Careers connected with Finance offer high salary potential and stability. As a result, graduates with an MFin are in demand across industries, including investment banking, consulting, and fintech.
If the fast pace of investment banking is different from your cup of tea, consider a role in private wealth management or private banking. These jobs involve managing finances for high net-worth individuals and offering personalized services from efficient tax planning to advising on stock investments.
Investment Banking
Finance is a fast-growing industry that provides graduates with various career options. Finance professionals collect and analyze data, build financial models for effective decision-making, and make forecasts based on their analyses.
Investment banking is a significant career path for finance degree holders. Generally speaking, investment banks serve as intermediaries between corporations and the financial markets. They assist in mergers and acquisitions, help companies raise capital by selling shares or debt, and advise corporate clients on potential economic opportunities.
Investment bankers can work for bulge bracket firms. Still, they can also find employment with middle market and boutique investment banks. Depending on the firm’s size, an investment banking division is usually segmented into product and industry groups. Product groups focus on specific financial products such as leveraged Finance, M&A advisory, restructuring, and public financing. Industry coverage groups focus on a particular industry niche. For example, they may be grouped into healthcare, industrials, TMT (technology media and telecommunications), consumer/retail, or power & energy industries.
Financial Analysis
The career paths for graduates with a master of science in finance are broad and varied. These include pursuing roles in the financial sector, setting monetary policy, building long-term plans for business activity, and identifying projects or companies to invest in.
A financial analyst’s job is to thoroughly examine a company’s financial statements, such as the income statement and balance sheet, to determine if it is stable, liquid, or profitable enough to warrant a monetary investment. Various analytical techniques, such as horizontal analysis and ratio analysis, utilize different methods to evaluate a company’s strengths and weaknesses, including efficiency ratios that compare a company’s margins against similar companies within the same industry. Finance professionals must possess attention to detail, integrity, mathematical aptitude, and risk assessment, which can be applied to various financial positions.
Asset Management
Asset management ensures companies maintain their growth potential, encourage financial stability, and promote sustainability. It involves analyzing inventory, supplier pricing, and other data and then passing it on to decision-makers.
Some asset managers specialize in particular areas. For example, infrastructure asset management oversees developing, improving, and replacing facilities like roads, transport links, and electricity. Real estate asset management deals with commercial property. IT asset management, on the other hand, regulates IT hardware and software and tracks licensing compliance.
Then wealth and investment managers manage clients’ finances by investing in a portfolio of assets. These include mutual funds, ETFs, individual stocks and bonds, derivatives, and real estate. Large financial institutions employ some managers, while others work independently as self-employed advisors. The former is a popular career option as it can lead to job security, high salaries, and excellent growth opportunities.
Corporate Finance
You may focus your career path on corporate Finance, which involves analyzing business risks and making critical financial investments. In this career path, you will help your company find sources of capital and make strategic decisions to maximize profit for shareholders.
A master’s degree in finance can accelerate your career in investment banking and other financial roles in the private and public sectors. However, a graduate degree is optional for entry-level positions, and you can still build your career in functional areas like management, marketing, business analytics, or entrepreneurship.
Many master’s of finance graduates opt to use their skills to pursue roles in consulting as top firms seek candidates with specialized finance expertise. This program is designed to give ambitious, globally-minded professionals the practical skills and international experience they need for success.
Banking
A graduate degree can be a passport to worldwide career opportunities. And the Master of Finance program is no exception. According to IE Business School, 64 percent of its master of finance graduates have secured work in the financial sector, including investment banking and private wealth management.
An investment banker helps companies raise money in the capital markets by underwriting new debt or equity securities and arranging mergers and acquisitions. They also help clients invest their assets wisely. This popular career path pays well and offers excellent growth potential.
A company’s chief financial officer oversees an organization’s finances, including accounting and financial analysis. This is another MFin career path that pays well, with an average annual salary of $107,680. A CFO is often considered the head of a firm’s finance department and has executive-level responsibilities. A master’s in finance also gives you the skills to pursue several top certifications, such as the Certified Public Accountant (CPA), Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA), and Chartered Market Technician (CMT). These professional designations can give you a competitive edge when looking for jobs or applying for promotions.
Also Read About: How to Write a Book About Your Life Experiences: A Step-by-Step Guide