2019 Military Spouses Receive Fellowships to Conduct Financial Counseling
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Military service members and their families often face unique financial challenges complicated by frequent moves, cost of living adjustments and un- or underemployment of military spouses. In an ongoing effort to increase the financial capability of military families, the FINRA Investor Education Foundation awarded 2019 FINRA Foundation Military Spouse Fellowships to 50 military spouses seeking to earn the AFC® (Accredited Financial Counselor®) designation.
The class of 2019 Spouse Fellows are married to active duty or retired service members in the Army, Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps, Coast Guard and National Guard. They were selected from a competitive pool of applicants and will immediately begin their training in military communities worldwide.
Spouse Fellows undergo rigorous training, coursework and experiential hours to gain hands-on experience, all at no cost to them. Following completion of the program, Spouse Fellows are certified to support the military community as financial counselors at family readiness and support centers, credit counseling and tax centers, military relief societies, and credit unions throughout the U.S. and internationally. They offer one-on-one financial and group counseling and education to service members and their families.
Launched in 2006, the fellowship is a collaborative partnership administered by the Association for Financial Counseling and Planning Education (AFCPE), the FINRA Foundation and the National Military Family Association (NMFA). Since its inception, the program has awarded more than 1,587 fellowships to military spouses. While working toward the AFC® credential, Spouse Fellows have provided financial counseling and education to more than 211,480 service members and spent in excess of 483,860 hours helping military families reach their financial goals in the United States and around the world. Click here for more information about the fellowship.
“For most Americans, their personal finances are a source of anxiety and stress and service members are no different. Overall, Americans are facing decreasing financial literacy, struggling with debt and failing to save money,” said Gerri Walsh, President of the FINRA Foundation. “This fellowship program helps increase the financial capability of military families who receive the knowledge and tools they need to make prudent saving and investing decisions, while enabling military spouses to support their families with a portable, rewarding career.”
The class of 2019 Spouse Fellows represent the following military installations (or nearest military installation if retired):
| Buckley AFB
Camp Lejeune Camp Pendleton Coast Guard Island Alameda Fort Bliss Fort Leavenworth Fort Leonard Wood Fort Sam Houston TX Fort Sill Fort Stewart Ft. Hood, Texas Ft. Meade/Walter Reed Ft. Sill Geilenkirchen NATO Base Grafenwoehr, Germany Joint Base Pearl Harbor Hickam Kunsan, South Korea Malmstrom AFB Marine Forces Reserve MCAS Miramar NAS Jacksonville NAS North Island Naval Air Station Whidbey Island |
Camp Humphrey's
Naval Base Kitsap - Bangor Naval Station Norfolk Naval Submarine Base Kitsap-Bangor NAVCOM TELSTA GUAM Navy Submarine Base Kings Bay Navy Yard, DC Norfolk Naval Shipyard Norfolk Naval Station North Carolina National Guard Joint Force Headquarters NPTU Ballston Spa Osan Air Base, Japan Pearl Harbor Ruston Armory Schriever SEYMOUR JOHNSON Air Force base Travis AFB U.S.S. Dwight D. Eisenhower CVN 69 USAG Bavaria-Hohenfels, Germany Vicenza, Italy Whiteman Air Force Base |