I am a Navy Officer about 1 year away from retirement in Hawaii.  Rather than taking a job as a defense related contractor I would like to break free of the DoD and become a Financial Planner.  I have a BS in Economics and an MBA.

Question:  What can I do now in my final year of active duty to speed my transition?  Could I study for and take the Series 7 exam now?  I want to minimize the time between retirement and building my business.  How soon after joining a firm could I take the Series 7 exam, assuming that I studied for it in advance?

Any other advice or thoughts?