RICP®
Retirement Income Certified Professional®
Best For
Financial professionals with retiree clients in need of income solutions.
Timing
<4 Months
Format
Set yourself apart as a certified retirement planner through our online curriculum and support from the nation’s preeminent retirement planning thought leaders.
100% Online
Tuition
Starting at
$995/course
Three-course and two-course packages available with discounted pricing
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Expertise for Uncertain Times
Deliver the Answers
The Peak 65 crest is here and questions abound. Gain valuable insights on day one to improve your client conversations.
Take Only Two Courses
CFP® Professionals and ChFC®s only need to take two courses, not three, to become an RICP®.
Get Started Today
Seize this Opportunity
Clients are on the move when markets are volatile. Increase your retirement planning capabilities and attract more.
Experience the RICP® Program
Specialize in Retirement Income Planning
Join Program Director Eric Ludwig, PhD, CFP® and Assistant Provost Elizabeth Pearsall, PhD for a look inside the RICP® Program and a curriculum overview!
RICP® Program at a Glance
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:
- Successfully complete two required courses and one elective course (only two required courses for CFP® professionals and ChFC®s since the elective has already been satisfied)
- 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.
Tuition & Scholarships
Program tuition can be paid on a per-course basis or packaged together at a reduced rate. Tuition covers all course fees and materials, including:
- Online, on-demand content for easy following
- Short videos and case studies
- Quizzes and other assignments
Individual course: $995
Three-course package: $2,695
Two-course package: $1,850*
Scholarship opportunities are available for those who qualify, learn more here.
*Two-course package only available to CFP® professionals, ChFC®s, and those who have completed course HS 326 Planning for Retirement Needs.
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
Course Delivery
Earn your retirement planning designation online while studying the 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
- Innovative e-learning program with short videos, case studies, and quizzes to test your knowledge
- 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
Why Become an RICP®?
71%
Higher growth in client retention than advisors with no designations.1
26%
Higher growth in earnings than advisors with no designations.1
12,000+
Baby Boomers are retiring every day.2
The RICP® May Be Right For You If:
Inside the RICP® Program
Courses to Complete
Two to Three
Typical Completion Time
<4 Months
RICP 353 Retirement Income Process, Strategies and Solutions (Required)
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
RICP 354 Sources of Retirement Income (Required)
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
RICP 355 Managing the Retirement Income Plan (Elective)
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
*CFP® professionals and ChFC®s may substitute HS 326 Planning for Retirement Needs and complete the RICP® Program with only the two required courses.
HS 326 Planning for Retirement Needs (Elective)
Focuses on helping businesses and individuals plan for retirement.
Upon completion of this course, you’ll be able to:
- Analyze the factors affecting retirement planning
- Understand the fundamental principles of qualified plans
- Compare and contrast the various types of qualified pension plans
- Compare and contrast profit-sharing plans, stock bonus plans, and ESOPs
- Understand the tax treatment of distributions from qualified plans
- Describe the steps involved in managing a qualified plan
- Discuss the advantages, limitations, and taxation of IRAs and SEPs
- Compare and contrast SIMPLE, 403(b), and 457 retirement plans
- Discuss the taxation of nonqualified plans and Social Security claiming strategies
- Compare and contrast employee fringe and group benefits
*CFP® professionals and ChFC®s may substitute this course for RICP 355 Managing the Retirement Income Plan and complete the RICP® Program with only the two required courses.
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
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
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
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
The RICP® is wonderful post-CFP® certification material for anyone that's interested in a retirement income planning designation. I learned a lot of relevant information that I can apply immediately in my practice.
