This week, I want to take a break from that and instead solicit feedback from my readers.

As I’ve hinted at several times, I have big plans in store and want to make Mergers & Inquisitions the #1 online resource for investment banking and related fields.

When I finish up in a few weeks and suddenly have an extra 80 hours per week of free time on my hands, I’ll have plenty of time to take the site to the next level (my apologies for sounding like an infomercial).

I’ve listed below 3 options I’m considering, as well as the pros, cons and potential pricing for each.

Feel free to reply either via email or through the survey below. My goal is to help the greatest number of people out there get into investment banking, so feedback would be much appreciated.

Option #1: Downloadable Product(s), Similar To (But Better Than) Wall Street Prep

Very simply: offer products similar to Wall Street Prep, but better. Rather than covering only financial modeling, I would go beyond that and cover topics such as interviewing and resumes and show specific examples of how I would improve/”bankify” resumes and provide transcripts of interviews and suggested ways to respond and craft your “story.”

Topics such as buyside interviews would also be covered, and I would go into far more detail than I did even in my 3,000 word guide to private equity interviews.

In short: more relevant content that encompasses a wider skill set than what you see in other products. And since it would be written by an industry insider (me), the information itself would be more honest and realistic than what you’d find anywhere else (just like this site :).

Pros: You download it once and have it forever. The information is all in one place and you can refer to everything easily.

Cons: It’s not interactive and you can’t ask me questions. You also don’t get to watch how resumes are actually reviewed, how interviews work and don’t work in real life, and how to build models from scratch and discuss them in interviews. Also, you may not want to read hundreds of pages of text.

Pricing: Likely on par with Wall Street Prep, though I may offer the option to buy certain modules separately.

Option #2: Phone Consulting / Mock Interviews

I’ve already provided this to a few readers (contact me if you’re interested), and the idea is pretty simple - we set up either a one-time or recurring weekly “lesson” where I either answer your questions, go through a specific topic or conduct mock interviews and then critique your performance.

This would be more similar to the Analyst Exchange than Wall Street Prep; unlike existing services, I would cover all topics rather than only financial modeling and would leave it up to the student to decide the “curriculum” (with some guidance from me, of course).

Pros: You get one-on-one attention and can ask exactly the questions you’re most in need of understanding. I can also show you exactly what to do in terms of building models and learning accounting/finance.

Cons: This would be limited to only a few readers - I just wouldn’t have time for 50 students, at least not without hiring staff. It would also be quite expensive due to the one-on-one nature.

Pricing: On par with Analyst Exchange, but you have the option to buy as much or as little time as you need, so there’s significantly more flexibility.

Option #3: Online Training Courses With Multimedia Content And Access To Me

I hate to be biased here, but this is the option I’m most excited about. It’s a blend of the first 2 ideas, and as far as I can tell nothing like this currently exists in the world of finance.

Rather than having static content in the form of a PDF or Word file, the content would be presented in multimedia format - videos, sound clips, and interactive presentations.

I would upload video walkthroughs of me showing how to build models from scratch, show real interviews and explain why people do well or poorly, and even upload videos of me going through resumes with my own commentary included.

There would be forums where students could leave comments and ask me questions directly, as well as resources for download (beyond just Excel models, also sample case studies, sample resume templates, etc.).

I would update these courses on a monthly basis and add new content periodically as well. I would start off with some introductory courses on the basics of investment banking, positioning yourself, resumes, interviews and modeling and then move on to more advanced topics such as interviewing for buyside jobs, how M&A/equity/debt deals actually work and advanced modeling.

Pros: I could reach a large number of people with this and you would get almost the same level of attention as one-on-one tutoring at a much lower price point. I’ve also found that people learn best by watching and doing rather than reading, so I think this would be more effective in conveying the material as well.

Cons: While you could download portions of the course, the videos and tutorials and such would only be available if you’re paying for access.

Pricing: Pricing would be on a monthly basis. Using it for a few months would be cheaper than Wall Street Prep and using it for over a year would start approaching Analyst Exchange costs.

The Survey

I’ve created a brief survey below with a few questions on what you would like to see. All responses are completely anonymous. Feel free to send me your thoughts via email or in the comments here as well - thanks!

One final note - these options are not necessarily mutually exclusive. I might offer all 3 products/services or some combination thereof, but would like to get a sense of what you are most interested in.

Take The Survey

January was the second full month of operation for Mergers & Inquisitions, and I’m proud to say that visitors and pageviews more than doubled over December levels! I hope you’re continuing to find the site useful. Some of you have sent emails and resume review requests and I will get back to you, it just takes awhile to respond based on my schedule and how much else is going on at the time.

In terms of content, I focused on tips for resumes, internships and getting those investment banking jobs you’ve been after.

Investment Banking Resumes

I wrote 2 articles on resumes - one covering common mistakes in investment banking resumes, and one on how investment bankers read resumes and decide who gets interviews and who doesn’t.

