Financial analysts are professionals who provide informed guidance to companies or individual investors on important business investment decisions by analyzing economic trends and current market conditions. They assess the performance of stocks, bonds, and other types of investments. Financial analysts work with data to help organizations make business decisions. The specifics of their job can vary depending on the organization they work for, the industry they are in, and their seniority. However, some common tasks that financial analysts perform include:

• Gathering data and information about whatever they need to analyze, such as historical financial reports, accounting data from the general ledger, stock price information, statistics and macroeconomic data, and industry research.
• Analyzing the data to identify trends and benchmark the performance against other companies in the same industry.
• Creating financial models to predict the outcome of business decisions.
• Evaluating investment opportunities and recommending individual investments and collections of investments.
• Providing insights and recommendations on how to improve the operations of a business, such as ways to cut costs, opportunities to grow revenue, ways to increase market share, and operational efficiencies.

To become a financial analyst, one must have a degree in finance, accounting, economics, or a related field. Acquiring a masters degree in finance or a master of business administration (MBA) may lead to wider opportunities or a higher salary. Financial analysts can work for financial companies like banks or investment companies, or within businesses.