Ce parcours n’est pas encore traduit en français : son contenu s’affiche en anglais.
Financial Analyst
Help companies figure out where to put their money
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0 missions sur 7 faites
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Les compétences que vous en tirerez
Les emplois auxquels il mène
- Junior Financial Analyst
- Equity Research Analyst
- Corporate FP&A Analyst
- Investment Analyst
Avant de commencer
- ✓ Basic math & accounting knowledge
- ✓ Strong Excel skills (or willing to learn)
7 missions jusqu’à Financial Analyst
3 mondes, 7 missions. Touchez un cercle pour l’ouvrir ; celui qui brille est le suivant.
Learn how financial statements work.
Learn to build models companies actually use.
Pick a specialty and get certified.
En savoir plus sur ce métier
Le métier, le salaire là où vous vivez, les questions fréquentes, et où ce métier peut vous mener ensuite.
Le métier
Ce que vous feriez
- Research investments and recommend which to make
- Evaluate current and past financial data
- Study economic and business trends
- Examine a company's financial statements to judge its value and growth prospects
- Use financial models to solve financial problems and assess the impact of deals
- Prepare written reports and presentations
Où vous travailleriez
- Investment and securities firms (about 24% of US financial and investment analysts)
- Professional, scientific and technical services (about 14% in the US)
- Banks and other lenders (about 12% in the US)
- Company head offices (about 11% in the US)
- Insurance companies (about 6% in the US)
Orientations possibles
- Financial and investment analysis (rating and recommending investments)
- Financial risk (measuring exposure to credit and market risk)
Toutes les étapes en détail
Le texte complet de chaque étape, à lire ou à imprimer. Avancez étape par étape dans le parcours ci-dessus.
Accounting Fundamentals 2 étapes
Three Statement Accounting
Master the holy trinity of financial statements and understand the mechanics of how they link together.
Tâche concrète: Download Apple's latest 10-K from the SEC EDGAR database. Trace Net Income manually to the Retained Earnings on the Balance Sheet and to the top line of the Cash Flow Statement.
Pourquoi c’est important: All financial modeling relies on historical accounting data. If you don't grasp how statements interlink naturally, your models will never balance.
Liste de contrôle
- Deconstruct the Income Statement (Revenue down to Net Income).
- Analyze the Balance Sheet and its governing equation (Assets = Liabilities + Equity).
- Break down the Cash Flow Statement into Operating, Investing, and Financing activities.
- Map out exactly how Net Income flows into retained earnings and the cash flow statement.
- Understand the impact of depreciation on both the income and cash flow statements.
Accounting Principles & Revenue Recognition
Learn the foundational rules that dictate when and how money is officially counted.
Tâche concrète: Review a real SaaS company's earnings report. Identify their deferred revenue balance and write one paragraph explaining why their recognized revenue differs from cash collected.
Pourquoi c’est important: Companies can manipulate their reported earnings through accounting practices. Knowing what is a non-cash adjustment versus an actual operational cash drain prevents bad analyses.
Liste de contrôle
- Differentiate between GAAP (US) and IFRS (International).
- Understand the matching principle and the difference between accrual accounting and cash accounting.
- Analyze working capital and how changes in it affect operating cash flow.
- Identify the criteria for proper depreciation and amortization schedules.
- Learn how to spot aggressive revenue recognition or non-cash adjustments.
Financial Modeling in Excel 3 étapes
Advanced Excel for Finance
Turn Excel from a spreadsheet tool into a high-speed analytical engine by mastering keyboard-only workflows and dynamic functions.
Tâche concrète: Take 5 years of messy historical financial data and re-format it entirely without using the mouse, building a clean, standardized summary dashboard.
Pourquoi c’est important: Speed and accuracy in Excel are the absolute baseline expectations in corporate finance and banking. Navigating strictly with the keyboard makes you 3x faster.
Liste de contrôle
- Master essential keyboard shortcuts to entirely eliminate mouse usage.
- Implement advanced lookups: INDEX/MATCH, XLOOKUP, and OFFSET.
- Utilize sensitivity analysis tools: Data Tables, Goal Seek, and Scenario Manager.
- Format models properly (blue text for hardcodes, black for formulas, green for external links).
- Use pivot tables to quickly summarize large datasets.
3-Statement Modeling
Build dynamic, interconnected models projecting a company's future operating performance based on historical data and driver assumptions.
Tâche concrète: Build a rolling 5-year 3-statement forecast model for a mid-cap consumer goods company from scratch, ensuring the balance sheet balances perfectly every projected year.
