Search
For Individuals For TPAs
HR Generalists FMLA/ADA HR Leadership Investigations Advanced Investigations
HR Payroll Retirement Plans Investigations
Account Shopping Cart 678-366-3959

Retirement Plan Certification Programs

Certification in retirement planning can open up new career opportunities and pathways for advancement within the financial services industry.

A retirement plan certification offers several benefits, both for professionals in the financial industry and for individuals seeking personal improvement. Some of the key benefits are expanded knowledge and skills, improved compliance with regulatory requirements, and career advancement opportunities.

What Are The Key Elements Of Retirement Plan Administration

Retirement plan administration involves several key elements to ensure the smooth operation and compliance of retirement plans. Here are some of the key elements:

Plan design
Enrollment and communication
Contribution management
Investment management
Compliance and reporting
Participant services
Recordkeeping
Plan review and evaluation

Common Administrative Errors

Retirement plan administration can be complex, and mistakes can have significant consequences for both employers and employees. Here are some common mistakes in retirement plan administration:

  • Failure to follow plan documents
  • Incorrect employee eligibility
  • Missed or incorrect employee contributions
  • Late or incorrect employer contributions
  • Inaccurate vesting calculations
  • Errors on non-discrimination testing
  • Incorrect distribution processing
  • Failure to monitor investment options
  • Lack of knowledge of regulatory changes
employee being blamed

To mitigate these risks, employers should invest in proper training for plan administrators, consider outsourcing certain administrative tasks to qualified professionals, and regularly audit their retirement plans for compliance and accuracy.

Overall, obtaining certification in retirement planning can be a worthwhile investment for both professionals and their clients, offering benefits that extend beyond just the acquisition of knowledge and skills.

How The Programs Work

Our Retirement Plan Training & Certification Programs help you to understand and comply with plan design, administrative options, and the variety of compliance requirements.

In addition to stating just the rules and regulations, our courses include numerous "Examples", "Administrative Tips", and "Procedural Recommendations" to aid understanding and help ensure correct administration.

Click through for more details.

Explore Now >
lesson goals

See What Customers Say About Our Courses

"I enjoyed the virtual aspect, and with only 11 attendees I felt everyone could participate and contribute. The breakout sessions were especially helpful."Louise MacLaurin
"The professor was amazing, super experienced."Maribella Lemus
"Trisha was a great trainer! I would definitely recommend this class to others."Allison Creel
"Mary was absolutely awesome, she answered all of the questions asked and she made the course a comfortable environment to not be afraid to ask about anything."Mariah Cooley
"Absolutely LOVED Trisha!! She created such a cozy, friendly atmosphere that helped us to comprehend all learning materials during these 3-day course!"Olga Stanilevskiy
"The instructor was AMAZING! SUPER-KNOWLEDGABLE! I will be taking more training with her."Richard Cassell
"Great class full of information. Well worth the time and expense!"Rachel Haff
"Chris was an excellent presenter. He is very knowledgeable and made the class fun. There was a lot of material covered and I am so happy that I chose to do this seminar."Susan Phillips
"The trainer was excellent!! Great class with a lot of valuable information."Rebecca Porritt
"I found the topics to be very relevant. The speaker, Trisha, is very engaging which to me is a huge part of keeping me focused."Lori Adams
"Excellent training especially for an HR Manager responsible for all aspects of HR in a small business."Angela van Rooyen
"Excellent training, one of the best HR training programs I've been to. They did an excellent job adapting in to a virtual training due to COVID-19. I really enjoyed it and learned a lot!"Martha Richards
"Great course, with lots of information!"Marissa Medina
"Awesome course and materials along with a wonderful instructor. Would highly recommend the instructor and course to any colleague."Lauren Witherspoon
"The presenter was extremely knowledgeable in the subject matter and made a virtual experience more enjoyable. While the class size was small, the presenter was able to relate back to each of our organizations."Deanna Prescott
"Carole was an amazing instructor. She was not only knowledgeable, but personable and engaging as well. She really made sure that I got the most I could out of the training."Zailey Way
"The materials and content covered were extremely helpful for my position. The scenarios and exercises presented were easily related to current situations and issues that may arise."Connie Mancini
"This training session was wonderful - all of the information was very useful and laid out in a way that made it easy to follow."Fay Wong
"This was a great "crash course" for HR. I am new to the field and I will be able to apply the training I received in my new role. Chris was very helpful and gave great real-life examples of the training material. Extremely useful seminar, I would highly recommend."Logan Brink
"Ann is a subject matter expert - and a very good trainer."Rebecca Smotherman
"Our facilitator, Chris, was very knowledgeable. He went above and beyond to seek information from his colleagues with some of our challenges. The materials/forms are very helpful, and I am and will be referring to them regularly."Connie Molinaro
"The instructor, Trisha, was just fabulous. She was equally knowledgeable and engaging."Jacqueline Caliani
"I found this training very informative, the right pace and size, and would recommend it to any HR Professional."Danielle Kreitz
"I loved this course so much, and the instructor as well. She was very personable and extremely knowledgeable."Anica Rodriguez
"This is a great training, highly recommend it for all HR Professionals!"Carolina Balderas

Frequently Asked Questions

How do the online Training & Certification Programs work? Hide
Our online courses follow Instructional Design requirements, meaning the course is broken into multiple Lessons. Each Lesson has a 'Lesson Goals' page showing the two or three key points to learn from that Lesson. It then provides training - in English, not legalese - with lots of Tips, Examples, and Procedural Recommendations, then concludes with "End Of Lesson Quizzes" that are multiple-choice question that state a potential situation that you, as the administrator, must handle.
How does the Certification Exam work? Show
Your Certification Exam consists of 50 questions that are randomly selected from our database of questions. You scroll forward or back through the Exam at any time to check or review your answers, and click on the "Score My Exam" button to submit your Exam for scoring. Your score is shown on screen. Users with non-passing scores are shown a list of incorrectly answered questions and given tips for passing on their next attempt; users with a passing score can print their Certificate immediately.
Can I see any Exam questions I answered incorrectly? Show
Yes. This feature was requested specifically by our pre-launch focus groups who, even if they passed the Exam, wanted the ability to correct any potential "weak" areas they may have.
What does your investigation course cover? Show
While many people think investigations primarily cover fraud or theft, in reality the majority of workplace investigations are based upon employee and management behavior, and handling these situations correctly can mean a happy workforce or a lawsuit. For instance, how would your organization respond to claims of bullying, negligence, or retaliation? How does it identify whether there is a complaint that should he handled by a supervisor or actually investigated? Does your organization have a process for interviewing witnesses or writing reports? The key here is to get trained on how to do an investigation before you actually have to do one! [View Course Agenda]
Do your courses provide updates whenever the laws change? Show
Absolutely - and we do it for free! In essence, we notify you with both an overview of any changes and directions as to where and what changed in your courseware.
Do your seminars qualify for SHRM or HRCI re-certification credits? Show
Yes. Each qualifies for 18 or more SHRM or HRCI re-certification credits.
Show More

Useful Resources

Bring Our Training To Your Location!

Have several people you need trained? Save time and money by having us come to your location!

The benefits are simple: not only do you get the same great training as if you came to one of our regular training sessions, but you get to customize some of the content - and save up to 50% off of the cost!

Learn More >
Multiple Purchase Pricing

We offer great Training & Certification Programs like 401(k), Defined Benefit, QDRO, Cash Balance Plans, Plan Loans, Required Minimum Distributions and others with discounted pricing available for multiple-Program or mutiple-person training needs.

Learn More >