Best way to prepare for WM SA position

I am going to be interning at a BB in WM this summer. What is the best way to prepare in the coming months for this internship? In other words, what should I focus on reviewing/strengthening other than current events?

4 Comments
 
Most Helpful

I cannot comment on an internship in WM, as I never had one, but I had a job in it for a better part of a decade.

People think that you will add value with investment recommendations. You probably can't, and in my experience most FAs are borderline idiots when it comes to it.

People will not realize how much value you can add with planning savings and distribution timelines, succession planning etc.

Honestly, my most enjoyable client, and the one I spent the most time with was an internal FI PM for one of the biggest companies in the world. In 20+ hours of conversations, we spent less than five minutes talking investing. "What's your preferred equity/FI mix?" "Our model expects X.X% annual geometric mean return from that. Does that sound good, or should we use a different number when modeling?" I spent hours of research time getting up to speed on IDGRATs and whatnot for him. It beat the hell out of the standard "This is a stock, this is a bond. Stock riskier than bond." conversations.

Also: Selling. In your standard WM job selling is more important than anything else. If you can't get clients none of this happens.

The only difference between Asset Management and Investment Research is assets. I generally see somebody I know on TV on Bloomberg/CNBC etc. once or twice a week. This sounds cool, until I remind myself that I see somebody I know on ESPN five days a week.
 

Start reading about various investment philosophies. Start taking cfp coursework at school. Become the best version of yourself. As for finding clients think about this: "Success is not the result of making money; earning money is the result of success" -Earl Nightingale

Money can purchase freedom, if you have the guts to buy it
 

Impedit odit et eos atque mollitia laborum. Sint voluptatem exercitationem ab et dolorem ut autem. Aspernatur esse consectetur autem culpa.

Sit aut aut id nemo. Quia qui quae blanditiis. Consequatur fugiat officia suscipit.

Natus dolorum unde perferendis repudiandae. Nobis voluptatem quod inventore quam voluptas earum at. Corrupti et ut est facilis dolores deserunt in cum. Numquam sint occaecati repellendus rerum id. Exercitationem in sapiente quisquam et voluptatem atque eligendi. Quae nesciunt eligendi officia rerum.

The only difference between Asset Management and Investment Research is assets. I generally see somebody I know on TV on Bloomberg/CNBC etc. once or twice a week. This sounds cool, until I remind myself that I see somebody I know on ESPN five days a week.

Career Advancement Opportunities

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.3%
  • Guggenheim Partners 01 97.7%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Morgan Stanley 02 98.9%
  • Evercore 01 98.3%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.7%
  • Banco Santander 01 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 06 98.3%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.7%
  • JPMorgan No 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (15) $434
  • Associates (46) $258
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (22) $179
  • Intern/Summer Associate (13) $156
  • 1st Year Analyst (79) $150
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (73) $101
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
3
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
4
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
5
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
6
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
7
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
8
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
9
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
10
Mimbs's picture
Mimbs
98.8
success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”