The Pros and Cons of Working in Financial Risk Management

Aaron Yao
13 Feb 202415:12

Summary

TLDRThis video explores the role of a Financial Risk Manager, a career often overlooked in finance. Highlighting its intellectual and financial rewards, work-life balance, and lower stress levels compared to trading, the speaker shares insights from personal experience at JP Morgan and a hedge fund. They discuss the pros and cons, including job security, career progression, and the potential for less exciting tasks like regulatory work.

Takeaways

  • 🏦 The role of a Financial Risk Manager is often overlooked but can be intellectually and financially rewarding with a good work-life balance.
  • πŸ•’ Work hours in risk management are generally reasonable, with no late nights or weekend work, though crisis periods may require longer hours.
  • πŸ“‰ Risk management is less stressful compared to trading roles, as risk managers are not directly responsible for the profit and loss of trades.
  • πŸ”’ Job security is relatively high for risk managers, as their role is crucial in managing and mitigating risks, especially in unpredictable market conditions.
  • πŸ’Ό Career progression in risk management can lead to senior roles such as managing director or chief risk officer, or transitioning to trading roles with enhanced market knowledge.
  • πŸ› οΈ The skills required for risk management are often acquired on the job, with a bachelor's degree in finance, economics, or a quantitative field being a good starting point.
  • πŸ“ˆ Risk managers use various tools and metrics like Value at Risk (VaR), stress tests, and the Greeks to analyze and monitor market risks.
  • πŸ” The job involves interesting research and analysis, providing a top-down view of market activities and risks, which traders may not see.
  • πŸ“‰ Some downsides include less exciting aspects like regulatory work, dealing with tech issues, and potential disagreements between traders and the risk team.
  • πŸ’° Compensation in risk management may not be as high as in revenue-generating roles like trading, but offers a better work-life balance and less stress.
  • πŸŒ† The role often requires living in major financial hubs with a high cost of living, which may not suit everyone's lifestyle preferences.

Q & A

  • What is the primary role of a Financial Risk Manager?

    -A Financial Risk Manager's primary role is to analyze and manage the risks associated with financial markets and trading activities, ensuring that the risks taken by traders are within acceptable limits and do not jeopardize the financial health of the institution.

  • Why might the work-life balance in a risk management role be better compared to other finance roles?

    -The work-life balance in a risk management role might be better because, unlike traders who may work late or on weekends due to market fluctuations, risk managers typically have more predictable hours and are not directly responsible for generating revenue through trades.

  • What are some of the less stressful aspects of working in risk management according to the script?

    -Risk management is less stressful because managers do not have to worry about overnight market movements impacting their portfolios or job security as much as traders do. Their job is not on the line with every market fluctuation, allowing them to have more peace of mind outside of work.

  • How does job security differ between risk managers and traders?

    -Job security for risk managers tends to be better than for traders. Traders' jobs are largely dependent on their ability to generate profits, which is highly unpredictable. Risk managers, on the other hand, have roles that are essential for the stability of the institution and are less likely to be affected by market volatility.

  • What are some common career progression paths for a risk manager?

    -Common career progression paths for a risk manager include rising through the ranks to become a managing director at a bank or a senior risk manager at a hedge fund, transitioning to a trading role, or moving into other parts of finance such as investment banking or asset management.

  • What kind of educational background is typically required for a role in risk management?

    -A bachelor's degree in Finance, Economics, or a quantitative field like Math or Statistics is typically required for a role in risk management. However, for more specialized roles, such as financial risk modeling or covering exotic derivative products, a quantitative graduate degree may be beneficial or required.

  • What are some of the key risk analysis tools and measures mentioned in the script?

    -Key risk analysis tools and measures mentioned include Value at Risk (VaR), stress tests, and the Greeks (Delta, Gamma, Vega, etc.). VaR measures tail risk, stress tests evaluate potential losses under specific market conditions, and the Greeks quantify an investment's sensitivity to various risk factors.

  • How does the role of a risk manager at a hedge fund differ from that at a bulge bracket bank?

    -At a hedge fund, a risk manager might engage in less regulatory work and more market-related research and analysis. They may also have the opportunity to develop tools directly useful to their team, which can make the role more interesting and rewarding compared to a similar role at a bulge bracket bank.

  • What are some of the downsides of a career in risk management mentioned in the script?

