If money makes the world go ’round, the Earth would grind to a screeching halt without the asset management industry. Asset management is the business of making money with money—or at least trying to. Asset managers manage large pools of investments, which conform to specific sets of guidelines in order to achieve certain financial objectives. The investments could be held in a mutual fund or hedge fund, or might be in a portfolio managed by an investment counseling firm, a bank trust department, or an insurance company. Anyone considering a career in asset management should be keenly aware that markets not only go up, but also go down—sometimes way down. The “retail” brokerage industry, which deals with individuals (as opposed to “institutional” which deals with companies and other large clients), is weaning itself from its traditional reliance on trade-based commissions by offering more and more fee-based services, which provide a more regular revenue stream in a volatile market. The fee structure also helps insulate firms from appearances of conflicts of interest as the fee is usually a percentage of assets under management, which means that it’s in everyone’s interest to see those assets grow. Find out more about the wonderful world of asset management and retail brokerage by reading this guide! Learn about: Who the major players are and how they're doing What the typical jobs entail and what you need to know to snag one What the lifestyle is like, and what kind of money is involved What the pros and cons of getting into this industry are What questions to ask during your interviews More!