Press Release

NAPA Launches Retirement Income Certificate Program for Advisors

Issued by National Association of Plan Advisors [NAPA]

Feb. 21, 2024

ARLINGTON, Va., Feb. 21, 2024— Longevity and the demise of defined benefit pension plans are causing increased concern about the possibility of outliving accumulated assets—and a corresponding interest in retirement income options. The National Association of Plan Advisors (NAPA) has launched a new certificate program designed for retirement advisors to evaluate, explain, and implement retirement income solutions for clients.

Created by the nation’s leading retirement education resources, the Retirement Income for 401(k) Plans (RI(k) Certificate will help advisors define the importance of retirement income solutions and how they are critical to holistic participant outcomes. Advisors will gain insight into effectively communicating these solutions to key stakeholders, selecting optimal plans based on differing factors, and choosing strategies for continuous learning as solutions evolve in the marketplace.

A recent survey of retirement plan sponsors found that more than 80% feel strongly about helping participants generate retirement income, and nine out of 10 agree that it’s vital to offer investments that help participants generate income in retirement.

The certificate program is a self-paced course broken into five interactive modules. Plan advisors will become familiar with retirement income solutions available, the risks they seek to solve, and how to implement them using a prudent process with plan sponsors and participants.

“401(k) plans are tremendously successful workplace savings programs, but they are not yet truly retirement plans,” Brian Graff, CEO of the American Retirement Association (ARA) and Executive Director of NAPA, said. “Retirement income solutions have the promise of addressing this gap, enabling participants to receive income in retirement from plan investments. The goal of Ri(k) is to give plan advisors the tools to help plan sponsors and participants effectively utilize these burgeoning retirement income solutions.”

The course is available at no cost to NAPA advisor members thanks to the generous support of our education program sponsors: AllianceBernstein, Allianz, Allspring, Broadridge, Franklin Templeton, Income America, LGIM America, Nuveen a TIAA Company, PGIM, and VOYA Financial. Additional information is available at https://www.naparik.org/.

About NAPA

NAPA was created by and for retirement plan advisors. Membership is also open to other retirement industry professionals who support the interests of plan advisors. NAPA is the only advocacy group exclusively focused on the issues that matter to retirement plan advisors. NAPA is part of ARA, based in the Washington, D.C. area. More information about NAPA is available at napa-net.org.

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