The salary expectations in finance jobs are highly diverse, with entry-level jobs getting paid as low as $40,000 a year and high-level jobs earning up to $70 million annually.
Finance Jobs - Salary Expectations for Various Jobs
The salary expectations for various finance jobs are:
Commercial Banking: Banking is a margin business. Thus, high salaries are uncommon in this sector. Starting salaries in commercial banking for a bachelor's degree were in the range of between $40,000 and $60,000 in 2009. You can expect a salary in the $80,000-$120,000 range after gaining experience of around ten years in banking.
|
Job Level
|
Salary
|
Prerequisite (degree + yrs experience)
|
|
Trainee/credit analyst
|
$48K
|
Bachelor's Degree
|
|
Junior Loan Officer
|
$60K
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Bachelor's + 3 years
|
|
Loan Officer
|
$100K
|
5-7 years
|
|
Senior Corporate Loan Officer
|
$115K
|
10 years
|
|
Mortgage Originator
|
$40K
|
1 year or more
|
|
Financial Analyst
|
$58K
|
3 years or more
|
|
Personal Banker
|
$40K
|
1-3 years
|
Corporate Finance:
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Job Level
|
Salary
|
|
Rookie Financial Analyst - Smaller Firm
|
$35-$50K
|
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Rookie Financial Analyst - Large Firm
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$40-$50K
|
|
Seasoned Financial Analyst - Smaller Firm
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$50-$65K
|
|
Seasoned Financial Analyst - Large Firm
|
$63-$81K
|
|
Tax Manager
|
$92-$130K
|
|
Assistant Treasurer
|
$88-$113K
|
|
Chief Financial Officer – Big Firm
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$260-$390K
|
|
Chief Financial Officer – Smaller Firm
|
$95-$125K
|
Financial Planning and Wealth Managers: The median salary for financial planners was $70,000 in 2008. While the salaries of people who work for companies are somewhat lower, those working at franchisees earn the least. The salary distribution in this business is highly skewed.
Insurance sector:
|
Job Level
|
Salary
|
|
Actuary Entry Level
|
$50-$80K
|
|
Actuary - Senior
|
$160-$400K
|
|
Agent/Broker
|
$40-$70K
|
|
Claims Adjuster
|
$40-$50K
|
|
Underwriter
|
$45-$80K
|
Investment Banking:
|
Job Level
|
Salary
|
Prerequisite (degree + yrs experience)
|
|
First Year Analyst
|
$60K-$150K
|
Bachelor's Degree
|
|
Third Year Analyst
|
$120K-$300K
|
Bachelor's
|
|
First Year Associate
|
$150K-$250K
|
MBA
|
|
Third Year Associate
|
$250-$450K
|
MBA
|
|
Vice President
|
$350K-$1MM
|
3-6 years
|
|
Director / Principal
|
$400K-$1.5MM
|
5-10 years
|
|
Managing Director / Partner
|
$500K-$20MM
|
7-10 years
|
|
Department Head
|
$800K-$70MM
|
10+ years
|
Money Management: Salaries of analysts in the starting positions at leading mutual funds, pension funds and bank trust departments are between $60,000 and $80,000. While a jobs at a state pension fund or a bank trust department will get paid in the $90,000 to $180,000 range, those at a private fund may get around $500,000.
Real Estate:
|
Job Level
|
Salary
|
|
Residential Property Manager
|
$65K
|
|
Residential Real Estate Agent
|
$54K
|
|
Financial Analyst in a Real Estate Company
|
$60K
|
|
Project Manager
|
$90K
|
|
Mortgage Lender
|
$110K
|