Learn as much as you can about business and investing by checking out these and other publications: Barron’s (https://www.barrons.com), Bloomberg Business (https://www.bloomberg.com/businessweek), and Private Asset Management (http://www.pammagazine.com).

Follow the financial markets, and create a real or mock stock portfolio based on your research. Join finance clubs in high school and college. Many clubs compete in investing competitions. If your school doesn’t offer a finance club, ask your business teacher to start one.

Talk with investment relations specialists about their jobs. Ask the following questions:

• How did you break into the field?
• What bachelor’s degree should I pursue—one in public relations or marketing, or one in finance? Should I also earn a master’s degree?
• How important is certification for career success?  
• How will the field of investor relations change in the next five to 10 years, and what can I do in college to prepare for these changes? 

Job duties for investor relations professionals vary by the size of their employer. At medium-size and large firms, there’s usually a dedicated IR/marketing professional—and often an entire department—that handles investor relations duties. At small funds, the firm’s owner might be responsible for investor relations/marketing, or he or she might hire an outside public relations/marketing firm to perform these duties. At some smaller funds, the role of investor relations specialist is combined with that of marketing specialist.

Major duties of investor relations specialists include:

• serving as the primary point of contact for existing investors and working with other members of the IR department to identify new investors
• creating and updating marketing materials (such as offering memos, fact sheets, portfolio manager bios, and investor presentations)
• maintaining their firm’s Web site and social media accounts 
• creating due diligence materials such as private placement memorandums and investor questionnaires (to ensure eligibility and compliance with federal anti-money laundering requirements)
• preparing presentations for road shows, investor meetings, conferences, and other events
• maintaining an investor management database to track communications with investors and progress in the sales pipeline
• conducting regular qualitative and quantitative research about the wealth management industry and the firm’s competitors
• creating pitch books (a document or presentation that is sent to potential investors to provide information on the firm and its major players, its investment strategies, its risk management strategies and reporting systems, and other data)