Financial services educator the Knowledge Bureau has added the Retirement Income Specialist (RIS) Program to its Master Financial Advisor designation.
The addition of the program was announce at the 4th Annual Distinguished Advisor Conference in Santa Fe, New Mexico, last week.
The new one-year, self-study program is possible through the exclusive educational partnership and program sponsorship of The Standard Life Assurance Company of Canada, and has been developed to help financial advisors strengthen their position as retirement income planning experts.
The first enrollment period begins immediately for courses that will begin in January.
“This latest program is in line with the Knowledge Bureau’s ongoing efforts to deliver innovative educational programs that help advisors access the information they need to enhance their business practice,” stated Evelyn Jacks, President of the Knowledge Bureau. “We believe the Retirement Income Specialist Program is very timely as it will add to advisors’ understanding of the specific needs of the huge baby boomer market.”
“The Knowledge Bureau and Standard Life have partnered on various initiatives. The goal of our Partnering Program is to offer tools to advisors and assist them in catering to the requirements of the growing retirement income market,” stated Mick Kelly, vp sales, retail markets of Standard Life.
As part of the exclusive partnership, Standard Life qualified advisors will benefit from discounted pricing.
The 12-month, self-study program, available to all advisors in English only, consists of six 30-hour courses, which include:
- Tax-efficient retirement income planning
- Financial literacy: The relationship between risk and return
- Portfolio construction and real wealth management
- Advising family businesses
- Owner-manager compensation planning
- Use of trusts in tax and estate planning
The Knowledge Bureau is a national certified educational institute, which provides continuing professional development to practicing professionals in tax and financial services leading to certification and designation. It is the home of the Distinguished Financial Advisor (DFA) and Master Financial Advisor (MFA) designations.