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Posts Tagged ‘Finance’

Those who are good with numbers may have future careers in finance. This is because most businesses need talented individuals who can manage and at the same time administer money that was entrusted to them in order to post a profit.

But can anyone do it? The answer really depends on the person. In order to get a head start, you need to get quality education. After secondary school, you need to go to college and graduate with a bachelor’s degree in accounting, economics, finance, math or statistics to learn the fundamentals used in the corporate world.

When you graduate from college, you can apply for work in a bank, in a credit agency, insurance, sales or securities.

For those who choose to work in a bank, they will often have to start out as a trainee then be promoted to either approving loans or selling financial services to clients. Some examples of these include bank transfers to financial management.

Credit agencies just like banks offer similar services to clients. The only difference is that their policies with regards to lending are more flexible thus making them friendlier to potential clients.

With healthcare being so expensive, people need insurance coverage and after getting your license, you can go out there and sell these to potential clients.

How can sales jumpstart your career in the world of finance? Simply because people buy things and if these cost a lot of money, someone with your skills can help them plan how they can pay for it. Examples of these include a new home or even a car.

Securities is another field you can get into because the purchase and sale of bonds and stocks increases the value of the client more than keeping money deposited in the bank.

But in order for people to excel in this field, they have to overcome another hurdle and that is to complete graduate school. Why? Because the market is very competitive and there are always new trends and methodologies being discovered that makes you a better professional.

A lot of experts say that a future career in finance also requires a few personal skills. The most important is “people skills” because you will be working with colleagues and dealing with different clients.

You will have to be resilient because when you pitch a sale and things don’t work out how you planned, you have pick yourself up again and be optimistic about the next client that comes your way.

It will also be challenging especially when you will need to work beyond regular hours on occasion to meet the deadline or have a night out with a client. This means you have to be committed if you plan to stick to this career in the long term.

The financial services sector has been growing even before the attacks of 9/11 and will continue to do so in the foreseeable future. Again this path is not meant for everyone but if you are good with numbers and are a people person, you may just have what it takes to excel in this profession.

If you are still unsure, look at your grades in math and talk with your guidance counselor. This person will be able to point you in the right direction then it is up to you whether or not you believe that you have a future career in finance.

If you think careers in the field of finance is limited to having jobs in manufacturing and other more “business” like companies, then it’s time to widen your perspective and look beyond the business districts. Finance professionals like accountants, auditors and finance analysts are needed in every field, including, and perhaps even more so, in the field of health care. A finance career in health care is a worthy profession.

One can also view the health care industry as an advantage with regards to advancement in their career. For starters, the industry will always be in need of finance managers to tackle issues like accounting, budget, insurance claims, health benefit claim, etc. Jobs will always await those who are qualified.

Another thing is that it seems that amidst erratic economic instability, the health care services is and will always be among the most stable industry out there. With the increasing number of older people, and the advancement of technologies that help improve healthy living, more and more people will need health care services in the future.

Stable as it is, though, the health care industry is not without its set of problems. However, moving into health care is still a good move if you know what you’re getting yourself into. Not to scare you or anything, but advancing your financial career towards health care is not something that you should underestimate. Read the rest of this entry »

Your decision to have a finance career can be a start of something big for you. According to latest employment and business trends, the growth of the world economy plus the increasing number of people retiring in the next decade will create a demand for finance professionals.

If you’re already in the industry, then it is possibly the best time to take post graduate courses to increase your chance of landing better opportunities when the finance career employment peak kicks in. And if you’re just entering college, a career in finance may be something that you should really consider.

Before even thinking of a career in finance, the field does require a certain level of skills and knowledge which you can learn. Finance professionals are expected to organize, analyze and interpret numerical and financial data. They are expected to arrive at sound decisions based on the data that they have. They should be meticulous and show attention to details.

It is also expected from them that their oral and written communications skills are beyond average since they will be expected to present data and information to others. Having knowledge of financial and economic history, practices, laws, trends, as well as having economics and accounting background is often an advantage.

In a career in finance, you can either go to private, public or non-profit organizations since all those three needs some levels of financial management and control. Finance professionals often find themselves employed in commercial banking, financial planning, money managing, corporate finance, investment banking, insurance and, of course, in real estate. These are the fields that finance professionals are often in demand.

Commercial banking means having an opportunity to work in the areas of financial management, accountancy and auditing, securities, commodities and financial services sales. There’s also an opportunity to work in the area of financial and credit analysis since commercial banks are there to provide banking services to individuals as well as small and large businesses and organizations.

When you work in commercial banks, you may want to take the opportunity to learn more about businesses. Interacting with bank clients should be taken as an opportunity to build a people network. And because commercial banking is more diverse now that before, you can start as a bank teller and move up in areas like leasing, credit card banking, international finance and trade credits. Once you’re inside the commercial banking system, it would be nice to keep your eyes open for better opportunities within the industry.

If you’re not fond of commercial banks, you might want to look at corporate finance. In this area, part of your responsibilities as a finance professional is to find money for the company, plant for the future, make acquisitions whenever necessary and whenever there’s an opportunity, and help manage the company’s present finance. Fast problem-solving skills will be hand in this area of finance.

The good thing working in corporate finance is that it pays well, you get to travel and meet with lots of people, make business decisions that matters, and can hone your decision making skills.

Other areas where you can grow as finance professional include financial planning which involves helping individuals organize, manage, and plan their financial futures. You are expected to guide clients on their retirement needs, planning for their children’s education, etc. Your knowledge on investments, taxes, and listening skills should be exemplary.

You can also carve your career as a finance professional in the field of insurance. Helping individuals and businesses prepare for emergencies or disasters that would otherwise result to big losses would be the main course of your job.

Investment banking is yet another area where you can be good at. This time, you will be helping companies and even governments issue, purchase or trade securities, manage financial assets, and provide sound financial advice.

You can also be a successful money manager. As money managers you will be holding tocks and bonds for institutional clients. You’re expected to be informed and know how to analyze market trends using either quantitative techniques or simple intuition.

And finally a career on real estate is always something that you might have seen coming as a career in finance professional. You can get employment opportunities in areas like brokerage and leasing, in title insurance, in mortgage banking and even in construction and property management.

Real estate appraisals are also an important aspect of real estate work that you can take full advantage of.