    -Some downsides include less exciting parts of the job such as regulatory work and dealing with tech issues, potentially lower compensation compared to revenue-generating roles, being limited to living in high-cost metropolitan areas due to the nature of financial hubs, and the perpetual tension between traders and the risk team.

  • How does the compensation structure differ between a bank and a hedge fund for risk managers?

    -In a bank, risk managers may receive a lower percentage of their base salary as a bonus compared to traders. At a hedge fund, compensation is more closely linked to personal performance and the fund's performance, which can result in larger bonuses but may also mean less guaranteed salary upfront.

  • What is the potential tension between traders and the risk team, and how can it affect the work environment?

    -The tension arises because traders are incentivized to maximize revenue, which may involve taking on more risk, while the risk team focuses on minimizing potential risks to the business. This can lead to disagreements, especially if a trade is deemed too risky by the risk team. However, a healthy balance is necessary to ensure both revenue generation and risk management.

Outlines

00:00

πŸ’Ό Introduction to Financial Risk Management

The script introduces the diverse range of careers in finance beyond traditional roles like investment banking and hedge funds. It highlights the role of a Financial Risk Manager, which is often overlooked but offers intellectual and financial rewards with a balanced work-life approach. The speaker, having worked in this role for three years, including experience at a hedge fund, aims to provide insights into the role's pros and cons, focusing on work-life balance, job security, and career progression opportunities. The summary also mentions the importance of understanding the specific risk management functions and institutions one might work for.

05:01

πŸ“Š Skills and Responsibilities in Risk Management

This paragraph delves into the skills required for risk management, emphasizing that most are acquired on the job. It suggests a bachelor's degree in finance, economics, or a quantitative field as the educational baseline, with specialized knowledge being advantageous but not always mandatory. The speaker outlines the core responsibilities, which include analyzing trading risks using various measures like Value at Risk (VaR), stress tests, and the Greeks. The paragraph also touches on the interesting aspects of the job, such as market research and analysis, and acknowledges that the role can vary significantly depending on the specific function within the risk department.

10:02

πŸ” The Pros and Cons of a Risk Management Career

The speaker discusses the less glamorous aspects of risk management, including regulatory work and technical issues that can arise. They also address the compensation structure, noting that while risk management roles may not offer the high bonuses of trading or sales, they provide better work-life balance and less stress. The script mentions the limited geographical options for such roles, typically in high-cost metropolitan areas, and the potential for tension between traders and risk managers due to differing objectives. The speaker shares personal anecdotes about their experience, including the culture of collaboration they appreciated in their department.

15:02

πŸ€” Conclusion and Personal Reflections on Risk Management

In conclusion, the script acknowledges the mixed bag of pros and cons associated with a career in financial risk management. It suggests that the role is suitable for those interested in financial markets and quantitative analysis, while also valuing a balanced lifestyle and lower stress levels. The speaker reflects on their own positive experience in the field, the knowledge gained, and the potential long-term benefits for their career. They invite further questions from the audience and express their readiness to address them in future content.

Mindmap

Keywords

πŸ’‘Investment Banking

Investment Banking refers to a division of a bank that helps companies, governments, and institutions in raising capital by underwriting or acting as the client's agent in the issuance of securities. In the video, it is mentioned as one of the first things that come to mind when discussing careers in finance, highlighting its prominence in the industry.

πŸ’‘Private Equity

Private Equity is an investment strategy that involves acquiring a company or a business unit with the intent to delist it from the stock exchange and take it private, with the aim of eventually selling it for a profit. It is listed alongside investment banking as a common finance career path, indicating the variety of roles available within the finance sector.

πŸ’‘Hedge Funds

Hedge Funds are pooled investment funds that aim to generate high returns for their investors by actively managing a portfolio of assets. The speaker mentions working at a hedge fund, contrasting the experience with that at a bulge bracket bank like JP Morgan, to illustrate different work environments in the finance industry.

πŸ’‘Financial Risk Manager

A Financial Risk Manager is a professional who identifies, assesses, and mitigates risks associated with financial transactions and markets. The video focuses on this role as an under-the-radar career in finance that offers intellectual and financial rewards, as well as a good work-life balance.

πŸ’‘Work-Life Balance

Work-life balance refers to the equilibrium between an individual's work and personal life. The script emphasizes this as a significant positive aspect of a career in financial risk management, especially when compared to more demanding roles like trading.

