About the RICP Program & Course Exams

Retirement Income Certified Professional RICP

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1 Introduction

About the RICP Program & Course Exams

2 Chapter 1: The Retirement Income Planning Process & Client Discovery

1.1 Foundations of Retirement Income Planning 1.2 Retirement Income Goal Setting & Expense Categorization 1.3 Evaluating Retirement Readiness & Modeling Feasibility 1.4 Choosing the Retirement Date & The Power of Working Longer

3 Chapter 2: Managing Retirement Risks

2.1 Longevity Risk & Mortality Projections 2.2 Sequence-of-Returns Risk & The Fragility Zone 2.3 Inflation & Healthcare Cost Escalation 2.4 Cognitive Decline & Late-Life Decision-Making Risks 2.5 The Full Retirement Risk Inventory & Risk-Management Tools

4 Chapter 3: Safe Withdrawal Rates & Sustainable Spending

3.1 The Bengen 4% Rule & Trinity Study Dynamics 3.2 Dynamic Spending Rules & Guyton-Klinger Guardrails 3.3 Modern Safe Withdrawal Research & Failure-Rate Modeling

5 Chapter 4: Social Security Retirement & Spousal Benefits

4.1 Social Security Mechanics: PIA, AIME & Work Credits 4.2 Claiming Ages: Early Claiming vs Delayed Retirement Credits 4.3 Spousal & Divorced Spousal Benefits 4.4 Survivor Benefits & Strategy Coordination

6 Chapter 5: Social Security Tax Integration & Medicare

5.1 Taxation of Social Security Benefits & The Tax Torpedo 5.2 The Retirement Earnings Test & the Repeal of WEP and GPO 5.3 Medicare Structure (Parts A, B, C, D) & Medigap Supplements 5.4 IRMAA Surcharges & High-Income Medicare Planning 5.5 Health Coverage Before Medicare & the Retiree Health Expense Budget

7 Chapter 6: Qualified Plan & IRA Distribution Rules

6.1 Defined Contribution & Qualified Plan Distributions 6.2 Traditional vs Roth IRA Distribution Mechanics 6.3 Required Minimum Distributions (RMDs) Under SECURE 2.0 6.4 Inherited IRAs, The 10-Year Rule & Eligible Designated Beneficiaries

8 Chapter 7: Specialized Distribution & Employer Stock Strategies

7.1 Net Unrealized Appreciation (NUA) for Employer Securities 7.2 Substantially Equal Periodic Payments (IRC §72(t) / §72(q)) 7.3 Qualified Charitable Distributions (QCDs) & Charitable Planning

9 Chapter 8: Employer, Executive & Government Retirement Benefits

8.1 Defined Benefit Pension Decisions: Annuity Options vs. Lump Sum 8.2 Executive Benefits: Nonqualified Deferred Compensation, SERPs & Equity Awards 8.3 Federal Employee Retirement Benefits: FERS, CSRS & the Thrift Savings Plan 8.4 Military Retirement Benefits: High-3, the Blended Retirement System, SBP & VA Benefits

10 Chapter 9: Annuities & Guaranteed Lifetime Income

9.1 Commercial Annuity Structures & Mortality Risk Pooling 9.2 Single Premium Immediate Annuities (SPIAs) & Deferred Income Annuities (DIAs) 9.3 Qualified Longevity Annuity Contracts (QLACs) 9.4 Guaranteed Living Benefits (GLWB, GMWB, GMIB)

11 Chapter 10: Retirement Portfolio Architecture & Decumulation Glide Paths

10.1 Total Return vs Income-Matching Paradigms 10.2 The Time-Segmentation (Three-Bucket) Strategy 10.3 Floor-and-Upside / Safety-First Framework 10.4 Choosing a Strategy: Retirement Income Styles (RISA) & the Risk-Wrap Approach

12 Chapter 11: Advanced Asset Allocation & Glide Paths in Decumulation

11.1 Rising Equity Glide Paths 11.2 Asset Location in Decumulation 11.3 Buffer Assets & Volatility Management

13 Chapter 12: Tax-Efficient Withdrawal Sequencing

12.1 Conventional Withdrawal Order vs Coordinated Drawdown 12.2 Strategic Roth Conversions in the Low-Bracket Window 12.3 Capital Gains Harvesting, Basis Step-Up & Medicare IRMAA Coordination

14 Chapter 13: Long-Term Care, Healthcare & Home Equity

13.1 Long-Term Care Risks & Activities of Daily Living 13.2 LTC Insurance Solutions: Traditional vs Asset-Based Hybrid Policies 13.3 Medicaid Planning & Asset Protection Guidelines 13.4 Home Equity Monetization & HECM Reverse Mortgages 13.5 Retirement Housing Decisions: Aging in Place, Downsizing, Relocation & Senior Living Communities

15 Chapter 14: Life Insurance, Business Owners & Legacy Planning

14.1 Life Insurance in Retirement Income Planning 14.2 Retirement Planning for Small Business Owners: Plan Design, Exit Strategies & Concentration Risk 14.3 Estate & Legacy Planning for Retirees: Documents, Beneficiary Designations, Trusts & 2026 Transfer Taxes

16 Chapter 15: Ethics, Fiduciary Standards & Regulatory Compliance

15.1 The American College Code of Ethics & Professional Procedures 15.2 Fiduciary Standards vs Best Interest Regulations 15.3 Managing Conflicts of Interest & Vulnerable Adult Protection

About the RICP Program & Course Exams

Key Takeaways Explain This Topic AI

The RICP requires two required courses, RICP 353 (Retirement Income Process, Strategies and Solutions) and RICP 354 (Sources of Retirement Income), plus one elective: RICP 355 (Managing the Retirement Income Plan) or HS 326 (Planning for Retirement Needs).

