Registrants must pass a 200 question multiple-choice exam and meet eligibility requirements. The exam covers five domains of practice and knowledge from a practice-based range of themes:
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- Provide retirement education
- Identify needs, concerns and coals in terms of quantitative and qualitative factors by career stage/phase of retirement
- Design retirement-readiness and post-retirement strategies within the context of the regulatory, legal, operational and structural environment
- Facilitate the implementation of the retirement-readiness and post-retirement strategies
- Evaluate, adjust, and document retirement strategies across career stages/retirement phases
InFRE sells four study guides and provides online study materials. The guides, which qualify for CFP® continuing education credits, cost $125 each or $450 when purchased simultaneously.
Purchase of the InFRE study guides is optional and candidates can use their own study materials to challenge the exam, which costs a separate $450. Certificants must earn and submit 15 hours of continuing education annually to remain certified.
A key difference between the CRC program and other retirement-focused educational programs is its coverage of comprehensive retirement planning, Seibert points out: "What does it take to counsel an individual in terms of their behavior and behavioral finance issues?
It's not just financial; it's counseling and how to counsel an individual, a plan participant or a client to help them with their retirement readiness needs and I think that's something else that we cover that's unique."
The InFRE website provides a wealth of information on the CRC program, including certification guides and details on how exams are constructed. If you're seeking a program that covers the full retirement planning process, the CRC designation looks interesting.
