With the stock market booming and many new investors jumping in, somebody out there has to help determine which companies are good investments and which are not. That's where analysts come in.

More information Association for Investment Management and Research (AIMR) 5 Boar's Head Lane P.O. Box 3668 Charlottesville, VA 22903 Rochester Society of Security Analysts Inc. 104 Fayette St. Brockport, NY 14420 Sandeep Singh: (716) 395-5519

Dr. Sandeep Singh, director of memberships and education for the Rochester Society of Security Analysts Inc., says securities analysts evaluate investments by researching companies. They consider factors such as current and projected financial figures, the markets in which their products are sold and the way management runs the company.

They make recommendations about particular securities based on their findings, which are then used in making investment decisions. The recommendations of these analysts "significantly affects the price of the stock,'' says Singh, "either positively or negatively,'' depending on the nature of the recommendation.

They can be classified in two categories. Normally sell-side analysts work for brokerages while buy-side analysts are employed by investment managers. Singh says some analysts move on to become portfolio managers.

According to John Piccione, vice president and portfolio manager for Chase Asset Management, Chase Manhattan Bank, and president of RSSA, financial analysts work in other capacities.

For example, those working for corporations may do projections for various projects or profitability analyses of different divisions within a company. Analysts at banks handle jobs such as determining the creditworthiness of a possible loan.

Following three levels of examinations, the Association of Investment Management and Research, through the Institute of Chartered Financial Analysts, grants the Chartered Financial Analyst designation.

Piccione says an undergraduate degree in business administration, accounting, finance or economics is needed. And, as is the case with many careers, those job candidates with an MBA are considered "more attractive.''

According to the Occupational Outlook Handbook, salaries average nearly $40,000 annually with the top 10 percent making over $77,800.

The number of jobs in the field will grow through 2005. However, applicants will outnumber openings, meaning more competition for those jobs.