How Many Jobs are Available in Investment Managers? +Pro Tips! (2024)

How Many Jobs are Available in Investment Managers?

An investment manager is a very broad title, but a prestigious one nonetheless. This leads to a very common question: how many jobs are available in investment managers?

Even though you may be quick to ask how many jobs are available in investment managers?… the question needs to be rephrased if we are to analyze properly!

Don’t worry, I know what you mean!

How many jobs are available to investment managers?

How many jobs are available for investment managers?

Or…How many jobs are available in investment management?

Now that’s more like it! Let’s get to it!

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Whether you help other persons or businesses to invest their money wisely, while earning a cut….You are part of a team that does it…Or you are a person championing your own investment mission…

There is no better way to get rich than investing!

Investment management is a very lucrative and reputable field of work. And being an investment manager is a very distinguished job title.

However, when it comes down to analyzing the actual jobs in investment management or roles that investment managers play, there is quite a bit to it!

The good news is that if you are drawn to a career in finance and on the hunt for a profitable option, how many jobs are available in investment managers, is a good place to start.

What is Investment Management?

Investment management is the developing and sustaining of a solid investment portfolio, in order to make money over time.This is done by: analyzing potential assets and determining if investing in them is wise, while monitoring current assets to determine how best to handle them.

You handle the established money making assets of your clients, so that they continue making money, or make even more. All while looking for new avenues to increase income even further.

Keep in mind that you are not limited to external clients. Investment managers can handle their own assets and investments, to make money for themselves also.

The objective of investment management is to allocate or shuffle around resources in order to ultimately increase wealth for the investor!

Studying, strategizing and analyzing risks with regards to potential new buys and current assets are all part of investment management.

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What is an Investment Manager?

An investment manager is someone who holds a pivotal or leadership role in the investment management process. They are charged with overseeing the process of investing in additional assets and handling of existing ones.

Before getting to how many jobs are available to investment managers, we must understand their roles. This way, we’d be able to make sense of how the different job titles and functions interlink.

Investment Manager Job Description

Investment managers are responsible for:

1. Monitoring

Monitoring of established (already owned) assets is important so that the investor doesn’t lose money over time.

It is of utmost importance to stay abreast of market trends and have sufficient foresight to buy additional assets or sell off current ones, in a timely, financially efficient manner.

Assets are bought with the intention to earn money over time, not lose.

2. Strategizing

Strategizing is all about making educated plans with regards todiversifying, buying new assets, manipulating current ones or selling as the case may be.

There must be some logic or justification when it comes to investment decisions. That’s where the money making strategy comes in.

Of course, money making plans come with a fair bit of loss minimizing strategies from time to time, as well.

Strategies also need to be future driven, in order to fit into the direction that the industry or world is headed in, with regards to a particular asset or group of assets.

3. Advising

Investment managers are financial experts and their clients rely on that knowledge, to make decisions, to increase their wealth.

Unless you are an investment manager handling your own assets, your role is to act as an advisor to your clients.

4. Analyzing

Investment managers are required to study the financial sector, risks, industries and investment behaviors over time.

This study is then paired with historical trends, personal experience, insider knowledge and an audit of their clients’ own financial statements, to create a comprehensive review.

The analysis can then be used to formulate an investment plan.

5. Predicting

Based on experience, knowledge and awareness, investment managers can predict the behavior of asset values and stocks as it relates to certain industries.

These educated predictions can then be used to make decisions regarding investments.

6. Selecting

Just before actually dedicating funds or resources towards a venture, the venture needs to be selected.

Assets are pin pointed as worthy of attention, money or additional efforts to either grow further or discard as the case may be.

7. Allocating

Allocating is the actual allotting of resources towards a particular asset or investment plan.

The asset as a whole may also be assigned towards a greater project.

9. Solving

Investment managers are also solution providers for their clients. Mitigating risks and diversifying are crucial.

At-risk investments need to be identified and dealt with, as efficiently as possible. And in a manner to protect the other assets in the client’s portfolio.

The Job Categories in Investment Management

In a company that specializes in investment management, there are basically four main job categories.

If you work with an investment management firm, chances are your job would fall into one of these general roles or descriptions:

1. Investment Analysts

Your tasks would be to analyze areas of investment, study market trends and understand the behaviors of specific stocks and shares. All while building your general knowledge and confidence in the field.

This is typically an entry level job, reserved for fresh graduates, or newer persons, with ambitions of pursuing a career in finance.

You would receive on-the-job training, mentorship and maybe even formal training, depending on the development plan of the company you work with.

2. Sales Team Members

Sales team members are responsible for liaising with existing clients, understanding their needs and delivering sales proposals or performance reports to them.