Pourquoi c’est important: The 3-statement model is the backbone of FP&A and equity research. Executives make multi-million dollar hiring, budgeting, and acquisition decisions based on these projections.
Liste de contrôle
- Construct historical trailing twelve months (TTM) financial summaries.
- Forecast revenue growth and expense margins using historical trend lines.
- Build a working debt schedule and a detailed depreciation (PP&E) schedule.
- Integrate the three statements so that they dynamically forecast 5 years out.
- Balance the balance sheet securely using a cash plug without circular references.
Valuation Techniques (DCF & Comps)
Determine the intrinsic and relative value of a company using the industry's default methodologies.
Tâche concrète: Perform a complete DCF valuation on a publicly traded tech stock and determine if it is currently overvalued or undervalued relative to its market price.
Pourquoi c’est important: Valuation defines stock prices, IPO sizing, and startup funding rounds. This translates qualitative business potential into a hard, defensible numeric value.
Liste de contrôle
- Calculate a company's Weighted Average Cost of Capital (WACC).
- Project unlevered free cash flows (UFCF) over a forecast period.
- Calculate Terminal Value using both perpetuity growth and exit multiple methods.
- Understand the mechanics of a Discounted Cash Flow (DCF).
- Perform Comparable Company Analysis (spreading comps) finding EV/EBITDA multiples.
Industry & Certification 2 étapes
Sector Specialization & Thesis Writing
Develop deep domain expertise in a specific industry and learn to communicate complex investment ideas clearly in writing.
Tâche concrète: Write a 2-page stock pitch memo for a retail stock, stating a clear 'Buy/Hold/Sell' recommendation backed by 3 quantitative drivers and an assessment of key risks.
Pourquoi c’est important: The best analysts do more than crunch numbers; they tell a compelling story backed by data. Clear memos are how you convince portfolio managers or corporate executives to allocate capital.
Liste de contrôle
- Select and study a specific sector (e.g., SaaS, Healthcare, Real Estate).
- Read 5-10 initiating coverage equity research reports to understand the tone.
- Formulate a distinct investment thesis (buy/hold/sell) based on your chosen firm.
- Write concise, evidence-based investment memos targeting portfolio managers.
- Identify key macroeconomic risks associated with your sector.
Certifications & Networking
Break into the notoriously competitive finance industry by validating your knowledge through exams and proactively building relationships.
Tâche concrète: Reach out to 5 alumni from your school currently working as financial analysts to set up 15-minute informational coffee chats, and aim to clear the SIE exam within 3 months.
Pourquoi c’est important: Professional exams prove your baseline quantitative competence, while aggressive networking is often the only route to unlock the 'hidden job market' where analyst roles are filled.
Liste de contrôle
- Assess readiness and register for the SIE (Securities Industry Essentials) exam or CFA Level 1.
- Conduct informational interviews with analysts working at target asset management or IB firms.
- Optimize your LinkedIn profile emphasizing quantitative rigor over vague soft skills.
- Curate a portfolio containing your 3-statement models, DCFs, and best stock pitch memos.
- Publish your analyses on a blog or Substack to build a public track record of thought leadership.
Questions fréquentes : Financial Analyst
Des réponses claires sur la durée, les prérequis, les salaires et les méthodes d’étude.
Combien de temps faut-il pour devenir Financial Analyst ?
Ce parcours estime 6–12 months. Il compte 3 phases et 7 étapes, de « Accounting Fundamentals » à « Industry & Certification ».
Comment devenir Financial Analyst ?
Suivez les 3 phases dans l’ordre, en commençant par la phase 1, « Accounting Fundamentals ». Votre première tâche : Download Apple's latest 10-K from the SEC EDGAR database. Trace Net Income manually to the Retained Earnings on the Balance Sheet and to the top line of the Cash Flow Statement.
Combien gagne un Financial Analyst ?
Le salaire dépend du pays. L’encadré salaire de cette page indique l’estimation de DraftMyCareer, en monnaie locale, pour le pays choisi dans le menu.
De quoi ai-je besoin avant de commencer ?
Ce parcours indique : Basic math & accounting knowledge; Strong Excel skills (or willing to learn).
De quelles compétences un Financial Analyst a-t-il besoin ?
Ce parcours couvre : Financial modeling, Excel, Accounting, Valuation, Data analysis, Communication.
Changer de métier : passerelles vers ce poste et depuis ce poste
Voir toutes les reconversions →Évolutions et changements de poste possibles
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