The Future Financial Professionals Study Group

The Bridge Builder Friendship Foundation submits this proposal outlining our strategy for creating an effective pipeline for young men and women who wish to enter into the field of finance professionals. This six-month long course will provide opportunities for pursuit of the Series 7 license allowing them to become authorizes to buy, sell and trade monetary assets, such as stock and corporate securities.  Our efforts will guide participants through three inter-related components leading to the completion of the Series 7 examination. The course will be on-site and will be taught by graduate level students from the University of Alabama’s Culverhouse School of Business.

First, we are targeting recent college graduates (4 yr.) and rising seniors who are in good standing at an accredited college or university.  The coursework will last 6 months and will encompass 24 Saturdays for 8 hours a week for a total 162 classroom hours.  and will cover both the Securities Industry Essentials Examination (SIE) requirements and prepare participants for the General Securities Representative Examination also known as the Series 7 examination. Both examinations are proctored by the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) and professionals entering the field must pass both examinations. The SIE is the introductory examination and is a corequisite for the Series 7 examination and both must be passed prior to licensure. The SIE is comprised of 75 questions with candidates required to complete the examination in one-hour and forty-five minutes. While the results of the SIE are valid for 4 years. However, for our purposes only participants who complete the SIE will be able to move to the second interrelated tier.

In order to be eligible for the Series 7 examination the prospective test taker must have a sponsor from a FINRA member or a recognized FINRA member organization.  Our strategy calls for internships with sponsoring FINRA organizations. We are targeting individuals and organizations that offer Series 7 sponsorships who are willing to not only sponsor a candidate for the examination but to also pay the $300 cost for the examination.  The financial professional and the candidate will enter into a formal mentor/mentee relationship for the duration of the training period. Our hope is that this relationship will end with the program participant being offered employment contingent on their successfully passing the Series 7 examination.

The third and final stage of the project is passing the Series 7 examination in April of 2026, The Series is a challenging examination comprised of 135 questions with a minimum of 125 of the exam questions scored. Exam takers are given 3 hours and 45 minutes to complete the examination and must meet a minimum score of 72 percent of correct answers to pass the examination. To meet this objective all participants will be required to participate in a week-long examination boot camp course review that will include sample tests and group study. Our expectation is that 80% of participants will be eligible for licensure following the examination.