The National Tax-deferred Savings Association (NTSA) has recently released a new certification for Financial Advisors helping Plan Sponsors and Plan Participants within public school districts. CRES (Certified Retirement Education Specialist) qualifies Advisors who want to teach retirement education to their clients. The certification ensures both the Advisor and the District are up to date on regulatory changes within the industry and are maximizing the benefits of their 403(b) Plan.
ADMIN’s Sales Team recently went through the NTSA’s CRES webinar which gave us some insight on the certification. As supporters/advocates of the CRES program, we want to share these insights with you!
CRES, which stands for Certified Retirement Education Specialist, is a comprehensive retirement educational program offered by the National Tax-deferred Savings Association (NTSA). It allows Retirement Plan Advisors to become a specialist in educating public school district Sponsors and Plan Participants.
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Built to increase 403(b) participant rates within public school districts.
The program is vendor-neutral with no specific investment product recommendations.
Provides a better awareness on how employees can supplement their retirement plan to best plan for their future.
The CRES title authorizes Advisors to teach the Retirement Education Program to the employees of their school district.
CRES takes you above the standard when it comes to retirement plan education for your clients. Not only do you get to add the title to your resume, you also add the ability to teach the Retirement Education program to the employees of the school district you are working with. Your certificate, awarded via the American Retirement Association (ARA) Retirement Planning Academy, also provides you with numerous tools that can help you grow your book of business.
According to the NTSA website, becoming a CRES Advisor will provide you access to more prospects, will grant you access to their library of retirement resources, will open doors to schools districts outside of your existing business, and will help you improve your overall sales.
Along with the required fees, the NTSA does have a list of requirements that Advisors must meet in order to apply for the CRES certification:
Advisors will be able to complete their certification online which means you can add the CRES title without impacting your current schedule. Included with the registration is a personalized Advisor profile for their public registry website.
To learn more about how to become a Certified Retirement Education Specialist and to register for the program, visit the NTSA Professional Development website (here).
Are you a Plan Sponsor of a school district interested in advisors who are CRES certified? Contact ADMIN’s Sales Team at 800-484-4400, option 2!