  • Managing taxation
  • Solutions for employee retirement plan savings
  • Investments, annuities, and other products
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Course Delivery

Earn your retirement planning certification online while studying the three-course curriculum at your own pace. Get support from our academic advising team and the best thought leaders in the industry today through our:

  • Comprehensive curriculum supporting a 21st-century, best-interest approach to retirement income planning
  • E-learning program with dynamic presentations and graphics, practice exams, and knowledge checks to both engage and help you retain information
  • Online faculty office hours with nationally-recognized academics, researchers, and practitioners
  • Respected legacy as a century-old, accredited institution dedicated to educating the financial services profession
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Why Become an RICP®?

96

Of RICP® designees agree that The College’s programs are a great investment in career development.1

36

Higher earnings are possible if you go beyond general financial planning certification with the RICP®.1

12,000+

Potential Baby Boomer clients will retire every day in 2024.2

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The RICP® May Be Right For You If:

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You Want to Specialize in Clients’ Top Service

One Size Does Not Fit All

71% of your peers realize clients’ need for a retirement planning specialist3, and clients pick retirement planning as their most-desired service.4

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You Look Beyond the Basics

Gain Unmatched, In-Depth Knowledge

Only 18% of the CFP® exam covers retirement1 – and most other retirement designations are introductory or incomplete and don’t apply the concepts taught in an integrated manner.

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You Strive to Exceed Expectations

Meet Clients Where They Are

There’s a "massive expectations gap" between the services clients want and those your peers deliver, including retirement planning5 – and that opens the door for you as a retirement planning professional.

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Inside the RICP® Program

HS 353 Retirement Income Process, Strategies and Solutions

Covers the process of creating an effective retirement income plan, including evaluating client goals, possible risks, and overall management strategies.

Upon completion of this course, you’ll be able to:

  • Understand the steps in creating an effective retirement income plan
  • Identify retirement income needs, objectives, and goals by evaluating the client's current situation
  • Determine how to choose the appropriate retirement income strategy 
  • Evaluate income tax, estate issues, retirement risks, and other threats to achieving client retirement goals
  • Integrate risk management tools, products, and strategies into client plans
  • Help clients identify their retirement income needs and objectives and evaluate whether the goals are realistic

HS 354 Sources of Retirement Income

Explores sources of retirement income, including their application in building a retirement income portfolio.

After completion of this course you will be able to:

  • Recommend the optimal age to claim Social Security benefits as appropriate for each client's situation
  • Help the client evaluate the factors to consider when determining an appropriate retirement age
  • Understand the role of annuities in a retirement income plan
  • Have a better understanding of how executive and retirement benefits for federal and military employees fit into the plan
  • Understand the different ways that life insurance can be used in retirement planning and how to address the retirement needs of the small business owner
  • Understand how to build a retirement income portfolio
  • Become more familiar with the latest research ensuring that retirement assets last a lifetime

HS 355 Managing the Retirement Income Plan

Focuses on initial and ongoing retirement income plan management, including choosing the appropriate tax-efficient distribution options, navigating Medicare and other health care options, preparing clients for long-term care needs, and more.

This knowledge will help you:

  • Choose the appropriate tax-efficient distribution options for a retirement income plan
  • Help a client create a health expense budget and navigate the many decisions regarding Medicare and other health care options
  • Help a client prepare for their long-term care needs
  • Navigate retirement housing decisions and address home equity strategies
  • Identify the key ethical issues as a retirement income planner
  • Create and manage retirement income portfolios appropriate for each client’s situation
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Susan Pomfret
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The difference between your client having a $900,000 nest egg and having maybe more than $3 million in the bank can sometimes be as simple as a few small adjustments – and that’s the knowledge the RICP® has given me.

Terry Parham, Jr., MSFP, CFP®, ChFC®, CLU®, RICP®, WMCP®

Founder & Wealth Advisor, Innovative Wealth Building

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I am absolutely amazed at the depth of the conversations regarding income planning, the fair and balanced comparisons of the different techniques, and the quality of the education overall. All serious financial planners should pursue an RICP® designation.

