THE TOOLS AND TECHNIQUES OF EMPLOYEE BENEFIT AND RETIREMENT PLANNING 12th Edition Course Synopsis Overall, this course addresses the technical aspects of various types of employee benefits and retirement plans. To start, the course outlines the various techniques used by an agent or financial planner to evaluate a retirement plan or to design a new plan. The course provides an overview of retirement planning and government benefits. It then discusses the various retirement plans, both qualified and nonqualified, including individual retirement accounts and annuity plans. The course then provides an overview of employee benefit planning and addresses designing the right life and health benefit plan, as well as the general planning process. It covers health insurance and reimbursement plans, fringe benefits, and various plans that make use of individual and group life insurance. For each retirement plan or employee benefit, the course outlines what the plan or benefit is, when it should be used and, often, the advantages and disadvantages of its use. Also discussed are the tax implications of the benefit or plan, other applicable regulatory considerations, and where to find additional resource material. Items of importance not covered in one of these categories are generally addressed in the Questions and Answers section at the end of the chapter.