Trading

If there ever was a truly surreal experience in the finance industry, it’s being in the heat of a trading floor.  The heart of our financial system lies in the trading floor. Individual traders and brokers vie for the best prices on stocks and futures to create wealth for themselves and their clients, and it’s all done in real time. At the turn of a second, fortunes can be made and lost. It’s an important indicator of the health of our economy, and a signal for when trouble’s ahead.  So what is a trading floor? Why do traders take on…

After wrapping up an undergraduate degree, most students are eager to get out into the real working world and start making money and putting their hard-earned skills to use. But that entry level position is just the beginning of a long career likely full of twists and turns. As with many career fields, the investment banking career ladder is long — and how many rungs you climb depends on your talent, your ambition, and a dose of luck. The grunt work Financial analysts are largely considered the grunt workers of the banking world. Analysts spend a great deal of time…

Reducing Stress and the Financial Trader Whatever initially drew you to a career in finance, it likely wasn’t a hankering for a low-stress, relaxed lifestyle. Probably the exact opposite, in fact. While the long working hours and typical high-tension workplaces are generally seen as an unfortunate side effect to the job, it’s true that many of those who choose this line of work actually thrive on a fast-paced, high-stress environment. Sure, it’s normal to complain about the demanding nature of your work. But can you really picture yourself putting in an easy, uneventful 8 hours and heading home for a…