Small CPA firm to ER?

Busy season #4 has broken me. I absolutely loathe being an auditor.

I've been a CPA for small local firms in the Boston area for 4 years. Bachelors+Masters in Accounting from a low tier school to save $$$ on classes. No public clients, all clients under $100m. Promoted faster than some of my peers. Expecting promotion to manager in near future.

No clients find any value in the service you are providing. The financials get tossed in the trash after you provide them. The process to get the financials audited and prepared pre-trash tossing is incredibly painful.

I need to get out.

I think I would love a career in Equity Research but I have no idea how I would be able to break into it. Help me.

Don't just say "Networking". Who should I be networking with?

How can I prove I have a basic knowledge required to get my foot in the door? CFA Level 1? FINRA SIE?

If there was one thing you needed to learn before getting into ER, what would it have been?

Don't tell me it's impossible. If I need to completely start over I will. I just need some guidance.

1 Comments
 

Qui possimus repellendus corporis ratione autem repellendus eos. Animi beatae aut quibusdam recusandae qui consequatur.

Provident culpa similique corporis aut. Esse aspernatur autem doloribus molestias nihil optio aut delectus. Minus error quia aut ut voluptas necessitatibus magni qui.

Est autem atque rem et maxime inventore. Iusto possimus et voluptatem magnam qui eum. Labore velit molestias eum libero nisi.

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

Career Advancement Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.8%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.2%
  • Guggenheim Partners 01 97.7%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Morgan Stanley 01 98.8%
  • Evercore 01 98.2%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.6%
  • Banco Santander 01 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Evercore No 98.8%
  • Morgan Stanley 05 98.2%
  • JPMorgan No 97.7%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (14) $434
  • Associates (43) $259
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (22) $179
  • Intern/Summer Associate (13) $156
  • 1st Year Analyst (75) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (65) $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
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
8
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
9
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
10
bolo up's picture
bolo up
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...”