FINRA Foundation Military Spouse Fellowship
The FINRA Foundation Military Spouse Fellowship is a unique opportunity for qualifying military spouses to earn the AFC® at no cost to them, thanks to the generous funding provided by the FINRA Investor Education Foundation.
The application period opens March 1st, 2026 closing on April 17th, 2026
Application Eligibility Requirements
To be eligible for the FINRA Foundation Fellowship, applicants must be:
- Current, surviving spouses and spouses of retirees of a Uniformed Service member; Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, Coast Guard, Space Force, National Guard, Reserves, Commissioned Corps of the U.S. Public Health Service and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
- Spouses must be enrolled in DEERS.
Applicant must not be:
- Current Federal Employees including Active-Duty personnel
- Current employees of contractors serving the United States government
- Current employees of companies that provide investment advice or investment trading services, including registered investment advisers and broker-dealer firms
- Active Duty or Reserve Component members of the Armed Forces
- Holders of active securities licenses
- Those already enrolled in the AFCPE® Certification program
- Those who previously accepted the Fellowship but did not complete the program
The fellowship is available only through an annual application process. The application period opens in March of every year, lasting approximately six weeks, then our team of reviewers select the fellows. The fellowship allows up to three years to complete the requirements for certification:
- Educational component – 8 live webinars
- Exam- passing a proctored certification exam
- Experience- completing 1000 hours of experience with a look-back period
- Ethics- signing and adhering to AFCPE’s Code of Ethics
The FINRA Foundation Fellowship was created in 2006 to address several identified needs:
- To provide a portable certification allowing spouses to PCS and still acquire meaningful employment
- To provide personal financial education and counseling support to their peers, already possessing the knowledge of the military lifestyle
Register for a Free Info Session
There’s another way to express your interest in the Fellowship. Sign up to one of the remaining free information sessions for an overview of the program and to take part in Q&A. Click or tap on the dates below to register to attend.
Wednesday, March 11th
12:15 PM - 1:00 PM
Thursday, April 9th
3:15 PM - 4:00PM
Stories from Military Spouse Fellows
Lila Quintiliani, CHFC®, AFC® explains what winning the AFCPE® FINRA Fellow of the Year Award means to her and why she is passionate about working with the military population.
This year’s FINRA Foundation Mentor of the Year Award winner, Heidi Clemons MA, AFC®, MQFP® shares what the Fellowship means to her.
A PCS-friendly career in financial counseling awaits
Qualified military spouses, don’t miss this opportunity to invest in your future. The application window closes April 17th.
Comments are closed.