Financial Specialists, All Other Salary

The median financial specialists, all other salary in the United States is $81,100 per year ($38.99/hour). Salaries range from $48,460 at the entry level to $151,490+ for the top 10% of earners. There are 132,130 financial specialists, all other jobs nationwide. Employment is projected to grow 3.1% through 2034.

Last updated: June 2026 Β· Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

Median Salary
$81,100
per year
Hourly Rate
$38.99
per hour
Employment
132,130
jobs in the U.S.

Salary Distribution

10th percentile
$48,460
25th percentile
$61,290
Median
$81,100
75th percentile
$110,410
90th percentile
$151,490

Job Growth (2024-2034)

+3.1%
As fast as average

Annual Openings

10,300
jobs/year (growth + replacements)

Education Required

Bachelor's degree

Financial Specialists, All Other Career Guide

Interview questions, resume templates, and a career ladder written specifically for financial specialists, all others.

Financial specialists, all other, is the BLS catch-all for finance roles that don't map to a specific SOC β€” treasury analysts, investment ops specialists, corporate finance specialists, credit ops analysts, and hybrid finance-analytics roles. BLS puts the occupation at 132,130 employed with median $81,100, p10 $48,460, and p90 $151,490 β€” a wide band that reflects the range from ops-heavy roles (bank back office, transfer agent) up through corporate FP&A specialists and investment-ops analysts at Fidelity, State Street, and BNY Mellon. Entry $52-72k; established Sr specialist $85-115k; Manager $120-165k; Sr Manager / Director $170-230k+ plus 15-30% bonus and equity at public issuers. CFA and Series 7/63/65 unlock the buy-side and advisor-facing tracks; CTP unlocks corporate treasury.

Core Skills Hiring Managers Screen For

Financial modeling in Excel (three-statement, DCF, scenario)
Three-statement models with integrated cash-flow waterfall, DCF with WACC build, scenario / sensitivity toggles. Every finance specialist role screens for this β€” even ops-leaning ones. Advanced fluency: INDEX/MATCH / XLOOKUP, dynamic arrays, structured data, macros where warranted.
SQL and BI tools (Tableau, Power BI, Looker)
Every modern finance team pulls from a data warehouse. Fluent SQL against Snowflake, Redshift, or BigQuery; dashboards in Tableau or Power BI. This is the differentiator between a spreadsheet specialist and a hire-able finance analyst at JPMorgan Chase, Goldman, or Fidelity.
Reconciliation & investigation discipline
Cash breaks, position breaks, corporate action breaks β€” the daily rhythm of investment ops and treasury. Concrete workflow: identify the break, classify the cause, source-of-truth research, aging analysis, escalation path. State Street, BNY Mellon, and Fidelity all screen for this reflex in Sr specialist rounds.
Regulatory fluency β€” SEC, FINRA, Reg SHO, Reg T, Basel, DFA
Depends on the seat. Broker-dealer ops: SEC 15c3-3 (customer protection), Reg SHO short-sale, FINRA 4210 margin. Bank treasury: Reg D reserve requirements, Basel III LCR / NSFR, DFA stress testing. Investment mgmt ops: 1940 Act custody, Reg S-X, corporate actions per DTCC.
Corporate treasury / cash management
For treasury track: daily cash positioning, short-term investing (money market funds, T-bills), FX hedging, credit facility management, bank relationship management. CTP (AFP) is the industry credential.
Credit analysis & underwriting
For credit ops: financial-statement analysis, ratio-based covenant testing, industry benchmarking, credit memo drafting. Ranges from consumer credit ops to middle-market commercial credit to structured finance.
Cross-functional partnership β€” with Ops, Legal, Compliance, Front Office
Finance specialists sit at intersections. Investment ops between the trading desk and the custodian; treasury between AP/AR and the bank; credit ops between origination and portfolio management. Fluency in cross-functional partnership is a Sr-specialist differentiator.

