Professional advisors attend a National Social Security Advisors education and certification course. (Oak Tree Communications Photo)
“Social Security representatives who use online calculators are thinking ‘inside the box.' Folks have to think outside the box by consulting with an outside professional advisor who understands what a retiree or retiring couple is capable of receiving."
CINCINNATI, Ohio (PRWEB) July 08, 2015
Premier Social Security Consulting of Cincinnati will teach its Social Security education curriculum in New York, Boston and Philadelphia on September 8, 9 and 10 to professional advisors, certifying those who qualify as National Social Security Advisors, said Marc Kiner, partner at Premier Social Security Consulting.
“Advisors have been asking for classes in the northeast and we decided we had to go there,” said Kiner. “With 10,000 baby boomers turning 65 years old every day in the U.S., we know professional advisors need to get educated on the Social Security program in order to help clients and prospects maximize their lifetime benefits.”
Premier has taught an intensive, all-day, Social Security curriculum for the National Social Security Advisors program in more than 20 cities this year and certifies qualified advisors, who in turn counsel their own clients on Social Security claiming strategies.
Over the past three years, Premier has educated more than 1,100 advisors nationwide through the NSSA certification training program. More than 675 professional advisors have earned NSSA certification.
Kiner and partner Jim Blair, a former Social Security Administration manager, will present course curricula to about 15 private organizations this year. They also developed an on-demand NSSA video and plan to host 20 webinars.
Demand for Premier’s Social Security education curriculum is growing steadily and solidly. Its revenue was up 65 percent in 2014 over 2013, and it is up 45 percent in 2015 over 2014.
“The shortfall of online Social Security calculators is that they tell you what your benefits will be at the various ages of 62, 66 and 70, but they won’t help you make a plan to maximize your benefits,” said Kiner. “Social Security representatives who use online calculators are thinking ‘inside the box.’ Folks have to think outside the box by consulting with an outside professional advisor who understands what a retiree or retiring couple is capable of receiving and knows how to maximize benefits for their clients.”
When Kiner and Blair formed Premier in 2010, they set a high standard for their Social Security education program because they knew professional advisors would use the NSSA certification designation as a value to bring new clients into their firms.
“We educate certified advisors to act as a fiduciary in the best interests of the retiree or retired couple because how and when you claim Social Security can have a huge impact on your financial life as you age,” said Kiner. “We wanted to make sure that these advisors disclosed everything up front: what their fees are and how they get paid. It was important to us that our certified NSSA advisors counseled clients according to their own best interests, not the professional advisors’ interests. That’s why we have in our Code of Conduct that all of our advisors have to be above board and recommend financial strategies without consideration of their own pocketbooks.”
A retirement today can last 20 to 30 years or longer, said Blair, and a couple can leave $150,000 in lifetime Social Security income on the table by making claiming decisions too early or not taking advantage of claim strategies.
“People don’t often understand that taking Social Security benefits early is a permanent decision resulting in reduced benefits for the rest of your life,” said Blair. “They may not understand how to coordinate spousal benefits. Most importantly, people may not know that the Social Security representative you meet with is an ‘order taker,’ not an advisor. You have to come into your meeting knowing exactly which strategy you want to employ.”
The partners developed a “three-legged stool” concept that outlines the three strategies to maximize benefits for a married couple: delaying taking Social Security until Full Retirement Age; coordinating spousal benefits using Claim and Suspend and Restricted Application strategies; and maximizing surviving spouse lifetime benefits.
“There are a lot of news articles out there about claiming strategies for Social Security,” said Kiner. “People should not make their decisions based on the anticipated solvency of the program. They should decide based on their personal goals, finances and income levels.”
The NSSA certification program was the first Social Security education certification program in the nation. Articles featuring or mentioning Premier Social Security Consulting and the NSSA certification program have appeared in the Wall Street Journal; Kiplinger’s; Motley Fool; Wealth Management; CNBC; and Consumer Reports; and online daily and print newspapers across the United States.
For more information about the National Social Security Advisors certification program, go to http://www.nationalsocialsecurityassociation.com or call (800) 518-0761.
For more information about Premier Social Security Consulting, go to http://www.premiersocialsecurityconsulting.com.
Contact: Marc Kiner
Email: mkiner(at)mypremierplan(dot)com
Phone: (513) 247-0526
About Premier Social Security Consulting:
Premier Social Security Consulting, LLC in Cincinnati educates professional advisors nationwide on the nation’s Social Security program so they can counsel their clients and help them maximize lifetime Social Security income. Partners Marc Kiner and Jim Blair teach the National Social Security Advisors (NSSA) certification program.
