Financial Services Sector: Financial services are a broad range of more specific activities such as banking, investing, and insurance. Financial services are limited to the activity of financial services firms and their professionals, while financial products are the actual goods, accounts, or investments they provide.

The financial sector covers many different types of transactions in such areas as real estate, consumer finance, banking, and insurance. It also covers a broad spectrum of investment funding, including securities (see box).

What are the three basic financial services?. The finance field includes three main subcategories: personal finance, corporate finance, and public (government) finance. Financial services are the processes by which consumers and businesses acquire financial goods. The financial services sector is a primary driver of a nation’s economy.

Financial services refer to services provided by the banks and financial institutions in a financial system. In a broad sense, the term financial services mean mobilization and allocation of savings. Thus, it includes all activities involved in the transformation of savings into investment.

Financial Services Sector

The financial services sector provides financial services to people and corporations. This segment of the economy is made up of a variety of financial firms including banks, investment houses, lenders, finance companies, real estate brokers, and insurance companies. As noted above, the financial services industry is probably the most important sector of the economy, leading the world in terms of earnings and equity market capitalization. Large conglomerates dominate this sector, but it also includes a diverse range of smaller companies.

According to the finance and development department of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), financial services are the processes by which consumers or businesses acquire financial goods.1 For example, a payment system provider offers a financial service when it accepts and transfers funds between payers and recipients. This includes accounts settled through credit and debit cards, checks, and electronic funds transfers.

Companies in the financial services industry manage money. For instance, a financial advisor manages assets and offers advice on behalf of a client. The advisor does not directly provide investments or any other product, rather, they facilitate the movement of funds between savers and the issuers of securities and other instruments. This service is a temporary task rather than a tangible asset.

Financial goods, on the other hand, are not tasks. They are things. A mortgage loan may seem like a service, but it’s actually a product that lasts beyond the initial provision. Stocks, bonds, loans, commodity assets, real estate, and insurance policies are examples of financial goods.

The Importance of the Financial Services Sector

The financial services sector is the primary driver of a nation’s economy. It provides the free flow of capital and liquidity in the marketplace. When the sector is strong, the economy grows, and companies in this industry are better able to manage risk.

The strength of the financial services sector is also important to the prosperity of a country’s population. When the sector and economy are strong, consumers generally earn more. This boosts their confidence and purchasing power. When they need access to credit for large purchases, they turn to the financial services sector to borrow.

If the financial services sector fails, though, it can drag a country’s economy down. This can lead to a recession. When the financial system starts to break down, the economy starts to suffer. Capital begins to dry up as lenders tighten the reins on lending. Unemployment rises, and wages may even drop, leading consumers to stop spending. In order to compensate, central banks lower interest rates to try to boost economic growth. This is primarily what happened during the financial crisis that led to the Great Recession.

Professional Services Sector

Professional services firms exist in many different industries. They include lawyers, advertising professionals, architects, accountants, financial advisers, engineers, and consultants, among others. Basically, they can be any organization or profession that offers customized, knowledge-based services to clients.

In his influential book “Managing the Professional Service Firm,” David Maister compares the professional services organization to a medieval craftsman’s shop. Today, just as in the Middle Ages, there are “apprentices” (junior managers or new hires), “journeymen” (mid-level managers or experienced professionals), and “master craftsmen” (senior partners or upper management). Some call these levels the “grinders,” “minders,” and “finders” of a firm, respectively.

Most professional services firms use a leveraging system to maximize profitability. For instance, junior employees usually earn a relatively low salary. They accept lower pay because they want to gain experience, and have the opportunity to work closely with senior partners (“finders”) to acquire their valuable knowledge.

When clients hire a firm

When clients hire a firm, they generally do so because of that firm’s credibility and reputation. But clients don’t necessarily get the direct expertise of the senior managers. It’s the lower-paid juniors who often perform most of the hands-on work.

Clients then meet for a limited time with higher-paid senior managers, who oversee quality and offer advice. This allows the firm to charge a high fee to clients, and still keep a high-profit margin. This way of working is typical of the partnership model, where the senior professionals are managers as well as producers. Not all professional services organizations operate this way, but many – particularly the larger firms – do.

Types Of Financial Service

The term “financial services” comprises many different things. There are a plethora of opportunities in the financial sector for candidates to find the right fit. From banking to investments and beyond, the options are vast and varied.

So if you are considering a career in financial services, you first need to get an idea of the industry’s scope in order to decide which path best suits you and your skills.

Here are the main 5 types of financial services for you to consider:

1. Banking Services

The banking industry is the foundation of the financial services group. It is most concerned with direct saving and lending, while the financial services sector incorporates investments, insurance, the redistribution of risk, and other financial activities. Banking services are provided by large commercial banks, community banks, credit unions, and other entities.

Banks earn revenue primarily on the difference in the interest rates charged for credit accounts and the rates paid to depositors. Financial services like these primarily earn revenue through fees, commissions, and other methods like the spread of interest rates between loans and deposits.

