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The differences between benefits advisors and retirement plan specialists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both a benefits advisor and a retirement plan specialist. Additionally, a benefits advisor has an average salary of $71,377, which is higher than the $60,611 average annual salary of a retirement plan specialist.
The top three skills for a benefits advisor include insurance benefits, patients and inbound calls. The most important skills for a retirement plan specialist are life insurance, financial products, and FINRA.
| Benefits Advisor | Retirement Plan Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $71,377 | $60,611 |
| Hourly rate | $34.32 | $29.14 |
| Growth rate | 7% | 7% |
| Number of jobs | 48,023 | 9,336 |
| Job satisfaction | 3 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 56% | Bachelor's Degree, 76% |
| Average age | 45 | 45 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
A benefits advisor specializes in devising benefits programs and strategies for a workforce, ensuring they are well-compensated for their hard work. Typically, their responsibilities revolve around performing research and analysis to identify the needs of employees in a company, studying the benefit programs of competitors, and assessing the existing programs while putting the company's welfare into consideration. They must prepare reports and presentations for clients, provide cost-estimates and business plans, and evaluate risks, all while adhering to the company's policies and regulations, including its vision and mission.
Retirement plan specialists are experts who plan out their client's financial needs for retirement. The specialist's design and implement savings, benefit, and pension programs for clients. They have to explain the complicated nature of compensation, investment, and retirement packages to employees clearly and concisely. They process retirement plans following company and federal regulations. Also, they often have a background in business or human resources, and they may choose to earn employee benefit certifications that may help with their career advancement.
Benefits advisors and retirement plan specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Benefits Advisor | Retirement Plan Specialist | |
| Average salary | $71,377 | $60,611 |
| Salary range | Between $46,000 And $109,000 | Between $41,000 And $88,000 |
| Highest paying City | Vancouver, WA | - |
| Highest paying state | Washington | - |
| Best paying company | Chevron | - |
| Best paying industry | Government | - |
There are a few differences between a benefits advisor and a retirement plan specialist in terms of educational background:
| Benefits Advisor | Retirement Plan Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 56% | Bachelor's Degree, 76% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between benefits advisors' and retirement plan specialists' demographics:
| Benefits Advisor | Retirement Plan Specialist | |
| Average age | 45 | 45 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 41.2% Female, 58.8% | Male, 54.4% Female, 45.6% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 11.4% Unknown, 3.6% Hispanic or Latino, 15.3% Asian, 7.7% White, 61.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% | Black or African American, 10.5% Unknown, 3.8% Hispanic or Latino, 15.2% Asian, 7.8% White, 62.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 9% | 9% |