The role of finance is vital when performing the growth and developmental activities of any economy. For the layman, finance involves acquiring and managing money. Finance has three subcategories- public finance, corporate finance, and personal finance. Each of these three subcategories requires a different mindset and skillset. However, the principles are the same for all three. So, a finance career involves understanding basic accounting principles and how to raise and manage capital efficiently.
Suppose you’re interested in bonds, stocks, financial markets, and other investment types, and you also love the numbers game. In that case, a finance career is worth considering. To do such a thing, you will require a bachelor’s degree and a basic understanding of financial management fundamentals. These include economics, mathematics, auditing, and accounting. Senior-level jobs require a master’s degree with a few years of working experience. Keeping this in mind, let us move on and look at some distinguished finance career options that you can apply for after graduating. Also, we will share each job’s responsibilities, required qualifications and skillsets, and salary prospects.
Financial Advisor
Financial advisors are responsible for discussing the long and short-term financial goals of a company with its owners. They help create personalized and manageable budgets and advise their clients on making sound financial investments and decisions. Additional duties include- assisting clients with their taxes, maintaining compliance, and ensuring that their business practices are legal and safe.
To work as a financial advisor, you will need a bachelor’s degree in finance, accounting, or business from an accredited institution. You might not need a master’s, but it will undoubtedly add value to your resume and increase your employment chances. A financial advisor’s national average salary is around 87,850 dollars per year. However, the upper ten percentile can earn about 96,000 dollars.
Accountant
An accountant typically has to keep track of incoming and outgoing funds for an organization. They consult with their clients regarding taxes and perform audits to ensure that they utilize their money effectively and legally. They also create financial reports and suggest improvements to a budget plan.
To work as an accountant, you will need a bachelor’s degree in either finance or accounting. After completing an undergrad degree, you will need to obtain a campus-based or an online masters in accounting or finance. You can also go for a doctoral-level accounting or finance degree if you want to increase your pay package. Talking about the pay package, accountants earn a national average salary of around 71,550 dollars per year. Though, the upper ten percentile can make 124,450 dollars annually.
Financial Analyst
A financial analyst’s duties include- assessing an organization’s spending plan, adjusting budgets, creating business plans, and much more. They also predict potential future losses and profits and review or update financial statements accordingly.
To work as a financial analyst, you will need a bachelor’s in accounting, business administration, finance, or any other related degree. Employers often prefer a master’s in the field if you want to apply for a more specialized role. A financial analyst’s national average salary is around 81,590 dollars per year, while the upper ten percentile makes 111,760 annually.
Insurance Agent
An insurance agent’s duties include developing personalized insurance policies, sharing quotations, performing risk analyses through quantitative research, answering their client’s finance or insurance-based questions, and much more. They also pitch new and improved insurance policies to their clients.
To work as an insurance agent, a high school diploma or a GED will be enough. You will also need a state-issued license, which involves passing a state licensing exam. Once obtained, you can expect to make anywhere between 50,940 dollars to 125,500 dollars per year.
Investment Manager
Investment managers, well, advise their clients on making sound financial investment decisions. They also offer advice for buying and selling stocks and bonds, meeting with other investment managers for negotiating agreements, underwriting securities, and much more. Additional duties include overseeing acquisitions and mergers, planning for future investments, and conducting market research.
To become an investment manager, you will require a bachelor’s degree in business administration, accounting, finance, or economics. Employers highly prefer individuals who hold a master’s degree in any field mentioned earlier, especially an MBA. An investment manager’s national average salary is around 68,370 dollars per year, while the higher ten percentile makes 208,000 dollars annually.
Business Teacher
Finance graduates have a skill set that includes presentation and communications skills vital for the teaching profession. Business teachers teach their students the fundamentals of accounting marketing, management, and investments. Finance graduates who have a curiosity for business issues and the business world, in general, will be well-suited for such a role.
To choose a business teacher’s career, you will require a bachelor’s in finance, accounting, or business administration. You then have to obtain a master’s, followed by a Ph.D. According to the BLS, a business teacher’s national average salary is around 83,920 dollars per year. However, the upper ten percentile earns approximately 196,980 dollars annually.
Investment Banker
An investment banker raises money for business entities. They work within financial firms or large banks. They help shape deals related to business expansion, mergers, acquisitions, or sales. It also includes buying or selling an organization’s shares or stocks. As such, it gets done to raise money to meet a company’s business objectives. The role of an investment banker is the same as the role of an investment manager. However, an investment banker usually works for a bank or a finance firm. At the same time, an investment manager can only work in a finance firm.
The minimum educational requirement is a bachelor’s degree in finance, accounting, or business administration to work as an investment banker. While it may be possible to move on to a senior role without a master’s degree, it would hurt your chances of promotion if you acquired one. An investment banker’s national average salary is around 90,000 dollars annually, with job growth of 4 percent till the year 2024.
Portfolio Manager
A portfolio manager’s responsibilities include making investment decisions for an organization’s or individual’s portfolio. They manage investment to achieve a clearly defined objective according to portfolio focus (such as growth, value, or cap), desired return goals, or risk levels. A portfolio manager can handle investments for groups of people, an entire organization, or even a single person.
You will require a bachelor’s degree in finance, economics, business administration, or accounting to become a portfolio manager. A master’s degree in one of these fields will also increase your chances of employment. A portfolio manager’s national average salary is around 129,000 dollars per year.
Conclusion
It will be a wise decision to develop a career plan before you decide to opt for any finance degree or certification. Depending on your experience and educational background, a finance career can help you hone particular skills to help you build a more remarkable and more successful finance career in the years to come. So, go ahead and choose from the finance-based job options mentioned above and choose one that suits you the best.
