Finance is always an active and exciting career field to explore, particularly during times of recovery and relative economic prosperity. Not all financial jobs are adequately compensated with some that tend to be driven almost entirely on performance while others can be extremely tedious. The following five financial jobs happen to be very popular today, and may be worth pursuing in terms of compensation and job satisfaction.
Wealth management associate
This position is fairly easy to enter during times of prosperity. The modern duties handled by wealth management representatives combine customer service with compliance and selling. Depending on the financial institution, landing one of these jobs may require a college degree or a financial planning certificate.
Treasurer
Finance professionals who have a graduate degree plus a few years of experience in bookkeeping and accounting should strongly consider augmenting their continuing education and joining professional associations so they can become corporate treasurers. Over the last few years, the treasurer position has evolved into the executive title of chief financial officer, and typical compensation starts at £60,000 per year.
Personal financial adviser
The two main career paths that are usually pursued by personal financial advisors involve building their own book of clients. Depending on the scope of their advisory roles, financial advisors must go through a certification and registration process at the state and national levels. The bulk of compensation received by these professionals comes from commissions generated by financial transactions made on behalf of clients.
Mortgage loan officer
Prior to the subprime mortgage meltdown of 2008, the mortgage lending sector suffered from a sore lack of oversight. Those days are largely over and working for a mortgage company these days requires background investigations, registration, licensing, and continuing education. Accordingly, the salary of mortgage loan officers at places like Succeed At Eagle, has become more competitive and can start at more than $50K per year. An aptitude for sales and business development is a requirement at most brokerages and banks.
Financial analyst
This is one of the most coveted positions in the field of finance because it can lead to a lucrative treasurer or CFO position, even without a graduate degree. Financial analysts are highly sought after by investment banking firms. The best candidates need to be sharp observers of accounting principles, capital markets, investment opportunities, and economic trends. Moreover, the best analysts tend to be well-spoken and skilled at writing.
Although an accounting degree is preferred for most of the aforementioned positions, some employers will prefer to hire experienced candidates.
What other popular financial careers are there, and how do you get into them? Tweet us over at @CareerCamel.
Photo: 401(K) 2012 / Flickr
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