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.
Finance analyst responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real finance analyst resumes:
- 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.
- Close WbS elements, update purchase orders with new WbS elements.
- Prepare PowerPoint presentations for operating and business performance reviews highlighting volumes, margins, and cost variances.
- Utilize Visio for process flow diagrams.
- Communicate ideas, upload and view documents through sharepoint.
- Create presentations in PowerPoint for use by senior managers.
- Used Hyperion SmartView and EssBase to create custom financial reporting files.
- Maintain written DOA and PROMTS WBS to support various business projects.
- Design automated invoice, contract, and quote templates fully integrate with Salesforce.
- Maintain working papers for year-end CPA audit and develop expense reports in FRX.
Finance analyst skills and personality traits
We calculated that 9% of Finance Analysts are proficient in Financial Analysis, Financial Models, and Financial Data. They’re also known for soft skills such as Computer skills, Analytical skills, and Communication skills.
We break down the percentage of Finance Analysts that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Financial Analysis, 9%
Handled specialized financial and operational activities, including financial analysis of small business investments, investment coordination and project management functions.
- Financial Models, 5%
Organize and analyze data to develop financial models serving various purposes and to produce high-quality internal or client-facing reports detailing findings.
- Financial Data, 5%
Conduct research and analysis to provide management with financial data and recommendations for use in setting and realizing cost reduction objectives.
- Strong Analytical, 4%
Prepared weekly cash management/short-term cash flow models, long-term financial forecasts and departmental budgets utilizing strong analytical and MS excel skills.
- Variance Analysis, 4%
Prepared and analyzed financial statements, balance sheet reconciliations, variance analysis and quarterly forecasts for the Core Technology Division.
- Hyperion, 3%
Prepared Departmental Hyperion based budgets including Accounting/Finance Department
Most finance analysts use their skills in "financial analysis," "financial models," and "financial data" to do their jobs. You can find more detail on essential finance analyst responsibilities here:
Computer skills. To carry out their duties, the most important skill for a finance analyst to have is computer skills. Their role and responsibilities require that "financial analysts must be adept at using software to analyze financial data and trends, create portfolios, and make forecasts." Finance analysts often use computer skills in their day-to-day job, as shown by this real resume: "accomplished in material resource planning (mrp) and erp procedures and computer software. "
Analytical skills. Another essential skill to perform finance analyst duties is analytical skills. Finance analysts responsibilities require that "financial analysts must evaluate a range of information in finding profitable investments." Finance analysts also use analytical skills in their role according to a real resume snippet: "developed, maintained financial models/applications (vba excel/access) to automate and streamline business processes and perform financial analysis. "
Communication skills. This is an important skill for finance analysts to perform their duties. For an example of how finance analyst responsibilities depend on this skill, consider that "financial analysts must be able to clearly explain their recommendations to clients." This excerpt from a resume also shows how vital it is to everyday roles and responsibilities of a finance analyst: "facilitate the communication between offshore team and various organizations of the company, including finance, hr and it".
Detail oriented. For certain finance analyst responsibilities to be completed, the job requires competence in "detail oriented." The day-to-day duties of a finance analyst rely on this skill, as "financial analysts must pay attention when reviewing a possible investment, as even small issues may have large implications for its health." For example, this snippet was taken directly from a resume about how this skill applies to what finance analysts do: "utilize knowledge of excel, sharepoint, and vba to create reports, scorecards, and macro-oriented templates. "
Math skills. A commonly-found skill in finance analyst job descriptions, "math skills" is essential to what finance analysts do. Finance analyst responsibilities rely on this skill because "financial analysts use mathematics to estimate the value of financial securities." You can also see how finance analyst duties rely on math skills in this resume example: "run statistics reports and pivot tables, generate journal entries for month-end close, coded invoices. "
The three companies that hire the most finance analysts are:
- Amazon336 finance analysts jobs
- Robert Half283 finance analysts jobs
- Deloitte174 finance analysts jobs
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Finance analyst vs. Treasury analyst
A treasury analyst is an individual who manages and analyses the financial activities of an organization that can include cash flows, liability obligations, and assets. Treasury analysts are required to execute the daily cash management of the organization such as cash forecasting, investing of excess cash, and running a hedging program in interest rates. They must present monthly reports and daily briefings on cash flows to senior management and provide advice on the financial operations of the movement of cash. Treasury analysts also update treasury policies and procedures for the organization to comply.
