Is the Series 66 Good for Investment Advisors?
- April 1, 2025
- Posted by: 'FINRA Exam Mastery'
- Category: Finance
📈 Is the Series 66 Good for Investment Advisors?
If you’re pursuing a career as an investment adviser representative (IAR), choosing the right licensing path is critical. One of the most common questions new professionals ask is whether the Series 66 license is a good fit.
The answer: Yes — the Series 66 is specifically designed for investment advisors who also need the flexibility to operate across state lines, offer advice, and recommend securities transactions.
Here’s why the Series 66 is an excellent choice for investment advisors.
🧾 What the Series 66 Covers
✅ State Securities Laws (Blue Sky Laws)
- Uniform Securities Act (USA)
- Registration requirements for individuals and firms
- Administrator authority and procedures
✅ Ethical Business Practices
- Fiduciary duties
- Conflicts of interest and disclosure obligations
- Handling client complaints and maintaining confidentiality
✅ Investment Adviser Regulations
- Rules under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940
- Federal vs. state registration requirements
- Advertising and recordkeeping obligations
✅ Securities Transactions for Clients
- Suitability analysis
- Understanding of various investment vehicles (stocks, bonds, mutual funds, etc.)
🎯 Who Should Take the Series 66?
✅ Financial advisors transitioning into fee-based advisory services
✅ Series 7 license holders seeking state investment adviser representative registration
✅ Professionals who want dual registration as securities agents and investment advisers without taking both Series 63 and Series 65 separately
⚖️ How Series 66 Compares to Other Licenses
| License | Best For | Key Difference |
|---|---|---|
| Series 63 | Basic state law registration for sales reps | No investment adviser focus |
| Series 65 | Solely for investment adviser representatives | No need for Series 7, but broader exam |
| Series 66 | Dual role: securities agent + investment adviser | Must pair with Series 7 license |
🧠 Key Points to Remember
- You must pass both Series 7 and Series 66 to be fully registered for investment advisory and broker-dealer activities in most states.
- Series 66 alone is not enough — it covers laws and ethics, but not product knowledge (that’s Series 7’s role).
- Fiduciary focus is stronger in Series 66 than in traditional brokerage licenses like Series 6 or Series 7.
🚀 Launch Your Investment Advisory Career
The Series 66 is a strategic, efficient path for advisors who want to offer full-service client relationships — including both advice and product transactions — while meeting strict ethical and regulatory standards.
Start your Series 66 exam prep with comprehensive study guides, practice questions, and review modules at:
👉 finra-exam-mastery.com