How To Become A Senior Investment Analyst: What It Is and Career Path

What is a senior investment analyst and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Quoted expert

Brian Meehan

While fund managers are responsible for making decisions about investments, it is investment analysts who have the responsibility of providing information and recommendations that enable such decisions to be made. They provide stockbrokers, fund managers, and stock market traders with financial information, advice, and recommendations derived from global investment data.

Their duties as a senior investment analyst will include reviewing and analyzing investment statements and reports; assisting with budgeting and monthly close processes; assisting project teams with investment guidance; developing investment projections and building models; and ensuring compliance with guidelines, company policies, and relevant legal regulations. Educational requirements needed to qualify for this position include a bachelor's degree in finance, accounting, or a related field. Moreover, prior work experience of five or more years is also necessary, as this is a senior position. Essential skills needed to succeed in this profession include leadership, organizational, communication, interpersonal, and presentational skills.

The average hourly pay for this position is $48.61, which amounts to $101,118 annually. The career is expected to grow in the near future and create new opportunities across the United States.

What general advice would you give to a senior investment analyst?

Brian Meehan

Assistant Professor of Economics, Campbell School of Business, Berry College

My advice would be to apply broadly for jobs and take advantage of the robust set of career opportunities a degree in economics provides. It also gives you a better gauge of the opportunity cost (next best alternative) of accepting a job. Try to determine what that best alternative is. Additional training can also be a good option. Those individuals interested in graduate schools, professional schools, law schools, MBAs, etc. should look into these opportunities. Improving your human capital stock (via training and education), while weathering a recession, and then capitalizing on a healthier job market at the end of this training, is a pretty good route (assuming the recession is short).

ScoreSenior Investment AnalystUS Average

Salary

7.8

Avg. Salary $108,564

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

5.8

Growth rate 9%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

5.5

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.10%

Asian 14.09%

Black or African American 5.64%

Hispanic or Latino 7.67%

Unknown 4.50%

White 68.00%

Gender

female 30.68%

male 69.32%

Age - 38

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 38

Stress level

5.8

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity level

8.4

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance

4.3

Work life balance is poor

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a senior investment analyst

Explore senior investment analyst education requirements

Most common senior investment analyst degrees

Bachelor's

75.1 %

Master's

20.8 %

Associate

2.5 %

Start to develop specific senior investment analyst skills

Skills	Percentages
Financial Models	6.96%
Due Diligence	6.42%
PowerPoint	5.46%
Portfolio Management	4.83%
Real Estate	4.47%

Complete relevant senior investment analyst training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 6-12 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New senior investment analysts learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a senior investment analyst based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real senior investment analyst resumes.

Research senior investment analyst duties and responsibilities

Manage trade executions and broker relationships for all portfolio positions across several banks, prime brokerage accounts and electronic commodities exchanges.
Quoted on Bloomberg in reaction to corporate earnings announcements.
Utilize Bloomberg and other market resources to verify the new assets are setup correctly.
Assist in preparation of quarterly financials and annual GAAP or IFRS financials and audits.

Get senior investment analyst experience

Generally, it takes 2-4 years to become a senior investment analyst. The most common roles before becoming a senior investment analyst include investment analyst, finance analyst team lead and analyst.

Prepare your senior investment analyst resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your senior investment analyst resume.

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