Top 15 Careers In Finance That Are Marketable

A career in finance is an excellent choice to make. It offers a variety of job opportunities that comes with outstanding salaries and bonuses. You can earn six to seven figures only if you choose the right career path. So here are the highest-paying careers in finance

In this article, we will discuss the different careers in finance degrees, corresponding salaries, and skills for finance majors.

The best way to secure top-paying jobs in finance is to meet the required academic qualifications, skills, and on-the-job experience.

With a degree in finance, you will have many excellent skills that can apply to a wide range of positions.

Table of contents

What Is Finance?

Finance is a broad term that describes all the activities that deal with managing, creating, and studying money. It includes financial activities like investing, borrowing, budgeting, saving, and lending.

It deals with the questions of how and why an individual, corporate organization, or government acquires money needed and how they spend the money they’ve acquired.

Additionally, “finance” is a general term for the “finance system.” This involves the financial markets that allow money to flow through investments and other financial instruments.

According to Wikipedia, A significant focus within the finance sector is investment management – money management for individuals and asset management for institutions – and finance then includes the associated activities of securities trading and stockbroking, investment banking, financial engineering, and risk management.

Hence, due to its broad scope, finance is studied in different academic disciplines, and several related professional qualifications can lead to the field.

Why A Career In Finance?

A Career In finance comes with a lot of benefits. Whether you become an investment banker, a financial manager, or a financial advisor, a career in finance will expose you to real-world, business-oriented critical thinking and problem-solving skills.

Today, Businesses, companies, and government agencies realize the value of mindfully managing their assets.

For this reason, financial planners, analysts, managers, and executives are in high demand. The expertise and guidance of these professionals can pave the way for a company’s or an individual’s fruitful future.

What Skills Do I Need For A Career In Finance?

Regarding careers in finance, professionals need analytical skills to dissect financial statements and appraise the financial standing of companies and other entities.

As a professional, you must also demonstrate a commitment to continuous learning to keep your skills relevant and remain aware of trends in the finance sector. To succeed in any finance position, you must meet the following;

  • Understand accounting principles as well as the foundations of financial management.
  • Ability to assess the quantitative and qualitative dimensions of business problems and evaluate the financial implications of corporate and individual actions.
  • Strong interpersonal and communication skills.
  • Acquire the ability to deal with spreadsheets and other software to process and represent financial data.

What Education and Certification Do I Need To Secure The Highest Paying Careers In Finance?

In finance, you can choose various degrees depending on your specific interests.

If you are focusing on getting the highest-paying careers in finance beyond a bachelor’s degree, you must earn a master’s and even a doctorate. This will make you better suited for management roles in this field.

Here are the three main types of degrees that will qualify you for high-paying jobs in finance.

A bachelor’s degree is the first step and minimum entry-level in pursuing any finance career.

You will gain a comprehensive understanding of financial management, technological expertise, interpersonal skills, and professional insight at this level.

This degree takes four years to complete and prepares you with the fundamentals you will need as a finance professional.

In addition, a bachelor’s degree is a prerequisite for enrollment in a master’s program in this field.

A master’s degree in finance degree takes two years to complete. It is an advanced program that expands upon the fundamentals of finance by focusing on specialized areas of finance.

The two popular options you can consider: a Master of Business Administration (MBA) with a focus on finance and a master’s degree in finance. These degrees provide the skills needed for managerial positions in the field.

A master’s degree in finance will set you apart from your bachelor’s degree counterparts and give you an advantage over your competition in the finance job market.

A doctorate is the highest level of financial education. It prepares you to become an economic researcher and financial instructor and allows you to be qualified for almost any position in the financial world.

A doctorate in finance takes an additional four to five years to complete after obtaining your bachelor’s and master’s degrees.

Top Finance Schools

Read also: 10 Free Online Finance Courses With Certificates In 2024

What Are The Highest Paying Careers In Finance?

A career in finance is an excellent option for individuals skilled in mathematics. There is a wide range of high-paying jobs in this sector with a great job outlook.

Below are some of the best options to consider as you explore careers related to a finance degree.

1. Financial Analyst

Average Salary: $85,660

Job Outlook: 11% growth

Financial analysts examine financial data and use their findings to help companies make business decisions.

This may include forecasting future revenues and expenditures, modeling capital structure, and budgeting. They also advise clients and businesses on how to invest best and diversify their money.

The roles of a financial Analyst include:

  • Determine a company’s value and assess financial risks and prospects.
  • Perform financial forecasting, reporting, and operational metrics tracking.
  • Analyze financial data and create economic models for decision support
  • Report on financial performance and prepare for regular leadership reviews
  • Analyze past results, perform variance analysis, identify trends, and make recommendations for improvements
  • Work closely with the accounting team to ensure accurate financial reporting
  • Evaluate financial performance by comparing and analyzing actual results with plans and forecasts
  • Guide the cost analysis process by establishing and enforcing policies and procedures
  • Provide analysis of trends and projections and recommend actions for optimization

2. Accountant

Average Salary: $70,500

Job Outlook: 10% growth

These professionals are responsible for ensuring an individual or company’s tax information is accurate and done correctly.

They are responsible for preparing and examining financial records. They ensure that records are accurate and that taxes are paid correctly and on time. 

