How Long Does it Take to Learn Finance? (2024)

Aspiring to a career in finance as an Investment Banker, Commercial Banker, Real Estate Agent, or Financial Planner? Discover the timeline to becoming financially literate, ranging from six months to five years, depending on various factors.

Key Insights

  • The field of finance includes budgeting, saving, lending, and investing, with the goal of effectively managing money.
  • Becoming a finance expert can take between six months to five years, depending on the individual's dedication and resources.
  • Finance can be broadly categorized into personal, corporate, and public finance, each with its own focus and complexities.
  • Personal finance is concerned with reducing debt, budgeting effectively, growing assets, and increasing cash flow.
  • Corporate finance primarily involves capital budgeting, capital structure, and dividend policy.
  • Public finance focuses on the budgeting process and determining an entity's revenue source.

Like many aspiring Investment Bankers, Commercial Bankers, Real Estate Agents, and Financial Planners, you might want to learn finance but worry about how long it will take to become financially literate. While there are various moving parts to the financial industry, like budgeting, saving, lending, and investing, experts agree that it takes the average person between six months and five years to become a finance expert. Of course, the speed at which you master finance depends on several factors. Keep reading to learn about how you can learn finance and some resources to help speed the process along.

What is Finance?

In its most basic definition, finance is the management of money. Finance includes investing, lending, budgeting, borrowing, saving, forecasting, and studying money. There are multiple areas of finance, including personal, corporate, and public finance.

Personal finance deals with keeping your debt down, budgeting, growing your assets, and increasing cash flow, among others. The three main types of corporate finance are capital budgeting, capital structure, and dividend policy. Among the significant concerns of public finance are the budgeting process and an entity’s revenue source.


Read more about what finance is and why you should learn it.

How Long Does it Take to Learn Finance? (2024)

FAQs

How Long Does it Take to Learn Finance? ›

Learning financial concepts can take the average person anywhere between six months and five years. The time it takes to learn finance will depend on different factors such as: prior experience. Degree requirements.

Is it hard to learn finance? ›

Finance requires a wide range of knowledge and skills that seem difficult to master, especially for someone without any finance experience.

How long does it take to study finance? ›

A bachelor's degree in finance is usually the most common requirement to pursue a career in finance. This degree takes four years to complete and prepares you with the basic fundamentals you will need as a finance professional.

How long does it take to learn how to financial model? ›

The time it takes to learn financial modelling varies based on individual factors. Prior knowledge, learning resources, practice, and the complexity of the models all matter. While some might grasp the basics in a matter of weeks, mastering financial modelling can take several months to a year or more.

Is finance a tough career? ›

Financial careers often involve high barriers to entry, stiff competition among applicants, and a lot of stress. Still, these jobs offer numerous perks, including a challenging work environment, interaction with highly motivated and intelligent colleagues, opportunities for advancement, and excellent pay.

Is finance high paying? ›

Salaries in the finance industry

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statics (BLS), careers in finance pay a median salary of $76,850 — 66% higher than the median salary for all occupations in the nation ($46,310).

Is finance math heavy? ›

One thing that's for sure is the high amount of math you will need to study. Finance is a mathematical discipline, so if you aren't as comfortable with math as with other ways of thinking, you may find it more challenging. Additionally, finance also makes use of a vast, highly specific vocabulary.

How long does it take to learn financial accounting? ›

Accounting qualifications typically take between two to four years to attain, depending on factors such as personal learning pace, prior experience, and the type of program pursued.

How long does it take to become a good financial analyst? ›

How long does it take to become a financial analyst? You can become a financial analyst within four years, or the time it takes you to earn a bachelor's degree. Depending on the type of work you plan to do, it may take additional time to earn licensure through FINRA as well.

Can I learn financial modeling on my own? ›

Can I learn financial modeling myself? Yes, it is possible without taking any help, just follow the steps mentioned above and you will get sufficient knowledge and skills to develop a basic level of financial models.

Is finance harder or accounting? ›

Is finance harder than accounting? Accounting relies on precise arithmetic principles, making it more complex, whereas finance requires a grasp of economics and accounting without as much mathematical detail.

Is finance a happy job? ›

Most people have traditionally viewed finance careers as high-cost but high-reward. It's extremely difficult to break in, but once you're in, the compensation and exit opportunities make the initial effort worth it.

What is the hardest job in finance? ›

The most (and least) stressful jobs in banking and finance
  • Most stressful job in finance : Investment Banker (M&A or capital markets professional) ...
  • Second most stressful job in finance : Trader. ...
  • Third most stressful job in finance : Risk management & Compliance.

Is studying finance worth it? ›

Students who enjoy numbers, money management, and data analysis may be well-served by pursuing a degree in finance. An accredited finance degree program can help them qualify for one of these positions. Overall, a finance degree is worth it for many aspiring professionals.

Is finance harder than programming? ›

The difficulty of a major in computer science versus finance largely depends on an individual's aptitude, interests, and goals. Computer science often demands a strong foundation in mathematics and logic, requiring students to tackle complex algorithms, data structures, and programming languages.

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