American Retirement Association

What American Retirement Association does

The American Retirement Association (ARA) is a non-profit professional membership organization founded in 1966 (originally as the American Society of Pension Actuaries) and headquartered in Arlington, Virginia. It operates as an umbrella entity for five wholly-owned sister associations: ASPPA (American Society of Pension Professionals & Actuaries, ~6,900 members serving administrators and consultants), ASEA (American Society of Enrolled Actuaries, serving actuarial professionals), NAPA (National Association of Plan Advisors, serving retirement plan advisors), NTSA (National Tax-Deferred Savings Association, serving 403(b) and 457 plan professionals), and PSCA (Plan Sponsor Council of America, serving employer plan sponsors). Collectively these serve over 30,000 retirement plan professionals including actuaries, consultants, administrators, advisors, financial advisors, insurance professionals, accountants, attorneys, and HR managers. The organization does not produce software products; its technology footprint is limited to websites, digital platforms for member services, event registration, and educational content delivery.

ARA generates revenue through three primary streams: recurring membership dues across the five sister organizations, educational programs and credentials (including CPC, CPSP, CRES, TGPC certifications and the ERISA Outline Book), and events and conferences (NAPA 401(k) Summit, PSCA National Conference, NTSA Summit, ASPPA conferences, and recurring webcasts). Beyond commercial offerings, ARA operates a substantial advocacy function with a Government Affairs Team possessing nearly 150 years of collective experience, six volunteer Government Affairs Committees, and an active Political Action Committee engaging federal and state policymakers on retirement legislation. The organization is led by CEO Brian H. Graff and a 20+ member Board of Directors, and pursues strategic diversity initiatives including the NOW (Nourish Our Wealth) mentoring program and women's leadership programs such as Thrive Mentoring and the Rise Leadership Forum.

Name

American Retirement Association

Legal name

American Retirement Association

Website

https://usaretirement.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1966

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

The American Retirement Association is a non-profit umbrella organization of five sister associations (ASPPA, ASEA, NAPA, NTSA, PSCA) serving 30,000+ retirement plan professionals through membership dues, credentials, conferences, industry research, and federal/state advocacy for the private pension system.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Retirement Industry Professional Association Services

NAICS

Business, Professional, Labor, Political, and Similar Organizations (8139), Business Associations (813910)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Employer Retirement Plan Advisory (401(k)/Pension) (FSAEABAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Taft-Hartley / Labor Union & Public Sector Retirement Systems (FSAAAGAK), Pensions & Retirement Benefits Administration (BPAIAKAA)

Keywords

• Retirement plan professionals
• Pension administration education
• Retirement policy advocacy
• Credentialing certification programs
• Professional membership association

Headquarters

HQ city

Arlington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: Revenue generated from membership fees across five sister organizations: ASPPA, ASEA, NAPA, NTSA, and PSCA. Members pay dues to access credentials, educational programs, conferences, and professional resources.
2. Educational Programs and Credentials: Revenue from credentialing programs, continuing education courses, certifications (CPC, CPSP, CRES, TGPC), and the ERISA Outline Book. Programs serve actuaries, plan administrators, consultants, and advisors at various career levels.
3. Events and Conferences: Revenue from premier industry events including the PSCA National Conference, NAPA 401(k) Summit, NTSA Summit, ASPPA conferences, and regional webcasts. Events include in-person conferences, virtual classrooms, and networking opportunities.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The American Retirement Association is a non-profit professional membership organization that operates five sister associations (ASPPA, ASEA, NAPA, NTSA, PSCA) delivering membership, credentialing programs (CPC, CPSP, CRES, TGPC), continuing education, industry conferences and summits, retirement industry research and surveys, mentoring programs, and federal/state government affairs advocacy for 30,000+ retirement plan professionals across the United States.