How to Become a Financial Specialists, All Other

  1. 1
    Bachelor's degree β€” finance, accounting, economics, or math / data analytics
    Standard entry. Top-tier programs (Wharton, Ross, Stern, Booth undergrad) place directly into Analyst programs at JPMC, Goldman, Fidelity. State schools with strong CFA / finance programs place similarly with 1-2 years of relevant internships.
  2. 2
    Start in a rotational or Analyst program for 2-3 years
    $62-85k base + 10-20% bonus. JPMorgan Chase Corporate Analyst Program, Goldman Ops Analyst, Fidelity Leadership & Rotational programs. Learn the desk, the ops flow, and the regulatory environment. This is the credential-building rung β€” CFA Level 1 usually happens here.
  3. 3
    Earn the seat-appropriate credential β€” CFA (buy-side / investment ops), CTP (corporate treasury), Series 7/63 (broker-dealer / advisor), FRM (risk / credit)
    $82-115k. CFA Level 2-3 is the buy-side track; CTP from AFP unlocks Sr Treasury Analyst; Series 7/63 unlocks any role touching customer accounts at a broker-dealer; FRM (GARP) unlocks risk and credit tracks.
  4. 4
    Move into Sr Financial Specialist / Sr Analyst
    $100-140k + bonus. Own a specific specialty end-to-end: cash management, credit portfolio, corporate actions, or investment ops for a specific asset class.
  5. 5
    Advance to Manager, then AVP / VP or Director
    $140-230k+ base + 20-30% bonus + equity at public issuers. Manage a team of 3-8 specialists; own a P&L slice, a portfolio, or a treasury function. Alternative: lateral into corporate FP&A ($130-215k), investment management ($150-350k+), or credit analysis at a rating agency ($130-220k).

Career Progression

Financial Analyst / Ops Analyst / Junior Specialist
0-3 yrs$62-82k + 10-15% bonus
  • β€’Support Sr specialists with reconciliations, cash positioning, credit analysis, or investment ops workflows
  • β€’Build and maintain Excel models, Tableau / Power BI dashboards, and SQL-based reports
  • β€’Prepare monthly close packages, board decks, or client reports depending on function
  • β€’Complete CFA Level 1 or Series 7/63 as employer requires
Next: Sr Analyst / Sr Specialist at 3-5 years, after CFA Level 2 or CTP progress.
Sr Financial Specialist / Sr Analyst / Treasury Analyst II
3-6 yrs$85-125k + 15-25% bonus
  • β€’Own a specialty end-to-end: cash positioning, credit portfolio for a segment, corporate actions, or FX hedging
  • β€’Build and defend financial models used by Sr Management or Compensation Committee
  • β€’Lead cross-functional projects β€” new-product launches, regulatory implementations, system upgrades
  • β€’Mentor 1-2 junior specialists; contribute to team training material
Next: Manager or AVP at 5-8 years, after credential progression (CFA Level 3, CTP, FRM).
Manager / AVP Financial Specialist / Sr Treasury Analyst
6-12 yrs$130-190k + 20-30% bonus + $20-80k equity (public co)
  • β€’Manage a team of 3-8 specialists across a functional area
  • β€’Own the annual operating plan, capital plan, or treasury policy for the function
  • β€’Report to Director / VP; partner with C-suite on strategic initiatives
  • β€’Represent the function on cross-functional steering committees
Next: Director / VP at 10-15 years, or lateral to a larger institution / higher-paying vertical.
Director / VP / Sr Director Financial Specialty
12+ yrs$195-330k+ base + 25-40% bonus + $100-500k+ equity
  • β€’Own an enterprise finance function β€” treasury, corporate finance, credit portfolio, investment ops
  • β€’Report to CFO, Treasurer, or Chief Investment Officer; brief the Board or Audit Committee
  • β€’Manage a team of 10-40+ across the function
  • β€’Lead capital-markets access, M&A integration, ratings agency relationships, or portfolio strategy
Next: SVP / Managing Director, CFO, Treasurer, or Chief Investment Officer.

Interview Questions & Answers

5 free questions below. Career Kit unlocks 17 total plus resume bullets for every level.

