Also called: CFO, VP of Finance
The top money executive at a company, responsible for budgets, financial reporting, raising money and big financial decisions.
You review the quarterly results before they go public, take a call with an investor worried about profit margins, and tell the CEO that a planned factory is too expensive right now. Later you meet bankers about borrowing $500 million.
Financial managers' BLS median is about $166k (May 2025), with high earners top-coded; large-company executives earn far more through bonuses and stock.
Bachelor's degree (4-year), about 18 years after high school. Bachelor's in accounting or finance plus 15-20 years; CPA or MBA very common.
Ways in: 4-year college, Certification, Graduate school. Training cost: $15k – $60k.
Majors to look at: Accounting, Finance, Business Administration (MBA).
Growing much faster than average (about 10% over 10 years). Financial managers grow much faster than average.
Low risk for 10 years. AI gives CFOs faster forecasts and leaner teams; strategy, raising money, board trust and legal accountability stay with the person.
Classes: Accounting, AP Macroeconomics, AP Statistics, Speech.
Official data: O*NET occupation 11-3031.
Career Universe is an early version. Pay, training and AI-risk figures are estimates to start your own research, not verified facts. The research was written with AI research assistants, checked by validation scripts and spot-checked by hand. Check anything important with schools, employers and official sources. How the numbers work.