Matrix Launches Adviser Training Program

Matrix U is an education program that provides tools and resources for advisers to compete and grow their retirement plan business in an open-architecture provider, according to a news release from Matrix, a provider of open-architecture products and services for third-party administrators (TPAs), financial advisers, banks, and wealth management professionals.

Matrix said it utilized the consulting and retirement services firm Integrated Retirement Initiatives (IRI) to oversee and assist with governance of the program, which offers workshops, seminars, Webinars, and personal coaching sessions, as well as a certificate program.

According to the company, Matrix U offers advisers many educational opportunities, including:

• Open-Architecture Summit: A Roadmap to Success: a three-hour workshop designed for advisers, plan specialists, and consultants that want to learn about open-architecture and how it can help them grow their business (scheduled around the country);
• Retire Mastery Certificate Program: involves online training programs, hands-on training with investment selection and monitoring tools, such as the MG Advisory product, RetireTool(k)it, and a nine-module institute that will help attendees master the key components of selling and servicing retirement plans using open-architecture (the first kicks off in August in Keystone, Colorado);
• Webinars: a quick way to learn more about the basics of open-architecture, outlining the benefits of open-architecture approach versus the bundled approach (held every Wednesday at 2:30 MT, starting in June);
• Ongoing education: Web-based training programs and industry articles keeping advisers up-to-date on the latest news in the financial services industry, including open-architecture and regulatory developments, among others.

To introduce the program, Matrix U will hit the road with more than 30 Summit meetings in 16 cities across the country.

A Matrix U Web site will be launched later this year, allowing advisers access to articles and recorded Webinars that will qualify for Retire Mastery Certificate continuing education. (The address is http://matrixuniversity.fugent.com/home/events.asp.)

“In the past, bundled products have been attractive to advisers because they are easy-to-use, however, they also dramatically reduce the options available to participants,” said Cliff D’Amato, CEO, MSCS, a Matrix affiliate company, in the release. “Matrix U levels the playing field and provides advisers with the option to learn about and move to an open-architecture approach. In the end, the ability to select funds objectively, purely on the basis of merit from a much larger universe is a decisive competitive advantage and is a win-win for the adviser and client.”