Become a certified financial counselor so you can help your family and others.
Achieving financial stability can be tough, particularly for military families. From income fluctuations caused by deployment to moving costs for change of station, there’s no end to the financial challenges.
Now, FINRA (Financial Industry Regulatory Authority) has a way for military spouses to help their own families and help others. Even better, it provides the ability to start a career that offers the flexibility to work around your spouse’s military service. It’s called the Military Spouse Fellowship.
What is the Military Spouse Fellowship?
Military Spouse Fellowship is a program offered by FINRA. They partnered with the National Military Family Association (NMFA) and the Association of Financial Counseling and Planning Education® (AFCPE®). Together, these groups created the Military Spouse Fellowship to allow spouses to become Accredited Financial Counselors® (AFC®).
Removing all the acronyms, this program basically allows a military spouse to get certified as a professional financial counselor. You go through the AFC training program, where you learn how to counsel families to achieve financial stability. You receive professional education across all areas of finance, from basic budgeting to advanced techniques for managing debt and credit.
At the end of the program, you receive your AFC certification. This is the same professional certification used by credit unions, financial aid offices, and credit counseling agencies like Consolidated Credit. You essentially get the same introductory training our counselors receive, so you’re an accredited financial professional. You can use the knowledge to improve your own financial life, as well as use that knowledge to help others.
Military Spouse Fellows help more military households succeed
Since the program began in 2006, “FINRA Foundation Military Spouse Fellows have provided financial counseling and education to more than 170,000 military servicemembers and spent more than 440,000 hours helping military families reach their financial goals.”
Once you graduate from the program and receive your certification, you counsel other military families through support centers and other financial institutions. The Department of Defense even recognizes the accreditation. You pay it forward with the knowledge you gain. In addition, you can use your own experience as a military spouse to help other households in similar situations.
Financial counseling can become a career that offers the flexibility you need to continue managing your own household. Your hours are flexible and your career doesn’t rely on your living in one specific city; the military needs financial counselors everywhere.
Don’t miss your opportunity to become a financial advocate!
You can learn about the Military Spouse Fellowship at the Military Spouse AFCPE website.