Investment Fund Managers
Plan, direct, or coordinate investment strategy or operations for a large pool of liquid assets supplied by institutional investors or individual investors.
Investment Fund Managers plan, direct, or coordinate investment strategy or operations for a large pool of liquid assets supplied by institutional investors or individual investors. The role reports a median annual salary of $161,700 in the US and is projected to grow 15% over the next decade (faster than average). Entry typically requires a Bachelor's degree, and shows moderate AI exposure (0.55 on a 0-1 scale) — some tasks are being automated but the role adapts. The most in-demand skills for the role include financial products, funding methods, financial statements, financial management, corporate social responsibility.
Pay in the UK
UK: median £76,447 a year for Financial managers and directors (ONS ASHE 2025, full-time)
Middle half of full-time jobs: £50,000 to £120,417 a year
UK jobs are grouped differently; this is the closest UK occupation group (ONS SOC 2020 1131). ONS rates this estimate precise. 2025 provisional figures; ONS revises them a year later. Source: ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (Open Government Licence)
Pay in India (occupation group)
Average monthly earnings of salaried employees in the occupation group “Managers” in India, from the Government of India's Periodic Labour Force Survey (January–December 2025). It covers everyone in this group, not only Investment Fund Managers, and it is not US pay converted to rupees.
Source: MoSPI (Government of India), Periodic Labour Force Survey Annual Report 2025, Table 51 — average wage/salary earnings of regular wage/salaried employees, NCO-2015 division 1. Official India data gives one average per occupation group: there are no official India figures for single careers, experience levels or cities. Read the report
Top skills
Knowledge you'll build
- Economics and Accounting
- English Language
- Mathematics
- Customer and Personal Service
- Administration and Management
- Law and Government
- Computers and Electronics
- Sales and Marketing
A day in the life
You arrive early to scan overnight market news and see how the fund's holdings moved, noting any company announcements that might change your view. At the morning meeting your analysts present research on a company and an industry you have been watching, and you question their forecasts and assumptions closely. By mid-morning you decide to trim one position and add to another, then instruct the trading desk on how and when to carry out the trades. After lunch you review the portfolio against its risk limits, checking that no single sector or holding has grown too large. You spend part of the afternoon refining the fund's strategy with colleagues and updating the investment policy on a point the board raised. Later you prepare a presentation for clients explaining recent performance, fees and the risks ahead. Long hours spent watching screens and reading reports can be draining, and losses weigh on you, but making a well-reasoned call that pays off for your investors is deeply rewarding.
Illustrative: one typical day, written from the O*NET task statements for this occupation. Real days vary by employer and seniority.
What you'd actually do
- Manage investment funds to maximize return on client investments.
- Select specific investments or investment mixes for purchase by an investment fund.
- Monitor financial or operational performance of individual investments to ensure portfolios meet risk goals.
- Select or direct the execution of trades.
- Develop or implement fund investment policies or strategies.
- Perform or evaluate research, such as detailed company or industry analyses, to inform financial forecasting, decision making, or valuation.
Tools & technology you'd use
Frequently asked questions
What does Investment Fund Managers do?
Plan, direct, or coordinate investment strategy or operations for a large pool of liquid assets supplied by institutional investors or individual investors.
What does a typical day look like in Investment Fund Managers?
You arrive early to scan overnight market news and see how the fund's holdings moved, noting any company announcements that might change your view. At the morning meeting your analysts present research on a company and an industry you have been watching, and you question their forecasts and assumptions closely. By mid-morning you decide to trim one position and add to another, then instruct the trading desk on how and when to carry out the trades.
How much does Investment Fund Managers earn?
The median annual salary for Investment Fund Managers in the US is $161,700.
What is the job outlook for Investment Fund Managers?
The role is projected to grow 15% over the next decade (faster than average). Current US employment is approximately 868,600 workers.
How do I become investment fund managers?
The typical entry education is a Bachelor's degree. Building a foundation in the top skills below will strengthen your application.
What skills does Investment Fund Managers need?
The most in-demand skills for this role include financial products, funding methods, financial statements, financial management, corporate social responsibility, securities. These are the skills O*NET identifies as most important for competent performance.
Will AI replace Investment Fund Managers?
Our AI-durability model gives Investment Fund Managers a score of 0.55 on a 0-1 scale (higher = more exposure). That places it at moderate AI exposure — some tasks are being automated but the role adapts. Learning to work with AI tools rather than against them is the path forward.
How hard is it to enter this field?
Investment Fund Managers has moderate barrier to entry — moderately gated — a bachelor's degree or equivalent training is typically required.