The US Bureau of Labor Statistics has revealed that employment in the financial industry will grow by 8% in 2020–2030. The demand for investment managers will remain strong. The development, administration, and control of the financial resources depend on the financial positions. Finetech to investment banking, the investment management industry is full of choices for people seeking a career as an investment manager. Before jumping to the list of 22 best-paying jobs for investment managers, it is necessary to clear the concept of the investment manager.
Investment Manager
Professionals who operate in the financial industry are investment managers. On behalf of the clients, they oversee the management of equity funds, fixed-income securities, stocks, currency, and real estate activities. For their clientele, they guarantee the highest return on investment. Investment managers are experts in picking investments. Their role is to develop and implement effective fund investment policies and strategies. Investment management firms run complex investment portfolios. Therefore, it is the responsibility of investment managers to give their clients technical instructions.
Top 22 Best Paying Investment Manager Jobs
With the growth and development of the financial sector, the demand for skilled professionals is also increasing. Investment managers are responsible for handling finances and contributing to economic growth. Therefore, finance professionals are well-paid. Do you want to start a career in the finance industry? If so, you have come to the right place. We have compiled a list of the top 22 best-paying jobs in investment management.
1. Investment Analyst
The job of an investment analyst is to research potential investment opportunities. They analyze financial statements, assess risk, and provide investment recommendations. They assist traders, fund managers, and stockbrokers in their investment decisions. The investment analyst works under portfolio managers and provides information to ensure that portfolios are well managed. Long hours and frequent travel is involved in the job of investment analysts. Undoubtedly, the role of investment analyst is highly demanding, but it is an attractive career path for motivated professionals.
2. Equity Research Analyst
A financial manager can work as an equity research analyst. Equity research analyst provides information about publicly traded companies. Equity research analysts work for both buy-side and sell-side firms in the securities sector of the financial industry. Equity research managers give independent and objective investment research. They collect and analyze financial information about stocks. Analysts use financial information to build models and strategies to predict future stock scenarios. They issue reports, make recommendations, and make presentations for clients. A background in mathematics and statistics is beneficial for equity research analysts. Equity research analysts earn high income with expertise and accurate project recommendations for companies and stocks.
3. Securities Analyst
A security analyst is a financial manager who researches numerous markets and businesses to produce research-based valuation reports. The analysis of securities is critical to a security analyst’s role. To assist individual and institutional investors in making investment decisions, they perform fundamental or technical studies on the assets traded on the market. They publish reports, conduct company research, and offer suggestions. They give recommendations on whether to buy, sell, or hold. Investment banks, private equity firms, and venture capital firms hire securities analysts. Through mergers and acquisitions, they are crucial to the growth of corporations. They participate in bankruptcy and restructuring procedures that directly or indirectly affect a company’s financial value. The securities analyst is proficient with figures and spreadsheets. They effectively explain the findings of the analysis to clients, management, and other financial professionals in the industry.
4. Senior Investment Manager
Senior investment managers hold top positions because they have extensive knowledge of their fields. They keep an eye on a fund’s investment operations. The senior investment managers are qualified to lead a group of investment managers. They decide, distribute resources, and set tactics. The daily management of portfolio trading falls under the purview of senior investment managers. They choose the correct investments and effectively distribute each investment to the asset management firm. They seek advice from business executives and industry analysts to make their decisions more accurate. They keep an eye on financial sector trends to find the best business to invest in and the best moment to do so.
5. Investment Advisor
Investment advisors are professionals who work closely with clients to determine their financial goals. They create plans to accomplish those goals and objectives. The job of an investment advisor is to convince clients to invest by providing them with advice. Investment advisors recommend securities such as bonds, stocks, mutual funds, or exchange-traded funds for investment. They create investment strategies, suggest assets, and oversee portfolios. An investment advisor needs to communicate with clients. They have expert knowledge and strong communication skills to explain investment ideas clearly. Investment advisors also have a good understanding of the industry. Investment advisors are investment managers, wealth managers, or money managers.
