The Women in Retirement Conference (WiRC) is a unique annual conference that provides content built by women — and for women! — in the retirement plan industry.

Third Thursday’s with WiRC is a monthly virtual event that is free to members.

The purpose of WiRC and the Third Thursday virtual event series is to inspire women in the retirement plan industry to seek their highest level of personal and professional growth. Through in-person and virtual events, WiRC uniquely brings together women from across the industry to focus on four key areas: leadership, marketing, practice management, and personal growth.

In 2018 the American Retirement Association (ARA) consolidated two events — The American Society of Pension Professionals and Actuaries (ASPPA) Women Business Leaders Forum (WBLF) and the National Association of Plan Advisors (NAPA) Connect — to create the Women in Retirement Conference (WiRC). This action brought together two distinct groups: women advisors and TPAs.

In 2019, a third sister organization — the National Tax-deferred Savings Association (NTSA) — joined the WiRC network. And in 2020, the conference was expanded to include all five sister organizations: the American Society of Enrolled Actuaries (ASEA), the American Society of Pension Professionals and Actuaries (ASPPA), the National Association of Plan Advisors (NAPA), the National Tax-deferred Savings Association (NTSA), and the Plan Sponsor Council of America (PSCA). That allowed participants to learn and network across disciplines and specialties.