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Finance analyst vs business partner

The differences between finance analysts and business partners can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become a finance analyst, becoming a business partner takes usually requires 8-10 years. Additionally, a business partner has an average salary of $96,324, which is higher than the $69,887 average annual salary of a finance analyst.

The top three skills for a finance analyst include financial analysis, financial models and financial data. The most important skills for a business partner are analytics, project management, and customer service.

Finance analyst vs business partner overview

Finance AnalystBusiness Partner
Yearly salary$69,887$96,324
Hourly rate$33.60$46.31
Growth rate9%10%
Number of jobs138,600106,251
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 76%Bachelor's Degree, 65%
Average age4039
Years of experience410

What does a finance analyst do?

A finance analyst is responsible for evaluating a company's financial data and historical reports to assess investment opportunities and provide accurate financial statements in support of business strategies and company performance prediction. A financial analyst's duties also include suggesting recommendations to boost operations efficiency and grow revenues, researching the current market performance and economic trends to adjust budget goals as needed, and managing client portfolios. Finance analysts must have excellent critical and analytical thinking skills to identify the best actions for the company's profitability.

What does a business partner do?

A business partner is an individual who is involved in a legal business partnership with other individuals to manage a business as co-owners. Business partners invest their money into the business, and each partner benefits from any profits and sustains part of any losses. They must file with the state in which they do business and are governed mostly by state laws. Business partners can also be either liable or not for the actions taken by the company.

Finance analyst vs business partner salary

Finance analysts and business partners have different pay scales, as shown below.

Finance AnalystBusiness Partner
Average salary$69,887$96,324
Salary rangeBetween $46,000 And $104,000Between $66,000 And $140,000
Highest paying CitySan Francisco, CASan Francisco, CA
Highest paying stateConnecticutWashington
Best paying companyThe CitadelZS
Best paying industryFinanceTechnology

Differences between finance analyst and business partner education

There are a few differences between a finance analyst and a business partner in terms of educational background:

Finance AnalystBusiness Partner
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 76%Bachelor's Degree, 65%
Most common majorBusinessBusiness
Most common collegeUniversity of PennsylvaniaUniversity of Georgia

Finance analyst vs business partner demographics

Here are the differences between finance analysts' and business partners' demographics:

Finance AnalystBusiness Partner
Average age4039
Gender ratioMale, 56.2% Female, 43.8%Male, 56.2% Female, 43.8%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 5.6% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 7.7% Asian, 14.1% White, 68.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1%Black or African American, 3.0% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 8.7% Asian, 8.2% White, 74.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage7%10%

Differences between finance analyst and business partner duties and responsibilities

Finance analyst example responsibilities.

  • Manage company asset accounts, wire funds to clients and record and structure amounts into QuickBooks.
  • Manage the UAT team involve in the testing of an enterprise accounting and project management software.
  • Manage customer portfolio to department KPI's, target balance, aging metrics, cash recovery and write-off tolerance.
  • Manage contract database and SalesForce for historical research and financial reporting purposes.
  • Manage and maintain information in worldwide-military database which include exemptions, transfers, retirements, and payroll records.
  • Accomplish project accounting functions including project costing, time reporting, project accruals and proper capitalization of development costs.
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Business partner example responsibilities.

  • Manage publicity online, in medias such as Facebook and Instagram.
  • Negotiate and manage vendor relations using SLA's and metric management.
  • Lead the establishment of key ERP, database and java applications environments.
  • Implement and manage social media strategies and blog content as well as customer relationships on Salesforce.com.
  • Lead all operational, financial and customer relationship aspects of MMI's largest global OEM customer, IBM.
  • Plan, manage, supervise and lead the development, QA, UAT and deployment efforts towards on time delivery.
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Finance analyst vs business partner skills

Common finance analyst skills
  • Financial Analysis, 9%
  • Financial Models, 5%
  • Financial Data, 5%
  • Strong Analytical, 4%
  • Variance Analysis, 4%
  • Hyperion, 3%
Common business partner skills
  • Analytics, 8%
  • Project Management, 7%
  • Customer Service, 6%
  • Human Resources, 5%
  • Performance Management, 5%
  • Excellent Interpersonal, 4%

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