How To Become a Financial Analyst
What Is a Financial Analyst?
Financial analysts are key advisors that help companies and individuals make smart financial decisions. They interpret market data and economic trends and use that data to strategically plan investments and drive future success. These professionals have strong mathematical and research skills and help to turn complex financial information into an easily understandable pathway to financial growth.
Number of jobs expected to open for financial analysts, per year, from 2024 to 2034(See disclaimer 1)
What Does a Financial Analyst Do?
Financial analysts play a critical role in helping organizations to make confident and informed financial decisions. Through researching market conditions and evaluating investment opportunities, they provide actionable insights that guide business strategy and growth. Their work combines data analysis, forecasting and interpersonal communication to ensure business leaders understand financial risks and opportunities.
Common tasks for financial analysts include:
Making portfolio recommendations
Financial analysts review potential investments and strategies to help organizations and individuals to maximize their financial success.
Analyzing market and industry trends
They monitor economic trends to identify patterns and guide investment decisions that minimize the risks of a fluctuating economy.
Studying financial records to understand market position
Analysts review records like income statements, balance sheets and cash flow reports to evaluate a company’s financial health and competitiveness in the industry.
Generating professional reports
Financial analysts use data analysis and visualization tools to present their recommendations as well as report on previous investment outcomes.
What Experience and Education Does a Financial Analyst Need?
Becoming a financial analyst requires formal education as well as professional experience in the field. Entry-level positions often focus on building foundational skills, while senior roles typically demand more extensive experience, specialized expertise and advanced credentials. In addition to formal education, hands-on experience and continuous learning are key to developing a deeper understanding of markets, advanced analytical capabilities and leadership in strategic planning.
High School Diploma
Undergraduate Degree
Graduate Degree
Licenses and Professional Certificates
Internships
Entry-Level Roles
Best Degrees for Financial Analysts
Most entry-level roles in financial analysis require a bachelor’s degree in a business-related field. Additionally, some employers prefer a master’s degree.(See disclaimer 2) If you are aiming to become a financial analyst, your degree should cover a mix of finance competencies, ranging from business fundamentals to analytical and mathematical skills.
Business degrees can help prepare you for a career as a financial analyst by teaching the following business competencies:
Managerial finance and financial markets
Investment strategies
Organizational management and behavior
Risk management and insurance
Micro and macroeconomics
Ethical and legal issues in business
GCU Recommends These Degree Programs for Financial Analysts
5 Matching Degrees
What Skills Does a Financial Analyst Need?
Financial analysts must demonstrate proficiency in both technical expertise and interpersonal communication, as their role requires interpreting complex data and presenting actionable insights to senior decision-makers.
In addition to business competencies, financial analysts must have the following skills:
Computer and software expertise
Confidence in decision-making
Mathematical proficiency
Interpersonal communication
Time-management
Problem-solving
Where Do Financial Analysts Work?
Financial analysts work in a variety of settings where informed financial decisions need to be made by the guidance of a knowledgeable and trusted professional. Some financial analysts specialize in areas like risk analysis, fund management, portfolio management or securities analysis.
Financial analysts are generally classified as buy-side or sell-side analysts. Buy-side analysts create investment strategies for large institutional investors like hedge funds, insurance companies and nonprofit organizations, while sell-side analysts provide advice to brokers and agents who sell bonds, stocks and other securities.
Financial analysts work across many industries, with the largest employers including:(See disclaimer 5)
Securities, commodity contracts and other financial investments
Financial analysts in this sector evaluate stocks, bonds and other investments. They provide insight for trading, market trend analysis and portfolio management.
Professional, scientific and technical services
In this industry, analysts will often work provide consulting services, risk assessments, strategic planning and financial modeling across various technical and scientific fields.
Credit intermediation
Financial analysts in the banking industry help to assess credit risk and make lending decisions by forecasting financial trends and performance.
Management of companies and enterprises
Working in corporate finance involves performing budgeting, forecasting and long-term financial planning strategies.
Insurance carriers
Financial analysts help insurance companies to analyze risk and maintain profits while meeting regulatory compliance.
Median annual wage for financial analysts in May 2024(See disclaimer 4)
Estimated job growth for financial analysts from 2024 to 2034(See disclaimer 1)
Advancement Opportunities Within Finance
As financial analysts gain experience, they may be interested in advancement within the field. Most financial analysts begin their careers by focusing on a specific area of investment. With experience, they may pursue advanced roles such as portfolio manager, where they decide the mix of investments for a company’s portfolio, or fund manager, overseeing large investment portfolios for individual clients. Earning a master’s degree in finance or business administration may help you position yourself for potential advancement to these positions.(See disclaimer 2)
Explore More on Financial Analysts
Discover further reading in financial analysis, including how to choose the right degree program for your personal and professional goals.
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If you enjoy working with numbers and are interested in the corporate world, finance and accounting are degree options you may be considering. In this post, we break down both degrees to help you understand what to expect and decide what program is best for you.
Prepare for your career as a financial analyst with degree programs from GCU’s Colangelo College of Business, where you’ll gain skills and tools for today’s dynamic business environment.
- COVID-19 has adversely affected the global economy and data from 2020 to 2023 may be atypical compared to prior years. Accordingly, data shown is effective August 2025, which can be found here: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook, Financial Analysts, retrieved December 2025.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2025, Aug. 28). How To Become a Financial Analyst. Occupational Outlook Handbook. Retrieved December 2025.
- CareerOne Stop. (n.d.). Certification Finder. CareerOne Stop. Retrieved December 2025.
- The earnings referenced were reported by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), Financial Analysts, as of May 2024, retrieved December 2025. Due to COVID-19, data from 2020 to 2023 may be atypical compared to prior years. BLS calculates the median using salaries of workers nationwide with varying levels of education and experience. It does not reflect the earnings of GCU graduates as financial analysts, nor does it reflect the earnings of workers in one city or region of the country or a typical entry-level salary. Median income is the statistical midpoint for the range of salaries in a specific occupation. It is very unlikely that a median salary will reflect an entry-level salary. It represents what you would earn if you were paid more money than half the workers in an occupation, and less than half the workers in an occupation. It may give you a basis to estimate what you might earn at some point if you enter this career. Grand Canyon University can make no guarantees on individual graduates’ salaries. Your employability will be determined by numerous factors over which GCU has no control, such as the employer the graduate chooses to apply to, the graduate’s experience level, individual characteristics, skills, etc. against a pool of candidates.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2025, Aug. 28). Work Environment. Occupational Outlook Handbook. Retrieved December 2025.