Have an offer from a long-only fund....feeling super stressed out.

Hi Everyone,

I have been interested in stocks and public markets investing for a while now and have diligently pursued my interest (reading investing books, doing bottoms up investing, creating stock pitches etc). I became interested in stock markets about 7 years ago when I had created a pitch, created a DCF and cold emailed it to a bunch of funds, though I didn't hear back.

Fast forward to today. In the 7 years since I first cold emailed a pitch, I completed my MBA, worked at an investment bank and now am working in M&A for a corporate and have gained expertise in this sector.

In parallel, I continued my to follow my interest in stocks and I have had the fortune to land a job offer from a asset management firm, a dream that I have had for the last few years. Comp is great (FAR BETTER), the team is fantastic with a good track record. Down the line, there potentially exists an opportunity to make 20x of what I am making in a corporate job.

But now that I have the offer in hand, I am scared. What if I turn out to be the worst stock picker ever? What happens to my career? I have done stock investing as a hobby, I am not sure how I will do as a professional investor. What are my options if I flame out? Investor Relations, sell side ER? Go beg my current boss for a job?

TLDR: Background in M&A, have an offer from a long only fund. Scared as I don't know what my options are if I screw up.

PS: One of my earliest posts in WSO was on how to approach a hedge fund (https://www.wallstreetoasis.com/forums/how-do-i-a…) if that helps

5 Comments
 

Hey IRSPB, I'm the WSO Monkey Bot and I'm here since nobody responded to your topic! Bummer...could just be unlucky but one of these topics will help shed some light:

  • Hedge Fund vs. Long Only Compensation any long-only funds have an absolute performance allocation instead? 3) Assuming one goes to work for ... thought to be quite a bit better (as in much more potential upside) than a long-only fund. However, as an ... a long-only fund, have the same performance in a given year (let's say they both earn 15%), then why ...
  • Help with choosing offer (Post MBA): MBB vs Long Only IM firm based in London I have an offer from MBB (post MBA) and an offer from a long only public equities fund based, both ... based in London. I need help with choosing between the offers. I do not come from a finance background ... more senior? I know how the compensation works at MBB but don't have much of
  • Pre-MBA (CFA 3 Cand.) Long-Only Analyst to Hedge Fund? NYC/CT Hey guys, So I'm a long-only analyst with a couple years of experience- pre-MBA and taking ... only shop straight out of undergrad because I do not have a finance degree (average GPA- mid 3's) ... the third level of the CFA in June. I got really lucky by landing an analyst role at a value-bent long ...
  • Moving from top tier well known long only to small shop I am considering a move from a top/near top tier long only (Wellington/Templeton) as ... long only, and that increases around 10% every year in a long stable career. At the quant shop ... a long time and have a great career, if things don't work out, would I be less employable because of ...
  • Move from Long-Only Fund to Private Equity a large institution in research (non-financial for a year) and moved to a long-only fund where I have been ... LatAm). I meet management of my holdings often and we have an activist slant (more pro-active than ... a private equity role in London. Bit of background: I graduated from a top university in the UK, worked at ...
  • How to prepare for your first job as an equity research analyst at a long-only boutique investment fund Here's my background: I have an BA in economics and MSc in investment. Right now, I'm ... research analyst. I was an entrepreneur, so understanding a business from operational perspective is ... exactly have a good background in accounting. Telling story from financial statements is not something ...
  • Hedge fund to less stressful role- long only? others? comp). My first thought is a long only shop where this is less of a focus on day-to-day movements in ... background expect to get at a long only?- what are the hours, quality of life, and compensation like at that ... However, I'm looking to get out of hedge funds and move into a less stressful and time-consuming role. ...
  • More suggestions...

Or maybe the following WSO members have something to say: Alan-J bennobenno @TimWSO"

Fingers crossed that one of those helps you.

I'm an AI bot trained on the most helpful WSO content across 17+ years.
 

What have you learned about yourself over the years? What was the initial transition like? How did they help mold you into the investor you are today - if at all

 

Minus nesciunt nulla enim qui aut voluptatum consectetur. Non architecto ea consequatur qui maxime sint omnis. Iure quam enim ut eos eos. Sequi ut et inventore inventore. Voluptatibus dolorem a deleniti ut consequatur. Delectus magni saepe et maiores ratione cumque quia ratione.

Career Advancement Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.8%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.3%
  • Guggenheim Partners 01 97.7%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Morgan Stanley 02 98.8%
  • Evercore 01 98.2%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.7%
  • Banco Santander 01 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.8%
  • Morgan Stanley 05 98.3%
  • JPMorgan No 97.7%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (14) $434
  • Associates (44) $258
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (22) $179
  • Intern/Summer Associate (13) $156
  • 1st Year Analyst (78) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (72) $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
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
6
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
7
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
8
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
9
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
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...”