Usually, experienced Investment Analysts get promoted into these positions.

They are the day-to-day contact point between the client and the investment management organization.

Sales team members are also responsible for meeting potential new clients and trying to win additional business for the company.

Sales team members typically have titles such as: Sales Representatives, Business Development Professionals, Client Relations Officers, Account Representatives, or some similar combination of those.

3. Investment Managers

Investment Managers are tasked with overseeing all the Sales Teams and Investment Analysts in a company. Or at the bare minimum, overseeing a section of the company’s operations. Such as, for a specific department.

With years of experience, successful strategizing and analysis as a Sales Team Member, you can eventually become an Investment Manager.

4. Support Function Staff

Support Function Staff are the infrastructural teams that help the investment management team to execute their duties. They basically support the Investment Managers and their staff.

Teams such as the accounting staff, IT department, security personnel, procurement or logistics, all make up the Support Staff.

They support the persons that directly earn the money for the organization.

How Many Jobs are Available in Investment Managers? (Investment Management)

If you are looking for a short answer to the question, how many jobs are available in investment managers? …the answer is a lot! There are thousands of jobs that fall under the umbrella of investment management!

However, these are some of the most popular and best paying ones:

Best Paying Jobs in Investment Managers (Investment Management)

1. Finance Manager

Number of Jobs in the United States: 388K+

Average Annual Salary: $103K

Job Growth Rate (2020 – 2030): 16%

2. Finance Analyst

Number of Jobs in the United States: 387K+

Average Annual Salary: $74K

Job Growth Rate (2020 – 2030): 6%

3. Financial Advisor

Number of Jobs in the United States: 203K+

Average Annual Salary: $85K

Job Growth Rate (2020 – 2030): 7%

4. Financial Research Assistant

Number of Jobs in the United States: 201K+

Average Annual Salary: $31K

Job Growth Rate (2020 – 2030): 20%

5. Wealth Manager

Number of Jobs in the United States: 92K+

Average Annual Salary: $90K

Job Growth Rate (2020 – 2030): 7%

6. Credit Analyst

Number of Jobs in the United States: 65K+

Average Annual Salary: $63K

Job Growth Rate (2020 – 2030): -4%

7. Trader

Number of Jobs in the United States: 30K+

Average Annual Salary: $93K

Job Growth Rate (2020 – 2030): 4%

8. Investment Banking Analyst

Number of Jobs in the United States: 22K+

Average Annual Salary: $109K

Job Growth Rate (2020 – 2030): 6%

9. Equity Trader

Number of Jobs in the United States: 22K+

Average Annual Salary: $98K

Job Growth Rate (2020 – 2030): 4%

10. Investment Portfolio Manager

Number of Jobs in the United States: 15K+

Average Annual Salary: $102K

Job Growth Rate (2020 – 2030): 16%

Additional Jobs Available to Investment Managers

By the time you achieve your investment manager title, you would have acquired years of experience, backed by the required formal trainings and academic credentials.

From this platform, you would then be able to branch off into several different career paths and options, if you wish.

That being said, it is perfectly fine remaining as an Investment / Financial Analyst, Sales Rep or Account Manager or even as an Investment Manager for the remainder of your work life.

As long as your salary and work / life balance is to your liking, there is no need to change.

However, if your CV is full of finance related credentials and you want a bit of a change from investment management, here are some options you can consider:

1. Consulting

Once you have experience under your belt and you are knowledgeable, your expertise would be sought after by struggling companies. Or organizations looking to boost earnings even further.

You can offer private consulting services to any company (or companies) looking to improve their financial performances.

2. Managing Your Own Investments

As we mentioned earlier, many investment managers may opt to develop their own, personal investment portfolio.

As an expert in the field, why shouldn’t you look into making some money for yourself?!

3. Financial Advising

Financial advisors understand asset management, investments and taxes, on a personal and corporate level.

You can branch off from investment management into offering paid financial advice to companies, small business owners, sole proprietors and individuals.

4. Private Equity

Private equity is the investment in, or acquisition of, a private company (or companies), with the intention of increasing its value. By increasing the value of the company, the investor’s stake value would also increase.

Investment managers can use their knowledge to invest in start-ups or struggling companies, put them on the path to profit, and make crazy money.

5. Investor Relations

Maybe, after a while, you just get tired of the hassle of managing a team as an investment manager. You can always go back to customer relations.

Many managers find sales jobs, business development roles and customer interactions stimulating.Why step out of the field when you can just change roles?

You get to wine and dine clients and golf from time to time…at the company’s expense. All in the name of developing business relationships.

