Asset Management Careers

A discussion of asset management careers will give us insight into the possible opportunities to become professionals in the field of acquiring, managing, and multiplying the assets of both individuals and corporations. Such candidates have the ability to identify growth potential in assets.

Professionals in this field should have an interest in and understanding of various forms of assets in the financial market, which can be invested to get lucrative returns. They perform such services either in a team through any particular financial institution or individually. They are often referred to as portfolio advisors or managers.

Asset Management is the management of the investments on behalf of their investors. The job of asset management professionals is to source high-value mandates from wealthy individuals and advise them on the best investment decision that will enhance their portfolio value in the long term.

Asset management is a financial service offered by investment professionals to large corporate, government agencies, and financial intermediaries like banks or FIIs. Investors are allotted units for investing in the fund. The NAV of the fund represents the performance of the same. JP Morgan, Goldman Sachs, DSP, Deutsche, and Bank of America are one of the top asset management companies globally. In today’s environment, digital asset management careers is gaining a lot of importance for professionals.

The main objective of such a profession is to use the financial resources in an optimum manner so that they are able to generate the best possible return by accepting the least amount of risk. This requires a thorough understanding and study of various asset classes along with their risk and return potential.

Career in the field of asset management also involves a detailed analysis of the client profile. All clients will not have the same risk appetite or financial goal or time horizon for investment. Asset managers should make a thorough study of the amount of risk the client is ready to take along with the time they have in hand to invest the money. The purpose of fund management may also be different. Therefore, it is necessary to learn the same in detail.

Above all, there managers who take up asset management as their career option, should strictly follow the rules and regulations of the financial market and also acts for the protection of client’s interest.

Since they are suppose to take decision of behalf of their clients, it is necessary that they should not look at their own interest because this may lead to profits or personal gains at the cost of the client. Such decisions will not only spoil the career of that particular professional but also portray the entire work of asset management in a negative light.

The portfolios commonly managed include assets like fixed investment, mutual funds, stocks, bonds, commodities, real estate asset management careers and so on.

Below are some of the Asset Management Job Roles a person can reach in his career.

1. Market Research Analyst
2. Credit Analyst
3. Private Equity Specialist
4. Equity/Debt Dealers
5. NAV Fund Accountant

If the aim of the candidate is to get a job in a prestigious firm of Wall Street as financial advisor or asset manager and get the responsibility to handle the portfolio of clients, then a degree in economics or finance is a must, especially if they are earned for some top-tier institutions.

This is because they offer very high level and detailed training about the fund management process, and teach the techniques, rules and ideas in a very critical manner along with industry exposer through internships. This helps in gaining hands-on experience in this field that are useful for practical implementation.  

Given below are some important financial as well as digital asset management careers options that a suitable candidate can understand and explore.

Career #1 - Market Research Analyst

The AMC employs a Market Research Analyst to do the required market research or any specific industry that will help the fund managers make decisions.

Career #2 - Credit Analyst

Credit Analyst assesses the Credit Worthiness of the Investment in Debt Market Securities like Bonds.

Career #3 - Private Equity Specialist

The private Equity Specialist manages the Private Equity Fund of the AMC on behalf of the HNI investors.

Career #4 - Equity/Debt Dealers

Equity/Debt Dealer does dealing under the guidance of the Fund Managers.

Career #5 - NAV Fund Accountant

NAV Fund Accountant takes care of the NAV calculation of the fund.

Let us understand the concept asset management career path with the help of a suitable example. We assume Robin holds a bachelor's degree in economics. He got a job in a bank as an advisor and found that he enjoys handling customer portfolio and has the ability to easily gain clients by making them understand the financial products in details and pointing out what kind of benefits that they will get from them in long term. Clients trust his knowledge and ability to manage their hard-earned money. This gave him the confidence to go ahead with this career and he went on to pursue a management degree in finance along with a certification as a CFA. This degree helped him to become a fund manager in one of the best companies in the financial market with the responsibility to offer reports and advices regarding different options for investments, currency transaction as well as initial public offers, earning a very lucrative salary.

Such jobs to financial or real estate asset management careers may also be found in small banks or financial institutions that handle clients with comparatively smaller portfolio. Candidates can work as analysts or financial advisors for their clients and manage funds for them. Such positions also help in starting the career if the candidate is not able to get expose to learning from top-tier institutions. This will prove to be a perfect platform for grassroots level training and gaining experience. This will also be a chance to understand whether this particular job selection is suitable for the candidate of not.

Therefore, in an asset management career path, it is not necessary to get a very expensive degree to get into this field. It is the interest and persistence that matters. Over time, with the exposure to more such situations, the candidates will get advanced knowledge and become portfolio managers in the real sense.

Asset management job is one of the top profiles which anyone can explore to get a good understanding of the equity and debt markets. It provides extensive experience to the candidate in the financial services sector. Once you work in an AMC, it will open multiple doors in the market in the form of banks, NBFCs, stockbroking companies, investment banks, pension funds, government agencies, regulatory bodies like credit rating agencies, etc.

This has been a guide to what are Asset Management Careers. We explain the concept with the list of top 5 careers in that field and an example. You may also have a look at the below articles –

• Top Careers in Capital Market
• Careers in Valuation
• Equity Research Jobs
• Banking Sector Careers