Review investment portfolios

Meet with clients to review or update an investment portfolio and provide financial advice on investments.

reviewing investment portfolios
analyse investment portfolios
investment portfolio review
review an investment portfolio
audit investment portfolios
scrutinise investment portfolios
check investment portfolios

skill/competence

cross-sector

Review investment portfolios is an essential skill of the following occupations:

Securities analyst: Securities analysts perform research activities to gather and analyse financial, legal and economic information. They interpret data on the price, stability and future investment trends in a certain economic area and make recommendations and forecasts to business clients.
Investment manager: Investment managers administer the portfolio of investments that a company has. They perform close follow up of the investments looking for the most profitable solutions represented in financial products or securities. They analyse behaviour in financial markets, interests rates, and the companies’ position in order to advise on risks and profitability for the client.
Mergers and acquisitions analyst: Mergers and acquisitions analysts oversee the execution of transactions for the purchase, sale, merger or takeover of companies. They negotiate and complete the deal on the client’s behalf, by working closely with lawyers and accountants. Mergers and acquisitions analysts conduct operational and legal risk assessments of a company, assess comparable companies in the market and help with the post-merger integration.
Financial planner: Financial planners assist people dealing with various personal financial issues. They are specialised in financial planning, such as retirement planning, investment planning, risk management and insurance planning, and tax planning. They advise a strategy tailored to the client’s needs. They ensure the accuracy of bank and other financial records while maintaining a customer-orientated approach and following ethical standards.
Corporate investment banker: Corporate investment bankers offer strategic advice on financial services to companies and other institutions. They ensure that legal regulations are being followed by their clients in their efforts of raising any capital. They provide technical expertise and information on mergers and acquisitions, bonds and shares, privatisations and reorganisation, raising capital and security underwriting, including equity and debt markets.
Commodity broker:
Commodity brokers act as intermediary between buyers and sellers of movable and immovable property such as raw materials, livestock or real estate. They negotiate prices and receive a commission from the transactions. They research market conditions for specific commodities in order to inform their clients. They make bid offers and calculate the cost of transactions.
Investment adviser: Investment advisers are professionals who offer transparent advice by recommending suitable solutions on financial matters to their clients. They advise on investing pension or free funds in securities such as stocks, bonds, mutual funds and exchange-traded funds to customers. Investment advisers serve individuals, households, families and owners of small companies.
Corporate treasurer: Corporate treasurers determine and oversee the financial strategic policies of a company or organisation. They use cash management techniques like account organisation, cash flow monitoring, liquidity planning and control, risk management including currency and commodity risks and maintain close connection with banks and rating agencies.
Property insurance underwriter: Property insurance underwriters assess and determine the risk and coverage of a client’s property insurance. They analyse and review underwriting policies according to legal regulations.
Personal trust officer: Personal trust officers monitor and administer personal trusts. They interpret trust and testamentary documentation accordingly, interact with financial advisors to define the investment goal for the achievement of trust objectives, coordinate the purchase and sale of securities with account executives and review clients’ accounts regularly.
Stock broker: Stock brokers act on behalf of their individual or institutional clients in order to buy and sell stocks and other securities. They are in close contact with their clients and ensure that what they buy or sell through the stock exchange market is according to their clients’ wishes. Stock brokers undertake analyst research to make recommendations to their clients and expand their client base through various methods.
Investment analyst: Investment analysts undertake research to make informed recommendations to fund managers. They research investments globally but depending on the nature and field of their employer they can specialise in fields like retail, infrastructure, energy, banking and financial services. They focus on financial and economical information such as the political and economic developments that can impact financial markets, the financial performance of the target companies and use the interpretation of data from different sources to understand how it affects investment decision making.
Investment fund manager: Investment fund managers implement and monitor the investment strategy of a fund. They manage the fund’s portfolio trading activities and supervise the financial, securities, and investment analysts in charge to perform research on the investments and then make buying and selling recommendations. They make decisions on when to buy or sell the assets included in a portfolio. This manager works in a variety of settings such as banks, companies and stockbroking companies; working closely with the investment analyst. This occupation manages strategy and does not always work with relations between shareholders or investors.
Securities broker: Securities brokers create the connection between the investors and the available investment opportunities. They purchase and sell securities on their clients’ behalf, based on their expertise in the financial markets. They monitor the performance of their clients’ securities, assessing their stability or speculative tendencies. Securities brokers calculate the securities’ price and place orders.
Mutual fund broker: Mutual fund brokers handle and raise cash from shareholders in order to invest them in stocks, bonds and money-market securities. They engage with investors by making inquiries about the client’s mutual funds account status and transaction procedures. Mutual fund brokers make use of their expertise in investment theory, market experience, and research to pick the most approapriate investments for their fund portfolio. They ensure that the mutual fund’s operations are in compliance with legal requirements.
Corporate banking manager: Corporate banking managers offer advice on a broad range of financial goods and services such as securities services, credit services, cash management, insurance products, leasing, information on merges and acquisitions and capital markets activities, to institutions and organisations.
Asset manager: Asset managers invest the money of a client into financial assets, through vehicles such as investment funds or management of individual clients’ portfolios. This includes the management of the financial assets, within a given investment policy and risk framework, the provision of information, the assessment and monitoring of risks.

