If you were to spend a summer at a boutique firm without a training program, how would you learn how to do financial modeling and a proper valuation? Are you just thrown into the fire and learning on the job? Or are you taught by your coworkers? Just curious.
| +134 | Do people still want to go PE? | 39 | 9h |
| +108 | UBS Tech layoff | 48 | 12h |
| +102 | UBS’s M&A BANKERS ARE DOING TERRIBLY. $200M EXTRA IS BEING CUT | 23 | 10m |
| +44 | How do YOU manage networking requests? | 9 | 13h |
| +37 | Lazard hirevue | 11 | 3d |
| +37 | What Differentiates the Best Analysts as AI Improves? | 9 | 2d |
| +35 | Are target prospects getting dumber? | 12 | 11h |
| +33 | MBB Pay Raises | 22 | 6h |
| +32 | Cornell Club T10 Rankings (UPDATED 10/2026) | 19 | 13h |
| +31 | Quitting After First 4 months | 11 | 8h |
Career Resources
Get instant access to lessons taught by experienced private equity pros and bulge bracket investment bankers including financial statement modeling, DCF, M&A, LBO, Comps and Excel Modeling.
That would be fairly firm dependent, you can get modeling training online.
I'm in that scenario.
I've been working through it on my own (I did some research before I started). There is no formal training program, you kind of have to just learn as your going through it.
But a good website just to get going with modeling is: www.macabacus.com
It shows you the basics, best practices, etc.
Theres a merger model you can create/follow along. Hope that helps.
^ Very helpful website. Thanks for the info.
Thanks man, I will definitely take a look. I heard some banks have Training The Street materials and just have you read them. Anyone heard of this?
Boutique IBD Experience (Originally Posted: 03/14/2010)
Hey guys,
For boutique IBD, how do make sure that you can actually do real work at the shop instead of bs work like answering phone calls? Right now I have an offer from two boutiques so I'm trying to decide which one will provide with more valuable experience.
For those of you who did boutique IBD, what was your experience?
Thanks.
Ask them
just take what you can get. It looks good on a resume.
you do research on the firm and the position
this post gives very little information for anyone on WSO to help you make a determination about the work you'll be doing
EDIT - I mistakenly thought the OP was asking about an internship.
Why not talk to past interns at the boutique? Or talk with the analyst, who you'll probably be working with for most of the internship. Boutique experience can definitely set you up well for BB IBD if you are proactive and show that you're hungry to learn. IME, I did CapIQ research, company & industry research to create pitchbooks, worked with Excel and PP, got staffed on a live deal, attended meetings and got to converse with CEOs and CFOs (client corporations), and also went out for lunch with the CEO of the boutique several times. And since a boutique is a smaller more intimate environment, choose the firm that you liked better based on the people, and which one liked YOU better. Also, the analyst I worked with is my friend to this day and is my mentor, so the people/culture is 80% of it.
Mollitia sed expedita et qui deleniti velit. Labore odio libero ex incidunt nesciunt. Doloribus fuga eum quo optio vitae reprehenderit laborum. Ab aut reprehenderit et et.
Ipsum autem minus occaecati corrupti eos corporis. Velit perferendis aspernatur sunt necessitatibus dolore qui. Rerum non est eius molestias et autem ut.
A ad et quia excepturi et rerum eligendi rerum. Et dolor ad accusantium et velit.
Omnis sequi nulla voluptatem sunt id. Amet error incidunt neque ad. Ut consequatur officiis cupiditate mollitia hic qui vel. Est quibusdam sint sit repellendus officiis dolorem.
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...