Symposium Scholarship

Application Window is Open!

Deadline: July 18th at Noon EST

The Symposium Scholarship covers in-person registration at the AFCPE Symposium in Phoenix-Glendale, Arizona on November 18-20, 2025*.

Apply for a Scholarship

ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS

To be eligible for a Symposium Scholarship, applicants must be ONE of the following:  

  • Employed (full-time or part-time) 
  • Student (full-time or part-time)  
  • First time attendee 
  • Financial Coach, Counselor, or Educator serving or committed to seeing underserved communities  
  • Financial Coach, Counselor, or Educator serving or committed to serving the military community 
  • Current or graduated FINRA Foundation Fellow 
  • Individuals with a desire to help others with their money 
  • Experiencing a financial hardship that would otherwise prevent in-person attendance  and must not: 
  • Receive any organizational support or reimbursement to attend Symposium.  
  • Be registered for Symposium at the time of application, award, and acceptance.  
  • Have not received, accepted, or utilized a Symposium scholarship award in the past twelve (12) months.  

Complete online application including:

  • Contact information
  • Employment information (if applicable)
  • Student information (if applicable)
  • Demographic information
  • Military Connections (if applicable)
  • FINRA Fellow Status (if applicable)*
  • AFCPE Membership Status (if applicable)**
  • 3 Essay Questions

Please print your application for your records before you submit. Once you submit your application, AFCPE will not be able to return it to you, in whole or in part, for any reason.

Applications are evaluated and scored by AFCPE volunteers and are reviewed by staff. Reviewers will select individuals whom they believe are most likely to leverage this opportunity. They will select applicants who are eager to learn and plan to apply the skills and knowledge gained to benefit their careers, their organizations, and their communities. All decisions are final.  

Symposium scholarships are made possible through the generous support of the following organizations as well as individual donors from the AFCPE community. You do not need to apply for a specific, named scholarship, if applicable AFCPE will determine for which scholarship(s) you qualify. 

Gold Sponsors: 

Bronze Sponsor:

Partner Sponsor:

Scholarships will be awarded in early August 2025. All applicants will be notified of their application status via email. An AFCPE staff member will work with selected recipients to complete their Symposium registration. Recipients are responsible for scheduling travel plans and hotel bookings*. All travel-related expenses, including lodging, transportation, meals, and incidentals are the sole responsibility of the recipient and are not reimbursable by AFCPE*. 

Acceptance of Symposium Scholarship requires completion of a post-scholarship award survey. Survey responses are confidential and will be used to improve future scholarship opportunities.  

*FINRA Foundation Fellows awarded a scholarship by the FINRA Investor Education Foundation will receive two (2) complimentary hotel nights.  

**AFCPE Membership is not required to apply. 

AFCPE does not reimburse for any fees or expenses incurred prior to award. AFCPE employees, board members, and their immediate family are not eligible to apply for AFCPE scholarships. 

Help Someone Experience Symposium’s Impact: Donate to the Scholarship Fund

Every year, Symposium brings together financial counselors, academics, researchers, military servicemembers, public servants, nonprofit leaders, and private practitioners, all united by a passion for growth and service. For many, attending Symposium is a turning point: they return home inspired, equipped, and ready to create real change in their communities. 

But not everyone can attend without help. Your support, whether through a full scholarship, a student scholarship, or a smaller but equally meaningful gift, opens doors for those who need it most.

Guests: Give the Gift of Symposium
Members: Give the Gift of Symposium

Symposium Stories

Giving a Symposium Scholarship to someone in need and being on the receiving end of a scholarship can be life-changing. Explore our community’s stories and be inspired to pay it forward, making Symposium possible for others. 

