Securities, Commodities, and Financial Services Sales Agent 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.
Securities, Commodities, and Financial Services Sales Agent is Also Know as
In different settings, Securities, Commodities, and Financial Services Sales Agent is titled as
- Broker
- Commodities Broker
- Equity Trader
- Financial Advisor
- Financial Consultant
- Investment Representative
- Investments Advisor
- Investments Specialist
- Personal Banker
- Trader
Education and Training of Securities, Commodities, and Financial Services Sales Agent
Securities, Commodities, and Financial Services Sales Agent is categorized in Job Zone Four: Considerable Preparation Needed
Experience Required for Securities, Commodities, and Financial Services Sales Agent
A considerable amount of work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is needed for these occupations. For example, an accountant must complete four years of college and work for several years in accounting to be considered qualified.
Education Required for Securities, Commodities, and Financial Services Sales Agent
Most of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.
Degrees Related to Securities, Commodities, and Financial Services Sales Agent
- Bachelor in Financial Planning and Services
- Associate Degree Courses in Financial Planning and Services
- Masters Degree Courses in Financial Planning and Services
- Bachelor in Investments and Securities
- Associate Degree Courses in Investments and Securities
- Masters Degree Courses in Investments and Securities
- Bachelor in Business and Personal/Financial Services Marketing
- Associate Degree Courses in Business and Personal/Financial Services Marketing
- Masters Degree Courses in Business and Personal/Financial Services Marketing
Training Required for Securities, Commodities, and Financial Services Sales Agent
Employees in these occupations usually need several years of work-related experience, on-the-job training, and/or vocational training.
Related Ocuupations
Some Ocuupations related to Securities, Commodities, and Financial Services Sales Agent in different industries are
- Financial and Investment Analysts
- Personal Financial Advisors
- Financial Risk Specialists
- Brokerage Clerks
- Investment Fund Managers
- Wholesale and Retail Buyers, Except Farm Products
- New Accounts Clerks
- Loan Officers
- Credit Analysts
- Real Estate Brokers
- Sales Representatives of Services, Except Advertising, Insurance, Financial Services, and Travel
- Tellers
- Credit Authorizers, Checkers, and Clerks
- Financial Managers
- Insurance Sales Agents
- Purchasing Agents, Except Wholesale, Retail, and Farm Products
- Business Intelligence Analysts
- Credit Counselors
- Real Estate Sales Agents
- Market Research Analysts and Marketing Specialists
What Do Securities, Commodities, and Financial Services Sales Agent do?
- 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.
- Determine customers' financial services needs and prepare proposals to sell services that address these needs.
- Sell services or equipment, such as trusts, investments, or check processing services.
- 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.
- Contact prospective customers to present information and explain available services.
- Devise trading, option, or hedge strategies.
- 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.
- Evaluate costs and revenue of agreements to determine continued profitability.
- 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.
- Supervise support staff and ensure proper execution of contracts.
- Relay buy or sell orders to securities exchanges or to firm trading departments.
- Negotiate prices or contracts for securities or commodities sales or purchases.
- Prepare and send requests for price quotations to all companies in a particular market.
- Price securities or commodities based on market conditions.
- Purchase or sell financial derivatives for customers.
Qualities of Good Securities, Commodities, and Financial Services Sales Agent
- Oral Comprehension: The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
- Oral Expression: The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
- Deductive Reasoning: The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
- Written Comprehension: The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
- Speech Clarity: The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.
- Problem Sensitivity: The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing that there is a problem.
- Written Expression: The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.
- Speech Recognition: The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person.
- Information Ordering: The ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).
- Inductive Reasoning: The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).
- Near Vision: The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
- Category Flexibility: The ability to generate or use different sets of rules for combining or grouping things in different ways.
- Mathematical Reasoning: The ability to choose the right mathematical methods or formulas to solve a problem.
- Fluency of Ideas: The ability to come up with a number of ideas about a topic (the number of ideas is important, not their quality, correctness, or creativity).
- Number Facility: The ability to add, subtract, multiply, or divide quickly and correctly.
- Originality: The ability to come up with unusual or clever ideas about a given topic or situation, or to develop creative ways to solve a problem.
- Selective Attention: The ability to concentrate on a task over a period of time without being distracted.
- Flexibility of Closure: The ability to identify or detect a known pattern (a figure, object, word, or sound) that is hidden in other distracting material.
- Speed of Closure: The ability to quickly make sense of, combine, and organize information into meaningful patterns.
- Perceptual Speed: The ability to quickly and accurately compare similarities and differences among sets of letters, numbers, objects, pictures, or patterns. The things to be compared may be presented at the same time or one after the other. This ability also includes comparing a presented object with a remembered object.
- Memorization: The ability to remember information such as words, numbers, pictures, and procedures.
- Far Vision: The ability to see details at a distance.
- Time Sharing: The ability to shift back and forth between two or more activities or sources of information (such as speech, sounds, touch, or other sources).
- Auditory Attention: The ability to focus on a single source of sound in the presence of other distracting sounds.
- Visualization: The ability to imagine how something will look after it is moved around or when its parts are moved or rearranged.
- Hearing Sensitivity: The ability to detect or tell the differences between sounds that vary in pitch and loudness.
- Trunk Strength: The ability to use your abdominal and lower back muscles to support part of the body repeatedly or continuously over time without "giving out" or fatiguing.