Q1. Walk me through a three-statement financial model.technical
Structure it in build order: (1) Revenue build β€” segments, drivers, growth assumptions. (2) Cost build β€” COGS as % of revenue or unit-based, OpEx by function, D&A schedule. (3) Income statement flows from revenue through to net income. (4) Balance sheet β€” working capital drivers, PP&E schedule linked to CapEx and D&A, debt schedule with interest expense flowing back to income statement, retained earnings closing from net income. (5) Cash flow statement β€” CFO from net income + D&A + WC changes, CFI from CapEx and acquisitions, CFF from debt draws / repayments and equity issuance / buybacks. (6) The check β€” Balance Sheet balances every period, Cash Flow ending cash ties to Balance Sheet cash. Interviewers screen for candidates who name the circularity issues (interest on average debt, minimum cash sweep) rather than just naming the statements.
Q2. How would you investigate a $2M cash break in daily reconciliation?technical
Concrete workflow at any large investment ops shop (State Street, BNY Mellon, Fidelity): (1) Confirm the break β€” pull the two sides being reconciled (custody vs sub-ledger; sub-ledger vs GL). (2) Age the break β€” is this net-new today or carried forward? Carried-forward breaks are usually system or timing; new breaks are usually trade or corporate action. (3) Filter to the largest components β€” a $2M net break often has 2-4 large drivers, not 50 small ones. (4) Trace to source β€” trade tickets, corporate action DTCC notices, FX settlement, cash-in-lieu. (5) Book the correction with proper booking rationale and audit trail. (6) Escalate to Ops Manager if the break can't be sourced in 24 hours or if the amount exceeds the desk's material threshold. Interviewers screen for candidates who talk in specific break categories (trade, corp action, FX, cash-in-lieu) rather than vague 'I'd investigate.'
Q3. Describe a project where you owned a cross-functional finance initiative.behavioral
STAR. Pick something with real dollar impact. Situation: 'At [Fortune 500], the FX hedging program was passing through $8-12M in quarterly earnings volatility because the notional coverage was manually tracked in Excel and drifted from policy.' Task: 'Deliver a treasury system implementation to automate exposure aggregation and hedge triggering.' Action: 'Led the workstream β€” 4-month implementation of GTreasury; partnered with 3 IT engineers, Ops, and 12 Finance BU liaisons; ran User Acceptance Testing across 4 currencies; delivered on schedule.' Result: 'FX volatility passthrough dropped from $8-12M / quarter to $1.5-3M / quarter within one full quarter of production go-live.' Interviewers screen for candidates who quantify the outcome and name specific tools and partners.
Q4. Why financial specialty rather than corporate FP&A or investment banking?culture
The honest answer that lands: you want to build deep specialty depth β€” treasury, corporate actions, credit ops, investment ops β€” rather than the generalist analyst-to-manager corporate track. Naming a specific specialty (treasury automation, investment ops for a specific asset class, structured credit) signals you understand the pay band and the promotion path. Alternative honest answers: you want operational impact rather than deal-driven roles (banking) or short-cycle budgeting (FP&A). Avoid saying 'work-life balance' as the top reason even though it's real β€” hiring managers screen for candidates who chose the specialty for its content, not its hours.
Q5. Where do you see yourself in 5 years?closer
Show the ladder concretely. Sr Financial Specialist ($85-125k) then Manager or AVP ($130-190k) then Director or VP ($195-330k+). Or lateral: FP&A specialist to Sr Manager FP&A; investment ops to Portfolio Analyst on the buy-side ($150-350k+); credit ops to Sr Credit Analyst at a rating agency ($130-220k). Name the credential you're building β€” CFA Level 2 for buy-side / investment ops, CTP for corporate treasury, FRM for risk / credit, Series 7 + 63 for anything customer-facing at a broker-dealer. Naming a specific 5-year target signals maturity.

Resume Template β€” Sr Financial Specialist / Sr Treasury Analyst (3-6 yrs)

Copy these bullets into your resume as a starting point. Career Kit includes bullets for every level of the ladder.

Sr Financial Specialist / Sr Treasury Analyst (3-6 yrs)
  • β–ΈOwned daily cash positioning and short-term investing for a $4.2B Fortune 500 corporate treasury; managed 8 bank relationships and reduced trapped cash by $180M through zero-balance account automation.
  • β–ΈLed FX hedging program covering EUR, GBP, JPY, CNY exposures; cut quarterly earnings volatility from $8-12M passthrough to $1.5-3M via GTreasury implementation.
  • β–ΈCTP (AFP) certified β€” May 2023. Series 7 + 63 (broker-dealer background). BS Finance, [university].
  • β–Έ$118k base + 20% target bonus + $22k annual RSU refresher. Chairman's Award for Treasury Innovation 2024.

