Career Path

Financial Analyst

Overview

In this career, your responsibilities may include:

Analyzing the performance of stocks, bonds, and other kinds of investments.
Advising businesses and individuals in their investment decision making.

Job Titles

In your job search, you may find job listings for this career under different titles. You can find some examples of these, as well as more information about this career, at Career One Stop.

Academic Requirements

Typically requires a bachelor’s degree. Obtaining a master’s degree can make you eligible for careers with greater responsibility and higher salaries in this career pathway, if you do not already have the U.S. equivalent of a master’s degree.

Certification

Certification is not required, but could make employers more likely to hire you or offer you a higher salary.

You may be eligible for Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) certification.
Licensure

No licensure is required to work as a Financial Analyst except to sell financial products, which only applies to some financial analyst positions. The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) is the licensing organization for this industry. However, job applicants are not expected to hold these licenses before gaining employment, as most of the licenses require employer sponsorship.