Securities, Commodities, and Financial Services Sales Agents
FinanceO*NET 41-3031.00United States
Buy and sell securities or commodities in investment and trading firms, or provide financial services to businesses and individuals. May advise customers about stocks, bonds, mutual funds, commodities, and market conditions.
- Median annual earnings
- $77,860
- Projected change
- +5.7%
- Typical education
- Bachelor's degree
- Employment
- 522.48K jobs
50th percentile, United States
2025 to 2035
61.3% of the workforce
Growing to 552.02K by 2035
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ASU learning related to this career
These courses and certificates are connected through catalog career relationships and Lightcast skill tags.
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The work
What securities, commodities, and financial services sales agents do
Tasks reported for this occupation, ordered by how often they come up in the role.
- Make bids or offers to buy or sell securities.
- Monitor markets or positions.
- Agree on buying or selling prices at optimal levels for clients.
- Keep accurate records of transactions.
- Buy or sell stocks, bonds, commodity futures, foreign currencies, or other securities on behalf of investment dealers.
- Complete sales order tickets and submit for processing of client-requested transactions.
- Report all positions or trading results.
- Interview clients to determine clients' assets, liabilities, cash flow, insurance coverage, tax status, or financial objectives.
- Discuss financial options with clients and keep them informed about transactions.
- Identify opportunities or develop channels for purchase or sale of securities or commodities.
- Develop financial plans, based on analysis of clients' financial status.
- Review all securities transactions to ensure accuracy of information and conformance to governing agency regulations.
- Devise trading, option, or hedge strategies.
- Determine customers' financial services needs and prepare proposals to sell services that address these needs.
- Track and analyze factors that affect price movement, such as trade policies, weather conditions, political developments, or supply and demand changes.
- Inform other traders, managers, or customers of market conditions, including volume, price, competition, or dynamics.
- Offer advice on the purchase or sale of particular securities.
- Contact prospective customers to present information and explain available services.
- Explain stock market terms or trading practices to clients.
- Calculate costs for billings or commissions.
- Prepare financial reports to monitor client or corporate finances.
- Supply the latest price quotes on any security, as well as information on the activities or financial positions of the corporations issuing these securities.
Pay and outlook
What the job pays and where it is heading
Annual earnings range
Reported earnings by percentile, United States
- 10th percentile
- $46,597
- 25th percentile
- $55,243
- 50th percentile
- $77,860
- 75th percentile
- $130,424
- 90th percentile
- $218,348
The gold marker shows the median. Half earn more than $77,860 and half earn less.
Employment outlook
2025 to 2035 projection
+5.7%average or slower
2025522,481 jobs
2035 projected552,022 jobs
29,541 more positions over the decade, before replacement hiring.
Preparation
Education levels
What people currently working in the career hold. These are not entry requirements.
- Bachelor's degree
- 61.3%
- High school diploma or less
- 26.8%
- Some college
- 5.8%
- Master's or Professional degree
- 3.8%
- Associate degree
- 1.1%
- Certificate
- 1.1%
Skills
Skills employers ask for
Technical skills appearing most often in job postings for this occupation.
How the work gets done
Core competencies
Broad capabilities associated with strong performance in this occupation.
- Active Listening
- Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
- Critical Thinking
- Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
- Monitoring
- Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
- Judgment and Decision Making
- Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
- Reading Comprehension
- Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
- Active Learning
- Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
- Speaking
- Talking to others to convey information effectively.
- Persuasion
- Persuading others to change their minds or behavior.
- Complex Problem Solving
- Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
- Writing
- Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
- Social Perceptiveness
- Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
- Service Orientation
- Actively looking for ways to help people.
- Systems Analysis
- Determining how a system should work and how changes in conditions, operations, and the environment will affect outcomes.
- Systems Evaluation
- Identifying measures or indicators of system performance and the actions needed to improve or correct performance, relative to the goals of the system.
- Mathematics
- Using mathematics to solve problems.
- Time Management
- Managing one's own time and the time of others.
- Management of Financial Resources
- Determining how money will be spent to get the work done, and accounting for these expenditures.
- Negotiation
- Bringing others together and trying to reconcile differences.
- Instructing
- Teaching others how to do something.
- Coordination
- Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
In the market
Job titles and employers
Recent job postings in United StatesCommon job titles
- 01Relationship Bankers16,518 postings
- 02Universal Bankers8,556 postings
- 03Financial Services Representatives3,141 postings
- 04Premier Bankers2,385 postings
- 05Client Relationship Consultants2,376 postings
- 06Associate Private Bankers2,269 postings
- 07Business Banking Relationship Managers1,998 postings
- 08Branch Relationship Bankers1,873 postings
- 09Private Client Bankers1,862 postings
- 10Relationship Managers1,856 postings
- 11Customer Experience Managers1,713 postings
- 12Banking Associates1,453 postings
- 13Associate Branch Managers1,296 postings
- 14Associate Brokers/Branch Managers1,244 postings
- 15Acquisition Specialists1,239 postings
- 16Member Service Representatives1,171 postings
- 17Retail Bankers1,091 postings
- 18Bankers1,071 postings
- 19Financial Representatives984 postings
- 20Business Bankers937 postings
Top employers
- 01JPMorgan Chase11,632 postings
- 02Wells Fargo4,999 postings
- 03Bank of America4,926 postings
- 04US Bank3,815 postings
- 05Truist Financial2,762 postings
- 06PNC2,582 postings
- 07Regions Financial2,358 postings
- 08OneMain Financial1,952 postings
- 09BMO1,857 postings
- 10TD Bank1,749 postings
- 11Huntington Bancshares1,736 postings
- 12Huntington1,622 postings
- 13Trading Careers1,595 postings
- 14Citigroup1,166 postings
- 15Maverick Trading1,096 postings
- 16Capital One881 postings
- 17M&T Bank766 postings
- 18Fidelity Investments713 postings
- 19KeyBank654 postings
- 20Old National Bank653 postings
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