RICP

Retirement Income Certified Professional®. The designation signals that the holder is qualified to help clients plan and execute retirement strategies, including portfolio withdrawal advice, retirement income planning, long-term care funding and legacy planning. Practitioners typically use it either to improve job prospects or to expand the services they offer existing clients.

No. The College states the RICP® has no cumulative high-stakes final exam. Instead, each of the three courses ends with its own final course exam, and there is no additional cost for those exams. Assessment is spread across the program rather than concentrated in a single sitting, so plan your study around three separate exam dates.

Typically a minimum of four months. Candidates who already hold the CFP® certification or The College's ChFC® designation can finish in roughly three months, because one of the three required courses is eliminated. The program is fully online, self-study and self-paced, so those figures describe the fastest realistic path rather than a fixed schedule.

The full program is $2,795. Professionals holding the CFP® certification or the ChFC® designation can purchase a two-course package for $1,925. Individual courses can also be bought separately instead of as a full package. The College's site currently displays a promotional code for 10% off tuition on select programs, so verify current pricing before enrolling.

None to begin. There are no prerequisite courses, financial planning certifications or prior retirement income planning experience required to enter the program. However, to use the designation after earning it, a student must have three years' experience in financial planning or a related profession, so plan for that requirement before marketing yourself as an RICP®.

Yes. Holding the CFP® certification or The College's ChFC® designation eliminates one of the three required courses, cutting the typical timeline from four months to about three and making a two-course package available at $1,925. Confirm your waiver eligibility with The College before enrolling so your study schedule reflects the shorter path.

Work course by course and sit each final exam as soon as you finish its course rather than batching all three at the end. The published topic list runs from retirement income strategies and solutions through tax-efficient planning, healthcare planning and expenses, to risk-management tools and products. Use the built-in knowledge checks, case studies and quizzes as your main self-testing tool.

It is positioned as a more advanced designation that assumes a broad existing planning base, so the pace is heavier than an entry-level credential. Common stumbling blocks are treating Social Security claiming as a standalone decision, ignoring how taxes and healthcare costs interact with withdrawals, and memorizing product features instead of matching them to a specific client risk.

Those who earn the RICP® enroll in The College's Professional Recertification Program (PRP) and pay an annual fee to maintain the designation. Designees also get ongoing free access to Knowledge Hub+, The College's subscription-based learning platform with updated continuing-education-eligible content. Budget for the annual fee as part of the ongoing cost of the credential.

The published program comparisons do not state a passing score or a course-exam retake policy, so treat both as items to confirm directly with The College before you enroll. What is documented: exams are taken at the end of each course, and no additional fee is charged for them.