The 3 types of capital you need for a successful career in finance
Key takeaways
- What determines career success in finance?
Beyond qualifications like the CFA® designation, career advancement depends significantly on three forms of capital: human (skills and knowledge), social (networks and relationships), and financial (resources for personal investment and career growth). - Why is social capital critical now?
In an era dominated by AI, social capital — built through genuine relationships and professional networks — is increasingly crucial, as AI cannot replicate trust or meaningful connections. - How to grow your career?
Invest in building social capital via consistent industry engagement, targeted LinkedIn presence, and active participation in global communities like the CFA Institute network.
In an AI-driven world, technical skills alone aren’t enough to stand out. Here’s what can help set candidates apart.
You’re looking for a new job and come across an advertisement. You’d be perfect for the role — you tick every box. You’re excited. You apply. You wait. But you never hear back.
Later, you’re scrolling LinkedIn and see your dream firm announcing their latest hire. A role you’d have been perfect for. But you didn’t apply because you didn’t even know there was an opening.
This is the reality of today’s job market: roles aren’t always won on qualifications or experience alone. In fact, many opportunities are filled before they’re ever advertised — through referrals, networks, and reputation.
So the question is: how do you access these opportunities?
It comes down to three things: what you know, who knows you, and what you can invest in your own growth.
In other words, your career is shaped by three forms of capital: human, social, and financial.
What is human, social and financial capital?
Simply put, human capital is the knowledge and skills you’ve built through education, training, and real-life experience.
It includes the expertise you gain from a degree, or professional qualifications like the CFA® designation, as well as what you learn in practice over time.
Social capital is your network of connections. It’s the people you know, the relationships you’ve built, and, crucially, the opportunities that come from them.
Financial capital, in its simplest form, is the money you have available to invest in your future.
How human, social, and financial capital work together
For a successful career in finance — whether you’re a recent graduate or in the early stages and looking to progress — it pays to build all three.
That’s according to Eric Sin, CFA, Founder of Institute of Life, a career and life skills training company. Speaking on the recent webinar, Key skills for career success in the AI era webinar, during CFA Institute’s Global Career Month 2026, he said:
“Once you have human capital, you can convert it into financial capital by getting a job. You can also convert human capital into social capital. And once you have social capital, that can lead to financial capital too. You can also use financial capital to get social capital by buying someone lunch or flying to a place to meet a person.”
He points to his own experience as an example. By building human capital — developing his knowledge and skillset through the CFA Program — he was able to secure roles that increased his financial capital.
At the same time, he grew his social capital by publishing books and hosting webinars, which helped expand his network and open up further opportunities.
Those opportunities led to higher-paying roles, strengthening his financial capital even further. He could then reinvest that into building his social capital — for example, by travelling overseas to meet and connect with others in his field.
Rena Kwok, CFA, Senior Credit Analyst at Bloomberg Intelligence, also credits building and using different forms of capital for securing her current role.
She wanted to pivot into fixed income but faced two challenges: she didn’t know anyone in the space, and she lacked direct experience.
So she focused on building her human capital — learning fixed income concepts and writing consistently about them on LinkedIn to deepen her understanding.
At the same time, she was building her social capital. By sharing insights and engaging with others in the industry, she grew a following and developed a reputation as someone credible and knowledgeable. Her network expanded as a result.
Then, unexpectedly, an opportunity came to her.
“I received a message from a hiring manager at Bloomberg Intelligence…He said he liked my posts…and asked if I’d consider applying for a role, "she said.
That opportunity ultimately translated into financial capital — securing a role she may not have accessed otherwise.
Why social capital is becoming more important in finance careers
While building all three types of capital is important, social capital arguably has the greatest potential to accelerate your career.
“The most important — and the most neglected — form of capital is social capital,” says Sin.
That said, the balance shifts over time.
“At different stages of your career, you’re constantly juggling these forms of capital. One may take priority, while another becomes less important for a period.
“But overall, social capital becomes very, very crucial,” said Anil Ghelani, CFA, Head of Passive Investments & Products at DSP Mutual Fund, speaking on the webinar.
The rise of AI only reinforces this.
Why? Because what’s becoming most valuable to employers is what AI can’t replicate.
As AI tools become more sophisticated, it’s becoming easier for AI to mimic elements of human capital such as technical knowledge and analysis. What it can’t replicate is trust and genuine relationships, which is what social capital is built on.
Two candidates can have the same skills and qualifications. What sets them apart is the connections and strength of their reputation.
How to build social capital
So, how do you build social capital in practice?
A good place to start is LinkedIn.
As illustrated by Kwok, building a presence on the channel is an effective way to get in front of hiring managers.
The key is to be specific and consistent. Posting occasionally on random topics won’t build recognition — you need to show up regularly and speak about a clear area of expertise. Over time, this builds credibility.
It also helps to have a point of view. Sharing thoughtful insights or perspectives is far more effective than repeating the same commentary as everyone else.
Kwok puts it simply: “You don't need a lot of followers, you don't need a lot of engagement. You just need one person, the right person, to notice you and want to give you a chance. So, when you build a brand on LinkedIn, write for your target audience.”
But LinkedIn is more than a channel to promote yourself to prospective employers. It’s a great place to build relationships.
There’s a skill to networking online (you can learn more about the dos and don’ts of online networking here) but the fundamentals are simple:
- Be authentic
- Add value
- Personalize your outreach
- Stay professional
- Avoid being overly negative or controversial
Another powerful channel to build social capital is the CFA Institute network.
Beyond technical knowledge, taking the CFA Program offers access to a global community of professionals with shared experience. That foundation creates a level of trust that makes it easier to connect and ask for help.
Ghelani explains how when he needed advice on pivoting to pension fund management, he reached out to a CFA community member in the UK, as they have a similar system to the one in India.
“She took out maybe an hour or two just to give a broad context of how she had seen that particular industry grow in that jurisdiction. That helped me a lot.”
That willingness to help continues:
“Today, if anybody who's part of our common platform of the CFA community anywhere in the world, if it's within my purview, I take time to pick up the phone or speak or share some market intel or data or learnings.”
There are also practical ways to build these connections. Volunteering for CFA Institute events, organizing webinars, or contributing to the community naturally puts you in contact with others in the industry.
More broadly, social capital is built by being useful.
Whether it’s sharing insights, creating tools or resources, or simply helping others solve problems, the goal is the same: to make yourself valuable to the people around you.
At the end of the day, social capital isn’t about collecting contacts — it’s about building relationships.
And the simplest way to do that is to consistently make other people’s lives a little easier.
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