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. 

We invite you to join our interest list for the 2026 FINRA Foundation Fellowship to stay updated on relevant news and events. The application period opens March 1st, 2026 and closes on April 17th, 2026.

FINRA Foundation Military Spouse Fellowship Interest Form

Name(Required)
Email(Required)

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

There’s another way to express your interest in the Fellowship. Sign up to one of three 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.

Tuesday February 24th

Time: 6:15 PM – 7:00 PM EDT

Register for 2/24/26

Wednesday March 11th

12:15 PM – 1:00 PM EST

Register for 3/11/26
Thursday April 9th
 
Time: 3:15 PM – 4:00 PM EDT
Register for 4/9/26

This year’s FINRA Foundation Mentor of the Year Award winner, Heidi Clemons MA, AFC®, MQFP® shares what the Fellowship means to her. 

"The fellowship gave me the tools and credentials to pursue my passion for financial counseling while adapting to the demands of military life."
Virginia Imlah
MSF, AFC®

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. 

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