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Investment banker vs finance analyst

The differences between investment bankers and finance analysts can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both an investment banker and a finance analyst. Additionally, an investment banker has an average salary of $162,715, which is higher than the $69,887 average annual salary of a finance analyst.

The top three skills for an investment banker include financial services, discounted cash flow and capital markets. The most important skills for a finance analyst are financial analysis, financial models, and financial data.

Investment banker vs finance analyst overview

Investment BankerFinance Analyst
Yearly salary$162,715$69,887
Hourly rate$78.23$33.60
Growth rate10%9%
Number of jobs28,460138,600
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 69%Bachelor's Degree, 76%
Average age4340
Years of experience44

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.

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.

Investment banker vs finance analyst salary

Investment bankers and finance analysts have different pay scales, as shown below.

Investment BankerFinance Analyst
Average salary$162,715$69,887
Salary rangeBetween $95,000 And $276,000Between $46,000 And $104,000
Highest paying CityBoston, MASan Francisco, CA
Highest paying stateAlaskaConnecticut
Best paying companyCitiThe Citadel
Best paying industryReal EstateFinance

Differences between investment banker and finance analyst education

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

Investment BankerFinance Analyst
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 69%Bachelor's Degree, 76%
Most common majorBusinessBusiness
Most common collegeUniversity of PennsylvaniaUniversity of Pennsylvania

Investment banker vs finance analyst demographics

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

Investment BankerFinance Analyst
Average age4340
Gender ratioMale, 76.2% Female, 23.8%Male, 56.2% Female, 43.8%
Race ratioBlack 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%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 Percentage6%7%

Differences between investment banker and finance analyst duties and responsibilities

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 analyst example responsibilities.

  • 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.
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Investment banker vs finance analyst skills

Common investment banker skills
  • Financial Services, 6%
  • Discounted Cash Flow, 6%
  • Capital Markets, 6%
  • Financial Statements, 6%
  • Client Relationships, 4%
  • Securities, 4%
Common finance analyst skills
  • Financial Analysis, 9%
  • Financial Models, 5%
  • Financial Data, 5%
  • Strong Analytical, 4%
  • Variance Analysis, 4%
  • Hyperion, 3%