N America News May 2017

58 NORTH AMERICA NEWS / MAY 2017 , The Retirement Learning Center (RLC) is the independent thought leader in the retirement and rollover space. It provides multi-dimensional educational solutions, content development resources, and consulting expertise to the financial services marketplace to help firms establish and grow their retirement business. Thought Leaders Offering multi- dimensional, business-building solutions to the financial services industry, designed to help asset managers, broker dealers, financial advisors, and independent financial planners identify retirement sales opportunities, increase productivity, and grow revenue, RLC has more than 150 years of combined retirement industry experience among its consultants, with its depth and breadth of knowledge being superior. Specifically, the Retirement Learning Center delivers awarding winning educational solutions; content development services, and ERISA consulting expertise. “The Retirement Learning Center understands the importance of educational programs that are practical and actionable, rather than merely theoretical,” explains John Carl, founder and president of RLC. “To this end, we offer a series of educational seminars and workshops designed for financial professionals that cover a broad range of topics, from sales and distribution strategies, to advanced plan design techniques. “Clients also have the option to work with our seasoned consultants to design custom educational programs. Following a content needs assessment, RLC develops custom content based on the client’s unique needs and goals.” The RLC supports industry- wide designations through its relationships with the UCLA Anderson School of Management Executive Education, the Retirement Income Industry Association (RIIA) and PLANSPONSOR. The organization also offers internal certification programs to firms seeking to nurture excellence within their organizations. Many organizations seek an outsourced solution for their ERISA consulting needs. The Retirement Learning Center delivers dedicated ERISA technical and sales support through the Retirement Consulting Call Center (the Call Center). The Call Center is a real-time resource for senior managers, wholesalers, advisors, and in-house technical support staff, where experienced consultants offer sales support, technical ERISA help, and retirement and rollover guidance over the phone. The Call Center offers a broader level of support for retirement industry professionals than other similar services, going beyond providing base-line ERISA information. In addition to the standard coverage of rules and regulations, the Call Center supports the sales aspect of retirement plans as well by helping financial professionals develop consultative sales strategies to effectively win new business and ensure cases are properly underwritten. RLC provides educational programs and investment consulting solutions to financial services firms that address the changing needs of the wealth management marketplace. A growing number of investors are shifting from a wealth accumulation phase to a wealth harvesting mindset and lifestyle. This shift necessitates the development of innovative investment strategies and product designs that utilize appropriate asset allocation to meet these changing needs. “The investment programs educate financial advisors on the key issues of asset allocation, manager selection and monitoring, as well as tax-efficient investing and harvesting,” continues John. “Each program includes a lecture on the particular issue, a case study to ensure that the attending financial advisors understand the issues discussed in each session, a road map to use in their business development, as well as an open dialogue to discuss any issues regarding the industry. Each section of the program lasts approximately 2.0 hours. The curriculum can be delivered as a full-day, comprehensive course, or broken into multiple sections.” As well as being the founder of RLC, John is also the founding lecturer for The Retirement Advisor University (TRAU) at UCLA Anderson School of Management Executive Education, and Executive Director of the PLANSPONSOR Institute, the education and training arm of PLANSPONSOR. He also serves on the Government Affairs Committee for the National Association of Plan Advisors. As the ‘advisor to the advisors,’ John is a highly sought after industry insider who travels the country educating groups of financial professionals on the very latest in retirement legislation, forecasts, and developments affecting the industry. A 25-year veteran of the retirement industry, John has been featured on CNBC, CNN, Forbes, ABC News, The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, and CBS MoneyWatch.com, among others. Carl released his first book in 2009, Retirement Resource Guide: Essential ERISA Education & Best Practices for Financial Advisors, which has won multiple APEX Awards for publishing excellence and serves as the basis continuing education workshops for financial advisors. It is now in its sixth edition. John’s extensive industry experience includes having run Alliance Capital’s Defined Contribution initiative as well as creating and running the state of Rhode Island’s 529 savings plan, CollegeBoundFund®. Later, Carl directed Global Product Management for the firm. Carl has also operated as a successful branch and regional sales manager for Prudential Securities, as well as an independent financial advisor. John is a graduate of Lehigh University, and has completed Executive Continuing Education coursework at Columbia University. John is based in New York, and maintains the firm’s consulting and content operations in Brainerd, MN. 1701CA64