carreer advise please : risk analyst vs. financial advisor

ok, I got a job offer as a risk analyst with a medium size private credit card issuer company vs. a financial advisor at one of the the big name in the market. I heard that as a risk analyst, you will sit in front of the computer all day long deal with math and equation ( back office kind of thing ) but I will learn a lot. For the financial advisor, I will not learn as much , but selling their products. is that true ?? My dream is to become " Warren Buffet " , so I need to be a research analyst or a stock analyst … right ? based on the job market and my little experience , an equity analyst position is out of the question. Please tell me what to do , which one will lead me to my destination … Help …

lol

You said it, Financial advisor = sales, cold calling, script reading, etc. Risk Analyst = Excel Models, Math, logical thought, etc Knowing nothing else I would take the risk analyst position.

however im not sure if either leads to becoming warren buffet. that goal is quite ambitious for most.

Knowing nothing else I would take the risk analyst position +1

The failure rate for becoming Warren Buffett is astronomical. YTD, literally no none has actually become him; most who have tried haven’t come close, and they were mocked relentlessly by their peers. New financial advisors have recently seen similar shortcomings and failure. The nail in the coffin for me would be the fact that a financial advisor with a CFA charter is like a grade school guidance counselor with a PhD in neuroscience- it’s overkill. It would be like decorating bulletin boards for a living and showing up to work everyday with a cordless powder-actuated nail gun. It wouldn’t be right.

cjones65 Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > The failure rate for becoming Warren Buffett is > astronomical. YTD, literally no none has actually > become him; most who have tried haven’t come > close, and they were mocked relentlessly by their > peers. cjones65, with the recent advents in cryogenics and cloning, i think there’s a good chance that someone will become warren buffett. maybe not during our generation, but probably sometime during the next. he will probably have a different cell phone number, however.

and ss number.

Warren was a member of the SS?

For the financial advisor position it really depends on what company you are interviewing with as there is a large spectrum. Primerica = bad. GS or Bernstein = good

>The failure rate for becoming Warren Buffett is astronomical. YTD, literally no none has >actually become him You mean CTD (career to date)? YTD he’s having an abysmal year, so a lot of people are actually him x 2-3 in 2008.

Thank you everyone … I think I know what to do now oh… to answer JohnyRev question… it’s Morgan Stanley … and Yes… becoming Warren Buffet is a dream … but quiting is not my option I will keep dreaming , at least.

how will becoming an FA lead you to Warren Buffet’s path? FA is a salesman, WB is an investor.

My new pet peeve is seeing people spell “advice” with an “s”.

I believe WB started out as a stockbroker–not that this path will necessarily lead you to becoming a great investor… Check his wiki.

i am a risk analyst for an insurance company…the job is pretty interesting, but lacks the social aspect of finance…i work with a lot of actuaries who are anti-social or socially awkward…i pretty much sit at a computer most of the day and create models for purchasing options…at times, the job can be stimulating, but i generally only have stuff to do two weeks of every month, so the down time is boring…i spend most of the available time studying for CFA or going over VBA…your computer skills have to be pretty solid, otherwise there is a steep learning curve…in all, the job can teach you a lot, but are you learning about something you like??? I personally would like being a FA, but on my own, not with a large company…if you work for an independent advisor, then the work is less about selling and more about researching… if you want some more information, let me know…

lobaugma: I would appreciate if you could tell me more about your daily work at your office. I just passed the CFA L1 exam in june and have an offer for a position as a Market Risk Analyst at a bank here in Peru (South America). Thanks a lot. My email is felipelevy@yahoo.es lobaugma Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > i am a risk analyst for an insurance company…the > job is pretty interesting, but lacks the social > aspect of finance…i work with a lot of actuaries > who are anti-social or socially awkward…i pretty > much sit at a computer most of the day and create > models for purchasing options…at times, the job > can be stimulating, but i generally only have > stuff to do two weeks of every month, so the down > time is boring…i spend most of the available > time studying for CFA or going over VBA…your > computer skills have to be pretty solid, otherwise > there is a steep learning curve…in all, the job > can teach you a lot, but are you learning about > something you like??? > > I personally would like being a FA, but on my own, > not with a large company…if you work for an > independent advisor, then the work is less about > selling and more about researching… > > if you want some more information, let me know…