Investment analyst to investment adviser
An investment analyst already meets 64% of what the investment adviser role asks for. The move turns on 7 required skills not yet in the profile.
44.3/ 100
1 How much of what an investment adviser is expected to do is already part of an investment analyst’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 adviser role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
An investment adviser role treats 16 of its required skills as things an investment analyst already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- analyse financial risk
- analyse market financial trends
- assess financial viability
- asset management
- banking activities
- financial markets
What stands in the way is 7 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 28 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. An investment adviser role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of an investment analyst background worth leading with.
- already held social bonds business, administration and law
- already held impact investing business, administration and law
- already held green bonds business, administration and law
- already held sustainable finance business, administration and law
- already held fundamental analysis business, administration and law
- already held business valuation techniques business, administration and law
All 28 carried skills, including the 16 the investment adviser role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 20 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 advise on investment required
- still to learn explain financial jargon required
- still to learn advise on financial matters required
- still to learn provide financial product information required
- optional, not held identify customer's needs optional
- optional, not held promote financial products optional
- optional, not held prospect new customers optional
- optional, not held build business relationships optional
- optional, not held manage contracts optional
- still to learn monitor bond market required
- still to learn assess risks of clients' assets required
- still to learn synthesise financial information required
- optional, not held consult credit score optional
- optional, not held analyse business plans optional
- optional, not held ensure proper document management optional
- optional, not held principles of insurance optional
- optional, not held types of insurance optional
- optional, not held develop investment portfolio optional
- optional, not held perform clerical duties optional
- optional, not held apply credit risk policy optional
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries an investment adviser role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 monitor bond market practise this
- 02 advise on investment practise this
- 03 explain financial jargon 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 28 skills that carry over
- already held analyse financial risk skill
- already held analyse market financial trends skill
- already held assess financial viability skill
- already held asset management knowledge
- already held banking activities knowledge
- already held financial markets knowledge
- already held financial products knowledge
- already held funding methods knowledge
- already held interpret financial statements skill
- already held modern portfolio theory knowledge
- already held monitor stock market skill
- already held obtain financial information skill
- already held provide support in financial calculation skill
- already held review investment portfolios skill
- already held securities knowledge
- already held stock market knowledge
- already held analyse financial performance of a company skill
- already held business valuation techniques knowledge
- already held communicate with banking professionals skill
- already held create a financial plan skill
- already held credit control processes knowledge
- already held examine credit ratings skill
- already held fundamental analysis knowledge
- already held green bonds knowledge
- already held impact investing knowledge
- already held perform stock valuation skill
- already held social bonds knowledge
- already held sustainable finance knowledge
13 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held consult credit score optional
- optional, not held identify customer's needs optional
- optional, not held principles of insurance optional
- optional, not held promote financial products optional
- optional, not held prospect new customers optional
- optional, not held analyse business plans optional
- optional, not held apply credit risk policy optional
- optional, not held build business relationships optional
- optional, not held develop investment portfolio optional
- optional, not held ensure proper document management optional
- optional, not held manage contracts optional
- optional, not held perform clerical duties optional
- optional, not held types of insurance optional
15 held skills the investment adviser role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role Monte Carlo simulation knowledge
- not needed by the target role actuarial science knowledge
- not needed by the target role analyse economic trends skill
- not needed by the target role budget for financial needs skill
- not needed by the target role corporate social responsibility knowledge
- not needed by the target role data visualisation software knowledge
- not needed by the target role economics knowledge
- not needed by the target role empirical analysis knowledge
- not needed by the target role financial forecasting knowledge
- not needed by the target role financial statements knowledge
- not needed by the target role international financial reporting standards knowledge
- not needed by the target role international trade knowledge
- not needed by the target role investment banking knowledge
- not needed by the target role quantitative analysis knowledge
- not needed by the target role trading software knowledge
2 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice
Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.
- optional, not held principles of insurance optional
- optional, not held types of insurance optional
Common questions about this move
Can an investment analyst become an investment adviser?
Yes, and it is a moderate move. An investment analyst already covers 64% of what an investment adviser is expected to do: 28 skills carry over, 16 of which the investment adviser role treats as required.
What skills does an investment analyst need to become an investment adviser?
7 required skills are missing, plus 13 optional ones. They fall into 5 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by communication, collaboration and creativity. The single most important is monitor bond market.
How hard is the move from investment analyst to investment adviser?
Its learning distance is 44.3 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.