What can i do with a series 7 license?

A candidate who passes the Series 7 exam is qualified for the solicitation, purchase and/or sale of all securities products, including corporate securities, municipal fund securities, options, direct participation programs, investment company products and variable contracts.

What jobs can you get with a Series 7?

A Series 7 license can be the launching point for many careers in financial services. You could start as a registered representative, an entry-level position, then work your way up to being a personal financial advisor who helps people create financial plans.

Is a Series 7 license worth it?

In a Nutshell

Typically, the Series 7 is the better choice if you‘re interested in selling individual securities either now or in the future. Plus, once the Series 7 is completed, no additional exam is required.

What happens after you pass Series 7?

Passing the Series 7 exam allows the stockbroker to trade a variety of securities, except commodities and futures. Specifically, candidates who pass the Series 7 can trade stocks, mutual funds, options, municipal securities, and variable contracts.

How do Series 7 make money?

Working for a mutual fund company as a fund manager is one excellent way to put your Series 7 license to good use. Mutual fund managers buy and sell stocks on behalf of subscribers, according to the stated objectives and strategies of each fund they oversee.


Is Series 7 exam hard?

Is the Series 7 Exam Difficult? Clocking in at 125 questions to be answered in three hours and 45 minutes, the Series 7 exam is considered the most difficult of all the securities licensing exams. The minimum passing score is 72, which may not seem that difficult.

How long should you study for the Series 7?

You need to spend 80-100 hours studying for the FINRA Series 7 exam if you have a finance background and about 150 if you don’t. The first thing you should do is lay out a study plan that ensures you put those hours in.

How much money can you make with a Series 7?

General Securities Representative – (FINRA Series 7) Jobs by Salary

Job Title Range Average
Registered Client Associate Range:$43k – $70k Average:$53,505
Certified Financial Planner (CFP) Range:$49k – $124k Average:$70,316
Financial Planner Range:$42k – $100k Average:$63,769
Compliance Officer Range:$52k – $105k Average:$76,235

Can I sell variable annuities with a Series 7?

It allows its holders to sell “packaged” investment products such as mutual funds, variable annuities and unit investment trusts (UITs). … The only major types of securities or investments that Series 7 licensees are not authorized to sell are commodities futures, real estate and life insurance.

How many pass the Series 7 on the first try?

On average, the pass rate for the Series 7 exam is around 65%. Comparatively, about 86% of candidates pass the Series 63 on their first attempt.

Does Series 7 expire?

The Series 7 license is good for the entire period that you work for a FINRA-member firm or self-regulatory organization (SRO). It only expires if you are terminated or leave a firm and do not find employment within two years at another FINRA-member firm or SRO.

Do I need a sponsor for Series 7?

To take the Series 7 exam, you must be sponsored by a FINRA member firm or a self-regulatory organization (SRO). Firms apply for candidates to take the exam by filing a Uniform Application for Security Industry Registration or Transfer (Form U4).

How do I keep my Series 7 active?

As such, a financal advisor’s Series 7 license will remain active for 24 months after the advisor leaves his or her current broker dealer firm. If the advisor wishes to rejoin a broker dealer after the 24 months have passed, the advisor will need to retake the Series 7 examination.

How much is the Series 7 exam cost?

Revised Series 7 Exam Breakdown

Fees—The cost of the exam is $245. (When you combine it with the $60 fee for the SIE, the cost becomes the same as in the past.) Number of Questions—The exam consists of 125 multiple-choice questions (down from 250), and each question consists of four answer choices.

Do you need Series 7 for CFP?

To take this exam, the person must be sponsored by a broker-dealer, and continue working for a broker-dealer to maintain the license. There’s a conflict of interest for a CFP® who holds an active Series 7 because they’re sales representatives of the brokerage firms they work for.

How do I get sponsored for Series 7?

To be eligible to take the series 7 exam, you need a sponsorship from a Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) member organization or a self-regulatory organization (SRO). To earn this sponsorship, find a job or internship at a financial institution, such as a brokerage firm or bank.

Is there math on the Series 7?

The exam is approximately 30% math (e.g. options, margin and convertible bonds). Some candidates feel strong in the math and will plan to score well there, allowing for a slightly weaker performance on the regulations. Other candidates “fear” the math – that’s okay too.

Which is harder CPA or Series 7?

When it comes to the tests, Series 7 covers municipal fund securities, corporate securities, solicitation, and more. It has about a 65% pass rate. Comparatively, the CPA exam covers business concepts, financial accounting and reporting, regulation and auditing/attestation. Both are broad, difficult tests.

Is the Series 7 harder than the SIE?

The Series 7 exam is essentially a much more difficult SIE exam. It has 125 questions (plus 10 extra that don’t count toward your score) vs 75 for the SIE exam. A key difference in the SIE vs Series 7 is that the content goes much deeper for the Series 7.

Can you study for the Series 7 in a week?

Most financial institutions will provide new hires with Series 7 study materials and will encourage them to allocate about 1 week of dedicated study time. In reality, test takers should spend close to 100 hours, of which at least 20-30 hours should be dedicated to practice exams and questions.

How long does it take to study for the Series 63?

