Baird/Blair Associate

Work at one of the two so biased, but I think both are awesome franchises to be a career banker (arguably as good as anywhere)

• look at internal promotion rates. Tons of MDs at both started as analysts and associates and good performers are promoted quickly. Less director pergatory as well

• partnerships offer great economics. Not shareholder dividends, all of the profit is flowing back to senior bankers.

• easier to chase MM deals as a younger senior banker. Landing a mega billion dollar deal as a new MD is nearly impossible. The way it’s typically done at my bank is newer MDs start on a lot of smaller sell sides and build relationships with companies and PE firms which basically grow into bigger clients down the road. One of my younger MDs just sold a company for the third time (first was ~200M, then ~800M, then ~3B) and he told me the fee was going to buy him a vacation house.

• better culture (talk to anyone at either bank and decide for yourself, personally think both bank cultures are tough to beat)

• LCOL if you want it. Know some MDs who have moved from big cities to non-tier 1/2 cities and they live like kings. Can also stay in big cities if you want (both have some big city offices)