Joseph Pearl, CFP®, RICP®
Financial Advisor, Northwestern Mutual
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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 StandSave time with a quick view of how our RICP® Program stacks up against other retirement planning certifications. |
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ADVANCED CURRICULUM |
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FINISH IN <4 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®, RICP®
Director of the Center for Retirement Income, Program Director for the Retirement Income Certified Professional (RICP®) Program
Read Bio
Steve Parrish
JD, RICP®, CLU®, ChFC®, AEP®
Professor of Practice and a Scholar in Residence at the Cary M. Maguire Center for Ethics in Financial Services
Read Bio
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Eric Ludwig
PhD, CFP®, RICP®
Director of the Center for Retirement Income, Program Director for the Retirement Income Certified Professional (RICP®) Program
Read Bio
Steve Parrish
JD, RICP®, CLU®, ChFC®, AEP®
Professor of Practice and a Scholar in Residence at the Cary M. Maguire Center for Ethics in Financial Services
Read Bio
There’s Even More to Explore
Download the Brochure
Read more about the RICP®
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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
RICP® Program FAQs
The Retirement Income Certified Professional® (RICP®) is a specialized certification for retirement income planning offered by The American College of Financial Services. The RICP® designation gives aspiring retirement income planners the knowledge and expertise to build sustainable, holistic, and integrated retirement income strategies for every client situation and retirement income style. It is similar in concept to designations such as the Chartered Retirement Planning Counselor® (CRPC®), but offers a more advanced curriculum with a focus on integrated and applicable strategies to help you become a retirement planning specialist.
To become a successful retirement advisor through the RICP® designation program, you must complete all courses needed for the program, including all associated classwork and a final exam for each course. These online courses make earning this financial planning certification easier to tailor to your busy schedule.
RICP 353, 354, and 355 are ten-week courses but can be completed in as little as five weeks.
Yes! Learners can move through the course at their own pace. However, each unit builds on the previous one, and all learning activities within a unit must be completed before proceeding. To be eligible for the final exam, students must score at least 70% on all learning activities. While students may complete their exam before Week Five, their final course grade will not be posted until Week Five.
Learners must earn a final course grade of 70% or higher. The final course grade is a combination of required coursework which consists of quizzes and multiple-choice mini case studies (30% weight) and a 100-question final exam (70% weight.)
Learners who complete their course during the first five weeks will have their final grade posted at the end of Week Five. Learners who finish between Week Six and Week 10 will have their grades posted within two business days of completion.
There have been some important updates to the content in the new versions of the RICP® that are important to existing learners in the program. You can stay the course and continue in the existing RICP® Program or switch to the enhanced RICP® by reaching out to our RICP® advising team at RICPadvising@TheAmericanCollege.edu. Our academic advisors are ready to help you with the transition!
The RICP® Program is designed to be taken in the following sequential order:
- Required Course - RICP 353: Retirement Income Process, Strategies and Solutions
- Required Course - RICP 354: Sources of Retirement Income
- Elective Course - RICP 355: Managing Retirement Income or HS 326 Planning for Retirement Needs
The RICP® Program can now be completed in as few as four months.
Yes! Learners who are recertifying designations earned through The College can use the new RICP® courses toward your Professional Recertification Program (PRP) CE requirement.
The Retirement Income Certified Professional® (RICP®) designation can be completed in four months or less and is considered a specialized financial planning certification for professionals who want advanced knowledge in the field of retirement income planning. According to FUSE Research’s 2024 Designation Outcomes Study, advisors who earn the RICP® designation report 71% higher growth in client retention, 45% higher growth in their number of clients served, and 26% higher growth in earnings over a three-year period than their peers with no designations.
Adding the RICP® to complement another financial planning certification brings with it even greater benefits. Along with becoming a retirement planning specialist able to serve the 12,000+ Baby Boomers retiring every day better, advisors with multiple College designations showed an additional 45% higher growth in client retention and 19% higher growth in earnings than those with no designations. With stackable course credits, the RICP® designation fits perfectly into a lifelong learning path that can start with a foundational financial planning certification program like the Chartered Financial Consultant® (ChFC®) designation — which, if completed, allows those earning their RICP® to do it in two courses rather than three.
Each course follows a 10-week preferred schedule, however you can finish each course in as little as five weeks and then prepare to take your final course 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.
Take the Next Step and Enroll
As an RICP®, you'll stand out as a retirement planning professional with a growing pool of aging clients needing guidance on wealth transfer, retirement income products and strategies, life insurance, long-term care, and more.
1 FUSE Research Network. The American College of Financial Services Designation Outcomes Study. 2024. Based on reported three-year growth.
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.
5 Spectrem Group. Expectations Not Always Predictable. 7/27/2021.