πŸ’‘Value at Risk (VaR)

Value at Risk (VaR) is a statistical technique used to measure and quantify the level of financial risk within a firm or investment portfolio over a specific time frame. The video describes VaR as a primary tool for analyzing a trading department's risks, showcasing its importance in risk management.

πŸ’‘Stress Tests

Stress Tests in finance are simulations that determine how much an investment portfolio could lose if a certain market event occurs. The script mentions stress tests as a method to evaluate the impact of specific market moves on a portfolio, illustrating the proactive approach of risk managers.

πŸ’‘The Greeks

The Greeks in finance refer to a set of risk measures used to understand the sensitivity of the price of derivatives to underlying parameters. The video script uses 'Delta, gamma, vega' as examples of the Greeks, indicating their role in assessing risk in financial portfolios.

πŸ’‘Job Security

Job security denotes the likelihood of continued employment and job stability. The script highlights job security as a benefit of being a risk manager, as their role is less dependent on market performance compared to traders.

πŸ’‘Career Exit Opportunities

Career exit opportunities refer to the potential paths one can take after leaving a particular job or industry. The video outlines several career progressions for risk managers, such as becoming a managing director or transitioning to a trading role, indicating the versatility of the skills acquired in risk management.

πŸ’‘Regulatory Work

Regulatory work involves tasks related to ensuring compliance with financial regulations and reporting requirements. The script describes regulatory work as a less exciting aspect of the risk management role at a bank, involving tasks like preparing reports for the Federal Reserve.

πŸ’‘Compensation

Compensation in the context of employment refers to the financial and non-financial rewards an employee receives from their work. The video discusses compensation as a trade-off in risk management roles, where potentially lower pay is balanced with better work hours and less stress.

πŸ’‘Market Risk

Market Risk is the risk of losses that may occur due to movements in market variables such as interest rates, foreign exchange rates, equity prices, and commodity prices. The script explains that market risk managers actively analyze and monitor these risks, which is central to their role in financial institutions.

πŸ’‘Educational Barrier to Entry

Educational barrier to entry refers to the level of education or specific qualifications required to enter a particular profession. The video suggests that risk management does not have a high educational barrier, as many necessary skills can be learned on the job.

πŸ’‘Monte Carlo Simulation

Monte Carlo Simulation is a mathematical technique that allows for the modeling of the probability of different outcomes by running multiple simulations. The script briefly mentions this method as a way to determine VaR, indicating the use of advanced statistical techniques in risk management.

πŸ’‘Tension Between Traders and Risk Managers

The tension between traders and risk managers is a natural conflict of interest where traders aim to maximize revenue while risk managers aim to minimize potential losses. The video script describes this tension as a perpetual issue in the finance industry, with varying degrees of impact depending on the team and institution.

Highlights

Finance offers diverse career paths beyond traditional roles like Investment Banking, private Equity, and hedge funds.

The role of Financial Risk Manager is often overlooked but can be intellectually and financially rewarding.

Financial Risk Managers balance work and personal life, with a typical workweek of around 50 hours.

Risk Management roles at bulge bracket banks like JP Morgan and hedge funds offer different experiences.

Work-life balance in Risk Management is a significant positive, with no late nights or weekend work typically required.

Risk Management is less stressful compared to trading roles, offering more job security.

Risk Managers have good job security as their role is crucial in managing market unpredictability.

Career progression in Risk Management can lead to senior roles like managing director or chief risk officer.

Risk Managers can transition to trading roles, leveraging their market knowledge and risk analysis skills.

Risk Management roles require a broad skill set, including both qualitative and quantitative skills.

Educational barrier to entry in Risk Management is not very high, with a bachelor's degree in finance or a related field being sufficient.

Risk Management involves analyzing trading risks using tools like VAR, stress tests, and the Greeks.

The work in Risk Management can be interesting, involving market research and analysis.

Some Risk Management roles can involve less exciting tasks like regulatory work and dealing with tech issues.

Compensation in Risk Management may not be as high as in revenue-generating roles like trading or sales.

Risk Managers are often limited to living in high-cost metropolitan areas due to the nature of financial hubs.

There can be tension between traders and risk teams, as their incentives and focuses differ.

Risk Management is a good career choice for those interested in financial markets and quantitative concepts, seeking a balanced lifestyle.

