Wondering if anyone can shed some light on working as an Investment Analyst at a private foundation with around $750M of endowment funds?
- I'm most concerned about exit opps - Do hedge funds/PE like this type of experience? Do some foundations invest in individual securities or do they all just pick managers and invest in their funds and the managers funds do all the Security Analysis and actual investing work?
- Do top b-schools like this type of experience?
- Pay (looks like $100k-$130k), benefits, hours/lifestyle, etc. details are welcome too. Thanks!
P.S. - Posted this under Hedge Funds b/c that is my long term goal and I wanted to get some input from ppl who work at HF's or have insight into the HF industry.
I work in mgmt consulting now but did this type of work for about 2 years out of undergrad - really enjoyed it. Work life balance tends to be really good, provides great perspective on how to manage a total portfolio, and you get to learn about new investment strategies all the time. Been several years now since I worked in this area, but based on what I experienced:
No, they don't particularly like it, unless you want to do investor relations (then they love it). It's great experience for fund of funds, but not direct, as the nature of the work is almost all fund selection and asset allocation. Some very large endowments invest directly in public equities and/or private equity co-investments - this could be a way to gain experience that would help you transition to a direct investing role. That's a really long shot in this scenario though as most $750m endowments don't do any direct investing (i.e., security selection). If you really want to go direct eventually, you are much better off starting in banking or ER.
Yes, but would generally be better to work at a consulting firm where you could get more broad experience (think Cambridge Associates, Mercer, etc). By broader experience, I mean you would be likely to work on clients of more shapes and sizes, and have more professional development opportunities given typically larger analyst pool. Exception is if you have opportunity to work at a blue chip foundation/endowment (think Harvard, Yale, B&M Gates, etc).
That pay seems really high to me unless you are an experienced hire. I think $60-80k would be realistic for entry level. Having said that, it's been a while for me and landscape might have changed.
Hope this helps.
Labore ducimus sint ut dolore cum doloribus. Minima ea explicabo eveniet consequatur voluptatem harum.
Eos natus aut id facere quidem quasi laboriosam. Et tempora et consequatur et quia officia exercitationem. Sit in non non in.
Ipsa non cum cumque cupiditate dicta sed aut. Porro ipsa placeat minus explicabo similique ea qui. Voluptas dolor voluptate dolore ad doloribus ut minus.
See All Comments - 100% Free
WSO depends on everyone being able to pitch in when they know something. Unlock with your email and get bonus: 6 financial modeling lessons free ($199 value)
or Unlock with your social account...