U.S. Roadmap: FINRA, CFP, CPA and Insurance

Last revised: June 17, 2026

Suggested order for U.S. finance, accounting, securities-licensing, financial-planning, Certified Public Accountant (CPA), municipal, futures-related, and insurance exam requests. Non-official study guidance.

This is a practical study roadmap, not official licensing guidance.

Best page to open next

If you need to…	Best page	Why
Stay in the U.S. path	U.S. Roadmap	Best page when the target role is U.S. licensing or U.S. financial-planning rather than another market.
Compare U.S. exam pages	Finance exam pages	Best page when you already know the family or code and want the matching page first.
Compare broad U.S. planning credentials	CFP Board and American College	Best page when the real target is CFP, ChFC, or RICP rather than a Series exam.
Open U.S. CPA section practice	U.S. CPA	Best page when the target is CPA AUD, FAR, REG, BAR, ISC, or TCP rather than licensing or financial planning.
Open the research-supervision sequence guide	Series 16 Sequence Guide	Best page when the real target is Series 161 and 162 rather than representative or principal licensing.
Switch to NFA futures or forex exams	NFA	Best page when the real target is Series 30, 31, 32, 34, or the broader futures lane.
Switch to U.S. insurance producer or adjuster pages	U.S. Insurance	Best page when the target is state life, health, P&C, personal lines, adjuster, or variable insurance licensing rather than securities registration.
Switch to a Canada path instead	Canada Roadmap	Best page when the target role is CIRO, CSI, LLQP, RIBO, CAIB, Alberta AIC, or FP Canada rather than FINRA/NASAA/MSRB.
Switch to the UK CISI path instead	United Kingdom Roadmap	Best page when the target role is UK advice, operations, or CISI foundation study.

Typical starting points (U.S.)

Representative baseline

FINRA: SIE -> Series 7

Representative + state law (common add-on)

NASAA: add Series 63 (role-dependent)

Adviser path (high-level)

NASAA: Series 65 or Series 66 (depends on your role and required registrations)

Research supervision path (high-level)

FINRA research sequence: Series 86 + Series 87 -> Series 16 sequence guide -> Series 161 and Series 162

Municipal path (high-level)

MSRB: Series 50 , Series 51 , Series 52 , Series 53 , and Series 54 depending on advisor, representative, limited-principal, or principal scope

Futures / forex path (high-level)

NFA-adjacent exams: Series 3 for the broad futures baseline, then NFA pages such as Series 30, 31, 32, or 34 when the work narrows into branch management, managed funds, foreign registrant regulation, or retail forex

Financial-planning route (high-level)

CFP Board: CFP when you want the broad U.S. personal-financial-planning exam route
The American College: ChFC for broad program-based planning study, or RICP when the real need is retirement-income specialization

U.S. CPA section route

CPA: U.S. CPA when the target is Certified Public Accountant section practice for AUD, FAR, REG, BAR, ISC, or TCP. Use the section page first, then choose the free MCQ diagnostic or the focused topic page that matches your weak area.

Insurance producer and adjuster requests

U.S. insurance: Life, Health, Life & Health, Property & Casualty, Personal Lines, Adjuster, and Variable Life & Annuity requests should include the state, line of authority, and exam window when you contact support.

Which U.S. planning route usually fits best?

If your real target is…	Open first	Why
One broad U.S. financial-planning credential centered on a major cumulative exam	CFP	Best page when you want the CFP Board exam itself and broad planning judgment across insurance, investment, tax, retirement, and estate topics.
Broad personal-financial-planning depth through a course-program path	ChFC	Best page when you want broader planning study without centering the path on one certification-exam day.
Retirement-income specialization for pre-retiree and retiree households	RICP	Best page when withdrawals, Social Security, Medicare, longevity risk, and retirement-income design matter more than general planning breadth.
Adviser-law registration rather than a planning credential	Series 65	Best page when the role requires adviser-law, fiduciary, and registration coverage instead of a personal-financial-planning designation.
A broad comparison before you choose between CFP, ChFC, and RICP	CFP Board and American College	Best page when you are still sorting exam-led versus program-based planning credentials.

Visual roadmap (non-official)

    flowchart TD
	  A["Start<br/>U.S. finance or licensing path"] --> B["Foundation: SIE<br/>(FINRA)"]
	  B --> C["Representative baseline: Series 7<br/>(FINRA)"]
	  C --> D["State law add-on: Series 63<br/>(NASAA)"]
	  C --> E["Adviser path (role-dependent)<br/>Series 65 or Series 66<br/>(NASAA)"]
	  C --> H["Research path<br/>Series 86 + Series 87"]
	  H --> I["Research supervision sequence<br/>Series 161 + Series 162"]
	  C --> F["Municipal paths<br/>Series 50 / 51 / 52 / 53 / 54<br/>(MSRB)"]
	  A --> G["Futures / forex baseline<br/>Series 3 and NFA exams"]
	  A --> J["Financial planning credentials<br/>CFP / ChFC / RICP"]
	  J --> J1["Broad exam path<br/>CFP"]
	  J --> J2["Broad program path<br/>ChFC"]
	  J --> J3["Retirement-income specialization<br/>RICP"]
	  A --> K["Insurance licensing requests<br/>Life / Health / P&C / Adjuster"]
	  A --> L["CPA section practice<br/>AUD / FAR / REG / BAR / ISC / TCP"]

Plain-text version:

U.S. baseline: SIE -> Series 7.
Common add-on: Series 63.
Adviser path: Series 65 or Series 66 (role-dependent).
Financial-planning path: CFP for the broad U.S. planning exam, ChFC for a broader program-based planning path, and RICP for retirement-income specialization.
Series 65 is often nearby in the decision set, but it is an adviser-law registration exam rather than a planning credential.
Research supervision path: Series 86 + Series 87 first when needed, then the Series 16 sequence into Series 161 and Series 162.
Municipal path: Series 50/51/52/53/54 depending on advisor, representative, or principal role.
Futures and forex path: Series 3 first, then the narrower NFA exams when relevant.
Insurance licensing path: contact support when the target is state producer, adjuster, personal lines, or variable insurance licensing rather than FINRA/NASAA registration and no live page exists.
U.S. CPA path: use the U.S. CPA hub when the target is a Certified Public Accountant section rather than securities licensing or financial planning.

Notes

Keep your study aligned to the official outline weights and practice under time pressure.
If your path requires an additional exam (for example, packaged products, principals/supervision, municipal exams, or specialist tracks), add it after your foundation is stable.
NFA exams are usually not substitutes for the core FINRA or NASAA retail securities path; use them when the target role is specifically futures, managed funds, branch supervision, foreign-registrant regulation, or retail forex.
CFP, ChFC, and RICP are not interchangeable with Series 65. Use the planning pages when the goal is a planning credential, and use Series 65 when the role requires adviser-law registration coverage.
U.S. insurance requests should include state-specific line-of-authority details and should send candidates to live insurance practice only when a live page is available.

What to open next

Need one U.S. exam page? Finance exam pages
Need U.S. planning paths instead of Series exams? CFP Board and American College
Need U.S. CPA practice? U.S. CPA
Need the futures / forex family map? NFA
Need U.S. insurance producer or adjuster pages? U.S. Insurance
Need web access, login, or plan details? Finance Prep Web App and Finance Prep Plans & Access
Need a different market? Canada Roadmap or United Kingdom Roadmap

United Kingdom