Transcripts

play00:00

when you think of careers in finance the

play00:01

first things that probably come to mind

play00:02

are Investment Banking private Equity

play00:05

hedge funds those sorts of things but in

play00:06

truth Finance is such a large field and

play00:08

there's so many different avenues that

play00:10

you can take depending on your skills

play00:11

and your interests so in today's video

play00:13

I'll be going through what I personally

play00:14

think is a role that sort of goes under

play00:15

the radar when people talk about Finance

play00:17

careers but one that can still be

play00:18

intellectually and financially rewarding

play00:20

and offers a great balance between work

play00:22

and your personal life the role I'm

play00:24

talking about is the Financial Risk

play00:25

manager and is the role that I've been

play00:27

lucky enough to get straight out of

play00:28

college and I've been working in for the

play00:30

past 3 years now I did make a video on

play00:32

what a risk analyst does in the past

play00:33

which I highly suggest you check out

play00:35

after this video but since making that

play00:36

video I've worked almost a year at a

play00:38

hedge fund so I'll be able to give you

play00:39

guys insights on what the role is like

play00:41

both at a bulge bracket Bank like JP

play00:43

Morgan and also at a hedge fund and in

play00:45

this video I'll also be breaking down in

play00:46

a more clear-cut fashion exactly what

play00:48

the pros and cons are of this rule so

play00:50

that you can better determine if this

play00:52

role will be something you'll be

play00:53

interested in or if it's a good fit for

play00:54

you and to clarify today I'll be talking

play00:56

about risk management as it pertains to

play00:58

the financial markets and managing the

play01:00

risks of Traders whether it's at a bank

play01:02

or at a hedge fund starting off with the

play01:03

pros the work life balance you get

play01:05

working in risk management is probably

play01:07

one of the biggest positives when I

play01:08

first started working at JP Morgan right

play01:10

out of college I used to get to the

play01:11

office at 7:00 a.m. because I had to get

play01:13

on a call with the Traders and take

play01:14

notes for rmd I would also leave the

play01:17

office around 6:00 p.m. because I had to

play01:18

send an endof day email that summarized

play01:20

our risk and p&l and that data was only

play01:22

available after a certain time however

play01:24

this was when I first started out as an

play01:26

analyst and I wanted to contribute as

play01:27

much as possible but as time progressed

play01:29

I started to split these

play01:30

responsibilities with my teammates and

play01:32

then my days started looking more like 8

play01:34

to6 or 8 to 5 so more so around that 50h

play01:37

hour mark but really no more than that I

play01:39

never had work late at night or on

play01:40

weekends but I will offer a caveat to

play01:42

this by saying that I did Cover

play01:44

municipes which is a much smaller Market

play01:46

compared to say the equity Market or the

play01:47

bond market so for example when Russia

play01:49

first invaded Ukraine back in February

play01:51

of 2022 a lot of my colleagues working

play01:53

in those departments had to put in some

play01:55

long hours some late nights to finish

play01:57

some deliverables for Senior Management

play01:59

while I basically saw no change to my

play02:01

schedule but essentially depending on

play02:02

the market you cover during crisis

play02:04

periods your hours might be longer given

play02:06

you are the risk team after all on the

play02:07

headphon side my hours are pretty

play02:08

similar I'm also putting in about 50

play02:10

hour weeks and was never required to

play02:12

work at nights or on weekends but again

play02:14

that can potentially change during

play02:15

periods of extreme volatility in the

play02:19

markets the second Pro is that risk

play02:21

management is not really a stressful job

play02:24

relatively and I say relatively because

play02:25

most finance jobs can be quite stressful

play02:28

especially when billions of dollars are

play02:29

on the line you're working long hours or

play02:31

there are slew of deadlines to hit but

play02:32

compared to say traders who are actually

play02:34

making the trades and taking on that P&O

play02:36

risk and subsequently putting their jobs

play02:38

on the line risk management is a lot

play02:40

less stressful instead of going home at

play02:42

night worried about what might happen in

play02:43

the markets overnight or the very next

play02:45

day that might negatively impact your

play02:46

portfolio and potentially cost you your

play02:48

job I can go home and sleep soundly

play02:50

knowing that my job won't necessarily be

play02:52

on the line if the market moves

play02:54

adversely this brings me to the next

play02:55

positive which is that Risk Managers

play02:57

tend to have good job security if you're

play02:59

actually conducting ing trades your job

play03:00

is largely dependent on surprise

play03:02

surprise your ability to make money

play03:04

after all this is the finance industry

play03:06