Product overview

The American Retirement Association (ARA) is a professional membership organization comprising five sister associations—ASPPA (American Society of Pension Professionals & Actuaries), ASEA (American Society of Enrolled Actuaries), NAPA (National Association of Plan Advisors), NTSA (National Tax-Deferred Savings Association), and PSCA (Plan Sponsor Council of America)—unified around the mission of ensuring retirement security for all Americans. Rather than a single software product, ARA offers a portfolio of professional services including: credentialing and certification programs (CPSP, CRES, TGPC, and various ASPPA credentials); annual conferences and events (NAPA 401(k) Summit, PSCA National Conference, NTSA Summit, Rise Forum); recurring education webcasts (Third Thursdays); mentoring initiatives (Thrive for women professionals, NOW for diverse professionals); advocacy programs through Government Affairs Committees; and research publications including annual industry surveys. The organization serves over 30,000 members including actuaries, consultants, administrators, advisors, and plan sponsors.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• American Retirement Association Membership Umbrella membership organization uniting retirement plan professionals across five sister associations, providing access to credentialing, education, advocacy, networking, and professional development.
• ASPPA Credential Programs (CPC, CPSP, CRES, TGPC) Professional credentialing and certification programs including the ERISA Outline Book and courses covering actuarial, plan administration, consulting, and advisor specialties for retirement plan professionals.
• NAPA 401(k) Summit Premier annual conference for retirement plan advisors featuring networking, education, and professional development opportunities across the retirement industry.
• NTSA Annual Summit Annual NTSA Summit plus the Certified Retirement Education Specialist (CRES) and Tax-Exempt & Governmental Plan Consultant (TGPC) credential programs for professionals serving public education and nonprofit sectors managing 403(b) and 457 plans.
• PSCA National Annual Conference Annual conference delivering expert-led content on retirement plan management, plan performance, and regulatory updates for employer plan sponsors and their advisors.
• Certified Plan Sponsor Professional (CPSP) Credential Professional credential for plan sponsors providing exclusive resources, webcasts, and the Plan Sponsor Tool(k)it for employer sponsors of retirement plans.
• Third Thursday Webinars Quarterly live webcast series for women retirement professionals covering advocacy, leadership, marketing, practice management, and personal growth topics.
• Thrive Mentoring Program Mentoring program connecting women retirement professionals with experienced mentors for skill development, network expansion, and career navigation.
• Nourish Our Wealth (NOW) Mentoring Program Diversity-focused mentoring program committed to bridging the retirement savings gap in communities of color by increasing representation of professionals of color in the retirement industry.
• Rise: The Women in Retirement Leadership Forum Leadership development conference for women in the retirement industry featuring strategic sessions on leadership and advocacy along with wellness activities.
• Women's Retirement Security Day National advocacy day observed annually on the second Tuesday of July to raise awareness of the retirement gender gap and promote agency and financial wellness among women.
• ARA Government Affairs Advocacy Federal and state legislative and regulatory advocacy operations protecting the U.S. private retirement system, expanding worker access to employer-sponsored plans, and simplifying plan administration through grassroots lobbying.
• Women in Retirement (WIR) Brunch In-person networking and educational gathering at the NAPA 401(k) Summit for women advisors, plan advisors, and third-party administrators in the retirement industry.
• PSCA Research and Publications Annual retirement industry surveys and research publications covering 401(k), 403(b), NQDC, and HSA plans, providing benchmarks on plan performance, participant outcomes, and industry trends.
• Government Affairs Committees Six volunteer committees across ARA and the sister associations that collaborate on legislative and regulatory initiatives to shape U.S. retirement policy.
• Rai$e Her Education Program Educational program through NTSA designed to support women's retirement planning and financial education.

Quantifiable outcome

• Nearly 80 million American workers participate in employer-sponsored retirement plans
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• FARE (Financial Assets for Racial Equality)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerARA partners with FARE to enhance racial diversity in the retirement industry and address retirement savings disparities in communities of color through the Nourish Our Wealth (NOW) program.
• US Black ChamberscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to support Black-owned small businesses in accessing retirement plans and addressing disparities in retirement savings among Black Americans.
• US Hispanic Chambers of CommercecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to increase access to workplace retirement plans for employees of Hispanic-owned small businesses and address retirement savings disparities.
• Women's Retirement Security Day PartnerscoreGTM or Marketing PartnerCollaborative network of organizations including 401(k) Lady, CAPTRUST, Definiti, Groom Law Group, National Life Group, Transamerica Center for Retirement Studies, and others working together to raise awareness of retirement gender gap.
• National Association of Charitable Gift PlannersminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCoalition partner supporting the Charity Parity Act legislation that would allow qualified charitable distributions from employer-sponsored retirement accounts.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans: Direct peer providing education, credentials, and networking for employee benefits professionals across retirement, health, and welfare plans. Highly comparable membership-based model serving a closely overlapping audience of plan sponsors and administrators.
• WorldatWork: Direct peer operating a non-profit professional association for total rewards (compensation, benefits, wellness, retirement) professionals. Comparable membership, credentialing (GRP, CCP), and event-driven revenue model serving overlapping HR/benefits audiences.
• Society of Actuaries: Direct peer professional association for actuaries, including retirement/pension actuaries served by ARA's ASEA subsidiary. Highly comparable credentialing (ASA, FSA), continuing education, advocacy, and member-driven governance model.
• LIMRA: Direct peer research and membership organization serving the financial services and retirement industry. Comparable in industry research, executive education, conference programming, and member-supported operating model.

Broad incumbents

• SHRM (Society for Human Resource Management): Broader incumbent professional association serving HR professionals including those managing retirement plans. Overlaps with ARA on HR-manager member segment and total-rewards education, though SHRM is far larger and broader in scope.
• American Council of Life Insurers: Broader incumbent trade association representing life insurance and annuity providers, including retirement income products. Comparable advocacy and member-driven model, but serves insurers/carriers rather than individual retirement plan professionals.
• Investment Company Institute: Broader incumbent trade association for regulated investment companies including mutual funds serving retirement plans. Comparable advocacy and research-publishing model, but focused on fund sponsors rather than plan administrators.

Emerging players

• Employee Benefit Research Institute: Adjacent research organization producing retirement and employee benefits research consumed by ARA's members. Comparable focus area but operates as a non-partisan research entity rather than a membership/credentialing association.
• SPARK Institute: Smaller membership association for recordkeepers, TPAs, and asset managers in the defined contribution industry. Directly comparable niche membership model and advocacy focus, though narrower in scope than ARA's five-association umbrella.

Others

• National Association of Plan Advisors (NAPA): Wholly-owned subsidiary of ARA listed separately here to clarify internal structure rather than as a true peer; included for completeness of ARA's sister-organization ecosystem referenced in the value proposition.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/usa_retirement

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles27 records

Subsidiaries5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about American Retirement Association