6. Business Development Manager
Business development managers play an integral role in the growth and development of organizations. They are responsible for generating new business opportunities for the asset management company. They find prospective clients and build relationships with them to increase sales. They undertake market research and project management for new market prospects. They also make sales projections and forecast revenue.
7. Portfolio Manager
A portfolio manager is one of the best-paid jobs in the financial industry. The portfolio managers are the investment decision-makers. They are the financial professionals who oversee the investment opportunities for clients in the industry. They have strong analytical skills to make decisions about buying and selling stock. They also monitor the performance of the investment to make profitable investment decisions. They advise and implement investment strategies and work to meet the client’s goals and constraints. They manage portfolios and decide to buy and sell investments at the right time and for the right project.
8. Investment Banking Associates
Competition for investment banking associates will increase because it is difficult to automate or offshore these positions. Investment banking associates are more like investment analysts. They do the entry-level number crunching and financial modeling work. It is the client-facing role in the financial industry. Unlike analysts, investment banking associates are involved with clients to write deal proposals and prepare pitch books. They work on pitches and finance models with due diligence. The investment banking associates are responsible for providing support to the senior bankers. The investment banking associates are in charge of performing support tasks for clients. They ensure efficiency and client satisfaction. Investment banking associates are responsible for identifying and meeting the client’s needs and assisting them in achieving their financial objectives. The investment banking associates work for investment banks.
9. Financial Software Developers
Financial software developers develop, modify, and update software programs for the finance and banking industry. They have experience in analytics development, which helps them build analytics platforms. They are responsible for developing software solutions for the investment industry. The software solutions designed by software developers support portfolio management, portfolio analysis, and managed selection using cloud services. The financial software developers develop new applications or enhance the existing applications and provide ongoing support. They research new technologies, design software, and test the products.
10. Investment Product Manager
Investment product managers develop and manage investment products. They have developed expertise and leadership skills that help to ensure successful product development. Investment product managers possess functional capabilities in portfolio management and investment selection. They seek new market opportunities, develop products and monitor their effectiveness. Investment production managers also design product roadmaps for multi-asset strategies. They lead the development of new products and work with investment, operations, technology, marketing, and account management to execute financial strategy.
11. Manager Of Fund Taxes
The fund tax managers ensure tax compliance and provide appropriate business support. They oversee the tax compliance of the investment funds. They are responsible for preparing tax returns, working with the IRS, and ensuring that the fund complies with industry standards. They learn and understand complex technical issues quickly. They possess strong interpersonal skills to communicate with associates and manage relationships. The fund tax managers are responsible for combining functional knowledge with business acumen to give practical tax advice and navigate complex challenges. Fund tax managers with experience in financial control and accounting can perform well on the job.
12. Investment And Derivatives Manager
The derivative is a security with a price that depends on one or more underlying assets. More specifically, it is a contract between parties. The fluctuation of an asset determines the value of a derivative. The investment and derivative manager manage a portfolio of investments. They are responsible for investment decisions. They monitor the markets and execute trades.
13. Risk Manager For Fixed-Income Investments
The fixed-income risk manager is the financial manager who identifies and manages the risk associated with fixed-income investments. They evaluate new opportunities, monitor portfolios, and mitigate the risk associated with the investment opportunities. A legal or compliance background helps Investment risk managers. Fixed-income investment risk managers assess the impact of new regulations. They assist with audits and participate in new product approval processes. Investment risk managers possess sound knowledge of investment market trends. They pay close attention to all the details.
14. Financial Planners
Financial planners help clients ensure their present and future stability by developing plans. They review the financial goals and objectives of the clients and generate an appropriate strategy for saving and investing. They focus on investment growth. Financial planners are engaged in estate and tax planning activities. They assist in identifying, measuring, and managing risk associated with the investment. They work closely with the investment teams to refine, update and develop the framework, models, and analytics used for evaluation. Financial planners charge a set fee, while they may charge a percentage of assets under management. The financial planners following a commission-based strategy are also making profits.
