Archive for The InFRE Update
If you have ever thought about becoming a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ after earning your CRC® certification, we have great news to share about a new partnership with Bryant University. CRC® certificants can now save time and money when pursing CFP® education requirements with the highly rated Bryant University online CFP® Board registered program. You will […]
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Earlier this year, the CRC® Board of Standards and Policy Development (BOS) passed a new policy that will generally require CRC® Candidates to schedule their CRC® examination within two years of their registration date. Prior to this policy, a candidate could maintain their registration indefinitely. The new policy is as follows: A CRC® Candidate’s registration […]
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One of the best ways to promote your retirement income planning expertise is to educate your clients directly. That’s why InFRE created the newly updated, “Managing Your Retirement Income” workshop. You don’t have to be a Certified Retirement Counselor® (CRC®) to purchase it! This 60-minute workshop has been designed to be offered as a live presentation […]
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The International Foundation for Retirement Education® (InFRE) is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization founded in 1997. InFRE’s Certified Retirement Counselor® (CRC®) certification was created to advance recognition among retirement planning professionals of the need for a retirement specific certification program that demonstrates a mastery of subject matter, a commitment to the retirement planning profession, and adherence to a code of […]
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We are pleased to announce the launch of the new InFRE website and the new Retirement InSight website. The InFRE website has been redesigned and has several enhancements including: Retirement professionals interested in learning more about the CRC® will more easily be able to navigate to information about the benefits of becoming CRC® certified, Certificants […]
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From Kevin Seibert, CFP®, CRC®, CEBS Managing Director, InFRE The environment in which we work has changed so much over the past several months. It is during trying times like now that your clients and plan participants will see the true value of working with a retirement professional that is committed to helping them navigate […]
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From Kevin Seibert, CFP®, CRC®, CEBS Managing Director, InFRE Every five years InFRE is required to reapply for CRC® certification accreditation by the National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA). Our most recent application was submitted in April and I’m pleased to announce that the CRC® has been approved for accreditation status through July of 2024. […]
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The CRC® Board of Standards and Policy Development recently adopted a change to the number of assessment questions required for self-study continuing education (CE) credit. Effective April 1, 2019, the number of assessment questions required has been changed from ten questions per full CE hour to five questions per CE hour and three questions for […]
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The Board of Standards and Policy Development (BOS), the policy-making and oversight body of Certified Retirement Counselor® (CRC®) Certification, recently chose three individuals to serve on the BOS beginning in January 2019. We extend our congratulations and sincere thanks to John Barker, CRC, CEBS, MBA, Assistant Director, Benefits Services, Colorado PERA, Kathryn Berkenpas, Vice President, Personal […]
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Please help InFRE maintain the credibility of your CRC® certification. To remain compliant with National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA) Standards, and to ensure that the CRC® certification program stays up-to-date, relevant and reflective of current best practice, InFRE conducts a practice analysis study of the retirement counseling profession every five years. The results of […]
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You have invested considerable time and money to be as up-to-date as possible about retirement readiness, risk management, and retirement income planning by becoming a Certified Retirement Counselor® (CRC®) professional. Get the most from your Certification by taking a few minutes during your first or next meeting with clients by: Explaining how the CRC® program […]
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The International Foundation for Retirement Education (InFRE) created the Certified Retirement Counselor® (CRC®) certification in 1997 to raise the retirement readiness of the American worker by advancing recognition among financial professionals of the importance of earning a retirement-specific certification. To meet the requirements of today’s fiduciary environment, we believe it is critical to have an […]
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By Kevin S. Seibert, CFP®, CEBS, CRC®, Managing Director, InFRE Those who volunteer their time and expertise to serve on a CRC certification program committee help to ensure that the CRC meets the highest credibility standards and is maintained as one of the very few financial designations accredited by the National Commission for Certifying Agencies […]
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We’ve noticed recently that some CRC® Certificants need a reminder on how to properly display the marks on their business cards, email signatures, or on LinkedIn. Because the CRC® and Certified Retirement Counselor® marks are trademarked, it is important for all Certificants to properly display the marks in commerce. CRC® Certificants are essentially “licensed” the right to use the […]
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By Kevin S. Seibert, CFP®, CEBS, CRC®, Managing Director, InFRE The Certified Retirement Counselor® (CRC®) comprehensive examination is designed to ensure that all CRC® candidates possess the necessary knowledge and skills to competently fulfill their responsibilities as retirement counseling professionals. The validity of the CRC® exam is dependent upon the Certified Retirement Counselor® (CRC®) Practice […]
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By Kevin S. Seibert, CFP®, CEBS, CRC®, Managing Director, InFRE As the Bob Dylan song goes, “The Times They are a-Changin”. Regardless if the DOL fiduciary rule is delayed, modified or repealed in the coming weeks or months, most retirement companies are in the process of implementing plans to meet rule requirements. Although these plans […]
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An Explanation of the Changes Made to the July, 2016 CRC® Exam Accredited certifications such as the CRC® are required to update every three to five years the practice analysis used that provides guidelines for the structure, content and rigor of their professional exams. The International Foundation for Retirement Education (InFRE) contracted with Professional Examination Service […]
