Helpful Books to Read

I have some time over break and wanted to know if any of you guys had suggestions for books to read. I am looking for book that would give me information about the industry and recruitment process. I'm a finance major so I am not reading looking for any super technical text books, just books that will give a broad overview of the industry, and the recruitment process of becoming an I-Banker.

I looked at previous thread like the Good Books to read and found great suggestions but also books I have already read such as How to Win Friends and Influence People, and Monkey Business, Too Big To Fail

Any suggestion would help even if it doesn't fit the above criteria, so if there is an exceptional book that you read that you believe influenced your career please mention it.

57 Comments
 

Read 'How To Win Friends and Influence People' and make it your bible when it comes to business/professional communication. Srs.

"It is better to have a friendship based on business, than a business based on friendship." - Rockefeller. "Live fast, die hard. Leave a good looking body." - Navy SEAL
 
StryfeDSPThe Intelligent Investor - Ben Graham

Good read.

Also don't forget the one about his Bateman avatar (American Psycho).

On a more serious note, read all the books written by Soros.

 

One Michael Lewis book I really enjoyed was "Money Culture." It came out two years after Liar's Poker. It's basically a collection of short stories that Lewis wrote while he still worked in the industry. Some of them are really insightful. It also has a great chapter on Eddie Braverman which is worth the cheap price fo the book on its own.

Another good book is "The Greatest Trade Ever." It focuses on Paulson and the bet during the crisis, and the author is a WSJ columnist who actually interviewd Paulson heavily for his book.

I would agree with you, but then we'd both be wrong.
 

Intelligent investor is the most boring investment book i have ever read, Peter Lynch is much more interesting.

You killed the Greece spread goes up, spread goes down, from Wall Street they all play like a freak, Goldman Sachs 'o beat.
 

The reason you're getting such a gamut of ideas is because actually world of finance is large. Your first task is to find the person you want to be like more than anything right now and see what they did.

Your question should be how do I become like person x. People will resolve this question with a direction. The good thing about asking this question is that you will still get all the understanding you need of basic finance on your own and you will be propelled by your interest. If you have no real goal other than just learning basic finance for the sake of it I can almost guarantee you will burn out.

 
there was a thread a few weeks back, had like 30 books listed. just search for Monkey Business and you should find it

Disclaimer: The post above has been made by someone who is not currently employed in IBD, and has not had an interview yet...

 

Predator's Ball, if you are interested in junk bonds and LBOs

second When Genius Failed, great read that picks up where Liar's Poker left off in a way

 
Boutique BankingLiars Poker...Should teach you everything you need to know

I disagree. I don't know why this book is so popular, but it is very heavily focused on mortgage trading back in the Solomon days. It's a good story about trading but does not teach you about finance and investment banking as a whole. I suggest Monkey Business if you want to get an idea of investment banking lifestyle at the junior level.

But these books are more about the lifestyle of the industry- not technical books to learn the subject matter. I heard good things about the Rosenbaum and Pearl book as well.

 

The Bodie book is standard for classrooms. Pretty good from what I remember.

"I'm not sure what the four 9's do, but the ace, I think, is pretty high."
 

Oh, and one more question: Will I be able to learn from the WSO technical guide, even if I didn't major in finance? Or does it presume you know all the terms and concepts?

 

I've used the Bodie Kane Marcus book and it was alright. But I think the best finance textbook I've used was Corporate Finance by Berk and DeMarzo. It covers all the importance concepts (WACC, NPV, Bonds, Equity, etc) in detail but in very easy-to understand language. I would say to start with the WSO technical guide because it's cheap and covers enough for interviews, and if you feel like you want to learn more in depth then get the Berk and DeMarzo book. Good luck.

 

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