The AFCPE has been awarded the prestigious 2026 ASAE Power of Associations Summit Award for its impactful Military Spouse Fellowship, enhancing financial readiness.

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The FINRA Investor Education Foundation (FINRA Foundation) and the Association for Financial Counseling and Planning Education® (AFCPE®) are excited to announce the 2025 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 foundation for meaningful careers in financial counseling. Since 2006, the FINRA Foundation Military Spouse Fellowship has successfully prepared over 700 military spouses to obtain their AFC certification while building a thriving global network of more financially confident and empowered military families. Heather Walrath, an AFC and prior Fellowship recipient, offered her insights on what the opportunity has meant to her and her clients: “The AFC has been crucial in my ability to really empower military families. There are a lot of people operating in this space without the proper training. Having the AFC credential shows my clients that I am committed to continual learning to better support their unique needs. The designation is also very recognized within the DOD community. As an AFC, I've really valued the networking and being part of a community that wants to uplift - not only financial counseling professionals - but also the people we serve.” 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. "Our Military Spouse Fellows continue to demonstrate the profound impact that targeted financial education can have on military families," said Gerri Walsh, President of the FINRA Foundation. "As this program enters its 20th year, we've seen how empowering military spouses with professional skills creates a multiplier effect—strengthening both their own career prospects and the financial resilience of the entire military community." “This year marks the 20th anniversary of the FINRA Foundation Military Spouse Fellowship,” said Rachael DeLeon, Executive Director of AFCPE. “Our latest class joins a passionate and supportive community that is dedicated to improving the financial well-being of military service members and their families. To date, FINRA Fellows have served more than 280,000 individuals, positively impacting military communities across the United States 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 afcpe.org/education/finra-foundation-fellowship/.

AFCPE® (Association for Financial Counseling and Planning Education®) | 6,590 followers on LinkedIn. Are you passionate about helping people with their money to improve their lives? If so, you're in the right place. | AFCPE® (Association for Financial Counseling and Planning Education®) is the nationally recognized leader in financial counseling, coaching and education. Our comprehensive certification programs represent the gold standard for financial counseling, coaching and education, including the AFC® (Accredited Financial Counselor®) and FFC® (Financial Fitness Coach) certifications. The AFC certification is accredited by NCCA and nationally recognized by both the CFPB and DoD.

The increasingly complicated financial markets and products can be daunting for investors, while access to complete and accurate information through appropriate sources is key to making informed investment decisions. This study uses the 2021 National Financial Capability Study State-by-State Survey combined with the Investor Survey to examine the relationships between investment-specific and fundamental financial knowledge and the associations of these two types of knowledge with investors’ reliance on three distinct information sources for investment decisions, namely, mobile trading apps, financial professionals, and social networks. The analysis reveals that objective investment-specific knowledge and objective fundamental financial knowledge negatively correlated with investors’ reliance on all three information sources and the number of sources used. On the other hand, subjective investment-specific knowledge exhibited positive correlations with the reliance on these three information sources and the number of sources used but subjective fundamental knowledge did not. The findings provide important implications for policymakers, financial planners, and counselors.

The AFCPE has announced its 2025 award winners, recognizing exceptional contributions to financial education, research, and practice at the recent symposium in Arizona.

The FINRA Foundation announces its 2025 Military Spouse Fellows program, training 30 military spouses in financial counseling. This initiative empowers families with critical financial skills.

WESTERVILLE, Ohio, Jan. 15, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- The Association for Financial Counseling and Planning Education® (AFCPE®) proudly honored outstanding individuals and initiatives during the 2025 AFCPE Symposium, held November 18-20 in Phoenix–Glendale, Arizona. The annual awards recognize...