Certified Retirement Counselor
InFRE’s optional Certified Retirement Counselor® (CRC) study materials provide a careful balance of the most in-depth and most current retirement-planning information available, drawing on the expertise and resources of the most respected names in the retirement planning industry.
Course #1: Fundamentals of Retirement Planning
Course #2: Fundamentals of Investments
Course #3: Fundamentals of Retirement Plan Design
Course #4: Fundamentals of Retirement Income Planning
For your convenience, you may purchase the entire CRC curriculum
| Purchase set of CRC study materials if you are employed in the private sector | Purchase set of CRC study materials if you are employed in the government sector |
CRC Candidates who desire study aides other than or in addition to printed study materials are encouraged to consider participating in InFRE's specially-designed review sessions via online or live classroom delivery. InFRE also provides pre-testing on-site review courses to companies and organizations with multiple CRC candidates.
Specially designed sessions allow those preparing for the CRC exams to undergo three days of intense review to ensure concepts are understood thoroughly. All major areas of study are reviewed, from the retirement planning process and income tax strategies to pre- and post-retirement counseling to the InFRE Code of Ethics.
Course #1: Fundamentals of Retirement Planning
 |
Click here to purchase if employed in the government sector |
| Click here to purchase if employed in the private sector |
With a strong emphasis on how the basic tools of financial planning can be used to best prepare for retirement, this course establishes the foundation of the CRC series. By taking a close look at how to plan for retirement at the different stages of life, Course #1 provides techniques for understanding the broad variety of factors that can affect a client's retirement goals.
You will learn methods for motivating and educating clients and employees on the need to save for retirement, and the importance of taking personal responsibility for their own financial futures.
Topics include: retirement planning life cycles, behavioral finance, cash management, debt management, tax and estate planning strategies, how time affects the value of money, budgeting and the different life cycle stages, elder care, integrating employees’ plans with spousal benefits, other sources of retirement income besides the employer’s plan, effectively counseling clients with unique communication needs, and helping pre-retirees understand the importance of preparing psychologically, socially, physically, geographically and financially for retirement, and ethics.
Course #2: Fundamentals of Investments
 |
Click here to purchase if employed in the government sector |
| Click here to purchase if employed in the private sector |
For a retirement program to work as envisioned, retirement professionals must thoroughly understand the basic concepts and terminology needed to help clients/participants/employees invest wisely for their long-term retirement goals. In this course, you'll gain familiarity with investment concepts that are critical to effective retirement counseling. Emphasis is on training the retirement counselor to assist clients/participants in feeling comfortable with the investment decisions that must be made to achieve a financially worry-free retirement. The course includes a discussion of how to present the information in the course to clients/participants.
Topics include: the basic investment instruments: common and preferred stock, bonds, short-term instruments, mutual funds, annuities and guaranteed contracts, and the various fee structures associated with these investments; managing risk through diversification, asset allocation and portfolio management, and the important aspects of time horizon and goal-appropriate investing.
Course #3: Fundamentals of Retirement Plan Design
 |
Click here to purchase if employed in the government sector |
| Click here to purchase if employed in the private sector |
Employers and individuals have distinctive retirement planning needs. Finding the best retirement plan that is tailored to everyone’s unique needs may seem more idealistic than achievable. Course #3 arms retirement professionals with the key plan concepts and features to help them guide and assist clients in determining which type of retirement plan is likely to be best for them. The study guide will help the retirement professional translate this complex and often confusing information to clients/participants of various backgrounds.
Topics include: definition of qualified and nonqualified plans, basic features of qualified and nonqualified plans, the difference between defined benefit and defined contribution plans, advantages of each plan to employers and employees, the rules governing qualified plans, including eligibility and contribution limitations, payment options at retirement and the rules governing distributions, plans for individuals (IRAs) and the self employed, and Social Security and Medicare.
Course #4: Fundamentals of Retirement Income Planning
 |
Click here to purchase if employed in the government sector |
| Click here to purchase if employed in the private sector |
This course presents a well-developed retirement planning process that encompasses the entire spectrum of retirement planning from the individual's point of view, from accumulation as a worker to distribution as a retiree. You'll study InFRE's unique Retirement Income Management content — a practical guide to creating a lifetime income stream after retirement. And you'll learn how to coordinate the work you do as a retirement professional with other advisors essential to the retirement planning process.
Topics include: retirement accumulation model, retirement income management model, determining client retirement income and expense gaps, managing retirement risks, identification of client tax and estate planning issues and opportunities, converting resources into income, and working with other professionals.
