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Finance consultant vs investment banker

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 vs investment banker overview

Finance ConsultantInvestment Banker
Yearly salary$77,551$162,715
Hourly rate$37.28$78.23
Growth rate15%10%
Number of jobs94,25928,460
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 72%Bachelor's Degree, 69%
Average age4543
Years of experience44

What does a finance consultant do?

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.

What does an investment banker do?

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 consultant vs investment banker salary

Finance consultants and investment bankers have different pay scales, as shown below.

Finance ConsultantInvestment Banker
Average salary$77,551$162,715
Salary rangeBetween $54,000 And $110,000Between $95,000 And $276,000
Highest paying CityNew York, NYBoston, MA
Highest paying stateNew YorkAlaska
Best paying companyAppleCiti
Best paying industryTechnologyReal Estate

Differences between finance consultant and investment banker education

There are a few differences between a finance consultant and an investment banker in terms of educational background:

Finance ConsultantInvestment Banker
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 72%Bachelor's Degree, 69%
Most common majorBusinessBusiness
Most common collegeUniversity of PennsylvaniaUniversity of Pennsylvania

Finance consultant vs investment banker demographics

Here are the differences between finance consultants' and investment bankers' demographics:

Finance ConsultantInvestment Banker
Average age4543
Gender ratioMale, 68.5% Female, 31.5%Male, 76.2% Female, 23.8%
Race ratioBlack 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 Percentage5%6%

Differences between finance consultant and investment banker duties and responsibilities

Finance consultant example responsibilities.

  • Lead new hire training for FINRA test preparation and consultative sales model.
  • Manage client's portfolio to ensure proper taxation of gains/losses on exercise stock options.
  • Provide expert advice to clients to achieve their financial planning goals in conjunction with an independent RIA.
  • Lead and organize a weekly macro meeting with multi-asset strategists to discuss and challenge the team's positioning.
  • Focuse on separately manage accounts, mutual fund and ETF wrap programs, variable annuities, and alternative strategies.
  • Manage all employee relate matters, including stock options, benefits , 401K, payroll administration and human resources.
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Investment banker example responsibilities.

  • Utilize Bloomberg system and company proprietary research to actively monitor portfolios and manage trading activities to achieve customers' goals.
  • Provide service for existing brokerage accounts, manage accounts, annuities, and securities-base lines of credit.
  • Attain NMLS identification number for mortgage origination.
  • Generate reporting data from Salesforce platform to facilitate growth and manage firm operations.
  • Manage customer portfolios, service relationships, and used profiling analysis tools to identify cross-selling opportunities.
  • Manage a variety of internal initiatives including merchandising, cross-selling, customer retention programs and promotional campaigns.
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Finance consultant vs investment banker skills

Common finance consultant skills
  • Customer Service, 14%
  • Financial Services, 10%
  • Financial Statements, 5%
  • CPA, 4%
  • Business Development, 4%
  • Wealth Management, 3%
Common investment banker skills
  • Financial Services, 6%
  • Discounted Cash Flow, 6%
  • Capital Markets, 6%
  • Financial Statements, 6%
  • Client Relationships, 4%
  • Securities, 4%

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