Banking includes handing deposits into checking and savings accounts, as well as lending money to customers. About 10% of the money deposited into banks must stay on hand, as dictated by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation’s (FDIC) reserve requirement. The other 90% is available for loans. Some of the interest the bank earns from these loans is given to the customers who have deposited money into the bank.

2. Advisory

This branch of financial services helps both people and organizations with a variety of tasks. Financial advisors can help with due diligence on investments, provide valuation services for businesses, aid in real estate endeavors, and more. In each case, advisors help to guide people in the right direction when making financial decisions.

In our profession, the term “advisory services” is used frequently, but there is little consensus about what it actually means. When we ask multi-service firms which advisory services they offer, the spectrum of responses is incredibly broad and often overlaps with traditional compliance services.

The AICPA defines advisory services as those services where the practitioner “develops findings, conclusions, and recommendations for client consideration and decision making.” AICPA further provides examples of advisory services that include “an operational review and improvement study, analysis of an accounting system, assistance with strategic planning, and definition of requirements for an information system.” This is helpful, but this definition feels more formal and narrower than how practitioners describe advisory services in their firms.

Compliance and advisory services are interdependent — advisory services require a foundation of current, accurate books to provide actionable insights. While the suite of compliance services is constant across firms, the offering of advisory services tends to be personalized for each firm. Without a clear line of demarcation between services, some firms deliver advisory services while getting paid for compliance work.

3. Banking segments

Banking is made up of several segments—retail banking, commercial banking, and investment banking. Also known as consumer or personal banking, retail banking serves consumers rather than corporations. These banks offer financial services tailored to individuals, including checking and savings accounts, mortgages, loans, and credit cards, as well as certain investment services.

Corporate, commercial, or business banking, on the other hand, deals with small businesses and large corporations. Like retail banking, it provides account services and credit products that are tailored to the specific needs of businesses.

An investment bank typically only works with deal makers and high-net-worth individuals (HNWIs)—not the general public. These banks underwrite deals, secure access to capital markets, offer wealth management and tax advice, advise companies on mergers and acquisitions (M&A), and facilitate the buying and selling of stocks and bonds. Financial advisors and discount brokerages also occupy this niche.

4. Insurance Services

Insurance is another important subsector of the financial services industry. They are available for protection against death or injury (e.g. life insurance, disability income insurance, health insurance), against property loss or damage (e.g. homeowners insurance, car insurance), or against liability or lawsuit.

In the United States, an insurance agent differs from a broker. The former is a representative of the insurance carrier, while the latter represents the insured and shops around for insurance policies. This is also the realm of the underwriter, who assesses the risk of insuring clients and also advises investment bankers on loan risk. Reinsurers are in the business of selling insurance to the insurers themselves to help protect them from catastrophic losses.

This is one of the most common areas of financial services. Most people have some understanding of insurance; it is a system that you pay monthly or annually which acts as a safety net and covers costs of some large expenditures which are often unforeseen. There are many kinds of insurance: health, auto, home, renters, and life insurance, just to name a few.

5. Tax and Accounting Services

The sector also includes accountants and tax filing services, currency exchange and wire transfer services, and credit card machine services and networks. It also includes debt resolution services and global payment providers such as Visa and Mastercard, as well as exchanges that facilitate stock, derivatives, and commodity trades.

Accountants ensure all financial records and statements—the balance sheet, income and loss statement, cash-flow statement, and tax return—are in line with federal laws and regulations and generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP). Accountants also compile the information needed to prepare entries to company accounts such as the general ledger, and they document business financial transactions over time.

This information is used to prepare weekly, monthly, quarterly, or annual closing statements and cost accounting reports. Accountants must also resolve any discrepancies or irregularities they find in records, statements, or documented transactions. They typically observe established accounting control procedures through an accounting system or software program.

Accountants

Accountants are often assigned other finance-related tasks in addition to analyzing financial records and statements. Ancillary job duties include monitoring the efficiency of accounting control procedures or software programs to ensure they are up to date with federal and state regulations. Accountants are also tasked with making recommendations to various departments or C-suite staff regarding the efficient use of company resources and procedures.

These recommendations aim to provide solutions to potentially costly business financial concerns or problems. In some instances, accountants may also prepare and review invoices for customers and vendors to assist with timely payment on outstanding balances. Reconciliation of payroll, verification of contracts and orders, construction of a company budget, and the development of financial models or projections may also be part of an accountant’s regular responsibilities.

In Conclusion

In addition to these duties, accountants prepare and file taxes for companies and individuals. They analyze all company assets. Income earned and paid, or anticipated expenses. And liabilities to reach a total tax obligation for the year. With both company and individual tax preparation and filing, accountants are expected to provide a detailed analysis of tax efficiency or inefficiency and make recommendations for how to reduce total tax liabilities in the future.

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