Managing other people's money at scale: funds, pensions, endowments and the fortunes of the very wealthy.
Top pay: highest pay, longest training
Portfolio Manager: Decides what stocks, bonds or other investments to buy and sell for a mutual fund, pension or wealthy clients. Typical pay $170k.
Hedge Fund Portfolio Manager: Runs a hedge fund strategy, making aggressive bets with big money that can win (or lose) a lot. Typical pay $700k.
Buy-Side Equity Analyst: Researches companies for an investment fund and recommends which stocks to own. Typical pay $180k.
Endowment Chief Investment Officer: Manages a university's or foundation's billions, choosing which funds to invest in so it can last forever. Typical pay $500k.
Pension Fund Investment Officer: Invests the retirement savings of teachers, firefighters or company workers in a giant pension fund. Typical pay $140k.
Family Office Investment Director: Manages the fortune of one very wealthy family, from investments to taxes to philanthropy. Typical pay $275k.
Private Wealth Manager: Manages money for very wealthy clients (millionaires and up), coordinating investments, taxes and estate plans. Typical pay $200k.
Athlete & Entertainer Business Manager: Handles the money of pro athletes, musicians and actors: bills, taxes, investments and contracts. Typical pay $150k.
Mutual Fund / ETF Wholesaler: Travels to financial advisors and convinces them to recommend their firm's funds to clients. Typical pay $175k.
Manager Research Analyst: Interviews and evaluates other investment managers to decide which ones a pension, endowment or wealth firm should hire. Typical pay $115k.
Infrastructure Investment Analyst: Invests in long-lasting assets like toll roads, airports, data centers and wind farms. Typical pay $165k.
Farmland Investment Manager: Buys and manages farms for pension funds and investors, choosing land, leasing it to farmers and deciding which crops will earn best. Typical pay $150k.
Mid pay: solid pay, degree or apprenticeship
Investment Consultant: Advises pension funds and endowments on which investment managers to hire and how to divide their money. Typical pay $105k.
Trust Officer: Manages trusts that hold money for families, kids or charities, following the rules the trust creator set. Typical pay $95k.
Investment RFP Writer: Writes detailed answers to questionnaires from pension funds deciding whether to hire an investment firm. Typical pay $85k.
Art Advisor: Helps wealthy collectors buy art as both passion and investment. Typical pay $90k.
Wealth Management Client Associate: Supports financial advisors by handling client paperwork, transfers and questions. Typical pay $55k.
Sustainable Investing Analyst: Studies companies' environmental and social practices to help investors pick responsible investments. Typical pay $95k.
Timberland Investment Analyst: Analyzes forests as investments for pension funds: how fast trees will grow, when to harvest and what the land and carbon credits are worth. Typical pay $98k.
Precious Metals Dealer: Buys and sells gold, silver and platinum coins and bars to collectors and investors, testing metal and pricing it by the minute. Typical pay $65k.
Music Catalog Investment Analyst: Values songwriters' and artists' song catalogs so investment funds can buy them, predicting how much royalty money the songs will earn for decades. Typical pay $105k.
Starter: fastest way in
Trust Administrator: Handles the day-to-day paperwork and payments for trusts. Typical pay $54k.
Portfolio Administrator: Keeps account records and trade details accurate for investment managers. Typical pay $52k.
Transfer Agent Representative: Keeps track of who owns a company's shares or a fund's units, and helps shareholders with transfers and dividends. Typical pay $48k.
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.