What Gets You Rejected

  • βœ—Can't build a three-statement model live β€” hiring managers give Excel modeling exercises in most Sr Specialist rounds.
  • βœ—SQL fluency is superficial β€” knows SELECT / FROM / WHERE but can't write a JOIN or a window function against a real HRIS or trade table.
  • βœ—Doesn't know the difference between CFO / CFI / CFF, or between operating margin / EBITDA margin / net margin.
  • βœ—Weak on regulatory basics for the seat β€” no fluency on SEC 15c3-3 for broker-dealer, Reg D for banks, or 1940 Act custody for investment mgmt.
  • βœ—No credential path β€” 3+ years in finance specialty and no progress on CFA, CTP, FRM, or Series exams. Managers see this as coasting.
  • βœ—Can't quantify past project impact in dollars, basis points, or specific KPI improvements β€” 'helped the team' signals a resume without measurable ownership.

Salary Negotiation Levers

  • βœ“Certification premium β€” CFA Level 2 lifts pay 10-15%, CFA Charter (Level 3 + 4 years experience) 15-25% at buy-side seats. CTP lifts corporate treasury pay 8-15%. FRM lifts risk / credit pay 10-15%.
  • βœ“Series 7 + 63 + 65 β€” required for any role touching customer accounts at a broker-dealer or RIA. Get the employer to sponsor the exams (typically $305 + $147 + $187) and pay the FINRA registration.
  • βœ“Metro adjustment β€” NYC, SF, Boston, Chicago financial specialist pay is 20-40% above the BLS national median. Anchor to metro-specific data (levels.fyi, Wall Street Oasis surveys, WSO Comp).
  • βœ“Bonus target and mix β€” 10-15% at Analyst, 15-25% at Sr Specialist, 20-30% at Manager, 25-40%+ at Director. At banks and asset managers this is a much larger share of TCC than at industrials.
  • βœ“Equity refresher cadence β€” at public issuers (JPMC, Goldman, Fidelity NFP has no equity but has profit share), annual refreshers at 40-60% of new-hire grant vs biennial is $10-40k / year at Sr Specialist and $40-150k+ at Manager.
  • βœ“Sign-on to offset unvested equity β€” banks and asset managers routinely pay $15-100k+ sign-on to buy candidates out of unvested bonuses. Confirm eligibility and structure in the offer letter.
  • βœ“Series 24 (Principal) exposure for anyone on the broker-dealer track β€” moves you from a 7 to a Principal-eligible seat, which is the on-ramp to Compliance / Ops Manager tracks.

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Financial Specialists, All Other Salary by State

Best Cities (cost-adjusted) β†’

Salary Map β€” Click a state for details

$51K
$125Kβ–  No data
StateMedianvs. National
District of Columbia$125,110+54.3%
Maine$109,060+34.5%
New York$107,490+32.5%
Maryland$101,400+25.0%
Massachusetts$99,970+23.3%
New Jersey$98,630+21.6%
Virginia$92,930+14.6%
Indiana$92,410+13.9%
Ohio$90,060+11.0%
Colorado$87,430+7.8%
1–10 of 50

Financial Specialists, All Other Salary by Metro Area

Metro AreaMedianvs. National
Lexington Park, MD$132,620+63.5%
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV$120,580+48.7%
Chambersburg, PA$111,530+37.5%
Dayton-Kettering-Beavercreek, OH$110,740+36.5%
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ$109,580+35.1%
Portland-South Portland, ME$109,060+34.5%
York-Hanover, PA$108,160+33.4%
Huntsville, AL$104,440+28.8%
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA$100,950+24.5%
Salem, OR$100,380+23.8%
1–10 of 256
Data Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS). Data reflects the most recent annual survey.
How does this compare to pro athletes?
A financial specialists, all other earning $81,100/year would need 735 years to match Stephen Curry's NBA salary, or 789 yearsto match Patrick Mahomes' NFL contract.
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πŸ“ˆ See how financial specialists, all other salaries have changed over the past decade.
View Financial Specialists, All Other salary trend (2011–2024) β†’