Mergers and Inquisitions

NOVEMBER 15, 2023

I’ve now been writing about finance careers for almost 20 years, and the topic of the CFA for investment banking never seems to die. I first criticized the CFA in a 2009 article , which generated a lot of angry comments. But earlier in 2023, the CFA Institute announced the biggest changes to the program since it started.

CFA 59

CFA Investment Banking Bank Banking 59

Mergers and Inquisitions

DECEMBER 6, 2023

The multi-manager hedge fund model is simple: Raise $10-20 billion, borrow at the fund level to take this to $50-$100 billion, and then allocate this capital to dozens of internal teams. Beta-Neutral Portfolios: For example, if the S&P 500 goes up or down by 5%, your team’s portfolio should move by ~0%.

Funds 104

Funds Management Recruitment Portfolio 104

Peak Frameworks

MAY 17, 2023

For example, in 2013, JPMorgan used VBA to build a custom model to forecast loan losses, which helped them save time and improve accuracy. VBA in the Context of Finance In finance, VBA for Excel is commonly used for financial modeling, forecasting, data analysis, and automation of repetitive tasks.

Financial Modeling 52

Financial Modeling Financial Models Finance Finance 52

Mergers and Inquisitions

JANUARY 31, 2024

Portfolio Structure: Unlike MM portfolios, SM portfolios do not have to be market–neutral or based on pair trades; many SM funds also tend to run much more concentrated portfolios (e.g., Expect 3-statement modeling or valuation tests, stock pitches , and combined exercises where you do both (e.g.,

Funds 59

Funds Management S&P Recruitment 59

Mergers and Inquisitions

OCTOBER 30, 2024

The CPA is probably the most relevant certification , but it’s overkill for entry-level jobs, and while the CFA won’t hurt you, it’s also not the best use of time/money. Lateral Hiring: You could move into corporate finance from plenty of other fields (Big 4, investment banking, other divisions at a company, and maybe even non-finance roles).

Corporate Finance 105

Corporate Finance Finance Finance Corporation 105

Mergers and Inquisitions

FEBRUARY 28, 2024

You cover quarterly earnings and send updated models and notes to clients and other teams. The differences vs. equity research lie in the details: Financial models focus on the downside scenarios and analyze each issuance separately: the Yield to Worst , Yield to Maturity , Recovery percentages, and the default risk.

Equities 59

Equities Asset Management Debt Recruitment 59