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RICP®
Best For
Financial professionals with retiree clients in need of income solutions.
Timing
<12 Months
Format
i
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
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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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RICP® Program at a Glance
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Look Inside Opens in new tabAdmissions 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.
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 are available for those who qualify, learn more here.
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 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®?
Enroll Now
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
Enroll Now
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The RICP® May Be Right For You If:
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
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.
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
Courses to Complete
Three
Typical Completion Time
<12 Months
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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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
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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.
Scroll left to right to compare
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 |  |  |
FINISH IN <12 MONTHS | |  |
CONSIDERED A “POST-CFP® CERTIFICATION” | | |
INSIGHTS OF 45+ ELITE FACULTY AND THOUGHT LEADERS | | |
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
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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
Connect on LinkedInRead Bio
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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 LinkedInRead 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
Connect on LinkedInRead 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
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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.
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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.
Enroll Now Get Retirement Insights More FAQs
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.
