Compare one company's statements over time
Line up a company's financial statements from several periods and trace why profits drop while sales grow.
Career profile
Financial and Investment Analyst
Financial analysts research companies, estimate what investments are worth, and advise where money could go.
A company's appeal can fade once you test the assumptions behind its price. Analysts ask what needs to happen for a holding to pay off.
A day in the life
Cut the sales growth assumption
Build a spreadsheet forecast, then lower expected sales growth and see how far the investment's estimated value shifts.
Weigh rival companies in one industry
You set same-industry companies side by side, weighing each one's price, outlook and risk before recommending one.
Present your report to investors
In client-facing research jobs, you turn the analysis into a report and walk institutional investors through your reasoning.
Quick facts
Bachelor’s degree
United States
$102,740 median
United States · May 2025
7.2% projected growth
United States · 2025–2035
Quick orientation
Preparation, pay & outlook
Preparation
Bachelor’s degreeFinance or a related field is typical.
Pay
$102,740 medianAnnual wages for financial and investment analysts; $49.40 hourly equivalent.
Outlook
7.2% projected growthAbout 24,700 openings annually, averaged over 2025–2035.
Fit, tradeoffs & changing tools
You might like this if…
- You enjoy tracing a surprising number back to its cause.
- You like explaining a calculation as much as completing it.
- You can revise your conclusion when someone finds a weak assumption.
Things to weigh
- Some jobs extend beyond 40 hours a week.
- Checking data and challenging models takes patience. A small error can distort a recommendation involving substantial money.
Where AI may help
Software can find patterns across large datasets and help build forecasts. Some investment teams use artificial intelligence (AI) for this work.
What people still lead
You still need to question the data, test the model, and explain whether its output makes sense for the investment decision.
What we can’t predict yet
How much routine analysis becomes automated—and how new analysts learn when that work shrinks—is still changing across firms.
Pay in context
Earnings
These are employee wages before taxes, not total compensation. Benefits, overtime premiums, and nonproduction bonuses are excluded.
The midpoint and spread
The national median was $102,740 a year, or $49.40 an hour. The 10th and 90th percentile boundaries were $63,720 and $180,860. These cover the full occupation, not separate starting and experienced salaries.
Workplace type matters
Annual medians were $124,370 in securities, commodity contracts, and related investment activities, and $95,830 in insurance carriers and related activities.
Openings over the decade
Employment is projected to grow 7.2%, with about 24,700 openings per year on average. Those openings include replacement needs; they are not all newly created jobs.
Getting started
Study finance or a related field
- What the route involves
- Complete a bachelor’s degree in finance or a related subject such as business.
- What it can lead to
- Meet the typical education requirement for entry-level analyst jobs.
Join an investment analyst program
- What the route involves
- Apply to an investment-track analyst program where you research portfolios, support senior investors, and receive technical training.
- What it can lead to
- Build working knowledge of an investment category, such as stocks or bonds, through real team assignments.
- What to check
- This complements typical degree preparation. Some securities roles require licenses; employers generally sponsor the required licensing after hiring.
A bachelor’s degree is the usual starting point. Some employers prefer a master’s.
After entry
Career paths
This starts where the entry routes leave off: early work, growing capability, and advancement or specialization.
Get established
Learn the firm’s models and research process while supporting senior investors.
Build a specialty
Develop deeper knowledge of an investment category and use it to strengthen portfolio analysis.
Take responsibility for a portfolio
With experience, you may become a portfolio manager who selects a fund’s mix of investments.
Where you can work
Securities-firm research teams
Your audience can include large institutional clients. You work alongside sales and trading colleagues, with changing markets shaping the day’s questions.
- Office
Asset-management investment teams
Your research supports the people managing portfolios. You may focus on one investment category and work closely with senior investors and internal partners.
- Office
Try it
See whether the job clicks before you commit to the path.
Choose two public companies in the same industry. Compare revenue, profit, and debt in their latest annual reports. Write a short note explaining which deserves further investment research and which missing fact could change your view. Notice whether you enjoy defending a conclusion with evidence.
Stay safe: Use public reports and a paper comparison; no investment or paid account is needed.
Sources
- O*NET OnLine. Financial and Investment Analysts — 13-2051.00. Accessed 2026-10-03.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Financial Analysts — Occupational Outlook Handbook. Accessed 2026-10-03.
- O*NET OnLine / U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. National Wages: Financial and Investment Analysts. Accessed 2026-10-03.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Occupational projections and worker characteristics, 2025–35. Accessed 2026-10-03.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics: Frequently Asked Questions. Accessed 2026-10-03.
- JPMorgan Chase & Co.. Markets Full-time Analyst. Accessed 2026-10-03.
- JPMorgan Chase & Co.. Asset Management Analyst Program. Accessed 2026-10-03.
- CFA Institute. Data science and AI: A guide for investment managers. Accessed 2026-10-03.
- CFA Institute. How the investment industry is rethinking the operating model in the AI era. Accessed 2026-10-03.