Municipal Bond Fund or Equity Research...

What's up WSO?

I am a 2nd year credit analyst at a rating agency (S&P, Moody's, Fitch). A few of my friends on both the corporate and municipal sides of the business have been able to get offers from bond/credit funds after about 3-5 years at a rating agency. Given that I am on the municipal side of the business, my best bet would be to stay a few more years, and then, take my chances at the municipal AM industry.

The caveat is that for quite some time I have been trying to break into Equity Research. Given the increasing regulatory constraints on the sell-side ER industry, I have applied and interviewed at only BBs and independent ER shops (with some sort of specialization). I was able to land a position at a specialized boutique that, in my opinion, is shielded against the changing dynamic of the industry.

In my brief time in the work world, I have learned a lot about myself and the direction in which I would be happy going with my career. I love finance, I want to stay in the game long-term, and I want to eventually make my way to the buy-side. My interests have always been slanted towards equity research (environment, technical skills, exit ops) and that is where I think I would be happiest. However, sticking to the muni bond route is a more direct route to the buy-side, less competitive, and a better work-life balance. I'm torn.

** If you were me, what would you do? **

1 Comments
 

Perspiciatis ex labore sit perspiciatis in. Ab iure autem aut ut. Quis iusto dignissimos velit qui.

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

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%
  • Evercore No 98.8%
  • Morgan Stanley 01 98.3%
  • BMO Capital Markets 13 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 01 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 (80) $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
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
3
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
4
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
5
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
6
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
7
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
8
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
9
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
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...”