If you want to send me your resume, please make sure to read those 2 articles first as many of your questions will be answered already. If your resume suffers from problems mentioned in those it may take me longer to respond to you as well.

Investment Banking Summer Internship Tips

With recruiting season in full swing, everyone was also very focused on getting investment banking summer internships. To address reader questions, I wrote articles on how the investment banking interview selection process works and on how to improve your offer success rate.

These were both in addition to my already existing guide to getting an investment banking job, published back in November. If you haven’t already read it and want to break into investment banking, be sure to check it out!

Some readers have also asked me about how to do well in their summer internships and improve their chances of getting full-time offers, so I wrote another article about that - How To Dominate Your Investment Banking Summer Internship.

Other Reader Questions And Investment Banking Lifestyle Posts

With all the news of layoffs and the downturn in the economy, some have also asked me if it’s even a good time to get into banking. The short answer: you really have no choice, so do it now anyway. For the longer answer, see my post on signs of a recession in the financial services world.

A couple readers also asked about the “best” groups (despite my insistence that your team matters more than the prestige of your group) and specifically about UBS LA, so I addressed that in a brief post outlining the rise and fall of UBS LA.

Although it was not a commonly asked question, I also looked at a bulge bracket vs. a boutique and went through some of the reasons why I strongly recommend going to the best name you can.

Finally, in another reader Q&A post I covered questions about sales & trading resumes, breaking in from the pharmaceutical industry and the relevance of international experience in China when applying to investment banking jobs.

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After launching in late November just after Thanksgiving and explaining what exactly investment bankers do, Mergers & Inquisitions featured a variety of posts in the month of December.

For those looking to switch into finance and investment banking from other careers such as engineering and law, parts I and II of the series “Breaking And Entering Into Finance” featured some tips and advice:

Becoming A Banker With An Engineering Background

Becoming A Banker With A Law Background

I’ve received questions on getting in from several other professions, including accounting, consulting and industries like pharmaceuticals, so look for “Breaking And Entering Into Finance” to continue this year. Each article actually takes considerable time to research since I’m not an expert on all (or any) of these.

Mergers & Inquisitions also featured several posts in December 2007 for those of you out there trying to get a better handle on what the job entails and how to survive and stay healthy/sane in the world of finance:

A (Bad) Day In The Life Of An Investment Banking Analyst

When I started this blog I hadn’t even thought of this idea, but a reader suggested it to me and I immediately liked the concept. This details one of the worst days I’ve had in this job - stay tuned for an account for one of my best days, which will hopefully be nearly as entertaining.

How To Stay Healthy As An Investment Banker

This one was derived from a popular thread over on Wall Street Oasis about fitness tips and whether it’s possible to stay in reasonable shape as a banker. The short answer: yes, but it takes dedicated effort and you’ll probably be less fit than you were at the beginning no matter how diligent you are.

How To Pick Your Team At An Investment Bank

A guest post by Proud Ex-Analyst, this article featured some tips on selecting your group at a bank. People often like to think in terms of investment banking exit opportunities, but the reality is if you have good experience and have worked hard, you’ll get a good job afterward. Your co-workers matter a lot more than the “prestige” of the group.

Vacation Time In Finance Jobs

Can you actually take a vacation as an investment banking analyst? Does anyone ever take time off? Yes and yes, contrary to a lot of what you’ll read out there. This article explains when and how.

I also decided to start a weekly reader Q&A and post answers to some of the questions I receive from readers each week if the questions apply to a large set of people (e.g., if you’re not asking how to get into banking after having been a monk in Nepal for 5 years and having circumnavigated the Earth by swimming and walking on your bare feet).

Q&A On Questions For Senior Banking Hires, Cover Letters And How Old Is “Too Old” To Switch In

The types of questions to expect if you’re interviewing for something other than an Analyst position, cover letter tips (hint: we barely read them) and changing careers when you’re over 30.

Q&A On Low GPA Issues, Internships For Freshmen And Saving As An Analyst

How to overcome a low GPA when applying for investment banking jobs, getting an internship even as a freshman and how much you can expect to save as an analyst.

If you want to be featured in one of these weekly Q&As or if you have any questions for me, email me and I’ll answer anything (assuming I can answer it, some of the questions I’ve been getting lately are tough).

Finally, just for fun I posted the other day a couple of reasons NOT to do investment banking. Hint: don’t say you’re in it for the “models and bottles”, because you want to start a company or to see if you can handle it.

Happy New Year everyone and stay tuned for more posts coming up this week and next!

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Whether you’re still in school and trying to break in or you’re out in the real world already and trying to transition in, you’ve come to the right place. Mergers & Inquisitions provides frank, easy to understand advice that can’t be found elsewhere. Unlike existing resources, we provide how-to guides with real examples of what to do and what not to do. And since we’re not sponsored by corporations, we’re free to tell the truth.

You’ll definitely be entertained by what you read here, but we’re not trying to be a comedy site. Instead, we’re providing practical information that won’t make you want to fall asleep out of boredom.

To kick things off, check out our guide on how to get an investment banking job.

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