Financial advisors who sell insurance products such as home, medical and auto insurance must be licensed in the state where they do business. Although similar from state to state, each state has its own licensing requirements. Different types of insurance products often require unique licensing; for example, heath insurance and life insurance fall under separate licenses in most states. However, training and licensing companies that provide one type of insurance education and licensing usually provide the other insurance course you may need. There are a variety of professional education companies that specialize in education and testing specifically for professional licensing, such as insurance. Schools include ProSchools, LearnInsurance and Agent Broker Training Center.
Stockbrokers sell products that range beyond stocks including some types of annuities, life insurance and bonds, which are known as registered securities. The definition of a registered security is complex, but it generally means its sale is restricted as well as regulated and registered by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Financial advisors who sell registered securities must be licensed, and the required tests are the Series 7 and Series 63. The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) oversees the education, testing and licensing for securities sales. In addition to ProSchools and Agent Broker Training Center, Global Career Schools provides Series 7 and 63 courses.
While the term "financial planner" is used broadly, the Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards administers the CFP designation to create a standard and clear definition for financial planners. While professionals can be nearly any combination of insurance salesperson, stockbroker, accountant and financial planner, a financial planner may specifically connote a fee-based planner. Fee-based planners typically are not sales people; they charge clients to create custom financial plans as a consultant rather than as a salesperson. The same schools that provide insurance and stockbroker's licenses are likely to provide courses and licensing for the CFP designation, which now requires a bachelor's degree as a prerequisite, whereas stockbrokers and insurance salespeople are not required to have a college degree.
Accountants dispense financial advice, but they usually don't define themselves as financial advisors unless they are selling financial products as part of their business. If they are, in addition to their accounting degree, the appropriate courses and licensing listed in the other sections are usually required.