article thumbnail

The CFA for Investment Banking: Do the New Changes Make It Worthwhile?

Mergers and Inquisitions

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
article thumbnail

07-11-2023 Newsletter: Diversity Events at Megafunds Have Started…

OfficeHours

If you can really nail valuation questions but struggle with regulatory questions, make sure you can get all the valuation questions right to maximize your points there. Note that these tests are different from other ones you may have heard about like the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) exams, which are offered by the CFA Institute.

Insiders

Sign Up for our Newsletter

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

article thumbnail

How to Prepare for Series Exams

OfficeHours

Note that these tests are different from other ones you may have heard about like the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) exams, which are offered by the CFA Institute. If you can really nail valuation questions but struggle with regulatory questions, make sure you can get all the valuation questions right to maximize your points there.

article thumbnail

The Path to Success: How to Become an Investment Banker

OfficeHours

Building a Strong Understanding of Financial Concepts In order to pass the interview process, it is important to develop a solid understanding of financial concepts, including financial analysis, valuation techniques, financial modeling, and corporate finance.

article thumbnail

2023 Fourth Quarter Review & Commentary

FineMark

FIGURE 3 Source: Strategas Securities LLC Another key factor in future equity market performance is valuation. A common method for expressing the value of equities is the Price-to-Earnings (P/E) ratio, a stock valuation metric that compares a company’s share price to its earnings per share. We look forward to seeing you soon!

S&P 52
article thumbnail

Single-Manager Hedge Funds: The Best Way to Get a Recurring Guest Spot on CNBC?

Mergers and Inquisitions

In-depth analysis that might take days or weeks, such as a financial model with 1,000 rows in Excel to assess a biopharma company’s valuation. If you have the right background – IB/PE at top firms or possibly equity research or CFA / asset management experience – the interviews and case studies are fairly standard.

Funds 59
article thumbnail

Corporate Finance Jobs: Cozy Careers, But Bad “Plan B” Options

Mergers and Inquisitions

Better transition roles for moving into IB/PE/related fields are corporate banking , Big 4 TS/TAS/valuation , credit analysis , or even commercial real estate or management consulting. Exit opportunities are mostly to other internal groups at the company; moving into deal or investment-based roles is possible but not necessarily likely.