Investment Banking Insights
What information do you need to know as an aspiring investment banker? Join career-switcher and MBA student Alex Mason as we journey together to uncover the technical (including the famous "400 interview questions") and not-so-technical aspects of the investment banking profession.
Episodes
Drew Pascarella is a seasoned investment banker and educator (including my professor!). Drew shares his journey from an IT role at Goldman Sachs to becoming a front-office investment banker at Citi, and eventually transitioning to teaching at Cornell University.
We cover a lot of ground, including themes such as:
- the importance of networking and mentorship
- building your reputation throughout your career
Series 63 exam results and differences from the SIE.
Also…I just graduated from business school!!!! 🙌🏽
Contact: investmentbankinginsights@gmail.com
Most of the investment banking jobs in the United States are in New York...but what if you want to work somewhere else? Setting up your life in a physical location is a big decision that impacts your entire lifestyle. Today we cover how to tackle this interview question.
Contact: investmentbankinginsights@gmail.com
Today we're sitting down with Pete Fraser, a former mechanical engineer who successfully pivoted to investment banking after his MBA at Cornell. Pete shares his journey from working in a steel mill in Gary, Indiana to landing a coveted position at Guggenheim in New York City.
We discuss:
- The culture shock of MBA recruiting
- A cautionary tale about getting cut
- The "Zero Defects" philosophy
- The importance of having a ch...
Beta measures systematic risk...great to know, but what do we do with it? In today's episode we'll walk through how to un-lever and re-lever beta based on the capital structure of a target business that you're valuing (e.g. for a DCF analysis).
Contact: investmentbankinginsights@gmail.com
How I did on the Securities Industry Essentials (SIE) exam and advice for you!
Contact: investmentbankinginsights@gmail.com
What does beta mean in finance and what is it used for? A simple explanation.
Contact: investmentbankinginsights@gmail.com
Today we're performing a quick comparable companies analysis for NVIDIA in Capital IQ. We'll walk through how to create the set of comparable companies and get to the point of being able to compare trading multiples for similar firms.
Contact: investmentbankinginsights@gmail.com
Today I'll give a quick update on where I'm at in my journey, and share some insights I've learned talking with a several of you!
Contact: investmentbankinginsights@gmail.com
AI's a big buzzword these days, but it's worthwhile to think about how artificial intelligence is going to impact our work as investment bankers. While I don't think we'll be out of a job, I strongly believe the nature of our work as advisors is changing, and we'll be expected to do much more, as sophisticated tools allow us to expand our productivity.
Contact: investmentbankinginsights@gmail.com
It's my pleasure to welcome Jason Lum back on the show to talk about recruiting trends and strategies to help you stand out (particularly if you go to a non-target school). We discuss what's going on in the market right now and specific actions you can take to make progress toward success!
Looking for one-on-one help with the recruiting process? Jason and his team still have a few slots open for this cycle, so reach out no...
Last week we talked about the Capital One and Discover deal going on right now, and I thought it would be a great opportunity to explore how the math might look for a deal like this. We'll go over a simple merger model that I put together in Excel.
Contact: investmentbankinginsights@gmail.com
Capital One has decided to acquire Discover Financial, a big deal in the financial services space. Today we discuss the basic elements of the deal, including purchase price, consideration, and rationale.
Contact: investmentbankinginsights@gmail.com
After you get the internship and secure the return offer, what's next? To get licensed as an investment banker, you have to take a few tests....bummer right? Don't worry, these are standardized exams that will draw on a lot of knowledge you've already been learning. Let's dive into exactly what these tests are so you know how to approach them when you're ready.
Contact: investmentbankinginsights@gmail.com
Happy 2025! Every now and then it's good to zoom out of the small details of recruiting and understand what's going on in the broader industry. Here are are some fast facts and figures about how the IB industry did in 2024...and my thoughts for what's to come this year!
Contact: investmentbankinginsights@gmail.com
When you get that investment banking offer in hand, it's a beautiful thing. The most common situation is simple - you accept the offer!
But what if you have multiple IB offers to choose from? It's an amazing position to be in, for sure, so how do you decide? We talk about this scenario today on Investment Banking Insights.
Contact: investmentbankinginsights@gmail.com
How To Know When To Quit Recruiting
Contact: investmentbankinginsights@gmail.com
There are a number of ways to prepare for investment banking interviews...and there are ways to not prepare. I've experienced some of these mistakes myself and want to share the lessons I've learned with you in today's episode. The content of what you share is important, but the way you deliver your message is equally important.
Contact: investmentbankinginsights@gmail.com
Today I have the pleasure of sharing a conversation with someone who not only rose the ranks of investment banking to become a Director, but is also someone who runs recruiting at the largest privately held investment bank in the world, Lincoln International.
Oh and...he's also the person who hired me at Lincoln!
Jon Paris shares his story with us, detailing his career growth as well as what investment bankin...
A trend is emerging among some investment banks, where case studies are becoming a component of the interview process. In today's episode, we discuss:
- why case studies can be relevant to investment banks
- the two structures of case studies I've observed
- how to approach preparation for case studies
Contact: investmentbankinginsights@gmail.com
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