Failed twice. Two little kids. Single Mom. Full-time job. Going back to School. Today, I finally passed the Series 7!!! 🍾

If I can do it, you can do it too! Be true to yourself and stop with the excuses.

I’m not going to lie: this was one of the most annoying, frustrating, demanding, and humbling experiences. But I PASSED!!!

There’s no easy way out but through. Read the damn textbook, take the quizzes, and spend time understanding what you got wrong. The guys on YouTube made the material so much easier—and sometimes even fun—to understand, but I still had to put in the work. I had to be honest with myself about what I actually understood and what needed another read.

I passed the SIE in 2022 and kept putting off the Series 7. First, it was, “I’ll study after winter. I want to snowboard.” Then it became, “It’s spring. I want to be outside. I’ll try in a few months.” There was always something.

When I finally tested, I hadn’t given myself enough time to really understand the concepts. I failed twice, and I felt so discouraged.

Recently, I was told my SIE was approaching expiration, and that was the push I needed to give the Series 7 another serious shot. With two little kids, a full-time job, and college courses starting, squeezing in studying felt almost impossible. But I also knew there was never going to be a magically perfect time. I had to stop putting it off.

I used Kaplan as my main study provider. My practice scores weren’t where I wanted them to be—not on Kaplan, Achievable, STC, or Ken’s second exam. That honestly messed with my confidence.

During the last two days, I stopped taking full practice exams and focused heavily on Function 3 and reviewing the concepts I was struggling with. I listened to videos while getting ready and on my commute. After putting the kids down, I listened to the audiobook. Basically, anytime my toddler and infant wasn’t glued to me (which is kind of never), I was studying. 😂

Options were a huge on my draw and I’m very glad I put that time in. I also got a lot of suitability, munis and variable annuities. 1 current yield, education accounts, margin, and retirement accounts. My biggest takeaway was that I needed to understand why an answer made sense instead of just recognizing it from a practice question.

I’ve lurked on this subreddit for almost a two or three years, and so many passing posts mention that “confidence is key.” I used to think that was such a cliché. But now I get it.

For me, confidence meant trusting the work I had put in and not letting a difficult question convince me I was going to fail again. Practice questions, reviewing weak areas, and learning to keep my nerves from taking over all mattered.

I walked in determined to leave with good news to share with my family and friends. This time, I did. 🥹

If you’re studying after your kids go to bed, trying to fit this around work, or picking yourself back up after a failed attempt, I see you. Failing twice hurt, but I’m so glad I gave myself another chance.

Tonight, I’m celebrating with champagne and a really good red wine. I finally passed this damn beast!!! 🍾