Nuveen Helps Advisors Build Strong Retirement Plan Practice

Nuveen’s 401(k)ollege Provides In-Depth Training and Educational Support for Defined Contribution Retirement Plan Advisors

CHICAGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nuveen Investments, a leading global provider of investment services to institutions as well as individual investors, today announced the introduction of 401(k)ollege. This new education and business development program offers a series of in-person and online resources for retirement plan professionals including educational workshops, practice management programs, and additional tools designed to support financial advisors working to expand their knowledge and expertise in the rapidly-growing defined contribution space.

“We continue to see more and more financial advisors focused on the ever-growing defined contribution market”

The first offering in 401(k)ollege, The Retirement Advisor University Primer Series, was developed by industry veteran Fred Barstein, founder and executive director of The Retirement Advisor University (TRAU), in cooperation with Nuveen’s DCIO team.

As part of Nuveen’s 401(k)ollege, the Retirement Primer Series is structured across six workshops to accommodate both individual, self-study as well as group practice learning, and will be introduced in two phases. The first phase of the series features three workshops that address such business practice themes as identifying retirement trends and opportunities, building a retirement plan advisory business, and strategies for identifying and capturing plan market segments. The second phase will focus on enhancing and differentiating an advisor’s retirement plan practice.

Recently presented as an in-person seminar, the program was well received, prompting requests for several additional seminars that have been scheduled for early 2012.

“We continue to see more and more financial advisors focused on the ever-growing defined contribution market,” said Anders Smith, Nuveen Investments Senior Vice President of DCIO and Strategic Platforms. “In partnering with TRAU, we believe we can bring the most relevant coursework and tools to advisors looking to build a sound and sustainable practice that serves the needs of their highly specialized client base.”

“With defined contribution plan assets continuing to increase, there is a growing need for knowledgeable advisors that are qualified to serve plan sponsors and their participants,” said Fred Barstein, Founder, Executive Director of The Retirement Advisor University.

“The defined contribution market is a key area of focus for Nuveen,” said Michael De Feo, Nuveen Investments Senior Vice President of DCIO and Strategic Platforms. “We are committed to expanding our presence in this space and are positioned to make this business a significant part of our mutual fund growth for the firm.”

Additionally, advisors can access more detailed information about Nuveen’s 401(k)ollege program via Nuveen Investments’ retirement-focused website http://www.nuveen.com/retirement or by contacting one of Nuveen’s dedicated Retirement Plan Consultants at 888-713-9105.

Nuveen Investments provides high quality investment services designed to help secure the long-term goals of institutional and individual investors as well as the consultants and financial advisors who serve them. Nuveen Investments markets a wide range of specialized investment solutions which provide investors access to capabilities of its high-quality boutique investment affiliates—Nuveen Asset Management, NWQ, Santa Barbara, Symphony, Tradewinds, and Winslow Capital. In total, Nuveen Investments managed $207 billion as of October 31, 2011. For more information, please visit the Nuveen Investments website at www.nuveen.com.