but given how markets are extremely

play03:07

unpredictable if you're not properly

play03:09

managing a risk one mistake could cause

play03:11

you to fall below your Pano limits and

play03:13

the next thing you know you'll be

play03:14

dusting off your resume now this is a

play03:16

problem I mostly observed with hedge

play03:17

funds since strict banking regulations

play03:19

usually Force Traders at Big Banks to

play03:21

hedge out their directional Market risk

play03:23

which means they won't be as severely

play03:24

impacted whether the market goes up or

play03:25

down har don't F around cover that risk

play03:29

now but the point still stands that risk

play03:31

management is not a job where either you

play03:33

perform and make money or get replaced

play03:35

obviously there are other ways to judge

play03:37

the value and performance of a risk

play03:38

analyst but making trades is not one of

play03:40

them not to mention risk management

play03:42

rules do tend to stay pretty resilient

play03:44

in all stages of the economic cycle

play03:45

during boom periods when the economy is

play03:47

doing well Banks might want to hire more

play03:48

traders to increase their revenue but as

play03:50

soon as the economy turns sour and

play03:52

companies need to start cutting expenses

play03:54

fast these roles that were added during

play03:55

the expansionary period would likely be

play03:57

the first to go whereas risk management

play03:59

functions tend to be the last to go if a

play04:01

bank is looking to downsize their

play04:04

headcount the fourth positive is that

play04:06

risk management can offer some pretty

play04:07

good career exit opportunities if you're

play04:09

looking to change things up there are a

play04:11

few common trajectories the first being

play04:12

naturally Rising through the ranks and

play04:14

becoming a managing director at a bank

play04:16

or a senior risk manager at a hedge fund

play04:18

and if you really stick with it for the

play04:20

long run you can become the chief risk

play04:21

officer of an organization the second

play04:23

most common that I've seen is

play04:24

transitioning to a trading rule as a

play04:26

risk manager you will learn a lot about

play04:27

the market or markets that you're

play04:29

covering such as what drives that market

play04:31

what products are traded in that market

play04:32

what are the risk metrics associated

play04:34

with it and much more and because you

play04:36

develop this knowledge base surrounding

play04:37

a particular Market you become a natural

play04:39

choice for trading desks if they're

play04:41

looking to expand their team especially

play04:42

when the job market is tight and talent

play04:44

is harder to come by these two paths are

play04:45

generally the most common I've seen but

play04:47

I've also seen risk analysts transition

play04:49

to other parts of Finance such as

play04:50

Investment Banking asset management or

play04:52

even going back to school to get their

play04:53

MBA or master's degree at a top business

play04:56

school the bottom line is that risk

play04:57

management is a career path that teaches

play04:59

you about many aspects of finance and

play05:01

markets while developing both

play05:02

qualitative and quantitative skills

play05:04

which will prepare you well for a number

play05:05

of opportunities both in and outside of

play05:07

Finance speaking of skills I would say

play05:09

that risk management does not have a

play05:11

terribly High educational barrier to

play05:12

entry in fact most of the skills I have

play05:14

now whether it be coding in python or

play05:16

using Excel or knowledge about the

play05:18

financial markets have been accumulated

play05:20

while I was on the job and prior to

play05:22

receiving my job I only had two

play05:23

internships which didn't give me a whole

play05:25

lot of hands-on experience and I took a

play05:27

few finance courses as part of my

play05:28

finance major in college to get a role

play05:30

in this field I think all you really

play05:31

need is a bachelor's degree preferably

play05:33

in a major like Finance or economics or

play05:36

in something quantitative like math or

play05:37

statistics I will say though that there

play05:39

are certain parts of risk management

play05:40

especially when you start getting into

play05:42

Financial Risk modeling where you need

play05:44

some sort of quantitative degree like

play05:45

Financial engineering or if you want to

play05:47

cover a certain group like exotic

play05:48

derivative products for rates or Equity

play05:50

trading teams a quantitative graduate

play05:52

degree can definitely help your chances

play05:54

if not being an outright requirement for

play05:56

the

play05:58

job the last positive I want to talk

play06:00

about is the work itself and generally

play06:02

speaking it can be pretty interesting at

play06:04

a bank you have a few main

play06:05

responsibilities the first is to analyze

play06:07

your trading Department's risks using a

play06:09

number of different risk measures and

play06:10

tools but mainly VAR stress tests and

play06:12

the Greeks such as Delta gamma Vega Etc

play06:15

to briefly explain what those two tests