Review investment portfolios is optional for these occupations. This means knowing this skill may be an asset for career advancement if you are in one of these occupations.

Actuarial consultant: Actuarial consultants analyse, manage and provide guidance on financial impact of risks. They can work in fields related to insurance, pension, investment, banking, healthcare etc. Actuarial consultants apply technical and statistical models and theories to give strategic, commercial, and financial advice.
Credit analyst: Credit analysts investigate credit applications from customers and evaluate if the applications comply with regulations and guidelines of the financial loan-granting institution. On the basis of credit analyses they advise financial institutions whether customers are loan worthy. They perform tasks such as collecting data on the loan applicant, aquire additional information from other departments or institutions and indicating what sort of agreements the financial institution should reach with the credit applicant. Credit analysts also follow up on the development of the credit portfolio of clients.
Credit adviser: Credit advisers offer guidance to customers related to credit services. They assess the customer’s financial situation and debt issues arisen from credit cards, medical bills and car loans in order to identify optimal credit solutions for customers and also provide debt elimination plans to adjust their finances if needed. They prepare qualitative credit analyses and decision-making material in respect of defined customers in conformity with the bank’s strategy on credit policy, ensure the credit quality and follow up on the performance of the credit portfolio. Credit advisers also have expertise in debt management and credit consolidation.
Insurance rating analyst: Insurance rating analysts analyse information related to insurance markets and their credit rating, prepare rating reports and invoices, compile financial data and present and explain credit rating opinions to stakeholders, clients and external parties. They work for insurance companies and calculate the insurance premium and rates for the company’s clients using both manual and automated methods.
Energy trader: Energy traders sell or buy shares of energy, sometimes from different sources. They analyse the energy market and investigate trends in prices to decide when to buy or sell shares and ensure the most profit. They make calculations, and write reports on energy trades procedures, and make predictions on the development of the market.
Insurance collector: Insurance collectors collect payment for an overdue insurance bill. They specialise in all areas of insurance such as medical, life, car, travel, etc and recurrently contact individuals to offer payment assistance or to facilitate payment plans according to individual’s financial situation.
Financial manager: Financial managers handle all the matters in reference to the finance and investments of a company. They manage financial operations of companies such as the assets, liabilities, equity and cash flow aiming to maintain the financial health of the company and operative viability. Financial managers evaluate the strategic plans of the company in financial terms, maintain transparent financial operations for taxation and auditing bodies, and create the financial statements of the company at the end of the fiscal year.
Budget manager: Budget managers assess financial proposals of different departments before granting financial resources to projects. They monitor the implementation of budget policies and procedures. They work closely with other departments in the evaluation of programs, their impact in the organisation, the revenue that they can yield, and the financial efforts required.
Credit union manager: Credit union managers oversee and manage member services, supervise staff and operations of credit unions. They inform staff about the latest credit union procedures and policies and prepare financial reports.
Securities trader: Securities traders purchase and sell securities such as stocks, bonds and shares on their own account or on their employers account based on their expertise in the financial markets. They monitor the performance of the securities traded, assessing their stability or speculative tendancies. Securities brokers calculate the securities price and place orders. They record and file all securities transactions and take care of their financial documents.