THE IMPACT OF GIVING

During my career change into personal finance, I didn’t have a professional network other than a few military spouses in my FINRA Foundation Fellowship Cohort of 2011. But attending the AFCPE Symposium, thanks to scholarships and the FINRA Fellowship, drastically changed that for me. For the first time, I felt connected to professionals that shared my passion and could mentor me in this second chapter. I have found peers, mentors, mentees, friends, and inspiration to keep growing and giving back. That’s why my spouse Tim and I created a Symposium scholarship this year: to reduce a financial barrier to another military spouse, because I know as a military spouse we tend to put everyone else first and struggle to invest in ourselves. We hope the conference fee scholarships will open the door for another military spouse to attend Symposium, feel welcomed, and take that next professional step. We know how impactful just one opportunity can be. For me, it was the FINRA Foundation Fellowship. And we hope our choice encourages others to say, 'Yes! I want to help others with any size of gift or donation.' I would love it if some would want to level up their own potential to give back. The AFCPE Symposium is more than an event - it's a starting point, a space to grow and connect, and an important space as a homecoming.
Cherie Stueve, PhD
Cherie Stueve, PhD CFP® AFC® FFC® FBS® CAP®
Guests: Donate to the Symposium Scholarship Fund
Members: Donate to the Symposium Scholarship Fund

THE IMPACT OF RECEIVING

Early in her career, Dr. Brandy Baxter, AFCPE Board President and an Accredited Financial Counselor®, was invited to attend AFCPE Symposium. At the time, registration, travel, and lodging were cost-prohibitive. That’s when she was informed of a Symposium Scholarship opportunity. It changed her life and impacted the future of AFCPE. 

Download Brandy’s story

Just as a Symposium Scholarship transformed Brandy’s career, your donation can provide that same life-changing opportunity for someone else. 

 

Donate a Symposium Scholarship
brandy

OTHER SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENT STORIES

AFCPE reached out to DALS Credit Solutions Co. with a Symposium Scholarship opportunity. That opened a door I didn’t know existed. I am now actively pursuing certification and have already requested to speak at the 2025 Symposium. If you are in the field or exploring it, I highly encourage you to register. You won’t just attend a conference—you’ll join a movement.
Lynette Stevenson
Lynette StevensonCCCM™, CFCM™, CPCM™
Attending the 2024 AFCPE Symposium was an incredible opportunity for my coaching career and I'm so thankful to have been a scholarship recipient. The connections that were initiated and deepened will no doubt continue to serve me throughout my career. I also can't say enough about the quality of the presentations that I got to attend. I learned, I laughed, and I cried. More than once. This work we do is so vital and attending Symposium left me inspired and re-energized to continue on this path. Together, we can all play a role in this powerful work!
Ruth Middleton
Ruth MiddletonAFC® Candidate
Receiving a scholarship to attend the AFCPE Symposium in 2024 was such a gift to me professionally. As a financial coach starting my new private practice, I would not have been able to attend otherwise due to the costs. At the Symposium, I was able to meet new friends and connect with other colleagues in person, who I'd previously only met online. We learned from each other, encouraged each other, and also laughed a lot. Explaining financial counseling and coaching to my financial planning friends or those in my community can feel lonely at times. Attending the Symposium showed me that I'm not alone in this career choice and that I actually have a lot of support. I always leave the Symposium so inspired to get the word out about financial counseling and coaching and to help more people improve financial wellbeing.
Photo of Brittany H. Bramlett AFC®
Brittany H. BramlettAFC ®

THE IMPACT OF ATTENDING

Symposium offers attendees the latest knowledge and tools to create meaningful change for those they serve as well as the opportunity to connect with fellow professionals who share a passion and commitment to excellence. 

Rachel Booth, a Utah State University Senior and Knowledge Bowl participant, was eager to apply her education to a financial counseling career; however, she was uncertain of the career opportunities available after graduation. The power of Symposium networking helped her secure her first financial counseling position. 

Download Rachel’s story

Rachel’s story is one of many experienced by Symposium attendees. Discover more impact stories from those in our community. 

MORE ATTENDEE IMPACT STORIES

Not only did I walk away with more knowledge from the presentations I attended, but the sheer breadth of the sessions offered enabled me to get perspectives on financial education and counseling I had been missing and was eagerly seeking.
light background, white women with long brown, wavy hair, white turtleneck
Anna SheufeltM.Ed, AFC®
I found a cohort of people who were in my boat and together we helped each other learn and grow. I have forged relationships with several people and we have been in contact a bunch! Symposium provided invaluable networking.
Cara Macksoud
Cara MacksoudAFC®

Symposium Scholarships Open:

Apply or Give 

Symposium is where purpose-driven professionals unite to learn and lead. Financial obstacles shouldn’t stand in the way of experiencing it. Apply for a Symposium Scholarship or donate to the Scholarship Fund today. 

Apply Today
Donate to the Scholarship Fund

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