There are some key differences in the responsibilities of each position. For example, finance analyst responsibilities require skills like "financial data," "strong analytical," "customer service," and "financial performance." Meanwhile a typical treasury analyst has skills in areas such as "cash management," "ach," "treasury operations," and "financial statements." This difference in skills reveals the differences in what each career does.
Treasury analysts earn the highest salaries when working in the automotive industry, with an average yearly salary of $87,077. On the other hand, finance analysts are paid more in the finance industry with an average salary of $92,446.The education levels that treasury analysts earn slightly differ from finance analysts. In particular, treasury analysts are 1.4% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree than a finance analyst. Additionally, they're 0.2% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Finance analyst vs. Cost analyst
Cost Analysts are employees with a strong background in finance or accounting. They are in charge of collecting financial data and analyzing the entries. They study the company's expenses and prepare pertinent reports. Cost Analysts look for inconsistencies in the financial data. This way, they can assist in auditing the company's spending. Cost Analysts also look for inefficiencies. They do so by tracking item costs and department budgets and monitoring department expenses. They are also involved in budget-setting activities.
In addition to the difference in salary, there are some other key differences worth noting. For example, finance analyst responsibilities are more likely to require skills like "financial models," "hyperion," "customer service," and "ad-hoc analysis." Meanwhile, a cost analyst has duties that require skills in areas such as "cost estimates," "dod," "project management," and "cost models." These differences highlight just how different the day-to-day in each role looks.
On average, cost analysts earn a lower salary than finance analysts. Some industries support higher salaries in each profession. Interestingly enough, cost analysts earn the most pay in the automotive industry with an average salary of $76,426. Whereas finance analysts have higher pay in the finance industry, with an average salary of $92,446.Average education levels between the two professions vary. Cost analysts tend to reach similar levels of education than finance analysts. In fact, they're 4.1% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.2% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.What technology do you think will become more important and prevalent for finance analysts in the next 3-5 years?
Nate Peach Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Economics, George Fox University
Finance analyst vs. Control analyst
A control analyst is an individual who is responsible for identifying weaknesses in the work process of an organization and implement methods to minimize risks. Control analysts are required to supervise the process for incident reports and provide technical guidance to their personnel. They must prepare monthly general ledger account analysis and balance sheets reconciliations that are according to the generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP). Control analysts should also assist with the organization's ISO audit procedures and findings.
There are many key differences between these two careers, including some of the skills required to perform responsibilities within each role. For example, a finance analyst is likely to be skilled in "financial models," "hyperion," "financial performance," and "ad-hoc analysis," while a typical control analyst is skilled in "risk assessments," "internal audit," "project management," and "corrective action."
Control analysts make a very good living in the energy industry with an average annual salary of $89,191. On the other hand, finance analysts are paid the highest salary in the finance industry, with average annual pay of $92,446.Most control analysts achieve a similar degree level compared to finance analysts. For example, they're 4.9% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 0.0% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Finance analyst vs. Investment analyst
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.
Even though a few skill sets overlap between finance analysts and investment analysts, there are some differences that are important to note. For one, a finance analyst might have more use for skills like "variance analysis," "hyperion," "customer service," and "ad-hoc analysis." Meanwhile, some responsibilities of investment analysts require skills like "portfolio management," "financial statements," "powerpoint," and "risk management. "
In general, investment analysts earn the most working in the telecommunication industry, with an average salary of $103,872. The highest-paying industry for a finance analyst is the finance industry.investment analysts reach similar levels of education compared to finance analysts, in general. The difference is that they're 1.6% more likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 0.4% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Types of finance analyst
Updated January 8, 2025











