Continuing Education (CE)

In conjunction with other self-regulatory organizations and the Securities Industry/Regulatory Council on Continuing Education, FINRA administers the continuing education (CE) program for the securities industry. (See FINRA Rule 1240.) CE consists of two mandatory programs: the Regulatory Element and the Firm Element.

On This Page

• Announcements
• Regulatory Element
  • Content Outlines and Training Material
  • FINRA CE Online
  • Testing Accommodations
• Firm Element
• IAR CE

Announcements

• Track Regulatory Element CE Email Reminders With New FINRA Gateway Report: Effective April 5, firms can use the Notifications Tracking Report in FINRA Gateway to monitor auto-generated system email notifications, including FinPro's optional Regulatory Element CE email notifications. The report includes many data points requested by firms, including email addresses, email subject, date sent, and the date an email was opened.

         For more information about CE email notifications, see the Firm Settings Guide. 

• FINRA published Regulatory Notice 21-41on Nov. 17, 2021. The notice announces important changes FINRA has made to its continuing education and registration rules to train registered persons more effectively.
  
  Changes include the new Maintaining Qualifications Program (MQP), which will allow eligible individuals to maintain their qualifications for up to five years by completing annual CE requirements.
  
  See the Maintaining Qualifications Program (MQP) page for enrollment dates and other information.

• 2021 Q4 Firm Element Advisory (FEA) is now available on the CE Council website.
   

• Regulatory Element CE Email Reminders Now Available
  Firms can now enable a new optional feature in FINRA Gateway's Firm Settings. Once enabled, registered securities professionals with FinPro accounts will receive auto-generated email reminders about their Regulatory Element requirement.

  LEARN MORE ABOUT FINRA NOTIFICATIONs

Regulatory Element

The Regulatory Element of FINRA's CE program focuses on compliance, regulatory, ethical and sales practice standards. Its content is derived from industry rules and regulations, and accepted standards and practices in the industry. Participants must demonstrate proficiency in order to satisfy the CE requirements. The Regulatory Element requires all registered individuals to complete a computer-based training session within 120 days of the second anniversary of their initial registration date, and every three years thereafter. 

Content Outlines and Training Material

Please see the content outlines below for information about each of the Regulatory Element programs. 

• S101: General Program for Registered Persons
• S201: Registered Principals and Supervisors

FINRA CE Online

Participants satisfy their CE requirement through an online CE platform during a 120-calendar-day CE window. The platform is available by logging into the FinPro (Financial Professional Gateway).

Support for FinPro and the CE platform is available during core business hours, Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. ET. Notice will be provided on FINRA’s Systems Status page when the systems are unavailable.

LEARN MORE ABOUT CE IN FINPRO

CE ONLINE FAQ

Testing Accommodations

FINRA has made every effort to make CE Online as user friendly as possible for all participants, regardless of physical, sensory or cognitive ability. In most cases, participants who have required accommodations in the past will no longer need to apply for accommodations when using the CE Online Program.

However, FINRA recognizes that some CE participants may require additional assistance beyond what CE Online provides. Participants or firms may choose to apply for an accommodation for reader, a recorder or both, if needed.

Learn more about Accommodations for CE Participants

Firm Element

The Firm Element of the FINRA CE Program requires broker-dealers to establish a formal training program to keep covered registered persons up to date on job- and product-related subjects. In planning, developing and implementing the Firm Element, each broker-dealer must consider its size, structure, scope of business and regulatory concerns.

Each broker-dealer must administer its Firm Element CE Program in accordance with its annual Needs Analysis and Written Training Plan, and maintain records documenting the content and completion of the program.

FINRA publishes the Securities Industry Regulatory Council’s Firm Element Advisory, which identifies and recommends pertinent regulatory and sales practice issues for firms to consider including in their Firm Element training plans. Learn more about Firm Element guidelines with our Guide to Firm Element Needs Analysis and Training Plan Development.

To learn more, visit the Securities Industry/Regulatory Council on Continuing Education (CE Council) website. It contains a wide range of CE information and publications regarding the Regulatory Element and Firm Element.

If you have questions about FINRA Rule 1240 and the CE Program or require assistance, please contact the FINRA Call Center (see the Contact Us section for more information).

See also: E-Learning Courses from FINRA

IAR CE

A registered representative who is also registered as an investment adviser representative (IAR) may be subject to IAR CE requirements beginning in 2022. For information about IAR CE, please visit NASAA’s IAR CE page.