play06:17

I just mentioned are VAR stands for

play06:19

value at risk and basically tells you

play06:20

your tail risk or how much money you

play06:22

stand to lose given a very rare Market

play06:24

move for example say you have a $100

play06:26

million portfolio and your 95% ofar is

play06:28

2% that stat is essentially saying

play06:31

according to the model you can expect

play06:32

your portfolio to lose $2 million about

play06:34

5% of the time you can change certain

play06:36

parameters to your preference such as

play06:38

the confidence level aka the probability

play06:40

in which you expect a certain loss you

play06:42

can also choose to use historical data

play06:43

for your VAR tests or use a Monti Carlo

play06:45

simulation to determine your VAR for

play06:48

potential future values of your

play06:49

portfolio point is there are many

play06:50

different types of VAR tests and

play06:52

different firms will elect to use

play06:53

different tests depending on what they

play06:54

want to monitor as for stress tests

play06:56

these are tests that show how much you

play06:58

stand to lose given a specific ifed move

play07:00

in a certain Market as a simple example

play07:02

if you have a stress test of the S&P 500

play07:04

going down 10% it will show you how your

play07:06

portfolio is expected to react to the

play07:07

move given the correlations between

play07:09

different assets for example if you have

play07:11

Apple stock in your portfolio that might

play07:12

move a lot given a 10% move in the S&P

play07:14

500 but a less correlated asset like

play07:17

gold will likely not move as much now

play07:19

this can be very interesting because

play07:20

this is a side of the business that

play07:21

Traders don't necessarily get to see

play07:23

Traders can only see their own positions

play07:25

but the RIS team are able to see a top-

play07:27

down view of everything that's going on

play07:28

from trades being made to p&l to risk in

play07:31

addition to analyzing risks some of the

play07:33

more interesting work involves doing

play07:34

research an example of this was when I

play07:36

was covering municipes at JP Morgan and

play07:38

I was tked to do some research on a very

play07:40

specific type of Municipal Bond one that

play07:42

my team was not very familiar with and

play07:44

analyzed the potential risks behind it

play07:46

in my current role one of my research

play07:47

focused tests have been to try to come

play07:49

up with better stress tests to more

play07:50

accurately model curve shifts in the US

play07:52

Treasury Market now everything I just

play07:54

mentioned are some of the more

play07:55

interesting parts of the job but there

play07:56

are certainly some less exciting Parts

play07:58

as well which I will will get to in the

play08:00

negatives list also given all this I

play08:02

will offer a caveat and that is it

play08:04

depends on what risk management function

play08:06

and what type of institution you work

play08:07

for risk management is still quite a

play08:09

broad term and there are functions

play08:11

within the risk Department that I would

play08:12

personally consider less interesting

play08:14

when I was working on the cell side at a

play08:15

bank I was within a function called

play08:17

Market risk and as the name suggests you

play08:19

cover the market risk of a certain asset

play08:21

class and are in charge with doing more

play08:23

of the active analysis and monitoring of

play08:24

the risk but there were other teams that

play08:26

we worked with that were in charge of

play08:27

tasks that were less related to the

play08:28

market such as publishing reports to

play08:31

send to the FED checking over regulatory

play08:33

documents and spreadsheets and things of

play08:35

that nature essentially risk management

play08:37

can be a broad term at a big bank so

play08:38

it's important to go into the details to

play08:40

determine exactly what part of the risk

play08:42

function it is that you're signing up

play08:43

for while risk management at a bank did

play08:45

have its moments I currently prefer my

play08:47

role working at a hedge fund much more

play08:49

because I think the work is a lot more

play08:50

interesting and rewarding I find myself

play08:52

doing virtually no regulatory work which

play08:54

is quite a boring part of my previous

play08:56

job I'm doing a lot more Market related

play08:58

research and Analysis and I'm also

play08:59

learning how to code and develop tools

play09:01

that can be directly useful to my team I

play09:03

should go into some more detail

play09:04

regarding the differences between these

play09:06

two rules in this video so go check that

play09:08

out after this video if you're curious

play09:09

about

play09:11

that okay now that we've gone through

play09:13

the positives it's time to talk about

play09:15

some of the parts of this job that I

play09:16

wasn't too thrilled about as I mentioned

play09:18

before a big downside was that there

play09:20

were big parts of the job that were less

play09:22

exciting for me that was mainly doing

play09:23

regulatory work and dealing with tech

play09:25

issues as for the former at a large Bank

