Securities, Commodities, and Financial Services Sales Agents
Earnings
The median annual wage for securities, commodities, and financial services sales agents was $71,550 in May 2015.
The median wage is the wage at which half the workers in an occupation earned more than that amount and half earned less. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $32,680, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $187,200.
In May 2015, the median annual wages for securities, commodities, and financial services sales agents in the top industries in which they worked were as follows:
Securities and commodity contracts intermediation and brokerage
$109,330
Other financial investment activities
97,740
Management of companies and enterprises
82,710
Nondepository credit intermediation
61,030
Depository credit intermediation
43,910
Many securities and commodities brokers earn a commission based on the monetary value of the products they sell. Most firms pay brokers a minimum salary in addition to commissions.
Trainee brokers usually earn a salary until they develop a client base. The salary gradually decreases in favor of commissions as the broker gains clients.
Investment bankers in corporate finance and mergers and acquisitions generally earn a base salary with the opportunity to earn a substantial bonus. At higher levels, bonuses far exceed base salary.
Securities, commodities, and financial services sales agents usually work full time and more than 1 in 3 worked more than 40 hours per week in 2014. In addition, they may work evenings and weekends because many of their clients work during the day. Call centers often operate 24 hours a day, requiring agents to work in shifts.
Securities, Commodities, and Financial Services Sales Agents
Median annual wages, May 2015
Securities, commodities, and financial services sales agents
$71,550
Sales representatives, services
$51,540
Total, all occupations
$36,200
Note: All Occupations includes all occupations in the U.S. Economy. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment Statistics