Our FedEd Academy Financial Advisor Training program provides financial advisors with a thorough understanding of Federal employee benefits programs, along with marketing support to help you build your presence in this niche. Our objective is to assist you with the knowledge, tools and support that you need to work effectively with Federal employees.
Live classroom training can be invaluable because it provides time to ask questions and to also trade ideas with other advisors. Our FedEd Financial Advisor Training program is typically conducted over two full days in a small group setting with five to 12 advisors. Take a look at all of the content by viewing the FedEd class sample agenda. Although our program thoroughly covers both employee benefits and marketing assistance, we can also customize the program for particular groups of advisors.
One to two weeks before class, you’ll receive a copy of the FedEd Study Guide, “Working with Federal Employees,” which should be reviewed before the classroom program begins. The study guide provides essential background information on the CSRS and FERS pension programs, the Thrift Savings Plan (TSP), Federal Employees Group Life Insurance (FEGLI), Federal Employee Health Benefits (FEHB), Federal Employees Dental and Vision Insurance Program (FEDVIP), Social Security, Medicare, and Disability.
By reviewing this material prior to the classroom training, you’ll be better prepared to absorb and more deeply understand the complex aspects of the Federal employee benefits programs. We recommend that you read through it twice while making notes and writing down any questions that you may want to ask during the class. View the FedEd Table of Contents on the study guide sample page.
During the first day of live classroom training, you’ll receive a copy of the FedEd Classroom Workbook, which is a companion to the study guide. The workbook contains copies of all the instructor’s slides, along with case studies and exercises. The format of the workbook is two slides per page, with each page adding a place for your notes. When tables or charts would be too small to be useful, full page versions are included. Copies of useful forms are also printed in the book to acquaint you with the actual forms and paperwork used by Federal employees when applying for their benefits. The FedEd Study Guide and Classroom Workbook will become valuable references for you as you begin to work with Federal employees.
Too many programs for financial advisors simply provide information without showing you how to put your newly acquired knowledge to use. The second day of our two-day training class provides ideas and information to help you develop a marketing plan for success. We use a method we’ve developed called ‘Identify, Locate, and Communicate’ to help you find agencies and employees in your geographic location. Many useful online marketing resources and tools are revealed and demonstrated. We also cover the ‘Rules of Engagement’ — how to properly conduct employee benefits briefings on Federal property.
As part of our marketing support, we also provide (with your firm’s compliance approval) a Benefits Briefing Promotional Flyer Sample for emailing and an introduction brochure for face-to-face meetings. These marketing pieces can help you create opportunities to host employee benefits briefings for a Federal agency and its employees. We’ll show you copies and demonstrate the use of these materials during the classroom training program.
As mentioned above, our goal with the FedEd Advisor Training Program is to provide you with the knowledge, tools and support to become successful in this market. We believe that after you complete the program, it’s essential that you have the tools to begin assisting Federal employees.
We include a one-year license for the Federal Gap Calculator software available from Retire Ready Solutions Federal Gap Calculator. The software can perform benefits calculations and produce reports for your Federal clients and prospects. We’ve examined many software programs and found this software to be the most useful. The software has been reviewed and approved for use by representatives of many major financial services and insurance companies. (Check with Retire Ready Solutions to determine if your firm has already approved the use of the software for its representatives.) Our classroom training includes a live demonstration and provides case studies to illustrate how the software can be used. Retire Ready Solutions also offers excellent continuing support to assist advisors and can offer other financial planning software programs.
In addition to the study guide, workbook, marketing guide, and Retire Ready Solutions software, our training program includes a digital resources library provided on a USB drive. The drive includes more than 100 forms, guides and other information from many sources such as the Social Security Administration, the Office of Personnel Management, and the Thrift Savings Plan. Uncovering these resources on your own would take a significant amount of time and effort.
We want you to be successful. After your training is complete, we offer ongoing consulting assistance at no additional charge. You may want to use this consulting time for complex Federal benefits questions and cases, or to have us work with you to rehearse the FEBA Seminars Employee Benefit Seminars.
Because it’s critical to stay on top of changes in regulations and laws affecting Federal employee benefits, you’ll have an opportunity to receive ongoing support through news updates, live webinars, and timely guides that we produce. We can even assist you with developing other specific programs and materials at your request.
The ideal result of our training is an advisor who is completely capable and ready to assist Federal employees and their families with their investment, protection and retirement needs; however, we know that advisors sometimes like to test their knowledge. We offer a voluntary examination that advisors can access after completing the program. The online examination randomly offers 100 questions from a bank of questions. The exam must be completed within a 2-hour time window with a passing score of 75% or higher. (The exam can be proctored upon request.) After successful completion, a FedEd Certificate, suitable for framing, is awarded and mailed to you.
More information about our FedEd Adviser Training Program is available at the Financial Adviser FAQs page. Visit the FEBA Seminars Employee Benefit Seminars page to learn about the slides, workbooks and other materials available to conduct benefits seminars for Federal employees.
You can also call us at (720) 432-3331, complete the form below or, email us at febamccoy@gmail.com with questions.
Federal Employee Benefits Advocates is proud to partner with the Federal Employee Education and Assistance Fund. This organization is devoted solely to providing emergency financial assistance and scholarships to our dedicated civilian federal and postal public servants and their families.
Federal Employee Benefits Advocates is proud to partner with the Federal Employee Education and Assistance Fund. This organization is devoted solely to providing emergency financial assistance and scholarships to our dedicated civilian federal and postal public servants and their families.