play09:27

the risk department is in charge of

play09:29

working with The Regulators to make sure

play09:30

that the bank isn't taking on too much

play09:32

risk and one thing we had to do

play09:33

quarterly was something called c car or

play09:35

comprehensive Capital analysis and

play09:37

review which was essentially a quot of

play09:38

the exercise in which the entire risk

play09:40

Department had to compile a bunch of

play09:42

data to then send to the FED which they

play09:44

reviewed in order to basically make sure

play09:46

that the banks had enough Capital to

play09:47

sustain losses under a number of

play09:49

different extreme Market moves

play09:50

essentially this involved collecting a

play09:52

bunch of data and compiling it into a

play09:54

pretty complex template now that may not

play09:56

sound like it would take that long but

play09:57

when you have a portfolio consistent of

play09:59

hundreds of different bonds options

play10:01

credit derivative products it can be

play10:03

very timeconsuming to compile all that

play10:05

information as we're dealing with tech

play10:06

issues this also was a part of the job

play10:08

that I wasn't particularly fond of

play10:10

essentially ever so often when we're

play10:11

going through our daily processes we

play10:13

might find some risk numbers that don't

play10:15

quite look right in which case we'd have

play10:17

to go in and investigate and try to

play10:18

figure out the issue now sometimes it

play10:20

could be as simple as the data not being

play10:22

sent through on time or something like

play10:23

that but other times there would be an

play10:24

issue with the underlying risk model

play10:26

that is calculating the risk statistic

play10:28

in these cases we' have to reach out to

play10:29

risk Quant teams to fix the model then

play10:31

run the data and see if that fixes the

play10:33

issue and this consisted of a lot of

play10:35

back and forth comparisons with

play10:36

spreadsheets slicing the data in a bunch

play10:38

of different ways which all around

play10:40

wasn't very interesting but it had to be

play10:43

done second biggest drawback is the pay

play10:46

and it really only is a downside

play10:48

depending on how you look at it now

play10:49

obviously since the risk Department

play10:51

isn't a revenue generating part of the

play10:52

business as in directly bringing in

play10:54

clients or making trades the

play10:56

compensation isn't going to be as high

play10:58

as a role like trading or sales now on

play11:00

the flip side your hours will be better

play11:02

and you won't be as stressed so there is

play11:04

that trade-off to keep in mind for a

play11:05

bank the main difference in compensation

play11:07

lies in the bonus in the year and a half

play11:09

that I worked at a bank the salaries

play11:10

across the trading FL were pretty much

play11:12

equal from the salespeople to the

play11:13

traders to the risk team while Traders

play11:15

could potentially earn somewhere from 50

play11:17

to 100% of their base salary in bonus

play11:19

the numbers I saw for the risk team were

play11:21

more around 25 to 50% now these numbers

play11:24

will tend to fluctuate a lot depending

play11:25

on personal performance and the economic

play11:27

environment I have heard of some where

play11:29

trading desks paid out much lower

play11:30

bonuses than the percentages I mentioned

play11:32

but in those cases the risk team will

play11:34

probably be even lower at a hedge fund

play11:36

compensation is treated a bit

play11:37

differently and is much more closely

play11:39

linked to personal performance and the

play11:40

performance of the fund so while

play11:42

salaries may not be as big as the banks

play11:43

bonuses are typically larger ultimately

play11:46

while some may view the lower overall

play11:47

compensation as a negative others might

play11:49

value the extra free time and the less

play11:51

stressful lifestyle so it all comes down

play11:53

to personal preference at least for me I

play11:55

know one thing which is if I work those

play11:57

100 hour weeks as a banker I certainly

play11:59

wouldn't be able to film and edit these

play12:02

videos this next one is also sort of a

play12:05

neutral Factor but I chose to put it on

play12:07

the cons list because I personally saw

play12:09

it as a con and that is you really are

play12:11

limited on where you can live if you

play12:12

decide to go into this field and by

play12:14

limited I mean you'll most likely be

play12:15

living in New York City or another major

play12:17

city now there are Financial hubs in

play12:19

Chicago San Francisco Miami or if you go

play12:22

internationally London Hong Kong Etc but

play12:24

essentially you'll most likely be living

play12:26

in a High Cost of Living metropolitan

play12:28

area which isn't the ideal lifestyle for

play12:30

everyone in my first year of working I

play12:32

tried my best to not have to live inside

play12:34

of New York City and instead opted to

play12:36

live in a small town in Connecticut but

play12:38

after a whole year of waking up at 5:00

play12:39

a.m. taking a 1 and 1 half hour train

play12:42

and then getting back home at 8800 p.m.

