TRAU SPARK and RPAG Partner

JUPITER, Fla., Sept. 11, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- TRAU and the SPARK Institute are pleased to announce a partnership with RPAG to offer their members and staff online training and certification.

Started by recordkeepers in 2004 to train client facing and operational staff, SPARK, the industry association for 401(k) record keepers, has collaborated with TRAU to offer their two designations, ARPC (Accredited Retirement Plan Consultant) and ARPS (Accredited Retirement Plan Specialist), to advisors and their staff.

"RPAG is the premier plan advisor network offering the industry's leading platform to help advisors manage their retirement practice," noted Fred Barstein, CEO and founder of TRAU. "We are grateful that they have chosen our online certifications for their members."

Along with state-of-the-art industry training developed by SPARK members, ARPC candidates will get access to TRAU's 40 online courses previously only available to C(k)P candidates which offer fiduciary training, practice management including how to leverage 401(k) plans to increase wealth management and IRA rollover business. As part of the partnership with RPAG, TRAU will be offering state of the art investment due diligence training given the dramatic shift by defined contribution plans to professionally managed investments like target date funds and collective investment trusts.

"As the retirement plan industry continues to evolve, our member firms are continually seeking training, education and designations that will help them create a competitive advantage," says Jesse Taylor, RPAG's head of marketing. "TRAU and SPARK are industry leaders when it comes to high-level advisor and staff accreditation, and we are thrilled to offer their programs to our members."

Sorely lacking in the retirement plan advisor accreditation/designation space has been training for plan advisors that need support to grow their business. The ARPS designation provides essential professional development for an advisory firm's operation and administrative staff, as well as for aspiring advisors within the firm.

"TRAU's investment in learning technology and their years of successfully delivering retirement plan education to the Financial Advisor market were key factors in our decision to work together" said Tim Rouse, Executive Director of the SPARK Institute.

About TRAU

TRAU and its affiliate TPSU (The Plan Sponsor University) are leading online and in-person educators of DC advisors, plan sponsors and industry professionals. The C(k)P (Certified 401(k) Professional) designation, a collaboration with UCLA Anderson School of Management Executive Education, is the highest-level designation in the DC industry. There are almost 1000 current C(k)P's, mostly plan advisors but also many professionals from DC providers. Since 2013, TPSU has trained almost 10,000 plan sponsors who have attended almost 500 half-day training programs around the country. TRAU affiliate 401kTV enjoys over 50,000 industry subscribers.

ABOUT RPAG

Retirement Plan Advisory GroupTM (RPAGTM) is an exclusive alliance of independent retirement advisors and institutions inspired to create successful outcomes by protecting plan fiduciaries and engaging plan participants. RPAG's efficient and scalable technology platform provides our members with actionable insights and allows them to make data-driven decisions for their retirement plan clients. RPAG supports thousands of advisors across the U.S., who collectively serve over 60,000 plan sponsors, $500+ billion in assets under influence, and more than 5 million plan participants. Core practice areas include practice management, data aggregation, business insights, investment due diligence and scoring, fee benchmarking, fiduciary compliance, financial wellness, custom investment and turnkey solutions, intensive training, national branding, sales support and marketing resources. To learn more, visit http://www.rpag.com.

About the SPARK Institute

The SPARK Institute represents the interests of a broad-based cross section of retirement plan service providers and investment managers, including members that are banks, mutual fund companies, insurance companies, third-party administrators, trade clearing firms, and benefits consultants. Through the combined expertise of its member companies, the Institute provides research, education, testimony, and comments on pending legislative and regulatory issues to members of Congress and relevant Government agency officials. Collectively, its members serve approximately 100 million participants in 401(k) and other defined contribution plans.

Contact:
Fred Barstein, CEO, TRAU
Phone: 561.371.4902
Email: [email protected] 

SOURCE The Retirement Advisor University