Financial Managers
Plan, direct, or coordinate accounting, investing, banking, insurance, securities, and other financial activities of a branch, office, or department of an establishment.
What it pays
Financial Managers earn a median of $80.08/hr — about $166,500 a year. The lowest-paid 10% earn $45.34/hr; the top 10% earn $155.42/hr. (Annual figures are approximate: hourly × 2,080.)
Financial Managers earn a median of $80.08/hr — about $166,500 a year. The lowest-paid 10% earn $45.34/hr; the top 10% earn $155.42/hr. (Annual figures are approximate: hourly × 2,080.)
What you'd actually do
- Establish and maintain relationships with individual or business customers or provide assistance with problems these customers may encounter.
- Oversee the flow of cash or financial instruments.
- Plan, direct, or coordinate the activities of workers in branches, offices, or departments of establishments, such as branch banks, brokerage firms, risk and insurance departments, or credit departments.
- Recruit staff members.
- Evaluate data pertaining to costs to plan budgets.
- Oversee training programs.
How you get there
Typical entry-level education: Bachelor's degree. Overall preparation: considerable preparation (Job Zone 4 of 5).
The feel of the work
The work is mostly indoors; time pressure is a real part of the job; precision matters — small details carry weight. (Compared against the other 818 careers in the guide.)
Working for yourself
About 2.4% of financial managers are self-employed.
Who it tends to fit
This work tends to fit people who are take-charge and organized and detail-focused.
Work a simulated shift in this job — freeMake the real decisions this job involves, then see what your choices say about you.Related careers
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Quick questions
- How much does a financial manager make?
- The median pay is $80.08 per hour — roughly $166,500 a year, with the real range running from about $45.34/hr (10th percentile) to $155.42/hr (90th percentile). Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
- Do you need a degree to be a financial manager?
- The typical entry-level education is: Bachelor's degree. Overall preparation level: considerable preparation (Job Zone 4 of 5).
- What does a financial manager actually do all day?
- Establish and maintain relationships with individual or business customers or provide assistance with problems these customers may encounter. Oversee the flow of cash or financial instruments. Plan, direct, or coordinate the activities of workers in branches, offices, or departments of establishments, such as branch banks, brokerage firms, risk and insurance departments, or credit departments.
Wages: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS. Tasks & interests: O*NET. Career pathways shown in the app are draft archetypes — verify before relying on them. Trailhead is a free career guide for students — honest numbers, no hype.
Trailhead is operated by FLEXVermont LLC. It is intended for high-school students age 13 and older, and the educators and families who support them, and is not directed to children under 13. Trailhead is provided for general informational and educational purposes only. It does not offer professional, financial, or career advice, and its wage figures and pathways are estimates that may not fit your situation — they should not be relied on as the sole basis for any decision.
Trailhead is operated by FLEXVermont LLC. It is intended for high-school students age 13 and older, and the educators and families who support them, and is not directed to children under 13. Trailhead is provided for general informational and educational purposes only. It does not offer professional, financial, or career advice, and its wage figures and pathways are estimates that may not fit your situation — they should not be relied on as the sole basis for any decision.