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Brokerages and Investment Banks
Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, Raymond James
Securities, Commodities, and Financial Services Sales Agents
These agents sell securities, commodities, and related financial services by talking clients through trades, market updates, and account decisions. The work stands out because it mixes sales pressure with real-time market knowledge and strict recordkeeping. The main tension is that earnings can rise with sales and market activity, but every recommendation also has to fit the client's needs and regulatory rules.
Also known as StockbrokerRegistered RepresentativeSecurities Sales RepresentativeInvestment Sales RepresentativeBrokerage Sales Representative
Median Salary
$78,140
Mean $110,400
U.S. Workforce
~472K
38.1K openings per year
10-Year Growth
+3.3%
514.5K to 531.6K
Entry Education
Bachelor's degree
+ None experience
What This Role Looks Like in Practice
Securities, Commodities, and Financial Services Sales Agents sits in the Finance category. In practical terms, this role combines day-to-day execution, cross-team coordination, and consistent decision-making under real business constraints.
U.S. employment is currently about ~472K workers, with a median annual pay of $78,140 and roughly 38.1K openings each year. Based on BLS projections, total employment is expected to grow from 514.5 K in 2024 to 531.6K in 2034.
Most hiring paths start with Bachelor's Degree in Finance, Business, Economics, or a Related Field, and employers typically expect none of related experience. Many careers in this track begin around Client Service Associate and can progress toward Branch or Sales Manager. High-value skills usually include Bloomberg Terminal, Refinitiv & Market Data Platforms, Microsoft Excel, Financial Modeling & Spreadsheet Analysis, and Salesforce, HubSpot & CRM Platforms, paired with soft skills such as Active Listening, Critical Thinking, and Judgment and Decision Making.
Core Responsibilities
- Meet with clients to learn about their finances, debts, cash flow, insurance, taxes, and goals.
- Explain investment choices, market terms, and trade details in plain language.
- Enter trade requests and make sure orders are sent to the right place for processing.
- Look up current prices, market moves, and company updates before speaking with clients.
Keep exploring: more Finance careers or browse all job titles.
A Day in the Life
01 Meet with clients to learn about their finances, debts, cash flow, insurance, taxes, and goals.
02 Explain investment choices, market terms, and trade details in plain language.
03 Enter trade requests and make sure orders are sent to the right place for processing.
04 Look up current prices, market moves, and company updates before speaking with clients.
05 Keep transaction records accurate and organized.
06 Prepare financial summaries and reports that help clients or firms track results.
Industries That Hire
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Retail Brokerage and Online Investing
Charles Schwab, Fidelity, Interactive Brokers
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Wealth Management Firms
Edward Jones, Merrill, UBS
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Futures, Commodities, and Derivatives
CME Group, StoneX, ADM Investor Services
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Commercial Banking and Lending
JPMorgan Chase, Bank of America, Wells Fargo
Pros and Cons
Advantages
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The pay potential is strong, with a mean annual salary of $110,400 and a median of $78,140, so good producers can earn well above many office jobs.
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The field is large, with 472,300 workers and about 38.1 thousand annual openings, which gives job seekers real chances to get in.
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A bachelor's degree is the usual entry point, and no prior work experience is required, so the path is fairly direct for new graduates.
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The job builds skills that transfer to financial advising, banking, and management, especially client relationship building and market knowledge.
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The work is varied day to day: you may switch between client calls, trade entry, market research, and compliance checks in the same shift.
Challenges
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Income can be uneven because commissions, bonuses, and client activity often swing with market conditions.
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Growth is only 3.3% through 2034, so this is not a fast-expanding field even though openings remain steady.
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The job comes with heavy paperwork and compliance rules, and mistakes can create legal or financial problems.
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A lot of basic quote lookups, order entry, and recordkeeping are already system-driven, which makes some of the work easier to standardize and replace.
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The career can hit a ceiling unless you build a strong client book or move into management, so earnings may stall for people who stay in the same seat too long.
Career Progression
Client Service Associate
0-2 years
$42K-$58K
Handles paperwork, account updates, and routine client questions while learning how trades, compliance, and market data work.
Securities, Commodities, and Financial Services Sales Agent
2-6 years
$68K-$95K
Manages client conversations, places trades, and recommends products while balancing sales goals with strict suitability rules.
Senior Securities Sales Agent THIS ROLE
6-10 years
$96K-$140K
Works with larger accounts and more complex transactions, often building a steadier book of repeat clients.
Branch or Sales Manager
10+ years
$140K-$220K
Leads a team, sets revenue targets, reviews compliance issues, and helps keep high-value clients and producers in the office.
Education Paths
Bachelor's Degree in Finance, Business, Economics, or a Related Field
The most common entry point, held by 55.3% of workers in this role, usually gives new hires the market knowledge and spreadsheet skills firms expect.
High School Diploma Plus Licensing and Sales Experience
A sizeable alternative, held by 26.83% of workers, can work when someone has strong sales ability and earns the needed securities licenses on the job.
Post-Baccalaureate Certificate in Financial Services or Investment Sales
This path appears for 6.03% of workers and can help career changers learn markets, client management, and compliance without starting a new degree from scratch.
FINRA Licensing Path: Series 7, Series 63, or Series 66
Some employers will hire candidates who first complete the required securities licenses and then learn the role through moderate on-the-job training.
Key Skills
Technical
Bloomberg Terminal, Refinitiv & Market Data Platforms 86%
Microsoft Excel, Financial Modeling & Spreadsheet Analysis 82%
Salesforce, HubSpot & CRM Platforms 81%
Trade Order Entry Systems & Brokerage Platforms 77%
FINRA/SEC Compliance Tracking & Recordkeeping 75%
FactSet, Morningstar & Research Databases 72%
Soft Skills
Active ListeningCritical ThinkingJudgment and Decision MakingMonitoringPersuasionSpeaking Job Outlook and Trends
+3.3%
Projected growth (2024-2034)
38.1K
Annual job openings
Employment is projected to rise from 514.5K to 531.6 K over the next decade, representing 3.3% growth. Around 38.1 K openings per year include both newly created roles and replacement hiring from turnover.
Remote availability is currently Moderate. Demand remains strongest where employers need practical domain knowledge plus modern workflow and data skills.