Investment Manager Salary

As you now understand, the field of investment management is a big one. Job roles, titles and other specifics vary from company to company. As a result, salaries vary drastically as well.

Investment managers typically earn between $56K and $185K annually, with $102K being the national average in the United States.

Typically, the following factors affect the salary that investment managers receive:

1. Location

Just like any other job, location affects salary.

An investment manager in New York City or Los Angeles makes way more than one in rural Mississippi…just based on the cost of living and salary expectations of the area.

2. Years of Service

As you progress and gain more years of experience, your salary would increase. After 10 years, your salary may be more than double that of when you started.

3. Quality of Experience

The more high profile clients you work with and the more top tier projects you are exposed to, the better your chances are of being promoted. With promotions come more money.

4. Academic Qualifications

Typically, the more job related academic credentials you possess, the better you are paid. Continuing your education, to obtain work related formal certifications, may result in pay increases.

5. Performance

Top performing employees are generally paid higher than low performers. Or at least they should.

Closing big deals and generating income for the company would come with its rewards.

6. Additional Bonuses

An investment manager’s salary would generally come with additional non-cash incentives, such as free health insurance, club memberships, etc. Performance bonuses such as end-of-year cash rewards are also part of the deal.

The compensation needs to be reviewed as a package, and not just as the salary alone.

Is Investment Management a Good Career Path?

A frequently asked question out there is:

Is investment managers a good career path?

As we started this article saying and I’m sure you understand now…this question needs to be slightly rephrased!

Is investment management a good career path? Or…Is a being an investment manager a good career path?The answer is YES!

Here’s why:

1. Investment Management is Profitable

As we mentioned earlier, an investment manager in the United States, earns an average of $102K annually. That’s a six figure salary! And everyone loves a six figure salary!

The key takeaway, when it comes to assessing investment managers’ salaries, is that as long as you are smart and approach your job with diligence, promotions and high salaries will come naturally.

Additionally, when we touched on the how many jobs are available in investment managers question, we saw that there are many job titles that exist under the investment management umbrella.

All of these rake in six figures as well! Even the entry level roles are still well paid and you can get promoted into earning over $100K in a relatively short time.

Depending on where you look, an investment manager title may also be used interchangeably with a financial manager title.

Financial managers earn between $96K and $186K, per year! With the median being $134K! Cha-ching!

2. Investment Management is Emotionally Rewarding

Everyone wants to feel as though they make a difference when they go to work. Emotional satisfaction makes your job more than just a monotonous formality, for the sake of earning a living.

By making good investment calls, being part of a team that earns money for their clients, and all the happy faces that come from your decisions…the job is satisfying.

Hard work yields rewards…financially and emotionally!

3. Investment Managers have Many Career Options

Investment management is a broad term…we understand that now. That means a whole world of options for finance professionals!

Someone pursuing a career in finance can not only work their way up to becoming an investment manager, but be satisfied with one of the job titles that comes along the way.

There are also a ton of lateral options that their career path may also follow.

In addition to consulting or freelancing as a finance expert, you have the choice of working with brokerage firms, insurance companies, banks and other financial institutions who hire finance analysts.

4. Investment Management is Fun and Interesting

Your job is supposed to be stimulating and challenging. That’s the sweet spot between boring / tedious and intense / exhausting.

With investment management, your sense of innovation is always challenged. You work with unique clients to customize investment portfolios, to tackle an ever changing global financial landscape.

Basically, you get pushed to constantly come up with clever ways to make money, while being exposed to something different on a regular basis.

5. Investment Managers have Room for Growth

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics has forecasted that there would be a 17% increase in finance related jobs between 2020 and 2030.

That’s over 64 thousand new jobs that would be available in the finance field!

It goes without saying…a job in the finance sector is a solid career choice. The industry is definitely not going anywhere anytime soon and actually on the rise.

As robots, computers and automation take over many other industries, people still remain the core of the finance world!

Ideally, if you pair some tech skills with solid financial training and formal education, you’d definitely make it far in the finance world!

How to become an Investment Manager?

In order to become an investment manager, you need a combination of at least a Bachelor’s Degree in a business or finance related area, paired with hard work and dedication. Registered representatives need to pass additional exams, depending on their state of operation.

Formal Education

Most finance firms require their investment managers to have a Bachelor’s Degree in Business, Finance, Economics or in some cases, Mathematics. Many companies also favor candidates with Master’s or MBA Degrees.

Additional Skills

A Bachelor’s or Master’s Degree is just the basic, formal education that you’d need to possess, to get your foot in the door though.

In order to to make it as a successful investment manager, you’d need discipline and dedication, coupled with innovative skills, intuition and problem solving abilities!

