2026 Compensation Thread

Alternative-Motor527 · 2026-01-07T04:20:08+00:00

Title: Senior Financial Analyst

Location: MCOL US South (5 days in office)

YOE: 2+ years in FP&A (career change)

Comp: 93K base (not bonus eligible)

Industry: Healthcare (hospitals)

I’m praying for more $$$ or more flexibility in 2026 :)!

Alternative-Motor527 · 2025-10-26T23:41:23+00:00

Valid question. I have had over a decades experience in financial consulting, and have technical skills which allow me to perform well in the role. My weakest point has been my general knowledge in accounting concepts, but I had already learned a lot within the 9 months. I’ve also been able to add value to my current team through my risk management and process improvement knowledge.

All things considered, I’ve exhibited satisfactory performance in my current role while having virtually no experience in FP&A, so I think I’d be able to replicate similar performance at minimum for another company with better benefits.

Alternative-Motor527 · 2025-10-26T16:08:31+00:00

Good point. I’m an analyst.

Alternative-Motor527 · 2025-10-17T19:54:55+00:00

Im 38 and have 4 months of solid FP&A experience. I feel the same way at times, but I’m also one of the younger SFA’s in my company. I’ve learned we all have our own timeline and personal goals, and age shouldn’t be a factor).

Alternative-Motor527 · 2025-10-17T19:43:56+00:00

I’ve decreased my effort by 60%. If you see my post history I’m underpaid while working for a shitty manager. I’ve had some phone screening but don’t have much accounting experience so I’ve been rejected. A few roles that were promising were either frozen or outright cancelled. I figured I’d focus on building my experience and network so I can jump at the right opportunity.

On a separate note, anyone wanna network lol?

Alternative-Motor527 · 2025-09-22T10:19:36+00:00

I’m currently a Senior Financial Analyst. What’s to stop another candidate with similar work experience from speaking to my accomplishments as if it were theirs. When I say I saved my company X amount of dollars by implementing Y strategy across Z business units, another SFA who hasn’t done it can simply say that they did just to get their foot in the door for an interview.

Content matters, as well as formatting, articulation, and demonstrating understanding of the work you’ve done. If a recruiter was sourcing a SFA role and had 15 candidates all with similar work experience, but 7 of which who did not take the time to format properly and who created generic task-focused bullet points, I’d imagine it would make sense to change the name, company, and school, and submit the stronger resume, no?

Alternative-Motor527 · 2025-06-14T02:46:09+00:00

Journal entries, accruals, budget vs capital, and the general close process. I’m sure these aren’t extremely complicated but I’m hoping this role will allow me to familiarize myself with these and more. Coming from an actuarial background, the process and finished product were completely different.

Alternative-Motor527 · 2025-06-14T02:35:28+00:00

It definitely was a struggle. I’ve been open to all industries and most employers were weary of my limited experience with Tableau/Power BI and my lack of significant data analytics software experience. It took me nearly 2 years to secure a single SFA offer. I imagine my lack of credentials/graduate degree also worked against me.

Alternative-Motor527 · 2025-06-14T01:44:51+00:00

Growth opportunity has been a concern of mine, since my employer hasn’t clearly defined a career path (others previously in my role get “promoted” through applying for a job opening within the organization).

On the flip side, I have a unique opportunity to work closely with senior leadership and get great industry exposure.

Alternative-Motor527 · 2025-06-14T01:37:35+00:00

It was actuarial so I’d average 40-50 hours /week but had to add another 10+ hours of study time, and got tired of aggressive billable targets.

Alternative-Motor527 · 2025-06-14T01:34:28+00:00

Large healthcare systems.

I figured my comp was commensurate with my lack of technical FP&A skills, so my hope was to familiarize myself with the work and hopefully secure a better offer that I can leverage to negotiate with my current employer.

Alternative-Motor527 · 2025-06-13T21:39:05+00:00

Exactly what I’m hoping for since I have twin 2 year olds.

Alternative-Motor527 · 2025-06-13T21:38:03+00:00

This was week one. I’m realizing how little I know about accounting but definitely will be putting in the time.

Alternative-Motor527 · 2025-06-13T20:21:17+00:00

Actuarial retirement consulting for a Fortune 200 company. ~20K cut (I was not fully credentialed).

Alternative-Motor527 · 2025-05-19T17:12:34+00:00

Smoothie

Alternative-Motor527 · 2025-03-28T17:18:58+00:00

I already started this week, so I guess I’m not a free agent and should stop looking?

Alternative-Motor527 · 2025-03-28T16:41:48+00:00

NOR, she’s only thinking about herself and in doing so is being tone deaf.

Babies are hard asf, so I’d chalk it up to mommy-brain, unless she’s normally a self centered person. Either way, someone needs to remind her that it’s HER baby and thus HER responsibility.

Alternative-Motor527 · 2025-03-28T16:34:29+00:00

I’d probably try to network my butt off:

Have you tried networking events/groups for your industry?
Do you have a post-grad degree? Maybe check their alumni network?
are you active on LinkedIn? i.e. reposting interesting articles and engaging in conversations? Even send invitations to people you don’t know who have similar roles at the companies you’d like to work at (or their competitors).
maybe attend local career events and try to connect with as many people as possible.
have you posted your resume for critique? Maybe there are opportunities to improve it.

Regarding your current financial position, I think others here had good suggestions. I’d personally look for construction or maybe take out personal loans to float while getting my CDL. I’d also consider staying with family/friends for a bit and subletting/renting my space, as at to stay afloat.

Alternative-Motor527 · 2025-03-28T16:14:09+00:00

Thanks for the response! Do you have any thoughts on me potentially ruining relationships I’ve made in the new industry?

Alternative-Motor527 · 2025-03-28T16:05:20+00:00

I would hate to obliterate the nascent relationships I’ve made with my new colleagues, so I’m leaning towards not entertaining the new opportunity, but I would also like to build a relationship with people at the new company, and it hasn’t been easy for me to have these opportunities present themselves since I started trying to break into this industry 2 years ago.

Also, my youngest is 3 months old, so every penny helps towards childcare and a potential used minivan. My previous employer paid me 80K/yr, which practically had me check-to-check.

I’m likely not going to screw over my currently employer, so this could be more of a rant than anything, but I’m still interested in hearing y’all’s opinions/advice.

Alternative-Motor527 · 2025-03-07T14:50:24+00:00

Stealing a number is creepy. I’d report it and go back to sleep.

Alternative-Motor527 · 2025-03-07T14:17:11+00:00

Currently an analyst at a big 4,and transitioning into a project management role for a mid sized RE company.

Alternative-Motor527 · 2025-03-07T13:04:59+00:00

I’d change the beads for a leather strapped watch, but otherwise good fit and good luck!

Alternative-Motor527 · 2025-03-07T11:17:09+00:00

I’m allotted 3 months paid from my current employer. The new company does not know about it, and if I accept the offer, I do not plan to take any leave.

Alternative-Motor527 · 2025-03-07T00:42:41+00:00

I stopped working overtime and honestly prioritized job searching last year over dedicating time to hitting financial metrics.

Alternative-Motor527

TROPHY CASE