Advanced Retirement Planning Certificate
Best For
Financial professionals serving clients with complex retirement needs.
Timing
< 9 Months
Format
This resume-building program is 100% online and combines guided study with live weekly sessions.
100% online
Tuition
Starting at $2,050/course
Have Questions? We Can Help!
Provide us with a few details, including your question or comment, and an Admissions Advisor will respond to you as soon as possible.
Master Retirement Strategies
Navigate Complex Scenarios
Deliver future-ready plans that address diverse client needs, retirement risks, and evolving market conditions.
Support Aging Clients
Explore how aging impacts financial decisions, caregiving needs, healthcare costs, and long-term client well-being.
Leverage Advanced Products
Become well-versed in advanced retirement products to create sustainable income strategies and protect client assets.
Explore the MSFP Program
Enhance Your Career with Advanced Planning Skills
Take your expertise to the next level by stacking your Advanced Retirement Planning Certificate with other graduate certificates to earn your Master of Science in Financial Planning (MSFP). Each certificate is nine credit hours toward your MSFP!
Program Overview
Admissions Requirements
There are no prerequisites for the Advanced Retirement Planning Certificate Program if taken independently. However, if taken as part of the MSFP Program, a bachelor’s degree and an active CFP®, ChFC®, CPA®, JD, CFA®, or similar financial services designation are required; additionally, three or more years of experience in financial services is preferred, but not required.
To earn the Advanced Retirement Planning Certificate, you must:
- Successfully complete three courses and achieve a final score of 80%
- Agree to comply with The American College Code of Ethics and Procedures
What You'll Learn
Retirement planning is more complex than ever as markets evolve and clients live longer, healthier livers. This certificate equips you with the specialized knowledge and tools to deliver holistic, person-centered retirement plans that address both financial and emotional considerations. You’ll gain critical insights into aging, income planning, and advanced financial products to help clients retire with security and confidence.
Your learning outcomes include the following:
- Design comprehensive retirement income plans that account for longevity risk, healthcare costs, and evolving life stages
- Evaluate the psychological, physical, and financial dimensions of aging and how they influence client decision-making
- Assess and compare income-generating strategies using annuities, equities, fixed income, and alternative investments
- Integrate Social Security, tax planning, and housing wealth into resilient, client-specific income plans
- Communicate complex strategies with empathy, clarity, and ethical consideration
Course Delivery
The learning format for graduate certificate programs like the Advanced Retirement Planning Certificate is 100% online, with guided study and synchronous components including live weekly classes and weekly homework required. Learners must complete all three courses within the program to earn the certificate. Each class is eight weeks long, with the ability for students to complete the certificate program in under six months.
- Expert Instruction: Learn from nationally-recognized academics, researchers, and practitioners
- All-Online Resources: All-virtual lessons organized in sequential units and supported by short videos, knowledge checks, quizzes, and case studies.
- Grading: Earn a final course grade of 80% or higher to pass, and quizzes count toward your final grades.
- Stackable Learning: Earn your standalone certificate or use it as part of your journey toward your MSFP degree!
Critical Need for Retirement Planning Expertise
95M
Americans will be aged 65 or older by 2060.1
$43.4T
In total US retirement assets in Q1 2025, representing over a third of all household financial assets in the country.2
1/3
Nearly 1/3 of consumers chose “understanding how much I can safely spend in retirement” as the number one service they seek from a financial advisor.3
Enroll Now If:
Tuition Overview
Single Courses
Starting at $2,050
Limited-Time Savings
Save $750 Off First Course
Single Courses
$2,050 per course
Individual courses can be purchased for $2,050 each. To complete the full program, students must complete three courses:
- MSFP 601 Aging and Financial Planning—Provides a multidisciplinary framework to assess how aging influences financial behaviors, needs, and risks.
- MSFP 602 Retirement Financial Products—Discusses the pros and cons of various investment, alternatives, and insurance products in managing the prevailing risks of retirement.
- MSFP 631 Advanced Retirement Planning Issues—Examines current issues related to helping clients save for retirement and secure adequate income that lasts throughout their lifetime.
Have Questions? We Can Help!
Provide us with a few details, including your question or comment, and an Admissions Advisor will respond to you as soon as possible.
Learn From the Who's Who of Financial Planning
Jason E. Heller
PhD, CFP®, CIMA®, MSFS, RICP®, ChFC®, CLU®, CAP®, CMFC®, AAMS®, CRPC®, CFS®, FSCP®, AWMA®, CRPS®, BCAA, AEP®, CFBS®, CDFA®, RMA®, CIS®, CAS®, CES®, AIF®, BFA™, APMA®, CFED®, ChSNC®, AFC®, WMCP®, LACP®, CPFA®, C(K)P®, AIFA®, CSRIC®
Adjunct Professor of Behavioral Finance in the MSFP® Program
Professor in the CLF® Program
Kimberly Turner
PhD, MSFS, CFP®, ChFC®, CLU®, CAP®, AEP®, CLTC®
Adjunct Professor of Financial Planning
Read Bio01 / 00
Jason E. Heller
PhD, CFP®, CIMA®, MSFS, RICP®, ChFC®, CLU®, CAP®, CMFC®, AAMS®, CRPC®, CFS®, FSCP®, AWMA®, CRPS®, BCAA, AEP®, CFBS®, CDFA®, RMA®, CIS®, CAS®, CES®, AIF®, BFA™, APMA®, CFED®, ChSNC®, AFC®, WMCP®, LACP®, CPFA®, C(K)P®, AIFA®, CSRIC®
Adjunct Professor of Behavioral Finance in the MSFP® Program
Professor in the CLF® Program
Kimberly Turner
PhD, MSFS, CFP®, ChFC®, CLU®, CAP®, AEP®, CLTC®
Adjunct Professor of Financial Planning
Read BioThere’s Even More to Explore
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Take the Next Step and Enroll
With the Advanced Retirement Planning Certificate, you’ll gain advanced retirement planning skills and deep product expertise to help your clients retire securely and confidently.
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1 SmartAsset. What Is a Retirement Financial Advisor? 2024.
2 Investment Company Institute. Retirement Assets Total $43.4 Trillion in First Quarter. 2025.
3 The American College of Financial Services. Granum Center for Financial Security’s 2022 Consumer Survey. 2022.