Eric Langenfield, RICP®, BPC

Vice President of Annuity Sales, Clarity Insurance Marketing

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The College's RICP® Program is like a look into the future. The material was well-written, and the level of support I received was excellent. It's allowed me to show clients I have knowledge no one else has.

Nick Papastergiou, RICP®

Insurance and Financial Advisor, Ethniki Asfalistiki

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I’ve got more value from my RICP® than from all of my other designations combined. It shifted how I do financial planning dramatically. I have extreme confidence in my planning and it allows me to help clients make the right decisions – decisions that will impact them for decades.

Avshalom Gad, CFP®, RICP®, WMCP®, LLB, ChFC®, CLU®

Financial Advisor, Eagle Strategies LLC

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RICP® Program: See Where We Stand

Save time with a quick view of how our RICP® Program stacks up against other retirement planning certifications.

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RICP® Program: See Where We Stand

Save time with a quick view of how our RICP® Program stacks up against other retirement planning certifications.

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RICP® Retirement Income Certified Professional®

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CRPC® Chartered Retirement Planning Counselor®

ADVANCED CURRICULUM

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FINISH IN <12 MONTHS

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CONSIDERED A “POST-CFP® CERTIFICATION”

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INSIGHTS OF 45+ ELITE FACULTY AND THOUGHT LEADERS

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FOCUS ON INTEGRATED APPLICABILITY OF STRATEGIES

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Learn From the Who's Who of Retirement Planning Specialists

Eric Ludwig

PhD, CFP®

Director of the Center for Retirement Income, Program Director for the Retirement Income Certified Professional (RICP®) Program

Connect on LinkedIn Read Bio

Steve Parrish

JD, RICP®, CLU®, ChFC®, AEP®

Professor of Practice and a Scholar in Residence at the McGuire Center for Ethics

Connect on LinkedIn Read Bio

Wade D. Pfau

PhD, CFA, RICP®

Professor of Practice

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Ed Slott

Ed Slott

CPA

Professor of Practice

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Martin L. Bretz

CLU®, ChFC®, CASL®, RICP®

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Barry Feigenbaum

MA, MBA, RICP®, CFEI®

Adjunct Faculty

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Eric Ludwig

PhD, CFP®

Director of the Center for Retirement Income, Program Director for the Retirement Income Certified Professional (RICP®) Program

Connect on LinkedIn Read Bio

Steve Parrish

JD, RICP®, CLU®, ChFC®, AEP®

Professor of Practice and a Scholar in Residence at the McGuire Center for Ethics

Connect on LinkedIn Read Bio

Wade D. Pfau

PhD, CFA, RICP®

Professor of Practice

Connect on LinkedIn Read Bio
Ed Slott

Ed Slott

CPA

Professor of Practice

Connect on LinkedIn Read Bio

Martin L. Bretz

CLU®, ChFC®, CASL®, RICP®

Connect on LinkedIn Read Bio

Barry Feigenbaum

MA, MBA, RICP®, CFEI®

Adjunct Faculty

Connect on LinkedIn Read Bio
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There’s Even More to Explore

Download the Brochure

Read more about the RICP®

Access the Program Demo

Hear from a peer, a professor, and take a tour

View a Competitive Analysis

See where the RICP® stands compared to other retirement planning certifications

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RICP® Program FAQs

Each course follows a 14-week preferred schedule, with an estimated 10 weeks to complete coursework and another four weeks to schedule and take your exam. If you finish coursework earlier, you can immediately schedule and take your exam. You can expect to spend around 8-10 hours per week to complete each of the three courses. You must complete the entire three-course program within five years of enrollment; otherwise, you will be required to re-enroll.

You only need a high school diploma or the equivalent to begin the program. However, in order to be awarded and to use the designation, you must have at least three years of experience in financial planning or a related profession. For more information, view Admissions Requirements above.

footnotes

1 U.S. News & World Report. CFP Exam 101: Everything You Need to Know to Pass the CFP Test. 10/19/2022

2 The American College of Financial Services. 2023 Retirement Income Literacy Study. 2/2024.

3 The American College of Financial Services. The 2022 Granum Center for Financial Security Consumer Survey. 10/2022.

4 Spectrem Group. Expectations Not Always Predictable. 7/27/2021.