The investment associate is an entry level position and the individual needs to work in a challenging work environment. The investment associate responsibilities mainly thrust on effective building of client relationship, making client presentations, researching and assisting in financial modeling, etc. He/she should be an individual who is willing to work hard and is eager to learn new things that will eventually help him/her in gaining valuable experience in this field. Thus, a significant initiative and efforts need to be taken in order to execute these complex responsibilities successfully.
Key Responsibilities of an Investment Associate
The investment associate plays a key role in evaluating the financial needs of the clients, analyzing their current financial situation, and developing the financial models based on their requirements. He/she supports the structuring of transactions and executing the efforts that will assist in taking high level responsibilities. He/she identifies the business opportunities that will help in taking better investment decisions, assist in preparing the financial marketing material and making the relevant presentations. The major responsibilities that are carried out by this professional include the following:
This professional may need to work on multiple projects and needs to handle them efficiently by making the right use of his/her experience and capabilities. He/she assists the senior personnel for analyzing the prospective clients and takes efforts to include creativity while dealing with multiple projects. He/she tries to establish good working relationship with the clients and makes sure that the clients trust him/her completely, ensuring high levels of confidence in him/her. He/she develops the junior staff members and mentors them to manage and deliver quality work. He/she assists in preparing valuations, writing memorandums, structuring as well as executing the financial transactions and functions as a backup for building relationship with the most important clients. Thus, he/she needs to handle a multitude of responsibilities and duties.
Essential Skills
The individuals aspiring to apply for this position should have strong client management skills and should be able to demonstrate exceptional analytical and modeling skills. He/she should be interested in researching the financial industry and should be able to make effective decisions that would benefit the client/organization. Ability to handle multiple projects with proficiency in MS Office would be of great help. He/she should be able to apply the mathematical, financial and accounting principles and should contribute in coming out with creative solutions.
Educational Background
The basic educational criteria required to be eligible for this position is that an individual should have completed at least a master's degree in business administration combined with relevant working experience in a similar profile. Individuals with advanced degree in finance, economics, accounting, financial management, investment analysis, etc., or those with a CFA designation would also be preferred.
Work Schedule
This professional needs to work for at least forty to fifty hours per week and may be busy towards the end of the quarter. He/she may need to travel sometimes to meet the clients.
Salary Details
According to a survey conducted by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average annual salary offered for this position is in the range of $41,000 to 123,00, which is excluding the cash bonuses. Those with higher qualifications and demonstrated work experience can get a salary package close to $142,000.
Career Scope
The individuals who have better and advanced qualifications like CFM, CFA, or FRM definitely have got better scope for their career to progress to higher positions. They can even sharpen their skills by attending training sessions or professional seminars and conferences and progress their way towards becoming senior investment associates, investment managers, etc.
Therefore, after gaining sufficient knowledge of the relevant skills and educational background that is essential to become an investment associate, it will definitely be much more easier to execute the investment associate responsibilities.