A registered investment accountant is a person who manages the investments of wealthy individuals. Some of the clients include institutions and organizations that have large investments. In this type of accounting job, you will be buying the stocks and securities for your clients and advising them of the most profitable investments to help them make more money. Most individuals and companies invest in mutual finds and while they are comfortable making their initial investments through a broker, as the amount of money increases, they require the services of a certified accountant to handle their finances.
As a registered investment manager, your job will be similar to that of a mutual funds manager in that your fee for your services comes from a percentage of the assets you manage for each client. The fee range is usually about 1%, which means that if you have a large clientele, you can make a very high salary in this job. For many of your clients that have a lot of assets, you may negotiate a lower fee and still make a very good living. This will also help you keep them as clients.
You can obtain a position as a registered investment accountant with a large firm that specializes in this type of accounting. The firm may have thousands of clients, but you would be assigned your own clients to work with. Your job will consist of developing a portfolio for each client that addresses the client’s needs and situation. You will have to look at the client’s investments to determine whether there are investments in one stock that are not making money and whether these should be diversified. You also have to look at the tax consequences of selling large portions of stock, which means you do have to be knowledgeable about taxes and the taxation laws.
The job of registered investment accountant is a very competitive market in the accounting industry. You will be competing with brokers and other accountants for clients. Most of your competition will come from brokers selling mutual and hedge funds, and wire-hours firms. Within the field of registered investment accounting there are other possibilities for employment such as research analyst, portfolio manager, and trader.
In order to become a registered investment accountant you need to hold a CPA certificate and have experience working with investments. One of the best ways of achieving this goal is to have the certifications for financial planners and advisors, such as Personal Finance Specialist. You also need to be of high moral and professional character to be hired in this type of job. You will be in charge of large amounts of money belonging to your clients and before you are hired the firm will do a complete background check to ensure that you are trustworthy. This may involve a check on your finances to ensure you are financially stable in your personal life. You also need to be very skilled in using spreadsheets and be very involved with the stock market for assessing market trends. This is essential in order for you to provide your clients with the best possible advice.