How much time does it take to study for the Series 63 exam? Most candidates spend 30–40 hours studying for the FINRA Series 63. Best practices suggest that you spread those hours over about 10 days.

What do the top 10 percent of financial advisors make?

The median annual wage for personal financial advisors was $87,850 in May 2019… The lowest 10 percent earned less than $42,950, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $208,000.

Is Series 7 or 66 Harder?

Overall, the Series 66 is quite a challenging exam. The Series 7 difficulty level is not to be understated however. Both can be conquered with the right amount of studying. Consequently, we recommend Kaplan as the top resource for both exams.

What happens after you pass Series 65?

After you successfully pass the Series 65 test, you will then register as an investment advisor representative with the applicable state securities regulators. You will need to contact your registered investment advisor firm and ask the firm to submit your completed Form U4 through the WebCRD system.

Why do I need a Series 65?

The Series 65 license, known as the Uniform Investment Adviser Law Examination, qualifies individuals to provide investing and general financial advice to clients. … Obtaining the Series 65 license is important for representatives who provide advice on ERISA-regulated retirement accounts.

Why is the Series 7 so hard?

It is a corequisite of the SIE exam, which tests you on general securities topics. By contrast, the questions on the Series 7 exam are detailed and related to the day-to-day activities, responsibilities, and job functions of stockbrokers. Therefore, it can be considered a challenging exam.

What is harder the Series 7 or 63?

For instance, by contrast the Series 7 Top-Off difficulty level is much higher than the Series 63. Thus, students often underestimate the Series 63 difficulty level given its shorter length and thinner text, and thus under-study.

Is the new Series 7 easier or harder?

The new Series 7 is harder, kind of

One of the fallouts from pulling general industry knowledge questions from all qualification exams is that the Series 7 just became more difficult. The exam no longer includes all the simpler questions that now make up the SIE, yet the passing score is still the same: 72%.

What is the hardest series exam?

The Series 7 exam is by far the longest and most difficult of all the securities exams. It lasts for 225 minutes and covers all aspects of stock and bond quotes and trading, put and call options, spreads and straddles, ethics, margin, and other account holder requirements, and other pertinent regulations.

Can an RIA sponsor Series 7?

An RIA is bound by law to put the client’s needs first. The Series 7, however, authorizes the holder to work on behalf of a broker-dealer, not necessarily on behalf of the client.

How often do you have to do CE for Series 7?

As a registered representative you are required to complete the Regulatory Element CE Program two years from your base date and every three years thereafter for as long as you remain registered in the industry.

Can I get my Series 63 without a sponsor?

Do I need to have a sponsor before I take the Series 63, 65, or 66? No. Unsponsored candidates who are not Form U4 registered or currently affiliated with a firm through FINRA’s Web CRD system should open an exam enrollment window via FINRA.org request and pay for the S63, S65, or S66 exams.

Is a Series 7 a fiduciary?

A Series 7 legally makes someone a sales rep for a broker-dealer, not a fiduciary advisor! That’s why you have to be sponsored by a broker-dealer to take the exam, because you can’t, working directly as an independent advisor with a client, sit for the Series 7 exam.

Can RIAs trade options?

Broker-dealers, wirehouses, insurance companies, and even some financial planners can sell a huge variety of investments, from stock options and bonds to annuities and commodities futures. But a registered investment advisor (RIA) sells none of these. RIAs sell advice, trust, and individualized plans for their clients.

Why do I need a Series 7?

Who is the Series 7 for? Series 7 is for entry-level, registered representatives. That means if you want to be any kind of general securities representative, broker or dealer and want to buy or sell pretty much any kind of financial securities, options or contracts, you’ll need to pass the Series 7.

Is Series 7 multiple choice?

The Series 7 exam will consist of 260 multiple-choice questions that cover five different functions. Take the sample Series 7 questions below to see how prepared you are for the Series 7 test.

Should I take Series 7 or 66 first?

Should I take the series 7 or 66 exam first? While you may take either exam first, we strongly recommend that you start with this Series 7 Exam. The Series 7 Exam is a much bigger test and will require significantly more study time.

How much does it cost a company to sponsor Series 7?

FINRA Representative-level Exams

Duration Cost
Series 6 – Investment Company and Variable Contracts Products Representative Exam 1 hour and 30 minutes $75
Series 7 – General Securities Representative Exam 3 hours and 45 minutes $300
Series 22 – Direct Participation Programs Limited Representative Exam 1 hour and 30 minutes $60

Which is harder CFA or CFP?

Overall, the CFP program is shorter and less-rigorous than the CFA program. If you think this could be the program for you, you can learn more about CFP certification requirements here.

Do financial planners make a lot of money?

Financial advisers rake in more than $90,000 a year.

They’re making bank. It’s a good time to be a personal financial adviser. Employment is projected to grow 15% from 2016 to 2026, which is “much faster than the average for all occupations,” according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Is the CFP worth it?

Unlike some certificates that are worth little more than the paper they’re printed on, the CFP designation is one of the most prestigious financial certificates around. “The CFP designation offered by the CFP board is one that is actually significant because it requires so much preliminary work,” said Sotudeh.