Finance Career Paths Explained

Summary

Ned, CEO of 365, discusses finance careers, sharing his experience as a forex dealer, analyst, and consultant. He covers various fields like corporate finance, investment banking, and consulting, detailing roles and progression. Ned promotes 365's Financial Analyst Program for practical skills, emphasizing the gap between university education and real-world challenges. He highlights the appeal of M&A and the importance of financial analysis in building a finance career.

Takeaways

• 🎓 Ned, the founder and CEO of 365, has a finance background with experience in forex dealing, financial analysis, and M&A.
• 🌐 365 has helped over 3 million people worldwide to acquire career-enhancing skills.
• 💼 Finance careers are diverse, including corporate finance, investment banking, investment management, traditional banking, financial services, and consulting.
• 🏢 Corporate finance roles involve financial analysis, cash flow management, treasury operations, and more.
• 📈 Financial analysts in corporate finance play a key role in analyzing performance and engaging with stakeholders.
• 🚀 Investment banking offers dynamic career opportunities, including M&A, capital markets, and trading.
• 💼 M&A analysts are crucial in mergers and acquisitions, handling financial modeling and business valuation.
• 💵 Private equity and venture capital are part of investment management, focusing on client funds and investment strategies.
• 🏦 Traditional banking involves deposit taking, lending, forex, corporate banking, insurance, and wealth management.
• 🔍 Risk management in traditional banking involves evaluating financial models and exposures to mitigate risks.
• 🌐 Financial consulting firms assist businesses with M&A, restructuring, auditing, tax, compliance, and performance improvement.

Q & A

What is the primary focus of the company 365?

The primary focus of the company 365 is to help people worldwide acquire career-enhancing skills, with a particular emphasis on finance careers.

What roles has Ned held in his finance career?

Ned has held various roles in his finance career, including forex dealer, financial analyst, M&A advisor, in-house M&A analyst, and financial consultant.

What are the diverse fields in finance careers mentioned by Ned?

The diverse fields in finance careers mentioned by Ned include corporate finance, investment banking, investment management, traditional banking, financial services, and consulting.

What is the main difference between financial accounting and financial analysis roles?

Financial accounting roles involve maintaining and analyzing financial records to ensure accuracy and regulatory compliance, while financial analysis roles involve studying financial performance and providing insights and reporting to management for internal decision-making.

What are the typical positions in accounting roles within a company?

Typical positions in accounting roles within a company include Accountants, Accounts Receivables, Accounts Payables, and the Internal Audit team.

What is the role of a financial controller in a company?

A financial controller is responsible for uncovering the cost of producing a company's products or services.

What does the Financial Planning & Analysis (FP&A) team do?

The FP&A team forecasts revenue, costs, and balance sheet items, and shares these insights across the organization to enable budgeting and planning efforts.

Why might someone choose a career in investment banking?

Someone might choose a career in investment banking for its dynamic career development opportunities, which include assisting firms with raising capital, mergers and acquisitions, and trading activities.

What are the potential career progression paths for an investment banker?

Potential career progression paths for an investment banker include roles like associate, VP, Director, and Managing Director.

What is the difference between a venture capital analyst and a private equity analyst?

A venture capital analyst focuses on sourcing potential deals with early-stage companies, looking for revenue growth potential and great entrepreneurs. In contrast, a private equity analyst works on larger deals, often aiming for majority stake or full ownership of the firms they invest in, and provides significant post-deal support.

What are the key functions of traditional banks in the modern finance landscape?

Traditional banks offer services such as digital banking, forex, corporate banking, insurance, and wealth management. They also employ credit analysts to assess creditworthiness and have risk management staff to mitigate potential risks.

How does financial consulting differ from other finance fields?

Financial consulting involves assisting businesses with issues like M&A, restructuring, auditing, tax, compliance, risk management, and performance improvement. It often requires a deep understanding of business strategies and the ability to provide technical and accounting expertise.

What is the typical career progression in a Big Four consulting firm?

The typical career progression in a Big Four consulting firm includes roles such as consultant, executive, assistant manager, manager, senior manager, director, associate partner, and partner.