What Is Finance?

What is Finance?

The finance industry is multifaceted. Within finance, there are subcategories of fields that encompass niche opportunities. There is a big misconception that finance is only about the numbers. While numbers play a big role in finance there is A LOT more that goes into it. Below are some common career paths in the financial services industry:

Asset Management - Manage the assets of clients such as high networth individuals, sovereign wealth funds, pensions, or corporations.
Commercial Banking - Manage deposit accounts for individuals and businesses.
Corporate Finance - Budget, plan, and forecast for major corporations.
Equity Research - Provide insight and detailed analysis into a company, entity or sector. This information is then used by investors to decide how to allocate their funds.
Hedge Funds - Use a range of investment techniques to invest in a wide array of assets to generate a higher return for a given level of risk thats expected for normal investments.
Insurance - Analyze and manage risk for companies and individuals.
Investment Banking - Provide mergers and acquisitions advice and execute a variety of transactions such as equity offerings, debt issuances, and derivatives transactions.
Private Equity - Make direct investments in companies not listed on a public exchange usually with the intent of selling the company for profit after a specified time horizon.
Real Estate - Deal with residential or commercial properties. Commercial properties can include office, retail, or industrial spaces.
Sales and Trading - Trade in the market to buy or sell securities by undertaking the risk themselves.
Stock Brokerage - Buy or sell securities on behalf of retail or institutional investors.
Venture Capital - Financing that investors provide to startups or small businesses that are believed to have significant growth potential.

FLA works hard to bring in professionals from all aspects of the financial services industry to help members find their desired career path. Different skill sets, certifications, and technical knowledge is required for different sub-categories of finance and FLA tries to cater to a wide variety of interests. College is a great time to explore what you're interested in, so come to our events to find out more about what these different career paths entail.