For financial advisors
Become a Registered Federal Benefits Specialist℠
Federal employees deserve advisors who actually understand their world. The RFBS℠ designation gives you the training, the credibility, and the ethical framework to serve them at the level the work requires.
- CFP® CE credits
- 11
- Virtual sessions
- 3 × 4.5h
- In-person option
- 2 days
What you earn
The RFBS℠ designation
- Right to use the RFBS℠ service mark in your practice
- Listing in the public RFBS℠ directory federal employees search
- Federal-benefits curriculum built on 37+ years of practitioner experience
- Code of Ethics that gives federal-employee clients a real signal of trust
- No lead fees. No per-inquiry charges. Ever.
Why federal benefits?
A 2.8-million-person market most advisors aren’t trained for.
Federal employees navigate FERS, the Thrift Savings Plan, FEGLI, FEHB, Medicare coordination, Social Security integration, and a thicket of special provisions — and most private-sector training programs barely touch any of it. The advisors who do this work well become indispensable to a stable, educated, multi-million-person client base.
The RFBS℠ designation is built specifically for that work. It identifies you as an advisor who has put in the training, passed the exam, and signed onto a public Code of Ethics tailored to the federal-benefits context.
The program
Built and delivered by FedEd Academy™.
The RFBS℠ curriculum is delivered through the FedEd Academy™ program — three virtual half-day sessions, or two full in-person days, with live instruction by practitioners who have done this work in the field.
Pre-class study guide
Get oriented before the live sessions begin so you arrive ready to engage.
Live instruction
Three 4.5-hour virtual sessions or two full in-person days, taught by federal-benefits practitioners.
Classroom workbook
Take detailed notes inside a structured workbook organized around real client decisions.
Marketing manual
Practical guidance on how to prospect, position, and serve federal employees and agencies.
ReadyRetire Solutions
Access to the Federal Gap Calculator to model retirement scenarios with your clients.
11 hours of CFP® CE
Approved continuing-education credit for CFP® professionals as part of the program.
Your path to the designation
Five steps. No surprises.
- 1
Apply
Submit the interest form. We’ll confirm fit and walk you through the next class options.
- 2
Complete the curriculum
Attend virtual or in-person FedEd Academy™ sessions and complete the materials.
- 3
Pass the exam
Sit for the proctored RFBS℠ examination to validate your federal-benefits competence.
- 4
Sign the Code
Execute the RFBS℠ Code of Ethics, Code of Conduct, and Designee Agreement.
- 5
Activate
Get listed in the public RFBS℠ directory and start using the mark in your practice.
Eligibility
Who the RFBS℠ designation is built for.
The designation is intended for financial professionals who already hold (or work in partnership with someone who holds) the licenses required to serve clients in their state. We welcome a range of backgrounds:
- Registered representatives (Series 6, 7, 24, 63, 65, 66)
- Investment Adviser Representatives
- Life and health insurance producers
- CFP®, ChFC®, CLU®, CFA®, CPA, JD
- Federal-benefits educators
- Advisors transitioning into the federal market
Specific eligibility criteria, prerequisite experience, and any required licensure are confirmed during the application process. The designation itself does not authorize the practice of law, the provision of investment advice, or the sale of securities or insurance — those activities require separate licensure that each designee maintains on their own.
Designation requirements
What it takes to qualify.
Candidates must meet two of the following requirements before sitting for the RFBS℠ examination:
- 1A bachelor’s degree (or higher) in business, finance, or economics — or a minimum of two years of relevant industry experience.
- 2A state insurance license, or a Series 6, 7, 24, 65, or 66 registration.
- 3One of the following credentials:
- Chartered Financial Consultant (ChFC®)
- Chartered Life Underwriter (CLU®)
- Certified Financial Planner (CFP®)
- Master’s degree in business, finance, or economics
- Attorney’s license (JD)
- Certified Public Accountant (CPA)
Special classification
Federal employees working in human resources or workforce development may qualify for the RFBS℠ designation under a separate pathway, independent of the requirements above.
Requirements are confirmed during the application process. Meeting the requirements above establishes eligibility to sit for the RFBS℠ examination — it does not, by itself, confer the designation.
Investment
Transparent, simple, and free of pay-to-play.
We believe the cost of earning a designation should be the cost of the education that backs it — nothing more.
Class tuition
The FedEd Academy™ curriculum that qualifies you to sit for the RFBS℠ exam. Current tuition and class dates are published at fededacademy.com.
Annual maintenance
A flat annual fee paid to FEBA to remain in active RFBS℠ status, support the directory, verification system, and Code of Ethics process.
Continuing education
Designees complete continuing education on the schedule established by FEBA to keep the designation current.
No lead fees. No per-inquiry charges. No revenue shares.
FEBA does not charge designees lead-generation fees, per-inquiry fees, directory-placement fees, or any percentage of revenue earned from clients introduced through this website. The directory exists to serve federal employees, not to monetize them.
Tuition and maintenance fees are set by FEBA and FedEd Academy™ and may change. Final figures are confirmed during the application process.
A real ethical framework
Every designee signs the RFBS℠ Code of Ethics.
Ten core principles. Specific standards of conduct for working with clients and marketing your practice. A published disciplinary process with sanctions ranging from a private caution to permanent revocation. A public complaint pathway. This is the framework you’re joining.
FAQ
The questions advisors ask first.
- How long does the program take?
- The live portion is three virtual half-days (4.5 hours each) or two full in-person days. Most advisors complete the full pathway — including pre-work, exam, and onboarding — within four to six weeks.
- Do I need to be a CFP® or hold a specific license?
- No single credential is required. The RFBS℠ designation focuses on federal-benefits competence; the licenses you maintain to provide regulated services are separate. We confirm fit during the application process.
- Is the designation FINRA-registered?
- The RFBS℠ trademark is the subject of an intent-to-use application with the USPTO. Per FINRA’s professional-designations framework, the program publishes its requirements, code of ethics, disciplinary process, and a public designee directory.
- Does FEBA take a cut of my client revenue?
- No. There are no lead fees, per-inquiry fees, placement fees, or revenue shares. Designees pay class tuition and an annual maintenance fee. That’s it.
- What is FedEd Academy™’s relationship to FEBA?
- FedEd Academy™ is FEBA’s educational arm and delivers the curriculum that qualifies advisors to sit for the RFBS℠ exam. FEBA owns and operates the designation itself.
- What happens if I let my designation lapse?
- Designees who stop meeting CE or maintenance-fee requirements move to inactive status and are removed from the public directory. Reinstatement is possible by satisfying current requirements.
- Can I still serve non-federal clients?
- Absolutely. The RFBS℠ designation is a specialty signal — not an exclusivity requirement. Most designees serve a mix of federal and non-federal clients.
Request information
Tell us about your practice.
Submit the form below and a member of the RFBS℠ program team will reach out within two business days to discuss next class dates, eligibility, and how the designation fits your practice. Prefer to enroll directly? Go to FedEd Academy ↗.