Also called: Forensic Investment Researcher
Investigates companies they believe are frauds or overvalued, publishes the evidence and profits if the stock falls.
You fly to China to check whether a company's factory actually exists, interview former employees and publish a 50-page report that sends the stock down 40%.
Earnings depend entirely on the success of bets; some years huge profits, others big losses and lawsuits.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Bachelor's degree (4-year), about 6 years after high school. Bachelor's in finance, accounting or journalism; many are former analysts.
Ways in: 4-year college, Self-taught. Training cost: $15k – $60k.
Majors to look at: Accounting, Finance, Journalism.
Growing about average. Tiny, high-risk niche.
Low risk in 5 years, medium in 10. AI scans filings for red flags faster, but digging up hidden facts and taking legal and reputational risk stays human.
Classes: Accounting class, AP English Language, Journalism.
Official data: O*NET occupation 13-2051.
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.