In the world of business and finance, an asset is anything that can be owned by a company and which may generate financial value and capital gains. In this sense, an asset may refer to pieces of equipment, software, or products that a business may sell. Assets also refer to financial instruments of investment, such as stocks, bonds, and debt. These investment assets are acquired when an individual or organization invests money in the asset, expecting the asset to increase in value over time. Asset jobs are any jobs that involve the management of these various kinds of assets.
One of the common asset jobs is asset recovery. A professional in this field works with different businesses to increase the value of tangible or physical assets. For example, an asset recovery specialist might advise a business on how to make better use of a piece of equipment by deploying it to other locations or by selling it. Other asset recovery specialists analyze ways for businesses to conserve their assets better through theft and accident prevention.
Many asset jobs are asset management professions. Individuals in this field deal with assets that are financial investments. An asset manager advises an organization or individual how to best invest money and how to generate the the highest financial returns from the investments. These asset jobs normally require professionals to have strong backgrounds in and understanding of financial markets.
An asset manager normally makes decisions based on risk. The specialist analyzes a client's risk portfolio to determine how much money the client may be in danger of losing. The asset manager then makes investments or moves money to less risk averse investments, such as government bonds, accordingly.
A real estate asset manager works with only those assets that are considered real estate investments. A real estate investment is property owned by an individual or organization that is used primarily for the generation of capital gains. An individual who who owns real estate investment property normally does not live on the property, but rents it out for commercial or residential use.
A fixed asset manager is one who advises clients how best to grow investments that are placed in fixed assets. These are investments in which the value cannot be immediately transformed into spendable cash. This concept may be best understood in contrast to current or liquid assets, which may include bank accounts from which money can be withdrawn or items for sale that can be traded for cash. Fixed investments are normally long-term investments that are expected to accrue value for at least a year.