What do in need to become a wealthy investment banker?

I'm 14 and i love finance. I understand the market and i even invest. i want to jump ahead and understand the market and economics like the guys on TV like Jim Cramer and the guys on fast money. i'm lookin into a career in investemnt banking. i have a small understanding of what they do. what exactly do they do what do i need to become one for major companies like Meryil Lynch and Goldman Sachs. What other finance careers do you recomend that pay the big bucks?

Great question. Do not pay attention to negativity from some individuals on here-they have never had it and never will. Your first advice is to not listen to negativity like the first answerer above! Another person mentioned testing-saying you need a series 7 to be an investment banker is like saying you need a bachelor's degree to be president of the USA! These tests take about a month, more or less, of study and you should only worry about them after you secure employment-that is the last thing you should be worried about at your age.

Investment banking is not an easy field to get into. I don't know your financial situation but the best way into Wall Street, if you plan to do so at a fairly young age, is an Ivy League education. Get the best grades that you can now-straight A's if possible. Play sports. Be active in clubs. See if anyone in your family or parent's friends are into any related professions and meet them. And of course keep up with the markets-in 10 years if you have been watching the markets for years you will have a serious leg up on most of the people who have stumbled onto it! Once you get to college you will have to maintain a high GPA and plan to get into an MBA from a top school. Usually the top firms like you mentioned hire on these campuses. Of course, there are other ways that take longer, but at your age the best way is to be ready to get into a top rated school. It will be a lot of work and cost a lot of money-just understanding the market is not enough because if that were the case many more people would be doing it!

Other finance careers? Other careers that are related include a trader(arbitrage, etc.), a broker(sales), or an analyst(analytical job-accounting, forecasting, etc.). A junior banker will often do one or more of the three. Pay scales vary, but all of these three would be present with any firm that provides investment banking. Just know that getting into finance is a hard dirty business-they are not kushy easy jobs. Its a lot of work and there are millions who want to be there so you have to be good. Best of luck in your future!

Move numbers around,lie,cheat,steal and put it all into a trust fund so ya don't have to pay taxes on it even when ya pull it out! Now I plead the 5th!

the best path.........Start with great grades in HS.Then get to an ivy league school.......get your bachelers degree in acctg(get the cpa).get the MBA from another Ivy school..........in Finance.......and get a law degree from another school.preferably Harvard.........................during the summer.intern with Goldman in the investmeny banking or trading areas........Good luck
you will be wealthy...........

One thing you're most likely going to have to do is pass a series of tests given by NASD in order to deal in securities. Most likely all your TV and Internet finance heroes have passed these tests. Anyone who wants to make money in securities will definitely have to pass them, so it wouldn't hurt for you to become familiar with them. You'll want to google series 6, 7, and 63, among others. The finance firms you mentioned require even thier entry level analysts to pass these tests, and most of them also require you to have a bachelor's degree, such as in business, finance, accounting, or related. A lot of firms will give you paid training and pay for your exams. Get familiar with which firms do this as they are a great place to start. I've provided a link to some information on the exams. Good luck on your career aspirations!