3. Budget Analyst

Average Salary: $76,220

Job Outlook: 7% growth

Budget analysts help individuals, companies, schools, and government agencies organize their finances. They are responsible for ensuring that budget proposals are accurate and compliant with laws and regulations.

A Budget analyst should also possess the following specific qualities;

  • Great analytical skills
  • Communication skills
  • Must be detail-oriented
  • Math skills
  • Writing skills

4. Financial Examiner

Average Salary: $80,180

Job Outlook: 10% growth

Financial examiners keep financial institutions, such as banks, legally compliant. They ensure compliance with laws governing financial institutions and transactions.

Their role is to review balance sheets, evaluate the risk level of loans, evaluate the risk level of financial loans, assess bank management, and check balance.

5. Management Analyst

Average Salary: $83,610

Job Outlook: 14% growth

A management analyst, also referred to as a management consultant, proposes ways to improve a company’s efficiency.

They examine a company’s problems or ineffective procedures and develop improvement solutions.

Management analysis is among the highest-paying finance careers and has a great job prospects.

6. Financial Manager

Average Salary: $127,990

Job Outlook: 19% growth

A financial manager is a top-paying finance job. Professionals in this career are responsible for a company’s financial health.

They must create financial reports and strategies for an organization’s long-term goals and growth.

Financial managers are in high demand. Therefore, individuals in this career have the most excellent chance of finding jobs.

7. Loan Officer

Average Salary: $63,040

Job Outlook: 11% growth

A loan officer is a representative of a bank, credit union, or other financial institution that assists borrowers in applying for loans.

They evaluate creditworthiness and authorize loan approval for individuals or businesses.

8. Personal Finance Advisor

Average Salary: $88,890

Job Outlook: 15% growth

Finance Advisors are a qualified money-management professional who helps clients meet their financial goals.

They work in various settings, from investments, life insurance, college savings, estate planning, taxes, and retirement to personal budgeting help.

9. Investment Banker

Average Salary: $81,000 – $183,000

Job Outlook: 4% growth

Investment banking is an excellent job in the finance sector. Professionals in this career have a wide range of responsibilities that touch many areas of the financial industry.

The responsibility of investment bankers is to raise money for their clients by issuing debt or selling equity in companies for their clients.

They advise clients on investment opportunities and strategies and assist with mergers and acquisitions.

10. Equity Analyst

Average Salary: $64,000 – $164,000

Job Outlook: 6% growth

Equity analysts provide financial guidance and expert knowledge of stocks and bonds to investment advisors and brokers.

While financial analysts consider a broad scope, equity analysts focus on the stocks of companies.

Brokerages or financial firms typically employ them to analyze the value of a company’s stock and make economic predictions about a company.

11. Credit Risk Manager

Average Salary: $67,000 – $134,000

Job Outlook: 16% growth

Credit risk management is a highly quantitative top-paying finance jobs job. Becoming a professional in this field often requires an area-specific master’s degree.

Credit risk managers develop, implement, and maintain policies and protocols that help reduce financial institutions’ credit risk.

They manage the building of financial models that predict credit risk exposure to the organization.

12. Tax Director

Average Salary: $93,994

Job Outlook: 10% growth

Tax directors in finance oversee tax compliance, tax strategies, and tax accounting for financial organizations.

This is a position that typically requires a bachelor’s degree, as well as extensive experience with accounting and taxes.

Usually, tax directors report to the top management of an organization.

13. Statistician 

Average Salary: $84,060

Job Outlook: 33% growth

One of the highest-paying finance careers with the highest job growth is Statistics. The Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts that job growth rates in this career field will rise faster than ones in many other career fields in the near future.

Statisticians use theoretical or applied statistical methods to gather, test, analyze, and summarize data to help solve problems in the industry, academia, and government. 

Their findings are used to improve products, service outcomes, and business decisions.

14. Economist 

Average Salary: $116,020

Job Outlook: 8% growth

Economists conduct research, evaluate data, monitor economic trends, and develop forecasts on various issues, including energy costs, inflation, interest rates, exchange rates, business cycles, taxes, and employment levels. 

They present their findings to government agencies, corporations, and academic research organizations.

A bachelor’s degree is the minimum entry level into this profession. However, you’ll need an advanced degree in finance to gain access to senior-level economist jobs.

Check out:15 Best Economics Masters Programs|Schools, Requirement, Cost

15. Actuary

Average Salary: $102,880

Job Outlook: 22% growth

The actuary is a job in the finance field that analyzes the financial consequences of risk. 

Actuaries use mathematics, statistics, and financial theory to study uncertain future events, especially concerning insurance and pension programs.

They require strong mathematical skills to calculate the likelihood of various events and assess those outcomes’ financial consequences. 

They present their recommendations to managers at their firm and convince others of the soundness of their decisions.

Conclusion

If you are considering a career in finance and don’t know the best option to select from, take advantage of the top-paying finance jobs we’ve highlighted in this article and choose the option that best suits your demand.

Frequently Asked Questions On Highest Paying Careers In Finance

How long does it pay to become a finance practitioner?

It takes 4 years to get a bachelor’s degree and two years post-baccalaureate. The total time is 5-7 years.

What GPA do I need to start a finance degree?

GPA of 3.0 and above.

What is the minimum entry requirement for any finance job?

A bachelor’s degree is the minimum entry requirement for any finance job.

References

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