Traders and Brokers: Bud Fox vs. Gordon Gekko?

Assuming you’ve seen Wall Street (the awesome, original one, not the watered-down sequel) – it is a requirement to work in finance, after all – you know something about traders vs. brokers.

The traders are like lone wolves who go in and make tons of money by making quick decisions…

But supporting every successful trader is his broker – the one who actually connects buyers and sellers and makes trades go through.

Both traders and brokers are linked to the market and need to stay on top of everything that’s happening – but beyond that, they’re quite different.

So, what do traders and brokers actually do?

Which one is a better match for your personality? How do you break in?

And most importantly, who makes more money?

All About Automated Trading: What It Is and What It Isn’t

[This is a guest post from a reader who currently works in an arbitrage development team. He wanted to clear up a few points about what "automated trading" is and isn't.]

Ah, taking a mid-day nap and waking up with extra money in your trading account… who wouldn’t want to make money while sleeping?

That promise of set-it-and-forget-it money draws lots of traders into the field and attracts computer science and engineering students who suddenly “discover their interest in finance.”

Only one problem: “automated trading” is far from automated cash flow, and you always need human intervention.

To find out why and to learn all about algorithmic trading, arbitrage and other forms of automated trading, read on.

Which Language Should You Learn to Break Into Investment Banking?

Right after the merits of the CFA, GPA rounding, and the ranking of schools and banks, the question that spawns the most debate is which language you should learn to break into investment banking.

And there are many candidates, each supported by a combination of logic and zeal:

• Spanish: Latin America!
• Portuguese: Brazil!!!
• Mandarin: China!!!!
• Arabic: The Middle East!!!!

So which one should you learn to maximize your chances?

Or is the real answer not even on this list?