Special Requirements

In order to be hired as a registered representative of a broker-dealer or investment company in the United States, in addition to having the qualifications listed above, you are required to:

1. Pass the Series 7 Exam

The Series 7 exam is a six hour test that covers a broad range of finance and investment rules and products.

It tackles topics such as: stocks, bonds, IRAs, annuities, mutual funds, stock options. As well as…required paperwork or documentation, ethics and transaction execution.

2. Pass the Series 63 or Series 66 Exams

Depending on the requirements for registered financial representatives in your state, passing the Series 63 or Series 66 exams may be necessary.

Pro Tips for becoming an Investment Manager

1. Develop the skills to set you apart from the crowd

As seen earlier, a finance or business related Bachelor’s or Master’s Degree would get you within the Investment Management radar.

The following skills would set you apart from the rest, and guarantee success in the field:

1. Good communication skills

2. Strong analytical abilities

3. Decent interpersonal skills

4. Keenness to work in a fast-paced environment

5. Having a team oriented spirit

6. Having a customer focused attitude

7. Eagerness to learn

8. Humility when working with more experienced persons

9. Confidence in your own abilities

10. Good organizational and time management skills

11. Ability to multi-task

12. Having a likeable personality

13. Possessing a natural passion for the finance sector

2. Understand the job requirements

Make sure that you understand what the job entails and you actually like it. Don’t be persuaded just by the salary and the idea of a prestigious title.

Subject areas such as Risk Management, Accounting, Stocks, Taxes and other finance matters would need to be your specialty. Understand them and love them!

3. Build your experience

Getting internships with finance firms would be golden in terms of building your experience, early on. You’d gain hands on experience and build your network of contacts.

4. Build your Qualifications

You should be looking towards at least securing a finance or business related Bachelor’s Degree if you are interested in an investment management career.

Thinking about pursuing an MBA is also a wise idea. Remember, if a finance job is your goal, focus on specializing in finance related qualifications.

Becoming certified by the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) Institute would also make you attractive to employers and potential clients. This is a globally recognized credential.

5. Work on Nailing an Interview

You want to express a passion for investment, the stock market and the finance market. An interviewer would want to see this expressed naturally.

Be committed to the idea of investing and know about a few different stocks. You need to be acquainted with a few stocks that peak your interest and be able to defend why you would like to invest in them.

Be familiar with finance market trends, the direction it is headed and certain big events that took place or are on the verge of happening.

Have an opinion but be willing to be challenged on it.

Be open to a polite discussion or debate.

Do not pretend to know about something if you don’t.

6. Know how to find investment manager jobs

1. Online– There are tons of jobs available online. Just do a quick Google search for “finance jobs”, “investment jobs” or “financial management jobs” and you should be good to go.

These searches may also take you to specialized job sites which would get you options to send off your CV.

2. Recruitment Firms– Try to get in contact with recruitment companies.

They specialize in directing “man power” to companies and are a good channel to get you into the firm of your dreams.

3. Networking– Go to industry events, meet and greets and try to develop connections with persons in the industry. Make use of professional networking sites as well.

7. Be prepared for the future of investment management

As you saw, there is a prediction for a huge demand for investment management professionals in the future. That being said, many companies are also restructuring, automating and conforming to a more digital landscape.

New technologies, the global economy and performances of various stocks and the stock market as a whole, would determine the direction that the finance sector is headed.

Be prepared for the future and be adaptable!

Frequently Asked Questions for Jobs in Investment Management

FAQ: Where do investment managers work?

Investment managers work with financial firms such as: banks, insurance companies, stockbrokerage firms and investment banks. They may also work as private consultants or by “playing the market” and managing their own investment portfolios.

FAQ: What is the work of an investment manager?

Investment managers work by managing the investment portfolios of their clients. Their job is to come up with ideas to meet their clients’ investment objectives and to make them more money, over time.

Investment managers work on risk mitigation strategies and analysis of stocks and other assets.

FAQ: What makes a good investment manager?

A good investment manager is educated, experienced in dealing with the finance market, innovative, adaptable and possesses good problem solving abilities. All while having good communication and interpersonal skills.

FAQ: How do I choose an investment manager?

An investment manager should be someone with solid educational qualifications, that is accredited and legally recognized! They should have experience delivering success to previous clients, work with a recognized firm, and have personal skills that are to your liking and level of comfort.

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Final Thoughts on Jobs in Investment Management

Now you not only know how many jobs are available in investment managers, but all the must know details of the field of investment management and the roles that investment managers play!

Do you have any other thoughts on jobs in investment management? Share with us in the comments below. We’d love to hear from you!

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How Many Jobs are Available in Investment Managers? – The Guide to Investment Management Jobs!