I’m currently in banking and I went to school for an Associates degree in Business administration, followed by a Bachelors in Finance. These two degrees and the classes therein worked out fine. I’m following this up right now with a CFA, which really helps to fill in that financial analysis gap that so many of my Finance classes failed to offer.

Starting salaries really depend on the type of financial field you’re going in. It’s usually around the $35,000 to $50,000 range, depending on the risk and sales factors involved. (By around the 5 year mark is when you’ll be approaching the $75K mark). I have seen some investment companies offer more the first year (for example $60K at UBS) but that salary is only good for 1 year and after that it’s 100% commission.

A good reference is to remember that the heavier the sales focus at your job, the more salary you’d start off with. If it’s government related work then you’ll start off lower because sales aren’t as big of a factor there.

Hope this info helps and good luck.

Business management is a great place to start. You will likely eventually need the bachelor’s degree to successfully do everything that you want to do. Make sure that you take plenty of math courses and consider a concentration in accounting as well.

FWIW, I know someone who is a financial analyst. He majored in math in college, minored in economics. He was 2nd in his class at a small but extremely competitive college and one of his profs put him in touch with the firm he works for now. He makes a “ton” of money and loves what he does – mathematical modeling.