Retirement Plans Associate (RPA)

This course describes the various alternatives for plan sponsors as they strategically design retirement plans to meet the ever-evolving needs of a dynamic workforce and an ever-changing, competitive marketplace for talent. Students learn essential knowledge for understanding retirement plan design. The course outlines requirements for achieving tax-qualified status, distinguishes differences between defined contribution (DC) and defined benefit (DB) structures, and provides a framework for understanding DC plan types whose use depends on the sponsor’s legal entity and the employee group’s characteristics.

This course provides strategic insights into today’s most pressing challenges that accompany the sponsoring of defined contribution plans in a volatile, global world. From the outset, the course seeks to impart the fundamentals of investment management that should be mastered to effectively design, administer, and monitor an array of investment choices within a retirement plan.

The strategic use of employee benefit programs is key to premier talent acquisition and effective execution on business objectives. In a world disrupted by a global pandemic, employers and workers have renewed appreciation for employee benefit programs in reducing risk and bolstering security. GBA/RPA 3 maps the dynamic environment in which employee benefit plans operate.