A large number of Americans are not interested to know how banks perform. I discussed with them the reasons behind the 2008-recession, and how it hit our banking sector. And they showed little interest.
Wannabe private banker?
If you aspire to become a private banker, know everything about banking; why the deposit interest rate in this country has always been abysmally low? What are the differences between a retail bank and an investment bank? Everything.
Acquiring knowledge of banking is not difficult because we live in a digital world, filled with multiple channels to gather info. But preparing for this career is. Making money may be easy, but private bankers deal with rigorous financial matters; the job can be very stressful at times.
Basic responsibilities
Who is a private banker? Someone with financial expertise and knowledge in banking, who works for individuals with high net worth, sort of a financial advisor, whose areas of operation are investment-centric. A private banker has clients, who are extremely wealthy, and whom he helps with investment, tax planning and wealth management advice.
Educational qualification
The minimum qualification is an undergraduate degree. A finance degree is not necessary but recommended. Unlike other finance professionals, private bankers don’t get to work as interns while they are still studying. It’s best if you could amass some experience by working in a bank or a financial institute because that’d increase your odds of qualifying for an internship.
Certifications required
An aspiring private banker can choose from a range of certifications. Employers prefer a candidate with two or more certificates than another candidate, who has only one. The Chartered Financial Analyst or CFA is a certification, offered by the CFA Institute. It is widely recognized, but hard to obtain because the pursuer needs a minimum of four years of working experience as a banking professional.
The American Bankers Association (ABA) offers an initiation called The Certified Trust and Financial Advisor (CTFA). To qualify for this certification, you need to have at least three years of experience in wealth management. The Association of International Wealth Management, a non-profit organization, issues the Certified International Wealth Manager (CIWM) certification.
You need license
To start your career as a private banker, you need to get licensed. An aspirant can obtain the required licenses only from Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA), an organization that monitors the activities of the US security firms. The licenses required by private bankers are series 6, 7 and 63.
- Here’s a brief description of the licenses:
Series 6: To obtain this license, you need to crack an exam, which will last for more than 2 hours. The topics are investment, regulations and relevant moral codes. A sponsorship from a FINRA accredited firm is necessary. The holders of this license provide mutual fund related advice.
Series 7: It’s hardcore finance. If you hold this license, you could offer your clients stock market and bond market advice. You need to pass an exam to qualify for this license, which will last for six hours.
Series 63: The North American Securities Administrators Association or NASAA issues the series 63 license, not FINRA. This license is required by the individual states for professionals, who offer their clients advice on investment.
Having all three of these licenses increases your acceptance to a potential employer. So try to obtain as many licenses as you could. To charge your clients for hours, obtain a series 65 license (offered by NASAA). Here’s everything you need to know about this license.
Success depends on networking
That’s right. An extended network can fetch you excellent deals. On the other hand, if you limit your network, the odds of getting opportunities will reduce. Remember, you’ll be working for high-net-worth-individuals and maybe sometimes with ultra-high-net-worth-individuals.
Don’t get surprised if you meet a billionaire one day, whose face routinely appears on the cover page of a tabloid. Such people need private bankers. It’s an art to land a client among them. Try meeting them in informal settings because that’s when they are in a relaxing mood. Add subtlety when pursuing them, but don’t be pushy.
Challenges
Not everything is rosy about the career that private bankers select. The investment decisions are not easy, more so because any such decision backfires, client would have to bear the brunt. Most investors prefer big returns, which is impossible without rigorous risk management initiatives. And managing risk is no child’s play, even for a seasoned private banker.
Moreover, as the market has become more volatile than before, investors on a row seem to prefer low-cost investment options, which preserve capital. Such options translates to lower fees for the banker.
Think again
As you have all the information now, take time and decide whether you want to be a private banker. If you don’t like taking risks, and prefer to unwind yourself after little stress, the job is not for you. So think twice, three times or maybe more than that, and only then go ahead.
Tina Roth is a personal finance blogger and author. Her passion for helping people to make solid financial decisions motivated her to start her own personal finance blog, where she writes about money management tips and frugality. She is also the community manager at the finance guest post community.
This entry was posted on Tuesday, January 31st, 2017 at 4:45 am and is filed under Banking. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.