The FINRA Investor Education Foundation (FINRA Foundation) and the Association for Financial Counseling and Planning Education® (AFCPE®) are excited to announce the selection of the 2026 cohort of the FINRA Foundation Military Spouse Fellowship. This year, 30 military spouses will take steps toward achieving their Accredited Financial Counselor® (AFC®) designation, setting the groundwork for meaningful careers in financial counseling.
Since 2006, the FINRA Foundation Military Spouse Fellowship has offered more than 1,835 military spouses the opportunity to obtain their AFC® certification while building a thriving global network of financially confident and empowered military families. To date, FINRA Foundation Military Spouse Fellows have provided financial counseling and education to more than 289,700 service members and their families worldwide. By equipping military spouses with the expertise required for flexible, rewarding careers in financial counseling, the fellowship strengthens financial security and enhances overall readiness across military communities.
"The FINRA Foundation Military Spouse Fellowship has filled a critical need—equipping military spouses with portable, rewarding careers in financial counseling while delivering expert financial education and guidance to hundreds of thousands of service members and their families around the world," said Christine Kieffer, President of the FINRA Foundation. "Military families face real and distinct financial challenges. From frequent moves and deployments to the underemployment that too often follows, our military spouse fellows understand those challenges firsthand and are uniquely positioned to strengthen financial readiness and resilience across military communities.”
“For 20 years, the FINRA Foundation Military Spouse Fellowship has opened doors for military spouses to build portable, purpose-driven careers while strengthening the financial well-being of the communities they know best,” said Rachael DeLeon, Executive Director of AFCPE®. “We are proud to welcome the 2026 class of fellows into an incredible community of AFC® professionals who are creating lasting impact for military service members and their families—at home, across the country, and around the world.”
The FINRA Foundation Military Spouse Fellowship is open to qualifying spouses of active-duty or retired Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, Space Force, Coast Guard, and Army or Air National Guard or reserve component service members, as well as spouses of the Public Health Service Commissioned Corps and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration professionals.
For more information and to sign up for program updates, visit https://www.afcpe.org/education/finra-foundation-fellowship/
