Washington – September 25, 2026 -- The Association of Financial Counseling, Planning, and Education (AFCPE) has received a 2026 ASAE Power of Associations Summit Award for its FINRA Foundation Military Spouse Fellowship, a program that has certified 743 Accredited Financial Counselors since 2006 and supported more than 288,000 military families through their required experience hours.
ASAE recognizes AFCPE for solving military spouse underemployment through credentialed career pathways
The American Society of Association Executives (ASAE) presented the Summit Award to AFCPE for the Fellowship's dual impact: expanding workforce mobility for military spouses and strengthening financial readiness in military communities. The award was celebrated during ASAE's Summit Awards Dinner on September 22, 2026, at the National Building Museum in Washington, DC.
Fellowship funds up to 30 military spouses annually toward AFC certification
Funded by the FINRA Investor Education Foundation and administered by AFCPE, the Fellowship covers education and exam costs for up to 30 qualified military spouses each year, supporting coursework, a proctored certification exam, and the AFC experience hours requirement. Fellows join the Society of FINRA Foundation Fellows alumni network and connect with volunteer-led regional ambassadors who support peer leadership and service delivery in military-facing settings.
Two decades of partnership address relocation-driven financial stress and portable employment barriers
The program targets two persistent challenges facing military spouses: financial stress from frequent relocations, deployments, and life transitions, and chronic underemployment tied to barriers to portable, credentialed work. ASAE President and CEO Michelle Mason said the award honors organizations that "bring people together to solve complex challenges, strengthen industries and professions, and create lasting benefits for society."
AFCPE Executive Director Rachael DeLeon credited more than two decades of partnership with the FINRA Investor Education Foundation for creating economic opportunity for military spouses while expanding access to trusted financial guidance for military families.