A
financier () is a person whose primary occupation is either facilitating or directly providing investments to up-and-coming or established
companies and
businesses, typically involving large sums of money and usually involving
private equity and
venture capital,
mergers and acquisitions,
leveraged buyouts,
corporate finance,
investment banking, or large-scale
asset management. A financier makes money through this process when their investment is paid back with interest, from part of the company's equity awarded to them as specified by the business deal, or a financier can generate income through
commission, performance, and management fees. A financier can also promote the success of a financed business by allowing the business to take advantage of the financier's reputation. The more experienced and capable the financier is, the more the financier will be able to contribute to the success of the financed entity, and the greater reward the financier will reap. The term, financier, is
French, and derives from
finance or
payment. Financier is someone who handles money. Certain financier avenues require degrees and licenses including
venture capitalists, hedge fund managers, trust fund managers,
accountants,
stockbrokers,
financial advisors, or even public
treasurers. Personal investing on the other hand, has no requirements and is open to all using the
stock market or by word-of-mouth requests for money. A financier "will be a specialized financial intermediary in the sense that it has experience in
liquidating the type of firm it is lending to". However, financiers have also been mocked for their perceived tendency to generate wealth at the expense of others, and without engaging in tangible labor. For example, humorist
George Helgesen Fitch described the financier as "a man who can make two dollars grow for himself where one grew for someone else before". ==See also==