Dec 13, 2022

Military to Equity Reseach

I am currently an active duty Military Intelligence Officer in the Army and I have an Economics Degree from a Big Midwestern school. I want to go into Equity Research when I get out and would like to know if there is any merit to getting an MBA prior to getting my CFA. Also, if there are there any training programs tailored specifically to veterans. Any advice from veterans who have already gone into ER is also appreciated.

409 WSO Academy Equity Research Session Reviews: 4.83/5

Class of '25 Nov 2026 Cohort

5.00/5

Equity Research Career Roadmap (optional)

“Chris was very easy to talk to and made the session feel relaxed and genuinely useful. He gave me clear, actionable tasks that I can go away and work on straight away to expand my network. I hope to reconvene with him at a later date to discuss the progress I have made and get his feedback on the work I have been doing.”

Springfield College

Class of '29 Sep 2026 Cohort

4.85/5

Equity Research Mock Coffee Chat

“Craig gave me a really clear picture of how sell-side equity research actually works. The biggest takeaway was that research is a service business built on trust, not on picking stocks, and that analysts are paid on rankings rather than on whether a call is right. He was honest that even a 60% hit rate is excellent, and that it matters more to understand where you went wrong than where you were right. I also liked his point about not being “unintelligently wrong”: own the mistake and explain it well. On the practical side, he told me to start now by running a blog, posting on Seeking Alpha, using Koyfin as a cheap Bloomberg alternative, and using AI to draft commentary so I have more time to think deeply and explore other sectors. He also explained that research recruiting is much more targeted than IB, since sector teams are fairly autonomous, so I should reach out to senior analysts in specific sectors and recommend based on fit. His own path from no finance background, through China, to Wharton was encouraging. My one suggestion would be a quick walkthrough of what a strong first report looks like beyond the core pieces (recommendation, risks, summary, price target).”

See All 11,549 WSO Academy Reviews

5 Comments

WSO Monkey Bot

Hi airborneinvestor, whoops, looks like nobody chimed in here.... maybe one of these discussions below is relevant:

More suggestions...

You're welcome.

Quote

Report

Other

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

Associate 1 in ER

There are many military & vet programs. Don't bother getting an MBA or CFA if it's to aid you in getting in. I was actually surprised at how many colleagues were ex-military, US banks in particular are big supporters of this.

Quote

Report

Other

Audit Preparation Email

airborneinvestor

Thanks for the reply! I see Morgan Stanley has a program in London for Veterans and Athletes. Are there any other specific programs?

Quote

Report

Other

REIT vs REOC CFA

Hazelmom

Every single bank has a vet program. If not on their website, call HR and ask to be connected.

Quote

Report

Other

sanek

Sint commodi ipsam ut ducimus. Et reiciendis placeat voluptatem quam et aut dolor vel. Voluptatem ea facilis aliquam. Quae totam natus voluptatibus vero. Consequatur sequi consequuntur aut dolor nostrum rerum culpa.

Tempora quod eos quia rem delectus soluta architecto. Et est at et et saepe temporibus. Accusantium pariatur quia dolor repudiandae.

Quote

Report

Other

+13	Is Equity Research Dying - Where Are the Future Opportunites?	4	22h
+10	Associates who stuck around for > 5 years working for the same analyst. Why?	4	6d
+9	UBS ER SA27 Superday	7	3w
+9	Detailed Revenue and Cost Builds	3	1w
+7	Analyst with no coverage or ranking	5	1w
+7	Uiuc or Ross or UChicago	8	2w
+1	IB SA -> ER FT	4	2w
0	Equity Research Rankings	1	1w

1	redever	99.2
2	kanon	99.0
3	BankonBanking	99.0
4	Secyh62	99.0
5	GameTheory	98.9
6	Betsy Massar	98.9
7	CompBanker	98.9
8	dosk17	98.9
9	DrApeman	98.9
10	Mimbs	98.8

Elite Career Bootcamp. Top Job Offer Guaranteed.

Elite Career Bootcamp. Top Job Offer Guaranteed.

Military to Equity Reseach

Score Breakdown

Feedback

Score Breakdown

Feedback

Elite Career Bootcamp. Top Job Offer Guaranteed.

Elite Career Bootcamp. Top Job Offer Guaranteed.

Military to Equity Reseach

See All Comments - 100% Free

Trending Content - Equity Research Forum