Book Recommendation - Lifestyle of financial professionals

I hear a lot about Liars Poker and other books that seem to describe the lifestyle of financial professional or something. Though I'm sure these books are all incredible, I'd like to recommend everyone a book I'm reading right now. I'm not a paid spokesperson or anything of the sort (but am willing to talk if anyone's interested in a pale 6'1 sales specialist).

The Essays of Warren Buffett. The book organizes sayings by the oracle in regards to accounting, business management, investment philosophies and so on. I don't think anyone on here would argue Buffett is not good at what he does, or that we wouldn't want to be anything like him. I've virtually read or began to read nearly everything covering him, and this book (alongside the Snowball) is the best I've read.

I'd urge anyone interested in value investing to follow this sequence:

The Snowball - The Essays of Warren Buffett - Intelligent Investor - Security Analysis

Full Disclosure: I own all of these books, and am again not a paid spokes person, but rather a rising junior in college interested in value investing. If you have similar interests, PM me and we can talk

15 Comments
 

"Bank." By David Bleden.

It's a novel by a guy who worked in investment banking, about the life of an analyst. It's entertaining, not the most thought-provoking of books. But it would be of interest to everyone on this board.

 

I've been trying to get a hold of Poor Charlie's Almanack, can't justify throwing down $300 though :/

"You stop being an asshole when it sucks to be you." -IlliniProgrammer "Your grammar made me wish I'd been aborted." -happypantsmcgee
 

Monkey business is a good start - while I don't think it's as intense these days, I certainly have days that mirror the days in monkey business.

If you really want to know what it's like, just talk to any analyst that you trust, who will just tell you it straight. It's not glamorous at all, you will sacrifice your social life for two years, and you will feel overwhelmed a lot of the time.

It's hard to really get this though unless you've done an internship, or have spent 5-6 months FT I think, since the grind of this job doesn't really hit you until you've had 4-6 months FT (with no light at the end of the tunnel like a SA program).

 

I second "Bank" by David Bledin. It's a bit embellished for entertainment, but definitely rooted in truth.

- Capt K - "Prestige is like a powerful magnet that warps even your beliefs about what you enjoy. If you want to make ambitious people waste their time on errands, bait the hook with prestige." - Paul Graham
 

Plus he worked at a small elite shop. If you are at a BB it's not as intense as if some kid wrote about Moelis LA or something.

 

Vitae molestiae perferendis vitae quae et. Est rem mollitia sed nemo et molestiae hic. Sint neque ducimus repellat cum.

Aut nobis suscipit voluptatibus cum necessitatibus est. Eius optio repudiandae commodi voluptatem sequi quod rerum. Repellat ducimus maxime autem deleniti.

Career Advancement Opportunities

August 2026 Hedge Fund

  • Point72 99.0%
  • D.E. Shaw 98.0%
  • Citadel Investment Group 97.0%
  • AQR Capital Management 96.0%
  • Magnetar Capital 95.0%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

August 2026 Hedge Fund

  • Magnetar Capital 99.0%
  • D.E. Shaw 98.0%
  • Blackstone Group 97.0%
  • Citadel Investment Group 96.0%
  • Two Sigma Investments 94.9%

Professional Growth Opportunities

August 2026 Hedge Fund

  • AQR Capital Management 99.0%
  • Point72 98.0%
  • D.E. Shaw 97.1%
  • Citadel Investment Group 96.1%
  • Magnetar Capital 95.1%

Total Avg Compensation

August 2026 Hedge Fund

  • Portfolio Manager (9) $1,648
  • Vice President (27) $464
  • Director/MD (11) $372
  • NA (9) $320
  • Engineer/Quant (83) $287
  • 3rd+ Year Associate (26) $284
  • Manager (4) $282
  • 2nd Year Associate (32) $253
  • 1st Year Associate (76) $193
  • Analysts (234) $178
  • Intern/Summer Associate (29) $145
  • Junior Trader (5) $102
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (276) $95
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...”