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The differences between finance associates 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 $81,339 average annual salary of a finance associate.
The top three skills for a finance associate include financial statements, powerpoint and financial services. The most important skills for a trader are portfolio, financial markets, and derivative.
| Finance Associate | Trader | |
| Yearly salary | $81,339 | $90,179 |
| Hourly rate | $39.11 | $43.36 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 83,256 | 17,351 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 68% | Bachelor's Degree, 78% |
| Average age | 43 | 43 |
| Years of experience | 4 | - |
Finance associates perform various financial tasks for a company. These include managing accounting records, preparing payroll documents as well as financial and budget reports, and handling payments. Additionally, finance associates help with tax preparation, audits and reviews, and help with developing and implementing procedures, best practices, and policies for financial and accounting operations. The skills and qualifications for this role may include a bachelor's degree in finance or accounting, excellent communication skills, and attention to detail.
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.
Finance associates and traders have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Finance Associate | Trader | |
| Average salary | $81,339 | $90,179 |
| Salary range | Between $50,000 And $130,000 | 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 | Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman | The Citadel |
| Best paying industry | Professional | Finance |
There are a few differences between a finance associate and a trader in terms of educational background:
| Finance Associate | Trader | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 68% | Bachelor's Degree, 78% |
| Most common major | Business | Finance |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between finance associates' and traders' demographics:
| Finance Associate | Trader | |
| Average age | 43 | 43 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 47.3% Female, 52.7% | 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% |