Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between finance analysts and investment analysts can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a finance analyst and an investment analyst. Additionally, an investment analyst has an average salary of $79,056, 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 an investment analyst are portfolio management, financial statements, and strong analytical.
| Finance Analyst | Investment Analyst | |
| Yearly salary | $69,887 | $79,056 |
| Hourly rate | $33.60 | $38.01 |
| Growth rate | 9% | 9% |
| Number of jobs | 138,600 | 63,003 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 76% | Bachelor's Degree, 76% |
| Average age | 40 | 40 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
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.
An Investment Analyst provides research and information to help traders, fund managers and stock brokers make decisions about investments. They are hired by companies, investment trusts, stock trading and brokerage firms, and insurance providers.
Finance analysts and investment analysts have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Finance Analyst | Investment Analyst | |
| Average salary | $69,887 | $79,056 |
| Salary range | Between $46,000 And $104,000 | Between $44,000 And $140,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Connecticut | New York |
| Best paying company | The Citadel | The Citadel |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Telecommunication |
There are a few differences between a finance analyst and an investment analyst in terms of educational background:
| Finance Analyst | Investment Analyst | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 76% | Bachelor's Degree, 76% |
| Most common major | Business | Finance |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between finance analysts' and investment analysts' demographics:
| Finance Analyst | Investment Analyst | |
| Average age | 40 | 40 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 56.2% Female, 43.8% | Male, 70.1% Female, 29.9% |
| Race ratio | Black 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, 5.6% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 7.7% Asian, 14.1% White, 68.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 7% | 7% |