The insurance and financial securities industry requires licensing for several reasons. Most importantly, it is for the protection of the customer and the prevention of scams run on vulnerable people. Licensing includes financial guidelines and ethical standards that are regulated by FINRA. There are quite a few licenses available covering all the specific areas in insurance and financial securities. Training is available for all these licenses. Securities license training is available and very accessible to help you move toward your financial services goals.
However, it is important to determine what license you need based on your area of expertise. Some securities licenses require you to be sponsored by your employer or potential employer in order to obtain your license. How do you get this training?
Training is offered in one of three ways. Online courses, self-study or a classroom setting are the three options available to you. The choice is based on your individual situation. If you are a person with a good amount of self-discipline and have few distractions, self-study is a great option. If you need some type of structure, the online class is an option. Or, if you need the structure from the classroom setting, this is the third option.
For companies that have several employees that require licensing, custom training is available. This would fall under the classroom setting. Training centers are also available for the classroom training.
The licenses being offered have pre-requisites for each license number. Those pre-requisites need to be reviewed to make that all your bases are covered before you obtain the training. The series of licenses are as follows:
- Series 3–4, 6-7, 9-11
- Series 24, 26–28
- Series 31-32, 37–38
- Series 51, 53, 55, 56
- Series 62-63, 65-66
- Series 79, 82, 99
Each series has a specific knowledge base in the financial securities arena. You can review the information online to find out more information in the area that interests you. You can also search the official FINRA site for even more detailed information.
The license requirement establishes all financial securities agents as authorized to do business in this arena. The regulations offer the public security and reassurance that there are standards to be followed when others are responsible for investing their money. The regulations and standards for licensing offer agents and brokers the guidelines that must be kept for them to work in the arena. This lets the public know that the law protects their investments.
For employer sponsorship, it is important to keep in mind that if the company is paying for the training, there may be terms of commitment once you receive your license. Should you break that commitment, you may be responsible for repayment to the company for the training.
The options available to obtain your securities license training are plentiful. They provide flexibility for those who need it as well as a study guide for the final exam. With these choices, you can move forward with your goal to obtain the license and further your career.
