The 8 highest paying finance jobs, and how to get them

What it is: private equity firms raise money from pension plans and wealthy investors, buy whole companies, often with a lot of borrowed money, then improve and sell them years later.

The pay: about $175,000 to $400,000 for an associate, $400,000 to $650,000 for a vice president and $800,000 to $2 million in cash for partners, from 2026 reports drawing on the Heidrick and Struggles survey. Partners also share carried interest, usually 20% of a fund's profits.

The route: a bachelor's degree, then 2 to 3 years as an investment banking analyst, then a rushed interview process where big firms hire analysts for jobs up to 2 years away. An MBA (Master of Business Administration) is a second chance later.

The catch: very few seats, and almost all need banking first. Carry can be worth nothing if the fund does badly.

What it is: you advise companies that want to buy another company, sell themselves or raise money, and you build the models and slide decks that make the deal happen.

The pay: first-year analysts at large New York banks make about $165,000 to $225,000 including bonus. Associates and vice presidents make $285,000 to $800,000, and managing directors $1 million or more, according to the Mergers and Inquisitions 2026 report.

The route: a summer internship in the year before you graduate, which you apply for about 1.5 to 2 years ahead. Banks favor a short list of target schools. After you are hired, the bank sponsors you for the Series 79 exam with FINRA (the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority).

The catch: 70 to 90 hour weeks are common for analysts, and bonuses and jobs shrink when deals dry up.

What it is: hedge funds trade shares, bonds, currencies and more, trying to make money whether markets rise or fall. A portfolio manager decides what to buy and sell with a pool of the fund's money.

The pay: analysts make about $200,000 to $600,000, and portfolio managers at mid-size funds $500,000 to $3 million. A great year can pay $10 million or more. A bad year can pay close to nothing.

The route: a degree in finance, economics, math, computer science or engineering, a first job in banking or research, then 3 to 5 years as a fund analyst and more as a senior analyst. Most reach portfolio manager in their 30s, if ever.

The catch: at big multi-manager funds, losing 5% of your money usually gets it cut in half, and 7.5% usually gets you let go, the Wall Street Journal reported about Millennium.

What it is: quants use math, statistics and code to predict prices, run trading systems or measure risk. The three main roles are researcher, trader and developer.

The pay: public H-1B (US work visa) filings for 2025 show new graduate base salaries of $150,000 to $300,000 at trading firms such as Optiver, Citadel Securities and Jane Street, before a yearly bonus. Quant researchers at Two Sigma report about $485,000 to $661,000 a year on Levels.fyi.

The route: a math, statistics, computer science or physics degree, math contests, and summer internships applied for about a year ahead. Research roles often want a PhD, which in the sciences is usually funded.

The catch: the top firms hire tiny classes from huge applicant pools, and most research ideas never work. Bank quants earn much less than trading firm quants.

What it is: traders buy and sell shares, bonds and other products for a bank, a trading firm or an asset manager, using the firm's money, not their own.

The pay: the median base salary in 121 work visa filings for the title Trader in 2025 was about $200,000. New traders often start near $110,000 to $150,000 base, and senior traders with bonus can pass $450,000.

The route: a degree in finance, economics, math, computer science or engineering, then a summer internship, which decides most offers. Once hired, you pass the SIE (Securities Industry Essentials) exam and the Series 57 trader exam, which the firm sponsors.

The catch: desks shrink in waves when markets are quiet or software replaces people. Day trading your own money from home is a different thing and needs no license at all.

What it is: venture funds buy stakes in young startups that might grow very large, knowing most will fail. You meet founders, judge their companies and help the ones you back.

The pay: about $90,000 to $440,000 in salary and bonus, with a median near $170,000. Venture5's 2025 survey put median base pay at $80,000 for analysts and $130,000 for associates. Partners share carried interest, which can be huge or nothing.

The route: almost never a first job. People arrive after founding or working at a startup, a few years of banking or consulting, or an MBA (Master of Business Administration).

The catch: firms hire one or two juniors at a time, and a fund takes about 10 years to show whether you were right.

What it is: actuaries use statistics to put a price on risk, mainly for insurance companies and pension plans. How much should a car policy cost? How much must a pension fund set aside?

The pay: the median is $130,000 a year. The bottom tenth start near $78,570 and the top tenth earn $215,100 or more.

The route: a degree in actuarial science, math, statistics or economics, with one or two exams passed before you graduate. Then a long ladder of exams from the Society of Actuaries or the Casualty Actuarial Society while you work. Employers usually pay the fees, give you paid study time and raise your pay with each exam you pass.

The catch: full qualification takes 7 to 12 years of exams. But unlike most jobs on this list, the hours are normal, hybrid work is common, and you do not need a famous school.

What it is: you help people and families invest, plan for retirement and manage their money, and you are paid on the assets you look after or the products you sell.

The pay: the median is $105,070 a year, from a wide group that includes financial planners. The top tenth make $357,020 or more. A common fee is about 1% a year of the money you manage.

The route: a degree, then a firm hires and sponsors you for the SIE (Securities Industry Essentials), the Series 7 and the Series 66 exams. Many later earn the CFP (Certified Financial Planner) mark.

The catch: being hired is easy, surviving is hard. First years often pay about $50,000 to $65,000, and many new advisors leave within three years because finding clients is far harder than passing exams.