The American College of Financial Services announced Monday that it is partnering with the National Association of Registered Social Security Analysts (NARSSA) to distribute its RSSA Social Security designation program.
The college will distribute the RSSA program at a steep discount, according to the announcement, and offer single-module pricing for targeted learning.
The NARSSA was co-founded by ThinkAdvisor contributor Martha Shedden with the mission of addressing financial advisors' Social Security knowledge gaps and thereby strengthening their overall retirement income planning expertise.
In a statement, Shedden said Social Security planning can feel complex and overwhelming for both advisors and their clients.
"Our goal is to give professionals the tools, resources and confidence they need to navigate Social Security effectively and help clients make informed decisions for a secure retirement," Shedden said. "And this partnership with [the college] expands our footprint. Their credibility and industry connections are unmatched."
In addition to covering Social Security rules, the RSSA curriculum also educates advisors on Medicare basics and how to integrate claiming strategies within a broader retirement income plan.
Jared Trexler, senior vice president, chief marketing and strategy officer of the American College of Financial Services, said the integration of Social Security knowledge with holistic retirement income planning is especially powerful.
"Social Security planning is a critical component of retirement income planning, yet many financial professionals acknowledge uncertainty or a lack of understanding to support their clients effectively," Trexler said. "Our partnership with NARSSA allows us to expand [the college's] robust lifelong learning platform with NARSSA's specialized expertise, resources, and Social Security planning support for a significant discount to our vast community of practitioners."
When enrolling in the RSSA program, professionals gain access to NARSSA's proprietary RSSA Roadmap software, which generates precise, client-ready Social Security analysis reports tailored to individual scenarios. They also benefit from ongoing access to trained Social Security professionals, who provide guidance and support to both RSSA program participants and users of the RSSA Roadmap platform.
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