15. Investment Banker
High salaries and copious cachet seem attractive to investment managers and financial industry professionals. A 22-year-old person with a bachelor’s degree in finance can earn up to six figures as an investment banker. Investment bankers help clients raise money in the capital markets by issuing debt and selling equity. They assist clients with mergers and acquisitions and advise them on unique investment opportunities. Investment bankers directly work in corporations or government branches. Investment bankers advise the boss and the employer on financial decisions. Investment managers are involved in raising money and issuing stock in public trading companies. Experience in investment banking serves as the springboard to more lucrative and prestigious career choices. Investment bankers can also work as venture capital, private equity, and wealth manager.
16. Credit Analyst
The credit analyst is responsible for reviewing the history and financial background of the clients. They analyze the client’s financial health to see if they are a good fit for a loan. They assess clients’ information and make decisions about customer credit applications. The job of a credit analyst is not directly associated with the investment industry, but they play an essential role in finance and investment management. Commercial, investment, and foreign banks offer employment to credit analysts. The credit analyst needs to make sound decisions based on sound judgments. They need to be confident, adaptable, reliable, and motivated individuals.
17. Portfolio Assistant
Portfolio assistants are financial industry professionals who support portfolio managers in all aspects of the job. They develop investment strategies, execute trades, and manage relationships with clients. Portfolio assistants are in charge of preparing documentation and reports for the portfolio managers. They provide information that is useful to bolster the portfolio. They are responsible for keeping an eye on the portfolio and making reports to reflect the status. The portfolio assistant is familiar with different investment strategies. They conduct a technical analysis to forecast future market trends. They also study economic factors through mathematical models to predict market trends.
18. Financial Trader
Financial speculators are the investors who work in the stock market. They also deal with the future and other security. Financial trading is a lucrative career path for people interested in the financial management industry. Financial traders use their knowledge and experience of the financial market to buy and sell shares, bonds, and assets to other investors, including banks and clients. They set prices and execute trades to maximize assets’ value and minimize financial risk. People having an analytical mindset, knowledge of the financial industry, and the capability to make informed decisions can excel as financial traders.
19. Stockbroker
Stockbrokers are financial industry professionals who buy, sell, and trade financial securities for their clients. Stockbrokers work like financial consultants because they help people with different aspects of investment. The stockbroker is responsible for analyzing the stock. They help clients to invest wisely by understanding their need for return on investment and the risk involved in the investment opportunities. Stockbrokers regularly update clients on the status of their investment portfolios. They inform clients about new investment opportunities in the stock market. They source new clients and make changes to the investment strategies according to the market conditions.
20. Economic Analyst
An economic analyst observes and analyzes the state of the economy to assist a company in its decision-making. They are responsible for keeping track of different market trends. They learn the impact of politics and political events and gather data from several departments. Economic analysts produce progress reports and presentations. They mentor other analysts and ensure the implementation of policies and strategies to address core economic issues. They collect and process data through econometric methods and statistical techniques.
21. Underwriter
An underwriter is a member of a financial organization who evaluates and assumes the risk of a client’s mortgage, insurance, loan, or investment. In the investment management industry, underwriters are responsible for raising capital for clients from other investors. Their job role involves the initial public offerings. They sell the stock and bonds to investors. Underwriters usually work for insurance companies or mortgage lending firms. They determine the risk for lenders because they are capable of ascertaining risk.
22. Trading Assistant
Trading assistants perform different tasks to support financial traders. Trading assistants with proper training and experience become financial traders. Trading assistants are in charge of document preparation and processing. They are responsible for data entry and financial analysis. Trading assistants are responsible for customer management, which includes routine correspondence and status updates. The trading assistant ensures compliance with internal policies and applicable regulations. They also help in generating new business by initiating contact with leads and potential clients.
The financial industry has several job opportunities that cater to different skill sets and interests. The most glamorous financial careers are available for investment managers. With the rise of the banking and investment industries, the number of jobs for investment managers is increasing. Investment managers in any of the positions above can earn high salaries and bonuses. A career in investment management is rewarding and fulfilling. The investment management industry is a challenging field that requires dedication and hard work, but the rewards are significant.