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Starting with the July administration of the CRC® comprehensive examination, Candidates will be able to take the exam at computer based testing centers. InFRE is partnering with PSI and their network of over 300 testing centers nationwide. Computer based testing provides a more efficient and secure method for exam administration and is part of a […]
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Within the next few weeks, InFRE will be releasing revised versions of the CRC® Study Guides (the 6th editions), practice exams, and elearning review modules. Below is a chart that maps out the changes that have been made to the CRC® study program. CRC® Study Guide Content Changes CRC® 1: Fundamentals of Retirement Planning More content […]
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J. David Davenport, the co-founder and Chairman of the Board of the International Foundation for Retirement Education (InFRE) died on December 2, 2015 at the Oklahoma City Heart Hospital. He was passionate about helping American workers improve their retirement readiness. Davenport’s name in the retirement savings industry is synonymous with Thomas Edison in the world […]
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The purpose of the CRC® renewal program is to enhance continued competence and ensure an ongoing understanding and compliance with ethical requirements. The CRC® certification carries an obligation of continuing education to help Certificants maintain current understanding and knowledge of relevant retirement planning topics. Like many other professional certifications and licenses, an annual continuing education […]
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The International Foundation for Retirement Education® (InFRE) is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization founded in 1997. Our mission is to raise the retirement readiness of the American worker through: Retirement-specification certification for professionals Retirement income and plan administration education Professional development/continuing education and training, and Retirement readiness research and tools for consumers/employees. We are committed to […]
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By Kevin S. Seibert, CFP®, CEBS, CRC®, Managing Director, InFRE The Board of Standards and Policy Development (BOS), the policy-making and oversight body of Certified Retirement Counselor® (CRC®) Certification, recently chose two individuals to serve on the BOS beginning in January, 2015. We extend our congratulations and sincere thanks to Sherry Keegan, CRC®, Keegan Wealth Management […]
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InFRE is offering a twelve-month, live webinar series designed to help public sector retirement administration professionals and trustees fortify their understanding of how to properly administer public sector retirement plans.
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The International Foundation for Retirement Education (InFRE) recently partnered with the National Association of Government Defined Contribution Administrators, Inc. (NAGDCA) to release a whitepaper on improving retirement readiness for state and local government employees. The paper covers what it means to be retirement ready, how it can be measured, and how retirement readiness in the […]
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Great news! The National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA) has granted re-accreditation status to International Foundation for Retirement Education’s (InFRE) Certified Retirement Counselor® (CRC®) program for demonstrating compliance with the NCCA Standards for the Accreditation of Certification Programs. The CRC® program is re-accredited for another five-year period, expiring July 31, 2019. InFRE’s Certified Retirement Counselor certification […]
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It’s a good thing to periodically remind those of us who hold the Certified Retirement Counselor® (CRC®) Certification of the procedures in place in case an event occurs that triggers denial, revocation or suspension of use of the CRC® certification. A CRC® Certificant’s right to use the mark may be denied, revoked or suspended or […]
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We’ve noticed recently that some CRC® Certificants are not properly displaying the marks on their business cards, email signatures, or on LinkedIn. Because the CRC® and Certified Retirement Counselor® marks are trademarked, it is important for all Certificants to properly display the marks in commerce. CRC® Certificants are essentially “licensed” the right to use the […]
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By Kevin S. Seibert, CFP®, CEBS, CRC®, Managing Director, InFRE The Certified Retirement Counselor®(CRC®) certification examination is designed to ensure that all CRC® Certificants possess the necessary knowledge and skills to competently fulfill their responsibilities as retirement counseling professionals. The validity of the CRC® exam is dependent upon the Certified Retirement Counselor®(CRC®) Practice Analysis from […]
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by Kevin Seibert, CFP®, CEBS, CRC®, Managing Director, InFRE Sound credentialing practice requires that we periodically revise and update certification examinations. Over the past several months our examination committee has been working on the latest exam update. In this article, we’ll describe the process used to ensure that your investment in the CRC® Certification, and […]
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By Kevin S. Seibert, CFP®, CEBS, CRC®, Managing Director, InFRE I recently attended the Institute for Credentialing Excellence (ICE) annual conference in Palm Springs California. Attendees learn best practices for creating and maintaining certification programs accredited by ICE’s National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA). The NCCA was created in 1987 by ICE to help insure […]
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By Betty Meredith, CFA®, CFP®, CRC® A few months ago we surveyed our 2,000+ active Certificants to find out how we can better meet your needs. Here’s what we learned from the 20% (431) of you who responded: 1. Roughly 1/3 of you serve public sector plans and 2/3 work for private sector firms. 2. […]
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By Betty Meredith, CFA®, CFP®, CRC® In this ever changing environment – particularly legislative and regulatory changes – there are many challenges that state and local government employers face. This results in an increased need for education and training on the design and administration of primary and supplemental retirement benefits. At the same time, employer budgets […]
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By Betty Meredith, InFRE’s Director of Education and Research In 2011, the retirement industry again reached a total asset size of over $17 trillion dollars (pre-2008 levels). With boomers retiring at a rate of 10,000 a day, there is an urgent need to increase the quality of advice and retirement security of the American worker. […]
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This is the first issue of the re-launch of InFRE’s quarterly newsletter for our retirement counseling professionals. Each issue will provide you with the opportunity to earn 1 free CE upon successful passage of the related CE exam. Just visit the link here or on the right menu bar, “Continuing Education Exams.” Speaking of CE, the last quarter of […]
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