A FINRA-listed professional designation
A federal professional studying a benefits dossier by a Capitol-district window
15 modules

The full federal benefits landscape, lesson by lesson

111 lessons ยท one exam
The curriculum

Every federal retirement system, taught lesson by lesson

Fifteen modules and more than a hundred lessons covering the full federal benefits landscape, the systems, the forms, and the decisions your federal clients face.

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The whole federal benefits picture

Federal employees don't retire like everyone else. Our CSRS FERS training course covers their own systems, CSRS and FERS, layered with the Thrift Savings Plan, FEGLI life insurance, FEHB and FLTCIP health coverage, Social Security coordination, and Medicare. The FRC curriculum walks through each one so nothing on a federal client's benefits statement is unfamiliar to you.

15Modules
111Lessons
~20 hrsOf self-study material
100 QComprehensive exam
Course modules

Expand any module to see its lessons

The full federal employee retirement benefits training curriculum, pulled straight from the course, module by module.

01 Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) 11 lessons
  1. Introduction to CSRS
  2. Important Facts
  3. Creditable Service Length
  4. Deposits and Redeposits
  5. Unused Sick Leave
  6. Hi-3 Average Pay
  7. Optional Retirement Annuity
  8. Disability Retirement Annuity
  9. Survivor Annuity
  10. Still In-Service Survivor Annuity
  11. CSRS Forms
02 CSRS Offset 4 lessons
  1. Important Facts
  2. Introduction to the CSRS Offset
  3. Offset Annuity
  4. Government CSRS Pension Offset
03 Federal Employee Retirement System (FERS) 14 lessons
  1. Important Facts
  2. Introduction to FERS
  3. Creditable Service Time
  4. Deposits and Redeposits
  5. FERS Retirement Eligibility
  6. Creditable Service Length
  7. Hi-3 Average Pay
  8. Optional Retirement Annuity
  9. Early or Discontinued Retirement
  10. Disability Retirement Annuity
  11. Survivor Annuity
  12. FERS Forms
  13. Still In-Service Survivor Annuity
  14. Special Retirement Supplement
04 A Rapidly Changing Federal Workplace 10 lessons
  1. Assess and Address
  2. A Rapidly Changing Federal Workplace
  3. Gathering Essential Information
  4. Reduction-In-Force (RIF)
  5. Voluntary Early Retirement Authority (VERA)
  6. Deferred Retirement
  7. Deferred Resignation Program
  8. Discontinued Service Retirement (DSR)
  9. Establishing Trust and Building Relationships
  10. Voluntary Separation Incentive Payments (VSIP)
05 CSRS-to-FERS Transfers 3 lessons
  1. Important Facts
  2. Introduction to CSRS-to-FERS Transfers
  3. Annuity
06 Special Provision Employees 11 lessons
  1. Introduction to Special Provision Employees
  2. Special Provision Retirement Eligibility
  3. Law Enforcement Officers and Firefighters Important Facts
  4. CSRS Special Provision Retirement Annuity (LEO & FF)
  5. FERS Special Provision Retirement Annuity (LEO & FF)
  6. Air Traffic Controllers Important Facts
  7. CSRS Special Provision Retirement Annuity Formula (ATC)
  8. FERS Special Provision Retirement Annuity Formula (ATC)
  9. Customs and Border Protection Officers Important Facts
  10. CSRS Special Provision Retirement Annuity (CBPO)
  11. FERS Special Provision Retirement Annuity (CBPO)
07 Voluntary Contribution Program (VCP) 4 lessons
  1. IRA/TSP Transfers
  2. Annuity
  3. Important Facts
  4. Introduction to the VCP
08 Thrift Savings Plan (TSP) 9 lessons
  1. Important Facts
  2. Government Matching
  3. Introduction to the TSP
  4. Investment Funds
  5. Individual Funds
  6. Lifecycle Funds
  7. Loans
  8. Withdrawals
  9. Roth 401K
09 Mutual Fund Window 6 lessons
  1. Understanding the Mutual Fund Window
  2. Eligibility Requirements
  3. Fee Structures
  4. Investment Procedures
  5. Risk Factors
  6. Closing a Mutual Fund Window Account
10 Advisor's Guide to Indexed Annuities 9 lessons
  1. Introduction to Indexed Annuities
  2. Mechanisms of Indexed Annuities
  3. Indexed Annuities 101
  4. The Regulatory Landscape
  5. Identifying Suitable Clients
  6. Integrating Indexed Annuities into Portfolios
  7. Income Planning with Indexed Annuities
  8. Market Trends and Product Innovation
  9. Evaluating Fees and Expenses
11 Social Security 7 lessons
  1. Introduction to Social Security
  2. Important Facts
  3. Full Retirement Benefits
  4. Spousal and Child Social Security Benefits
  5. Survivor Social Security Benefits
  6. Divorced Spouse Social Security Benefits
  7. Disability Social Security Benefits
12 Federal Employee Group Life Insurance (FEGLI) 6 lessons
  1. Introduction to FEGLI
  2. Important Facts
  3. Basic Term Life Insurance
  4. Order of Benefits
  5. Optional Insurance
  6. Assignment
13 Federal Group Long-Term Care Insurance Program (FLTCIP) 5 lessons
  1. Introduction to FLTCIP
  2. Important Facts
  3. Eligibility
  4. Medicare Advantage (Medicare Part C)
  5. Economic Protection
14 Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) 5 lessons
  1. Maximum Lifetime Benefit
  2. Introduction to FEHB
  3. Important Facts
  4. Flexible Spending Account (FSA)
  5. Prescription Drug Coverage (Medicare Part D)
15 Medicare 6 lessons
  1. High Deductible Health Plan (HDHP) and Health Savings Account (HSA)
  2. Health Reimbursement Arrangement (HRA)
  3. Introduction to Medicare
  4. Hospital Insurance (Medicare Part A)
  5. Important Facts
  6. Medical Insurance (Medicare Part B)
Questions

Questions about the curriculum

How long does the course take?
The self-study course is about 20 hours of material across 15 modules and 100+ lessons; most advisors complete it in a few weeks. The live express track condenses the essentials into roughly two hours.
What's on the exam?
The self-study path finishes with a 100-question exam (70% to pass). The express tracks use a focused 20-question exam with a 98% pass rate.
Do I need federal-benefits experience first?
No. The curriculum starts with the fundamentals of each federal system and builds up, so it works whether the federal market is new to you or already part of your practice.
Is the content kept current?
Yes. The curriculum is maintained as federal rules change, including recent shifts in the federal workplace, so what you learn reflects today's systems.
Is this CSRS FERS training, or just FERS?
Both. The FRC curriculum is complete CSRS FERS training, covering the older Civil Service Retirement System and the newer Federal Employees Retirement System side by side, plus the Thrift Savings Plan, FEGLI, FEHB, and Social Security that touch both systems.
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See the curriculum
FormatSelf-study or live express
Curriculum15 modules · 100+ lessons
ExamUp to 100 questions
OutcomeFRC designation