Banker vs trader

The differences between bankers and traders can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a trader has an average salary of $90,179, which is higher than the $44,463 average annual salary of a banker.

The top three skills for a banker include taking care, financial services and securities. The most important skills for a trader are portfolio, financial markets, and derivative.

Banker vs trader overview

	Banker	Trader
Yearly salary	$44,463	$90,179
Hourly rate	$21.38	$43.36
Growth rate	10%	10%
Number of jobs	29,725	17,351
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 56%	Bachelor's Degree, 78%
Average age	43	43
Years of experience	4	-

What does a banker do?

A banker is primarily responsible for assisting clients with their banking needs, particularly when withdrawing, depositing, and paying. Aside from handling transactions, bankers are also mainly responsible for opening and closing accounts, processing requirements, verifying the validity of documentation, recommending services and other financial options to clients, and resolving inquiries and concerns. A banker may answer calls and correspondence, coordinate with other banking personnel, maintain accurate data, and discuss conditions to clients thoroughly. Furthermore, because a banker mainly works with clients, it is essential to attain customer satisfaction.

What does a trader do?

A trader is responsible for buying and selling financial instruments for a firm or an individual, monitoring stock movements, and analyzing price fluctuations. Traders focus on short-term and long-term trades, depending on their customers' demands and best interests. In some cases, traders also act as financial advisors to their clients, providing financial management support, and handling their account investments. A trader must have excellent knowledge of the financial industry and must be highly-analytical, dealing with consistent changes in the stock market and maintain smart decisions to achieve their clients' financial goals.

Banker vs trader salary

Bankers and traders have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Banker	Trader
Average salary	$44,463	$90,179
Salary range	Between $20,000 And $97,000	Between $56,000 And $144,000
Highest paying City	New York, NY	White Plains, NY
Highest paying state	New York	New York
Best paying company	Citi	The Citadel
Best paying industry	Finance	Finance

Differences between banker and trader education

There are a few differences between a banker and a trader in terms of educational background:

	Banker	Trader
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 56%	Bachelor's Degree, 78%
Most common major	Business	Finance
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

Banker vs trader demographics

Here are the differences between bankers' and traders' demographics:

	Banker	Trader
Average age	43	43
Gender ratio	Male, 46.3% Female, 53.7%	Male, 82.1% Female, 17.9%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 5.5% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 11.4% Asian, 12.3% White, 66.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%	Black or African American, 5.5% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 11.5% Asian, 12.4% White, 66.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage	6%	6%

Differences between banker and trader duties and responsibilities

Banker example responsibilities.

Manage a mortgage, banking and securities base lending pipeline for one of the top lending branches in the firm.
Manage a variety of internal initiatives including merchandising, cross-selling, customer retention programs and promotional campaigns.
Earn numerous reward certificates for level of sales and customer service through QA.
Qualify potential members for membership by opening checking accounts, savings accounts, IRAs, CDs, and processing loan applications.
Follow appropriate VL guidelines to ensure compliance with QA and banking regulations.
Pass series 6 , 63 and insurance exams as registered member of FINRA.

Trader example responsibilities.

Manage Smithtown branch office ensuring compliance with NASD regulations.
Manage and hedge generation within PJM, MISO, and ERCOT.
Manage options trading to ensure a positive ROI within a volatile market.
Initiate and manage financial, physical and virtual trades resulting in a positive PnL.
Manage products with the supply chain warehouses and interface with both corporate logistics and common carriers.
Coordinate MBS and whole loan delivers to ensure settlements are achieve to minimize extension and pair off fees.

Banker vs trader skills

Common banker skills

Taking Care, 15%
Financial Services, 10%
Securities, 6%
Bank Products, 5%
NMLS, 5%
Upselling, 4%

Common trader skills

Portfolio, 13%
Financial Markets, 6%
Derivative, 5%
Fixed Income, 5%
Equities, 4%
Securities, 4%