play12:44

I had finally had enough and decided to

play12:45

move into the city only when I got there

play12:47

I realized that a $120,000 salary really

play12:50

doesn't go that far in New York city so

play12:52

location can definitely be a major

play12:54

downside especially if you're trying to

play12:55

save money or don't particularly like

play12:57

City life because when it comes to jobs

play12:59

in the finance industry your options can

play13:00

be quite

play13:03

limited this last negative which

play13:05

probably is something that you haven't

play13:06

thought about is that there does tend to

play13:08

be a Perpetual tension between the

play13:09

Traders and the risk team where the

play13:11

former group are incentivized to

play13:13

generate as much revenue as possible

play13:14

without thinking too much of the tail

play13:16

risks while the risk team only focuses

play13:18

on what potential risk the trading

play13:19

business can expose themselves to and

play13:21

prevent that from getting out of control

play13:23

this is by Design after all you do need

play13:25

some healthy tension and discourse in

play13:27

order to maximize Revenue while also not

play13:29

taking on risks that could risk

play13:31

destroying the whole business but the

play13:32

key word is healthy and it varies team

play13:34

by team Bank by bank but sometimes there

play13:37

can be situations where Traders want to

play13:38

conduct a trade that the risk team deems

play13:40

to be too risky and that can result in a

play13:43

disagreement I've even heard stories

play13:44

from more senior Risk Managers that

play13:46

fights have almost broken out on the

play13:47

trading floor because of these very

play13:49

reasons essentially some desks can have

play13:51

better relationships between the Traders

play13:52

and the Risk Managers and some desks can

play13:54

have worse relationships luckily for me

play13:56

when I was covering municipals the two

play13:58

heads of the Department were very good

play13:59

Traders they paid a lot of attention to

play14:01

risk and as a result we had a very good

play14:03

relationship the Traders and our team

play14:04

would go out to a baseball game once in

play14:06

a while during the holidays some of the

play14:07

senior department heads would take us

play14:09

out to a nice lunch to a steakhouse

play14:10

somewhere and I was just very

play14:12

appreciative of this culture of

play14:13

collaboration rather than antagonism and

play14:15

this is all something that I've seen

play14:17

more so working at a bank than at a

play14:18

hedge fund and again these bad

play14:20

relationships between these two

play14:21

functions don't happen terribly often

play14:23

but it is

play14:26

possible so in conclusion like any other

play14:29

job the role of the Financial Risk

play14:30

manager has both its positives and its

play14:32

negatives and it really comes down to

play14:34

what you're looking for out of your

play14:35

career and your life ultimately I think

play14:37

risk management is a good choice for

play14:39

anyone that enjoys and is interested in

play14:41

working in the financial markets likes

play14:43

to dive deep into certain markets and

play14:45

quantitative Concepts but also wants a

play14:47

good work life balance and a low stress

play14:49

lifestyle now I'm not saying that I'm in

play14:51

this role for specifically those reasons

play14:53

but I certainly am grateful to have

play14:55

started my career in this field and I've

play14:57

learned a tremendous amount that I'm

play14:58

sure I will take with me for the rest of

play15:00

my career if you guys have any further

play15:01

questions please do leave them down in

play15:03

the comments below I'll try to answer

play15:04

them the best I can or I'll address them

play15:06

in a future video and as always take

play15:08

care I'll see you guys in the next

play15:10

[Music]

play15:11

one

Rate This
β˜…
β˜…
β˜…
β˜…
β˜…

5.0 / 5 (0 votes)

Related Tags
Financial RiskCareer InsightsInvestment BankingHedge FundsWork-Life BalanceRisk AnalysisMarket ResearchRegulatory ComplianceCareer PathFinancial MarketsRisk Management Roles