Financial services include everything that has to do with money, from the way a company pays its employees to how it sets prices and discounts for consumers. They also include debt resolution, global payment networks like Visa and Mastercard, and financial market utilities, such as stock and commodity exchanges and real-time gross settlement systems.
The sector has become so all-encompassing that it’s easy to forget that, even as recently as the 1970s, each part of the industry stuck to its own specialties. Banks offered checking and savings accounts, loan associations offered mortgages and personal loans, brokerage companies offered investment opportunities in stocks, bonds and mutual funds and credit card companies provided just that.
When people feel they have control over their money, they are more resilient in the face of unexpected events and are able to save for the future. When that happens, the economy thrives and all of us benefit.
A career in financial services has many advantages. In addition to being well paid, professionals in the field often enjoy high job satisfaction rates. This is partly because the vast majority of firms in this industry are global, so you’ll never have trouble finding a new job if you decide to move on. But before you decide to get into the sector, it’s important to understand what it is and what it isn’t. This article is intended to provide a quick overview of financial services and help you figure out whether it’s the right field for you.