what does the series 6 allow you to do 
the finra series 6 license allows an individual to act as a registered representative and sell mutual funds variable annuities and unit investment trusts uits these types of investment products are considered to be relatively simple and are often suitable for individual investors who are looking for a way to diversify their portfolios or save for long term financial goals such as retirement holding a series 6 license does not allow an individual to sell other types of securities such as stocks bonds and options if an individual wants to sell these types of securities they would need to obtain a different securities license such as the finra series 7 license individuals who hold a series 6 license may be responsible for providing investment advice and recommendations to clients as well as processing transactions and maintaining accurate records of their activities but limited to the types of securities covered in this license series 6 licensees may work for a brokerage firm bank insurance company or other financial institution and may also be required to adhere to certain ethical and legal standards in the course of their work series 6 vs series 7the series 6 exam is often compared to the series 7 exam the series 6 costs substantially less money and has a shorter test covering less material however a series 6 license is all that some financial advisors investment advisors and retirement planners need such advisors may only need a series 6 license if they just sell insurance annuities and certain types of mutual funds not individual stocks series 6 holders however are not authorized to sell stocks exchange traded funds etfs or bonds this is a significant drawback because etfs generally offer lower fees and are increasingly replacing mutual funds as the preferred investment vehicles among retail investors financial advisors and retirement planners who want to sell etfs must obtain a series 7 license which requires taking a longer and more comprehensive exam that costs more money in comparison to the series 6 the series 7 license is generally considered to be more comprehensive and useful and may open up more job opportunities in the securities industry however the series 6 license may be sufficient for some individuals who are interested in selling mutual funds variable annuities and uits and do not need to sell other types of securities requirements for series 6candidates must be sponsored by a member of finra or a self regulatory organization sro to take the exam there is no prerequisite for the exam but the securities industry essentials sie exam is a corequisite for series 6 before oct 2018 the exam was 100 questions and didn t have the sie corequisite today the series 6 exam contains 50 questions upon receiving a passing grade candidates must then register with finra through their sponsoring firm in order to transact authorized securities holders of the series 6 are considered limited representatives of their sponsoring firm as a limited representative they can sell certain types of mutual funds variable annuities and variable life insurance the exam has a 90 minute time limit and consists of 50 multiple choice questions 2 the passign grade is 70 as outlined by finra the series 6 exam covers four specific sections 3licensees must fulfill continuing education requirements and receive sponsorship from a finra registered company to keep their series 6 licenses 4finra s continuing education program includes two elements a regulatory element and a firm element on the regulatory side finra requires licensees to complete a computer based training session within 120 days of the second anniversary of registration finra also requires a computer based training session every three years after that the firm element requires broker dealers to establish and maintain a continuing education program 