How to become a financial analyst

Financial analysts are responsible for financial planning, analysis and forecasting for the company. They forecast future income and expenditures to establish a cost structure and determine the capital budget of the project. Experienced financial analysts usually work with members of the senior management team to formulate company-wide investment directions and policies.

The importance of financial analysts

For a company, it can only develop in the long run with sufficient funds. The responsibilities of financial analysts are to make key business decisions through analysis, collect and analyze daily data, and make recommendations for corporate development. Therefore, financial analysts play a key role in the company's business, and their analytical decisions determine the company's profit and loss.

"What Does a Corporate Financial Analyst Do?"  Click to view

Essential skills for financial analysts

Financial analysts are competitive in the workplace because they have skills that are difficult to replicate.

• First, financial analysts must have expert-level analysis and financial modeling skills. The company's development steps depend on professional data analysis. Scientific analysis results can reflect the company's strengths and problems.
• Second, financial analysts must have strategic thinking and excellent presentation skills. They usually need to make recommendations to the management or senior management based on the results of the analysis, so that the company can develop more efficiently.
  
• Third, financial analysts must have excellent time management and organizational skills. The company's business development data usually needs to be monitored and analyzed from multiple dimensions. In addition, a business may require coordination and cooperation of multiple departments to complete. All this makes financial analysts have to deal with multiple tasks at the same time within a certain period of time.

Therefore, financial analysts do not only focus on digital analysis, but are all-round development talents in business.

"Job role: Financial Analyst"  Click to view

Improve market competitiveness

The financial sector has always been a challenging industry. Moreover, financial analyst positions are highly competitive in the industry. So, how to improve professional skills in the financial market to have more competitive advantages?

• Required educational background

There is no minimum vocational education to become a financial analyst, but at present, most financial analysts have bachelor degrees in economics, finance, and statistics. Other popular majors include accounting and mathematics, and even biology and engineering. Due to the increasing number of undergraduate graduates in related majors, many people choose to continue their studies to improve their market competitiveness, such as studying for a master's degree.

• Obtain the financial professional certification
  

Obtaining a professional certification is a proof that the job seeker has financial expertise and skills. Not only can it help people who are interested in finance, but those who have other professional education experience to enter the financial industry, it can also prove that they have certain development advantages in the financial industry.

List of the Top Finance Certifications:

1. Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) certification

2. Certified Public Accountant (CPA) certification

3. Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst (CAIA) designation

4. Certified Financial Planner (CFP) designation

5. Financial Risk Manager (FRM) certification

6. Financial Modeling & Valuation Analyst (FMVA) certification

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