Investor relations manager: Investor relations managers disseminate the investment strategy of the company and monitor the reactions of the investment community towards it. They use marketing, financial, communications, and security law expertise to ensure transparent communication to the larger community. They respond to inquiries from shareholders and investors in relation to the company’s financial stability, stocks, or corporate policies.
Budget analyst: Budget analysts monitor the spending activities of public and private institutions and companies. They prepare budget reports, review the budget model used in the company and ensure compliance with the budgeting policies and other legal regulations.
Business valuer: Business valuers provide valuation assessements of business entities, stock and other securities and intangible assets, in order to assist their clients in strategic decision-making procedures such as mergers and acquisitions, litigation cases, bankruptcy, taxation compliance and general restructuring of the companies.
Financial trader: Financial traders buy and sell financial products such as assets, shares and bonds for private clients, banks or companies. They monitor the financial markets closely and aim to maximise profit and to minimise risk through their transactions.
Venture capitalist: Venture capitalists invest in young or small startup companies by providing private funding. They research potential markets and particular product opportunities to help business owners develop or expand a business. They provide business advice, technical expertise, and network contacts based on their experience and activities. They do not assume executive managerial positions within the company, but have a say in its strategic direction.
Insurance product manager: Insurance product managers set and direct the development of new insurance products, following the product lifecycle policy and the general insurance strategy. They also coordinate the marketing and sales activities related to the specific insurance products of the company. Insurance product managers inform their sales managers (or the sales department) about their newly developed insurance products.
Investment fund management assistant: Investment fund management assistants provide clients with financial planning advice on financial products and serve as the main contact point for new and old clients. They assist and perform preparatory work in the creation and administration of funds and help with the implementation of fund management decisions made by the portfolio or fund manager.
Financial broker: Financial brokers undertake financial market activities on behalf of their clients. They monitor securities, financial documentation of their clients, market trends and conditions and other legal requirements. They plan buying and selling activities and calculate transactions costs.
Accounting analyst: Accounting analysts evaluate the financial statements of clients, usually companies, which include the income sheet, the balance sheet, the statement of cash flows and additional notes to other financial statements. They interpret and implement new accounting systems and accounting procedures and will analyse and determine if the proposed systems conform to accounting regulations and meet user information requirements.
Dividend analyst: Dividend analysts calculate and allocate dividends and interest incomes of a company’s earnings to a category of its shareholders. They assess business systems and processes in order to identify user needs and to deliver appropriate solutions. They also undertake dividend forecasts on amounts and payment schedules and identify potential risks, based on their financial and market price expertise.
Insurance underwriter: Insurance underwriters assess business risks and liability policies and make decisions about commercial property. They inspect the conditions of businesses’ properties, analyse inspection policies, assist with real estate and rent issues, prepare loan contracts and handle commercial risks in order to align them with business practices. Insurance underwriters analyse various information from prospective customers in order to assess the likelihood that they will report a claim. They work to minimise risk for the insurance company and make sure that the insurance premium aligns with the associated risks. They can be specialists in life insurance, health insurance, reinsurance, commercial insurance, mortgage insurance.
Foreign exchange broker: Foreign exchange brokers buy and sell foreign currencies on behalf of their clients in order to secure a profit on fluctuations in foreign exchange rates. They undertake technical analysis of economic information such as market liquidity and volatility, to predict the future rates of currencies on the foreign exchange market.

References

1. Review investment portfolios – ESCO