Also called:
Fixed Income Portfolio Manager, Fixed Income Vice President (Fixed Income VP), Investment Analysis Vice President (Investment Analysis VP), Portfolio Manager
Investment Fund Managers walk a line that balances risk with expected reward, their work can be very stressful! Maximizing returns on clients’ investments is their number one priority; and when they meet their goals, they earn substantial rewards which many consider worth the stress of the job. To meet the challenge, investment fund managers typically obtain a master’s degree in a financial or business field, and often work more than 40 hours a week. Depending on the institution that they work for, the assets they handle could be quite large. They often have to face risks head on, but not alone. Investment fund managers have frequent meetings with analysts and clients so that they can build trusting relationships and gather important information. Understanding economic influences is critical to the job; they must maintain up-to-the-minute knowledge of the broader economy, monitor the performance of current investments, and read financial briefings before making decisions regarding their clients’ assets. Whether they work for individual or institutional investors, investment fund managers design investment strategies and execute trades to benefit their clients to the fullest. They must be ambitious, inspire confidence in clients, and have both intuition and analytical skills to excel in this field.
What they do:
Plan, direct, or coordinate investment strategy or operations for a large pool of liquid assets supplied by institutional investors or individual investors.
On the job, you would:
Manage investment funds to maximize return on client investments.
Select specific investments or investment mixes for purchase by an investment fund.
Monitor financial or operational performance of individual investments to ensure portfolios meet risk goals.
Business
accounting and economics
customer service
Arts and Humanities
English language
Math and Science
arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, or statistics
Safety and Government
law and government
Basic Skills
listening to others, not interrupting, and asking good questions
reading work related information
Problem Solving
noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it
People and Technology Systems
thinking about the pros and cons of different options and picking the best one
figuring out how a system should work and how changes in the future will affect it
Verbal
communicate by speaking
listen and understand what people say
Math
choose the right type of math to solve a problem
add, subtract, multiply, or divide
Ideas and Logic
use rules to solve problems
make general rules or come up with answers from lots of detailed information
Visual Understanding
see hidden patterns
People interested in this work like activities that include leading, making decisions, and business.
They do well at jobs that need:
Integrity
Analytical Thinking
Stress Tolerance
Achievement/Effort
Dependability
Persistence
You might use software like this on the job:
Analytical or scientific software
SAS
Statistical analysis software
Presentation software
Microsoft PowerPoint
Financial analysis software
Oracle Hyperion Planning
SunGard Financial Systems AddVantage
master's degree or bachelor's degree usually needed
Get started on your career:
New job opportunities are very likely in the future.