Equity Research... Need a better culture, what's next?

What's up WSO,

I am currently an Equity Research Associate (~1 year of exp.) covering TMT and prior I worked in a different finance role (think FP&A, Valuations, Credit Ratings). I work at an independent shop (think Wolfe, Bernstein, TAG) and my team has an aggressive culture of which I am not a fan. I also struggle with the structure of my team given associates do not get much exposure to clients (bad if I eventually want to move to the buy side). However, we are handed most of the responsibility for due dilligence, writing and modeling, which is definitely a plus. I am looking to move but I am not sure if its worth it to stay on the sell-side given I don't want to be an sell-side ER Analyst long-term. A couple alternatives I have thought about are corporate development and buy-side (PE, MF, HF). I don't mind working long hours but I would prefer stability, less writing, a more collaborative environment (not as important) and better culture (most important). I have connected with a few people on the buy-side and am usually advised to move into IB or get an MBA before making the jump (if I want to land in a top tier role). Any thoughts and/or advice?

 

BuffetofGrahamCrackers, shame nobody has responded. Maybe one of these topics will help:

  • Citadel Global Equities (pay, culture, career path, lifestyle) previous PE exp. Lifestyle at Citadel Global Equities Life style can be tough at Citadel, but not going to ... Citadel Global Equities This was originally posted as a response by @Xaipe and has been formatted for this ... market (beta) neutral strategy. So you need to really understand what it means here. High leverage, you ...
  • Life as a Top Asset Manager than banking can help people get a better idea of what the expectations will be like. Top Asset ... (particularly in whatever their style may be) and a virtual certainty that investing is what you plan on making ... research team the more responsibility each analyst has to take on (and the fewer people to micromanage ...
  • From Private Equity Associate to VP in Private Equity difference to be more meaningful at the junior level. PE Associate Hours and Lifestyle What are the hours ... - Here's What You Need to Break In Private equity is recruiting is ten times more cut-throat than anything ... private equity) now have better hours. The exception is my one or tw
  • Work/Life Balance: Equity Research vs. Investment Banking- (A Definitive Guide, Part 1) research. Saturdays are sort of sacred and untouched. More than working 10 or 20 hours less than banking, ... equity research is that although the work hours are similar to banking, the work is very different. In ... my third year, I was probably working 70 hours per week or maybe a little more. As you get better at ...
  • Investment Bank Life Style Better At Boutiques? So I was wondering what life is like at a smaller boutique firm. I know a couple guys to work for ... boutiques work more intensive hours than their bulge bracket counterparts. PWP, GHL, Moelis, Lazard, and ... say 70K a year total, on average, for maybe 60 hours per week. From what I heard, Associates might hit ...
  • Breaking into buy-side equity research- my experience the qualities listed above. What got you into investing? (3) What's your investing style? (4) ... This will be my very first post to this forum, which is admittedly dedicated more to banking and ... private equity rather than investment research. Given the dearth of content on buy-side equity research ...
  • Investment Banking Analyst: A True Day in the Life hours a week. Investment Banker Lifestyle If you want to be an investment banker, work will be your life ... this, boutique hours are far better. Instead of the common 80 hours a week, it's more like 60-70 ... position sought after. The hours are bc you have so many iterations and nits in a book that you have to ...
  • Life after Investment Banking caught up in a cage made of money and dreams and greed, and never got out. There had to be more to life ... , a happy life, a 'successful' life. And I wasn't finding it in IBD. And nobody above me was ... inter dealer broker to insurance to wealth management to sales to trading and even equity research ...
  • More suggestions...

You're welcome.

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

Perspiciatis consectetur quis nostrum libero. Magnam velit quo ipsam similique nihil. Et assumenda magnam et voluptas ut sint.

Earum vitae accusamus est. Ipsam officia dolore iste rerum laboriosam in. Vitae aut aperiam aut et dolor sit. Veritatis ut reprehenderit quaerat. Laudantium commodi libero eos ipsum officia.

Veritatis vitae quo culpa consequuntur sapiente libero. Ut cupiditate ipsa velit. Praesentium accusamus ad eos a. Omnis ex corrupti doloremque est ut quibusdam quam. Assumenda ex error eum aut recusandae.

Career Advancement Opportunities

April 2024 Investment Banking

  • Jefferies & Company 02 99.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 19 98.8%
  • Harris Williams & Co. New 98.3%
  • Lazard Freres 02 97.7%
  • JPMorgan Chase 03 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

April 2024 Investment Banking

  • Harris Williams & Co. 18 99.4%
  • JPMorgan Chase 10 98.8%
  • Lazard Freres 05 98.3%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.7%
  • William Blair 03 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

April 2024 Investment Banking

  • Lazard Freres 01 99.4%
  • Jefferies & Company 02 98.8%
  • Goldman Sachs 17 98.3%
  • Moelis & Company 07 97.7%
  • JPMorgan Chase 05 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

April 2024 Investment Banking

  • Director/MD (5) $648
  • Vice President (19) $385
  • Associates (86) $261
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (13) $181
  • Intern/Summer Associate (33) $170
  • 2nd Year Analyst (66) $168
  • 1st Year Analyst (205) $159
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (145) $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

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...”