How long does it take to become a financial associate?

It takes six to eight years to become a financial associate. This includes the time it takes to earn a bachelor's degree and an additional two to four years of work experience. A financial associate is a finance professional who works with external or internal clients as a core feature of the job and therefore requires strong foundational knowledge and experience.

How much do finance associates make?

Finance associates make $99,000 a year, on average ($47.73 an hour). However, there is a considerable ranger on how much a finance associate can make, starting from as little as $59,000 a year to as much as $163,000 a year. Factors such as location and industry impact how much a finance associate can make.

What jobs can you get with an associate's in finance?

The jobs you can get with an associate in finance include associate financial advisors, loan officers, bookkeepers, financial clerks, real estate brokers, accounting clerks, and account resolution specialists. A two-year degree is a great way to earn a decent paycheck compared to a traditional bachelor's degree.

What is a finance associate and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Quoted Expert

Brian Meehan

A finance associate is an individual who works in the finance department of an organization. They are responsible for supporting financial operations, including budgeting, forecasting, and analyzing financial data. Finance associates also assist with financial reporting and preparing financial statements. They work with other departments to gather data and provide insights to support decision-making. Strong analytical skills, attention to detail, and proficiency in financial software are necessary for success in this role.

What general advice would you give to a Finance Associate?

Brian Meehan

Assistant Professor of Economics, Campbell School of Business, Berry College

My advice would be to apply broadly for jobs and take advantage of the robust set of career opportunities a degree in economics provides. It also gives you a better gauge of the opportunity cost (next best alternative) of accepting a job. Try to determine what that best alternative is. Additional training can also be a good option. Those individuals interested in graduate schools, professional schools, law schools, MBAs, etc. should look into these opportunities. Improving your human capital stock (via training and education), while weathering a recession, and then capitalizing on a healthier job market at the end of this training, is a pretty good route (assuming the recession is short).

ScoreFinance AssociateUS Average

Salary

6.4

Avg. Salary $81,339

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability Level

6.9

Growth Rate 10%

Growth Rate 0.3%

Diversity

6.1

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.21%

Asian 12.29%

Black or African American 5.48%

Hispanic or Latino 11.37%

Unknown 4.12%

White 66.53%

Gender

female 52.65%

male 47.35%

Age - 43

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 43

Stress Level

6.9

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity Level

7.0

Complexity Level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work Life Balance

6.6

Work Life balance is good

6.4 - fair

What are the pros and cons of being a Finance Associate?

Pros

High earning potential
Opportunity for career advancement
Development of analytical and problem-solving skills
Opportunity to work with cutting-edge technology
Chance to gain expertise in financial modeling

Cons

High-pressure environment
Long working hours
Lack of work-life balance
High stress levels during busy periods
Continuous learning required to keep up with industry changes

Key steps to become a finance associate

Explore finance associate education requirements

Most common finance associate degrees

Bachelor's

67.8 %

Master's

12.6 %

Associate

11.1 %

Start to develop specific finance associate skills

Skills	Percentages
Financial Statements	9.06%
PowerPoint	8.33%
Financial Services	5.95%
Work Ethic	5.00%
Phone Calls	4.12%

Complete relevant finance associate training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 1-3 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New finance associates learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a finance associate based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real finance associate resumes.

Research finance associate duties and responsibilities

Lead team of volunteers and paid staff to help fulfill their person and ministry relate goals.
Manage administration of SalesForce accounts as well as creating and automating various business specific reports.
Administer loan closings, home mortgage loan origination, and loan counseling.
Prepare tag and title documents and legal transfer documents for the DMV and MVA.

Prepare your finance associate resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your finance associate resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a finance associate resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose From 10+ Customizable Finance Associate Resume templates

Build a professional Finance Associate resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your Finance Associate resume.

Apply for finance associate jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a finance associate job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams

How do finance associates rate their job?

-/5

5 Stars

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1 Star

Finance Associate reviews

A zippia user wrote a review on May 2019

Cons

Nothing