Asset manager to investment manager
An asset manager already meets 55% of what the investment manager role asks for. The move turns on 11 required skills not yet in the profile.
53/ 100
1 How much of what an investment manager is expected to do is already part of an asset manager’s work. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs, because moving into a speciality is not the same problem as moving out of one. 2 Every skill the investment manager role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
An investment manager role treats 18 of its required skills as things an asset manager already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- advise on financial matters
- analyse financial performance of a company
- analyse financial risk
- analyse market financial trends
- asset management
- corporate social responsibility
What stands in the way is 11 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.
Table 2 · What you already bring
Of the 24 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. An investment manager role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of an asset manager background worth leading with.
- already held apply credit risk policy assisting and caring
- already held asset management business, administration and law
- already held develop investment portfolio management skills
- already held enforce financial policies management skills
- already held examine credit ratings information skills
- already held financial analysis business, administration and law
All 24 carried skills, including the 18 the investment manager role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 27 missing skills fall into 5 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered in the order worth working in. Areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the optional ones. Nothing here is a verdict on you: it is a list of what this particular job asks for that your current one does not.
- still to learn investment analysis required
- still to learn banking activities required
- still to learn financial products required
- still to learn public offering required
- still to learn stock market required
- optional, not held green bonds optional
- optional, not held impact investing optional
- optional, not held social bonds optional
- optional, not held sustainable finance optional
- optional, not held business valuation techniques optional
- optional, not held corporate law optional
- optional, not held financial forecasting optional
- optional, not held tax legislation optional
- optional, not held types of pensions optional
- still to learn analyse business plans required
- still to learn assess financial viability required
- still to learn monitor stock market required
- optional, not held analyse the credit history of potential customers optional
- optional, not held perform stock valuation optional
- still to learn liaise with financiers required
- still to learn trade securities required
- optional, not held communicate with banking professionals optional
- still to learn manage securities required
- optional, not held manage budgets optional
- optional, not held manage corporate bank accounts optional
- optional, not held manage profitability optional
- optional, not held trading software optional
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries an investment manager role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 investment analysis study this
- 02 analyse business plans practise this
- 03 assess financial viability practise this
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 24 skills that carry over
- already held advise on financial matters skill
- already held analyse financial performance of a company skill
- already held analyse financial risk skill
- already held analyse market financial trends skill
- already held asset management knowledge
- already held corporate social responsibility knowledge
- already held develop investment portfolio skill
- already held enforce financial policies skill
- already held financial analysis knowledge
- already held financial management knowledge
- already held financial statements knowledge
- already held follow company standards skill
- already held funding methods knowledge
- already held interpret financial statements skill
- already held liaise with managers skill
- already held obtain financial information skill
- already held review investment portfolios skill
- already held strive for company growth skill
- already held apply credit risk policy skill
- already held apply technical communication skills skill
- already held create a financial plan skill
- already held examine credit ratings skill
- already held financial markets knowledge
- already held plan health and safety procedures skill
16 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held green bonds optional
- optional, not held impact investing optional
- optional, not held social bonds optional
- optional, not held sustainable finance optional
- optional, not held trading software optional
- optional, not held analyse the credit history of potential customers optional
- optional, not held business valuation techniques optional
- optional, not held communicate with banking professionals optional
- optional, not held corporate law optional
- optional, not held financial forecasting optional
- optional, not held manage budgets optional
- optional, not held manage corporate bank accounts optional
- optional, not held manage profitability optional
- optional, not held perform stock valuation optional
- optional, not held tax legislation optional
- optional, not held types of pensions optional
16 held skills the investment manager role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role actuarial science knowledge
- not needed by the target role advise on risk management skill
- not needed by the target role consult credit score skill
- not needed by the target role credit control processes knowledge
- not needed by the target role exert expenditure control skill
- not needed by the target role handle financial disputes skill
- not needed by the target role handle financial transactions skill
- not needed by the target role identify clients' needs skill
- not needed by the target role manage financial risk skill
- not needed by the target role modern portfolio theory knowledge
- not needed by the target role negotiate loan agreements skill
- not needed by the target role negotiate on asset value skill
- not needed by the target role perform asset recognition skill
- not needed by the target role provide support in financial calculation skill
- not needed by the target role review closing procedures skill
- not needed by the target role securities knowledge
15 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice
Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.
- still to learn investment analysis required
- still to learn banking activities required
- still to learn financial products required
- still to learn public offering required
- still to learn stock market required
- optional, not held green bonds optional
- optional, not held impact investing optional
- optional, not held social bonds optional
- optional, not held sustainable finance optional
- optional, not held trading software optional
- optional, not held business valuation techniques optional
- optional, not held corporate law optional
- optional, not held financial forecasting optional
- optional, not held tax legislation optional
- optional, not held types of pensions optional
Common questions about this move
Can an asset manager become an investment manager?
Yes, and it is a moderate move. An asset manager already covers 55% of what an investment manager is expected to do: 24 skills carry over, 18 of which the investment manager role treats as required.
What skills does an asset manager need to become an investment manager?
11 required skills are missing, plus 16 optional ones. They fall into 5 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by business, administration and law. The single most important is investment analysis.
How hard is the move from asset manager to investment manager?
Its learning distance is 53 out of 100, which is the moderate band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.
How this record was compiled
Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.