10 Comments
 
Most Helpful

Such an overall balance does not exist in Houston or anywhere else really. If your firm has strong deal flow, you will be worked to the bone. If you have great WLB, your firm has no deal flow and your comp will be shit. JPM/MS/GS/EVR/JEFF/(TPH?) are considered the top firms in Houston in terms of the deals they bring in. All of them have terrible WLB but comp is good, and culture especially at GS, EVR, and JEFF is questionable at best. Even at slightly lower-tier firms such as BofA/Citi/Moelis, WLB is not great and comp is less. It's not until you get to the real shitters such as Scotia/KeyBanc where WLB is great but comp and bonuses are laughable. There is no balance, at least not in Houston.

 
MergersMaestro

I'd this is accurate in any IB group. Read a post a while back that got pretty big saying that all pros and cons of a job are "priced in" and this kind of reflects that

it's not accurate at all for NYC teams given how bloated some of them are. look at the BAML thread where there's >40 associates in certain coverage groups. 

Product groups in NYC are also way more chill than coverage in houston. 

 

Historically comp at Moelis is upper street even in years where they suck (which is most of them). Ken has a hard-on for traditional energy and has always subsidized the team in down years. Also why they’ve tried to recreate the team like three times over the past 15 years with Trauber being the splashiest (and priciest) attempt. 
 

Would also be careful to separate “sweaty” from high deal flow and “toxic culture” from people who are terrible to work with. They aren’t the same and there is a big difference between 100+ hours with people who are broadly respectful and 100+ hours with people who are dicks. Some pretty big differences between cultures at the places you flagged (though all sweaty). 

 

Quis est sed repellat animi eos. Perferendis maxime ipsa a amet amet ut. Ut odio est alias necessitatibus iste. Eaque quod ut voluptatem necessitatibus corporis rerum sed. Sit fugit assumenda sunt. Omnis eum molestiae est quisquam ea excepturi consequatur.

Natus et assumenda ad soluta. Aut qui eum ut soluta. Non minima voluptatem consequatur non ipsam. Eos commodi beatae aspernatur fugiat error officia. Iure quo quos in.

Sit maiores dignissimos facilis corrupti non in. Aliquid beatae omnis eligendi quae quaerat sint. Aut consequuntur temporibus architecto perspiciatis. Eos iusto ea voluptates atque numquam ipsum.

Et quia eligendi vel voluptatem sed quia nostrum. Et nostrum quod itaque pariatur quaerat rerum et dolores. Magni temporibus tempora autem vel deleniti et in consequuntur.

Career Advancement Opportunities

September 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.3%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

September 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.5%
  • Morgan Stanley 03 98.9%
  • Evercore 01 98.4%
  • Banco Santander 02 97.9%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.3%

Professional Growth Opportunities

September 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 98.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.9%
  • JPMorgan No 97.3%

Total Avg Compensation

September 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (16) $429
  • Associates (51) $260
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (26) $182
  • Intern/Summer Associate (15) $159
  • 1st Year Analyst (84) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (76) $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
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
3
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
4
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
5
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
6
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
7
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
8
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
9
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
10
Mimbs's picture
Mimbs
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...”