It’s no secret that the pinnacle of Peak 65 is here. If you pay any attention to the news, you’ve likely seen stories about the baby boomer wave cresting over the next several years — and along with it, an influx of potential clients with substantial assets and a need for specialized retirement planning advice. But to attract those clients and deliver the expertise they need, you need to look beyond standard, one-size-fits-all strategies.

According to the CFP Board, less than one-fifth of the CFP® exam covers retirement income planning — and many other foundational designations offer only high-level overviews of retirement planning. To offer potential clients something different, you need to seek deeper knowledge, like that from the Retirement Income Certified Professional® (RICP®) Program.

Here’s one way you could explain this to clients: if you suspected there was something wrong with your heart, would you be satisfied with the report of a general practitioner? Or would you seek out a cardiologist, someone who specializes in exactly the kind of medicine you might need? It’s the same with retirement income planning — and with RICP®, you and they benefit from a recognized mark of excellence backed by a nearly 100-year-old accredited academic institution and powered by the insights of 45+ top academics and thought leaders.

Your peers’ performance speaks for itself…and you can reach the same heights in less than four months.

What is the RICP^®?

The RICP® is a specialized financial planning designation for professionals who want greater knowledge of retirement income strategies and solutions. It is usually not the first designation professionals earn, but is a strong follow-up and complement to a foundational certification such as the CFP® mark or the Chartered Financial Consultant® (ChFC®). The RICP® focuses on advanced areas of retirement income planning that go beyond the basics and into subjects of growing importance in today’s uncertain markets, including:

• Social Security claiming
• Healthcare and long-term care
• Estate and legacy planning
• Tax-informed retirement planning
• Employee retirement savings plans

Perhaps most importantly, the RICP® Program’s enhanced and accelerated curriculum means you’ll be able to start putting what you learn into practice for your clients on day one — and complete the entire program in under four months. If you don’t want to miss the baby boomer wave, the RICP® is your must-have designation.

How Can RICP^® Help My Career?

Surveys of your potential clients and peers over the last few years consistently show the need for specialized retirement planning knowledge: according to our Center for Financial Security, 71% of financial professionals surveyed recognized their clients’ need for in-depth retirement planning services¹, and research including our 2024 Advisory Services Survey consistently ranks retirement planning as one of the top concerns for financial professionals and clients alike.²

Even putting this aside, the benefits of getting your RICP® designation are clear from the increased growth and success your peers are enjoying. Our 2024 Designation Outcomes Study in conjunction with FUSE Research Network examined self-reported growth over the past three years from RICP® designees compared to professionals with no designations, and the results speak for themselves.³

• 71% higher growth in client retention
• 45% higher growth in number of clients
• 26% higher growth in earnings

In addition, those who secured the RICP® designation saw significant improvement in their knowledgeability to talk retirement planning and strategy with their clients.

• Over 80% reported ability to help clients with a greater number of goals and improvement in quality of client conversations
• Over 80% also reported improved ability to help clients with areas including Social Security planning and retirement income and withdrawal strategies
• Over 90% reported improvements in their general retirement planning capability

Meet This Wave…and Prepare for the Next One

If you still need some convincing about the value of specialized retirement planning knowledge like the RICP® Program, here’s something else to think about. While the current wave of baby boomer retirees and their over $80 trillion in wealth may be rolling on at some point in the next few years, another wave is on the way.

Starting around 2030, members of Gen X will be reaching age 65 as well, and they stand to gain the most from that wealth transfer; many are set to inherit assets worth $5 million or more. Combined with an average net worth of over $1 million per household, Gen X is the next frontier of retirement planning.⁴

So why wait? Get started on earning your RICP® now and ensure you’re equipped for the current retirement opportunity — and ahead of the curve for the next one — in four months or less.

More From The College

• Explore the RICP®
• Read the 2024 Designation Outcomes Study
• Browse Designations