Financial and Investment Manager
Job overview
Financial and investment managers plan companies?' ?capital requirements and then decide upon the best way to finance these requirements to shareholders' best advantage.
What do people do in these jobs?
Financial managers usually head the financial divisions of companies.
The financial division is responsible for recording, analysing and interpreting financial information.
Financial reports are then made available to people concerned such as the managing director, the bank manager and the shareholders.
The financial division compiles budgets.
In addition, this division is also responsible for the completion and submission of the company's tax returns as well as the treasury function.
They must ensure that the capital needs of the company are financed in the right amount, at the right time and at the lowest cost.
Through proper risk management they must also ensure that the risk involved is minimised.
Financial managers set cost-standards for companies and regularly check the actual performance of the companies against these standards.
Investment managers' work is closely related to that of financial managers.
These two positions are therefore mostly combined.
Investment managers are especially involved in determining the best means of investing fixed assets and financial resources, considering the various investment alternatives.
The field of investment management consists of the following markets: money, capital, shares, futures and options, poverty and foreign exchange.
What kinds of people are suitable for these careers?
Persons interested in this career should be good at mathematics and concerned with detail, tidiness and correctness.
They must be careful, think twice about various alternatives and act with integrity.
Prospective financial and investment managers must have the personality to negotiate in the financial and capital markets.
What qualifications are needed?
Mathematical interest and skill, plus training in commercial subjects are basic requirements, usually taken beyond school level into tertiary studies.