- Wrist-Finger Speed: The ability to make fast, simple, repeated movements of the fingers, hands, and wrists.
- Visual Color Discrimination: The ability to match or detect differences between colors, including shades of color and brightness.
- Spatial Orientation: The ability to know your location in relation to the environment or to know where other objects are in relation to you.
- Depth Perception: The ability to judge which of several objects is closer or farther away from you, or to judge the distance between you and an object.
- Multilimb Coordination: The ability to coordinate two or more limbs (for example, two arms, two legs, or one leg and one arm) while sitting, standing, or lying down. It does not involve performing the activities while the whole body is in motion.
- Arm-Hand Steadiness: The ability to keep your hand and arm steady while moving your arm or while holding your arm and hand in one position.
- Sound Localization: The ability to tell the direction from which a sound originated.
- Manual Dexterity: The ability to quickly move your hand, your hand together with your arm, or your two hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble objects.
- Glare Sensitivity: The ability to see objects in the presence of a glare or bright lighting.
- Peripheral Vision: The ability to see objects or movement of objects to one's side when the eyes are looking ahead.
- Night Vision: The ability to see under low-light conditions.
- Control Precision: The ability to quickly and repeatedly adjust the controls of a machine or a vehicle to exact positions.
- Reaction Time: The ability to quickly respond (with the hand, finger, or foot) to a signal (sound, light, picture) when it appears.
- Extent Flexibility: The ability to bend, stretch, twist, or reach with your body, arms, and/or legs.
- Response Orientation: The ability to choose quickly between two or more movements in response to two or more different signals (lights, sounds, pictures). It includes the speed with which the correct response is started with the hand, foot, or other body part.
- Gross Body Equilibrium: The ability to keep or regain your body balance or stay upright when in an unstable position.
- Gross Body Coordination: The ability to coordinate the movement of your arms, legs, and torso together when the whole body is in motion.
- Dynamic Flexibility: The ability to quickly and repeatedly bend, stretch, twist, or reach out with your body, arms, and/or legs.
- Stamina: The ability to exert yourself physically over long periods of time without getting winded or out of breath.
- Dynamic Strength: The ability to exert muscle force repeatedly or continuously over time. This involves muscular endurance and resistance to muscle fatigue.
- Finger Dexterity: The ability to make precisely coordinated movements of the fingers of one or both hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble very small objects.
- Explosive Strength: The ability to use short bursts of muscle force to propel oneself (as in jumping or sprinting), or to throw an object.
- Static Strength: The ability to exert maximum muscle force to lift, push, pull, or carry objects.
- Speed of Limb Movement: The ability to quickly move the arms and legs.
- Rate Control: The ability to time your movements or the movement of a piece of equipment in anticipation of changes in the speed and/or direction of a moving object or scene.
Tools Used by Securities, Commodities, and Financial Services Sales Agent
- 10-key calculators
- Computer data input scanners
- Desktop computers
- Laptop computers
- Laser facsimile machines
- Mobile computing devices
- Multi-line telephone systems
- Notebook computers
- Personal computers
- Photocopying equipment
- Tablet computers
Technology Skills required for Securities, Commodities, and Financial Services Sales Agent
- ADP/Vantra VOLTS
- AIQ Systems TradingExpert Pro
- AnalyzerXL
- Aspen Graphics Technical Analysis Software
- Bloomberg Professional
- BondDesk Group Trader WorkStation
- C++
- CableSoft LiveWire Trader
- Calypso Technology Calypso Asset Management
- Charles River Development Charles River Investment Management System
- Citi The Yield Book Calculator
- CQG Integrated Client
- CSI Complex Systems ClientTrade
- Customer information control system CICS
- Customer relationship management CRM software
- Database management software
- Derivicom FinOptions XL
- Email software
- FileMaker Pro
- Financial needs analysis software
- Fixed income alternative trading systems ATS
- Fund accounting software
- FundCount Web
- Graphics software
- IBM Cognos Impromptu
- IBM Notes
- Imagine Software Imagine Trading System
- Knight BondPoint
- Leading Market Technologies EXPO
- Linux
- Microsoft Access
- Microsoft Dynamics
- Microsoft Dynamics GP
- Microsoft Excel
- Microsoft Office software
- Microsoft Outlook
- Microsoft PowerPoint
- Microsoft SharePoint
- Microsoft Visual Basic
- Microsoft Windows
- Microsoft Word
- Multiple trading transaction systems
- Oracle E-Business Suite Financials
- Oracle Hyperion
- Oracle Java
- Oracle PeopleSoft
- Oracle PeopleSoft Financials
- Oracle Siebel CRM
- Project management software
- Python
- R
- Realm Business Solutions INSIGHT for ARGUS
- Redi Enterprise Development Redi ERM
- Regulatory agency compliance software
- Sage 50 Accounting
- Sales analysis software
- Salesforce software
- SAP software
- Scheduling software
- Spreadsheet software
- SunGard MicroHedge
- Telvent DTN ProphetX
- The MathWorks MATLAB
- Thomson Reuters Tradeweb
- Tradeweb Markets Tradeweb
- Trading Blox
- Triple Point Commodity XL
- UNIX
- Web browser software
- Web-based information systems
- Web-based trading systems
- Word processing software