From Boutique to Middle-Market to Bulge Bracket: Got Rankings?

“Can you please rank the banks?!! Please! Just this once, rank the banks!!!”

“If I buy you bottle service, will you rank the banks? It’s on me, really!”

No, no, and no. Ranking anything is my least favorite topic in the world – possibly because I spent the first 20 years of my life attempting to out-rank people to get into more prestigious schools and activities.

But I will acknowledge the differences between different types of banks, and that it’s more complex than the previous discussions of boutiques vs. bulge brackets.

If you’re looking for rankings, you should press Alt + F4 right now and end your suffering.

But otherwise, read on and learn all about different types of banks, from tiny boutique to bulge bracket and everything in between – and where you should work.

Equity Research: A Day in the Life, Pay, and Exit Opportunities – Got Hedge Funds?

You’ve broken into equity research by following the detailed advice from our interviewee, and now you’re about to start working.

If I had a magic 8-ball, I’d guess you might be curious about:

• What an average day in your life will be like.
• How much time you spend on modeling vs. reports vs. research.
• How much money you’ll make – at the entry-level and once you’ve become Chief Monkey.
• What the hours and culture are like.
• Exit opportunities and how you can leverage ER to get into top business schools.

Luckily, you won’t be so curious after reading part 2 of this interview – where we answer all of those and more.

A Day in the Life

Buy, Sell, or Hold: How to Break Into Equity Research and Pitch Stocks Like a Pro

So I was looking at the most popular search terms on M&I the other day, and reached two conclusions:

1. You really like that silly little cover letter template I created.
2. It seems a few people might want to hear about this thing called “equity research” – I guess that might be a good idea one of these days?

We’ve already been through everything else on the list to the right, so now we’re going to apply the magical process of elimination and focus on equity research: what it is, how you break in, and how to dominate your interviews and land offers.

You’ll get to learn all of that straight from the source: a reader who has worked in equity research at both boutiques and bulge bracket banks and seen the market in the best of times and the worst of times.

Let’s get started.