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The differences between retirement plan specialists and enrollment 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 retirement plan specialist and an enrollment specialist. Additionally, a retirement plan specialist has an average salary of $60,611, which is higher than the $39,666 average annual salary of an enrollment specialist.
The top three skills for a retirement plan specialist include life insurance, financial products and FINRA. The most important skills for an enrollment specialist are customer service, patients, and data entry.
| Retirement Plan Specialist | Enrollment Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $60,611 | $39,666 |
| Hourly rate | $29.14 | $19.07 |
| Growth rate | 7% | 7% |
| Number of jobs | 9,336 | 25,464 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 76% | Bachelor's Degree, 47% |
| Average age | 45 | 45 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
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.
Typically the responsibilities of an enrollment specialist revolve around gathering information from clients, explaining policies and regulations, obtaining requirements, and determining whether the clients are eligible for the program or service. They also process and verify applications, maintain records and database of information, and handle any issues and concerns. There are also instances where they must manage billing and even process payments. Furthermore, an enrollment specialist must adhere to the company's policies and standards while reaching out to clients.
Retirement plan specialists and enrollment specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Retirement Plan Specialist | Enrollment Specialist | |
| Average salary | $60,611 | $39,666 |
| Salary range | Between $41,000 And $88,000 | Between $29,000 And $54,000 |
| Highest paying City | - | Trenton, NJ |
| Highest paying state | - | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | - | The American Musical and Dramatic Academy |
| Best paying industry | - | Health Care |
There are a few differences between a retirement plan specialist and an enrollment specialist in terms of educational background:
| Retirement Plan Specialist | Enrollment Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 76% | Bachelor's Degree, 47% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between retirement plan specialists' and enrollment specialists' demographics:
| Retirement Plan Specialist | Enrollment Specialist | |
| Average age | 45 | 45 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 54.4% Female, 45.6% | Male, 25.0% Female, 75.0% |
| Race ratio | 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% | Black or African American, 10.6% Unknown, 3.6% Hispanic or Latino, 15.5% Asian, 7.4% White, 62.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% |
| LGBT Percentage | 9% | 9% |