What are the Different Investment Consultant Jobs?

Most investors, whether their investments are large or small, rely on some form of investment advice to navigate the financial markets. Investment consultant jobs are designed to accomplish that purpose by either providing or contributing to vital financial decisions tied to preserving and growing wealth on a daily basis. The number of opportunities is limited only by one's credentials, and an investment consulting career can be pursued to service large or small clients. Even in the toughest of economic times, investment consultant jobs are in demand because investors rely on the guidance of these professionals to survive the peaks and troughs of the financial markets. As a result, these opportunities can be available through any economic cycle.

Most of the largest investors in the world, including some of the biggest pension funds, employ an investment consultant. Often, these financial professionals are responsible for guiding the investor, such as the pension fund, through the investment process, including hiring money managers, pursuit of specific investment strategies, abandonment of other strategies and more. These consulting professionals can often be found within the confines of a larger financial institution, or they can be hired as third-party consultants. When working as a consultant in a large financial institution where there also are divisions dedicated to money management, it is important for the investment consultant professional to exhibit an unbiased approach in making investment portfolio selections for the client.

The tasks surrounding investment consulting jobs will differ depending on the type and size of the client being serviced, but there is always a responsibility to weed out under-performing investments and to optimize an investor's portfolio to provide the most robust returns, or profits. A business might want to provide a retirement package for the employees. There are investment consultant jobs designed to help companies prepare employees to reach their retirement goals by determining the amount of money that should be contributed and the types of investments that should be pursued, such as stocks and bonds. The fees for these services typically are established in a contract that can last for as long as many years.

Not all investment consultant jobs are within large institutions. Some successful professionals branch off from a larger firm and launch their own business, through which other investment consultant jobs can be obtained. These boutique consulting firms probably will not advise the largest investors in the world, but there are similarly compelling opportunities to advise some wealthy individuals or small businesses through the investment process.