CFP professionals, ChFC designees, and people who completed HS 326 within the past five years satisfy the elective and need only the two required courses.

Each course's final grade must be at least 70%, combining required coursework (30%) and a 100-question final exam (70%); there are no final exam retakes, so a learner who fails re-enrolls in the course.

The College lists single courses at $1,025, a three-course package at $2,795, and a two-course package at $1,925; each course can be finished in as few as four weeks, with up to 10 weeks allowed.

To use the RICP mark, a designee needs three years of experience in financial planning or a related profession, must agree to The American College Code of Ethics, and must meet annual recertification requirements.

Last updated: September 2026

About the RICP Program & Course Exams

Quick Answer: The Retirement Income Certified Professional (RICP) is a specialized designation from The American College of Financial Services . There is no single cumulative exam. You complete two required courses (RICP 353 and RICP 354) and one elective (RICP 355 or HS 326) . Each course grade combines quizzes and mini-cases (30%) with a 100-question final exam (70%) , and you need 70% or higher to pass. CFP professionals and ChFC designees need only the two required courses.

Program facts below come from The American College's RICP program page and its program enhancement FAQ, checked for this 2026 guide. Tuition and policies can change, so confirm current details with the College before enrolling.

Program Structure

The College updated the RICP in 2025. Since April 1, 2025 , the program has used a "2 + 1" structure :

Course Status What It Covers

RICP 353: Retirement Income Process, Strategies and Solutions Required Planning process, client goals, retirement risks, and choosing income strategies and risk-management tools

RICP 354: Sources of Retirement Income Required Social Security claiming, retirement age, annuities, employer and executive benefits, federal and military benefits, life insurance, business owners, and building the income portfolio

RICP 355: Managing the Retirement Income Plan Elective Tax-efficient distributions, Medicare and health budgeting, long-term care, housing and home equity, ethics, and ongoing portfolio management

HS 326: Planning for Retirement Needs Elective alternative Qualified plans, IRAs, SEP/SIMPLE/403(b)/457 plans, and nonqualified plans

Two-course path: CFP professionals, ChFC designees, and anyone who completed HS 326 within the past five years have already satisfied the elective and finish with RICP 353 and RICP 354. The College recommends taking the courses in order: 353, then 354, then the elective.

How Courses Are Graded

• Feature Current Policy
• Final course grade needed to pass 70% or higher
• Grade components Required coursework (quizzes and multiple-choice mini case studies) 30% ; final exam 70%
• Final exam 100 questions , one per course
• Eligibility for the final At least 70% on all learning activities in each unit

Retakes No final-exam retakes or reschedules in the redesigned program; a learner who does not pass re-enrolls (at a discounted re-enrollment rate)

• Materials Fully online and self-contained; no textbook purchase
• Time and Cost

Pace: Each course runs up to 10 weeks and can be completed in as few as 4 weeks on the accelerated path. Courses start the first Monday of each month, and the College estimates about 8 to 10 hours of study a week. The entire program must be completed within five years of enrollment.

Tuition (as listed by the College in 2026): $1,025 per course , $2,795 for the three-course package, and $1,925 for the two-course package.

CE credit: Approved CFP CE hours are 22.5 for RICP 353, 20.5 for RICP 354, and 14.5 for RICP 355.

Designation Requirements

Education: Complete the required courses and elective (or qualify for the two-course path).

Experience: Three years of experience in financial planning or a related profession to use the designation. A high school diploma or equivalent is needed to begin.

Ethics: Agree to comply with The American College Code of Ethics and Procedures .

Ongoing: Participate in the annual Professional Recertification Program (for client-facing designees, 30 CE hours every two years including one hour of ethics, plus annual recommitment to the Code and an annual fee).

How This Guide Maps to the Courses

• Course Learning Outcome (Summarized) Where to Study It
• Steps in the retirement income planning process; client goals; realistic goals Chapter 1
• Retirement risks and risk-management tools Chapter 2
• Choosing an income strategy; latest withdrawal research Chapters 3 and 10
• Social Security claiming and taxation; retirement age Chapters 1, 4, and 5
• Role of annuities Chapter 9
• Executive, federal, and military benefits; pensions Chapter 8
• Life insurance and small business owners; estate and legacy issues Chapter 14
• Building and managing retirement income portfolios Chapters 10 and 11
• Tax-efficient distribution options Chapters 6, 7, and 12
• Health expense budgeting and Medicare Chapters 2 and 5
• Long-term care, housing, and home equity Chapter 13
• Ethical issues for retirement income planners Chapter 15
• Study Tips

Learn the numbers that change each year. This guide uses 2026 figures (Social Security earnings test and bend points, Medicare premiums and IRMAA, QCD and QLAC limits). Course materials may use the figures in effect when they were written.

Think in cases. Final exams test application: which claiming strategy, which account to draw from, which product fits which client.

Connect strategies to client preferences. Much of RICP 353 is about matching a strategy to the client's goals and income style, not about finding one "right" answer.