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The differences between finance consultants and investment bankers 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 consultant and an investment banker. Additionally, an investment banker has an average salary of $162,715, which is higher than the $77,551 average annual salary of a finance consultant.
The top three skills for a finance consultant include customer service, financial services and financial statements. The most important skills for an investment banker are financial services, discounted cash flow, and capital markets.
| Finance Consultant | Investment Banker | |
| Yearly salary | $77,551 | $162,715 |
| Hourly rate | $37.28 | $78.23 |
| Growth rate | 15% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 94,259 | 28,460 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 72% | Bachelor's Degree, 69% |
| Average age | 45 | 43 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
A finance consultant is responsible for providing financial plans and advice for clients, managing their finances and investment decisions, and helping them achieve their long-term financial goals. Finance consultants carefully evaluate clients' financial situations, help them decide on insurance options, and patiently respond to finance-related inquiries and concerns. They should be able to monitor financial market conditions to decide on the right strategies for the clients' best interests. A finance consultant must have excellent analytical skills, as well as broad knowledge of the financial industry and stock market movements.
An investment banker is responsible for selling and issuing securities and financial assets to the stock markets to generate money and raise capital for organizations and financial institutions. Investment bankers also work with private clients to advise them of investment options and financial transactions according to the market's condition and clients' interests. They handle the clients' investment portfolios and create propositions for acquisitions and company mergers. An investment banker must have excellent knowledge of the financial and stock industry, as well as having excellent analytical skills to review statistical data and determine the best financial strategies.
Finance consultants and investment bankers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Finance Consultant | Investment Banker | |
| Average salary | $77,551 | $162,715 |
| Salary range | Between $54,000 And $110,000 | Between $95,000 And $276,000 |
| Highest paying City | New York, NY | Boston, MA |
| Highest paying state | New York | Alaska |
| Best paying company | Apple | Citi |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Real Estate |
There are a few differences between a finance consultant and an investment banker in terms of educational background:
| Finance Consultant | Investment Banker | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 72% | Bachelor's Degree, 69% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between finance consultants' and investment bankers' demographics:
| Finance Consultant | Investment Banker | |
| Average age | 45 | 43 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 68.5% Female, 31.5% | Male, 76.2% Female, 23.8% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 5.7% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 9.6% Asian, 8.5% White, 71.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% | 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 | 5% | 6% |