Money managers are about average in terms of happiness.

At CareerExplorer, we conduct an ongoing survey with millions of people and ask them how satisfied they are with their careers. As it turns out, money managers rate their career happiness 3.2 out of 5 stars which puts them in the top 47% of careers.

To put this into perspective, we compared how happy money managers are to similar careers in the industry. Take a look at the results below:

Salaries and satisfaction ratings in similar careers

Career Satisfaction Avg Salary
COO
3.7
$79k
CFO
3.4
$100k
Stock trader
3.4
$38k
Product manager
3.3
$119k
Financial quantitative analyst
3.3
$98k
Money manager
3.2
$69k
Consultant
3.2
$87k
Management consultant
3.2
$115k
Investment fund manager
3.2
$114k
Search marketing strategist
3.2
$90k

So what does it mean to be happy in your career? Let’s break it down into different dimensions:

  • Salary: Are money managers happy with their salary?
  • Meaning: Do money managers find their jobs meaningful?
  • Personality fit: How well suited are people’s personalities to their everyday tasks as money managers?
  • Work environment: How enjoyable are money manager’s work environments?
  • Skills utilization: Are money managers making the best use of their abilities?

Are money managers happy with their salary?

Money managers rated their satisfaction with their salaries 3.4/5. Few are explicitly unhappy with their salaries, with most money managers having generally positive views of their salary.

We asked money managers how fairly compensated they are for their work.
Their response was:

3.4 out of 5 stars

133 money managers

5 Star
26%

26% of money managers rated their compensation 5 stars

4 Star
23%

23% of money managers rated their compensation 4 stars

3 Star
29%

29% of money managers rated their compensation 3 stars

2 Star
8%

8% of money managers rated their compensation 2 stars

1 Star
14%

14% of money managers rated their compensation 1 stars

Do money managers find their jobs meaningful?

On average, money managers rate the meaningfulness of their work a 2.8/5. While most money managers aren’t very fulfilled by their work, some people may still manage to find meaning in it.

We asked money managers how meaningful they found their work.
Their response was:

2.8 out of 5 stars

135 money managers

5 Star
13%

13% of money managers rated how meaningful they found their career 5 stars

4 Star
20%

20% of money managers rated how meaningful they found their career 4 stars

3 Star
27%

27% of money managers rated how meaningful they found their career 3 stars

2 Star
19%

19% of money managers rated how meaningful they found their career 2 stars

1 Star
21%

21% of money managers rated how meaningful they found their career 1 stars

How well are people’s personalities suited to everyday tasks as money managers?

Money managers rated their personality fit with their work an average of 3.9/5. The majority of money managers find their personalities quite well suited to their work, with relatively few having complaints about their fit.

We asked money managers how well their personalities fit into their careers.
Their response was:

3.9 out of 5 stars

143 money managers

5 Star
36%

36% of money managers rated their career fit 5 stars

4 Star
34%

34% of money managers rated their career fit 4 stars

3 Star
15%

15% of money managers rated their career fit 3 stars

2 Star
7%

7% of money managers rated their career fit 2 stars

1 Star
7%

7% of money managers rated their career fit 1 stars

How enjoyable is a money manager’s work environment?

As a whole, money managers rated their enjoyment of their work environment 3.7/5. A solid majority of money managers enjoy their work environment, probably contributing to overall higher satisfaction with working as a money manager.

We asked money managers how much they enjoyed their work environment.
Their response was:

3.7 out of 5 stars

144 money managers

5 Star
29%

29% of money managers rated their work environment 5 stars

4 Star
33%

33% of money managers rated their work environment 4 stars

3 Star
24%

24% of money managers rated their work environment 3 stars

2 Star
8%

8% of money managers rated their work environment 2 stars

1 Star
6%

6% of money managers rated their work environment 1 stars

Are money managers making the best use of their abilities?

Former money managers on CareerExplorer have rated their skills utilization 3.3/5. Most money managers are satisfied with how well their abilities are skills are made of use.

We asked money managers how well their abilities were used in their careers.
Their response was:

3.3 out of 5 stars

142 money managers

5 Star
18%

18% of money managers rated their how well their skills were utilized in their career 5 stars

4 Star
29%

29% of money managers rated their how well their skills were utilized in their career 4 stars

3 Star
25%

25% of money managers rated their how well their skills were utilized in their career 3 stars

2 Star
18%

18% of money managers rated their how well their skills were utilized in their career 2 stars

1 Star
9%

9% of money managers rated their how well their skills were utilized in their career 1 stars