Course Overview

What does a pension plan and fund administrator do? This individual or organisation is responsible for managing a retirement fund or pension plan on behalf of its beneficiaries and participants. The administrators ensure that funds are rightly collected and distributed among qualified participants.

They do not make investment decisions but once a decision is made, they ensure that the funds are appropriately invested to meet the desired goals. International pension plans are simple-yet-flexible retirement schemes for international employers and/or executives.

Pension plans are tax-efficient saving vehicles for employees and all other concerned parties. Thus, these plans secure the future interests of their beneficiaries, after retirement or once retirement age has been attained.

This Zoe training course will empower you with detailed information and knowledge of pension plans and funds and the core duties of a pension plan and fund administrator.

This course aims at not only enhancing your subject matter expertise but also enriching your experience to be able to undertake critical roles and responsibilities at par with a formally certified pension plan and fund administrators, thereby increasing your chances for greater opportunities for career growth and progression within and outside your organisation.

Course Objectives

The key objective of this Certified Pension Plan and Fund Administrator training course is to empower professionals with—

• an in-depth understanding of pension and relevant pension plans and funds worldwide
• thorough knowledge and experience of all core responsibilities of a pension plan and fund administrator
• the required experience and knowledge to train other professionals on responsibilities and duties of pension plan and fund administrators
• the necessary confidence and information to help one’s organisation stay ahead of the competition with trained administrators successfully taking care of clients’ needs
• the knowledge and skill at par with a certified pension plan and fund administrator, thus inviting equal opportunities for career growth and progression
• the skill and experience to foresee challenges and take necessary steps and important, timely decisions to avoid business loss or client dissatisfaction
• the capabilities and confidence to place one’s organisation on a global platform and make a mark for the organisation, thereby fostering organisational growth and development
• the knowledge and understanding to ensure continuous update of policies, procedures and databases as per required standards and changing market dynamics

Training Methodology

Zoe Talent Solutions adopts a unique approach for its training courses. The course content and structure are highly customisable as per the intended audience, and thus, the content is thoroughly reviewed before the start of each training session.

The content is delivered through detailed audio-visual presentations by experienced professionals from the relevant domain. Two-way participation is ensured through group assignments and projects, involving case study discussions and role-plays among the training participants.

This approach to training is unique to Zoe Talent Solutions and is adopted for all its training courses. It is called the Do–Review–Learn–Apply Model.

Organisational Benefits

With professionals undergoing this Certified Pension Plan and Fund Administrator training course, organisations will derive the following benefits:

• Trained and experienced professionals to handle client plans and funds, working at par with certified administrators in the industry
• Regular review and audit of existing practices and policies and frequent changes/updates to comply with changing market dynamics and industry best practices
• Regular and free-of-cost upskilling of other employees regarding pension plan and fund administration
• Competitive advantage because of a skilled and trained team of experts handling various functions
• Effective risk prediction and management by experienced professionals, thereby preventing loss to business and clients
• Greater investor interests because of increased organisational credibility as a result of a trained and experienced team of professionals
• Organisational growth and development because of increased credibility, increased investments and better risk management

Personal Benefits

Professionals opting for this Certified Pension Plan and Fund Administrator training course will benefit in the following ways:

• Complete understanding and detailed information about the various pension plan and fund schemes worldwide
• Enhanced foresight and skill to predict challenges and make effective and calculated decisions to mitigate the impact of any risk in future
• Increased understanding, knowledge and experience to work at par with a formally certified pension plan and fund administrators in the industry, thereby increasing opportunities for career growth and progression
• The greater success rate in clearing relevant certifications and examinations in the field of pension plans and funds
• Greater confidence and knowledge to train other professionals to become successful pension plan and fund administrators
• Enhanced skill set and capabilities to undertake higher roles and responsibilities within and outside one’s organisation, thereby securing one’s future job prospects
• Increased ability and potential to continuously evolve and help one’s organisation evolve with changing market dynamics

Who Should Attend?

• Junior and mid-level executives of firms involved in managing pension plans and funds
• Senior management of organisations involved in managing pension plans and funds to be able to take correct strategic decisions for the benefit of the organisation
• Other pension scheme providers who need to stay relevant in a competitive industry
• Human resource professionals concerned with certain employee pension and benefit schemes
• Risk and legal consultants responsible for ensuring minimum to no risks and losses to business or beneficiaries of schemes
• Public sector employees involved in bigger schemes at a higher level
• Professionals intending to appear for certification as a pension plan and fund administrators
• Any other professional interested in understanding pension plan and fund administration more in detail

Course Outline

The Certified Pension Plan and Fund Administrator course covers the following aspects important to thoroughly understand pension plan and fund administration:

Module 1 – Overview of Pension

• Definition
• Factors influencing calculation
  • Years of service
  • Age
  • Compensation
• Broad categories of pension plans
  • Defined benefit plans
  • Defined contribution plans

Module 2 – Overview of Pension Funds

• Basic structure
• Regulations
• Investment mandates
• Investment styles

Check our course: Certificate in Pension Fund Governance, Regulations and Best Practices

Module 3 – Core Tasks of a Plan Administrator

• Enrolling employees in respective pension plans
• Calculating plan beneficiary entitlement
• Making scheduled payments to beneficiaries
• Ensuring maintenance and provision of accurate plan data
• Paying pension benefits to ex-spouses of beneficiaries
• Fielding questions, concerns and complaints from beneficiaries

Module 4 – Features and Benefits of Pension Plans

• Guaranteed pension/income
• Tax efficiency
• Liquidity
• Vesting age
• Accumulation duration
• Payment period
• Surrender value

Module 5 – Types of Pension Plans

• Executive pension plan
• Group/social pension plan
• Master trust pension
• Self-invested personal pension
• Small, self-administered schemes
• Stakeholder pension

Module 6 – Benefits of International Pension Plans (IPPs)

• Unique and dependable backing
• Freedom to invest
• Tax-efficient planning opportunities
• Asset protection

Module 7 – Important Features/Factors of Defined Benefit Pension Funds

• Flat benefit formula
• Career average formula
• Final pay formula
• Fully funded
• Underfunded
• Overfunded

Module 8 – Factors Influencing Pension Plan Investments

• Knowledge of plans and schemes
• Investment tradition
• Self-incentives (defined benefit versus defined contribution)
• Legal and regulatory factors
• Global financial regulation
• Risk mitigation tools
• Income growth
• Unemployment rate