What does a Trader do?
Traders are responsible for buying and selling stocks, securities, and other financial instruments. They commonly work at financial services firms and investment banks. One of their most important obligations is to ensure total compliance with all federal regulations, industry standards, and other requirements. They work in close collaboration with advisors, asset managers, and other financial professionals. They perform daily reconciliations and create activity reports and other documentation. They perform many of their daily tasks using trading platforms and investment software programs.
Traders typically have a bachelor’s degree in finance, accounting, or a related business field. They must have an in-depth understanding of trading policies, tactics, and regulations. Extensive knowledge of financial instruments is required. A variety of financial licenses are generally mandated. Proficiency with trading platforms and software programs is helpful.
- Operate specialized maintenance equipment and tools in a responsible and safe manner.
- Maintain accurate and timely records of time, labor, and materials.
- Responsible for effective, efficient and safe accomplishment of all assigned tasks.
- Provide leadership and supervision to trades team workers as assigned.
- Overlay accounts to pre-defined trading models and executes trades based on product guidelines.
- Report on trading KPIs and incidents with 100% accuracy.
- Explain strategy and optimizations to internal and external partners.
- Inspect work in progress and upon completion in and on the structural systems of a facility and related build services.
- Assist in the delivery of multiple client engagements on time and within budget. maintain active communication with clients in an effort to manage expectations and satisfaction.
- Provide overall care of client accounts to ensure customer satisfaction.
- Make weekly inspections.
- Associate's or Bachelor's Degree in business, computer science, or engineering or equivalent experience.
- Comfortable with drawing and mechanical drawing.
- Able to collaborate and multitask.
- Solid time management and critical thinking skills.
- Comfortable with decision making and problem solving using critical thinking skills.
- Strong work ethic.
- Fluency in statistics, systems development, and usage of datasets.
- Can help with onboarding and hedging where necessary.
How much does a Trader make?
Base Pay
Additional Pay
$201,188
/ yrTrader Career Path
Learn how to become a Trader, what skills and education you need to succeed, and what level of pay to expect at each step on your career path.
Years of Experience Distribution
Trader Insights
J.P. Morgan“HR doesn’t even respond to emails and there is very little support for career progression and mobility.”
TranscribeMe“It gave a good experience of working online and from home and a good kick to my career.”
IMC Trading“Extremely good training program for graduates where we got to travel to Chicago for 2 months.”
Mindshare“I have never in my life experienced such a divisive toxic environment in my entire life.”
Bank of America“Enjoyed my time and good people”
Sinopec“stable and expectable career path”
Matterkind“Professional experts and great as a learning resource for newcomers in Programmatic field.”
CN“Great stock options and bonuses.”
Frequently asked questions about the role and responsibilities of traders
The typical day of a trader includes selling and trading stocks and securities. They work closely with clients to understand their finances, making trade recommendations and informing them of price fluctuations in the market. A career as a trader often includes working for a large firm, trading assets for their clients.
The best part about being a trader is that they can use their in-depth knowledge of investing and trading stocks and securities to help clients. Working conditions can be competitive, but once a trader builds a client base, it can be rewarding.
Successful traders earn a competitive salary. The average salary for a trader is $201,188 per year in the United States, but salaries can vary based on the level of experience and number of clients. Traders often have control over their salaries by choosing the number of clients they represent.
Working as a trader can be challenging at times, as the market can be unpredictable and volatile. One difficult aspect of the job is that building a client base can be difficult. Becoming a trader requires that you continue to research the market to make informed decisions, which can be time intensive.