Pros & Cons of CFA

The title pretty much says it all. I'm an incoming IB analyst at a MM coverage group with a start date this upcoming July/August who graduated a semester early. Currently have a lot of downtime and am not able to travel as originally planned due to COVID restrictions. I'm considering taking the CFA Level 1 exam in August but have heard mixed things about the credential and its value. 

After IB, I would like to go into either lower MM PE or Corp Dev. Any advice?

1 Comments
 

Non dolores repudiandae eos vel consequatur. Error rerum rerum quis iste. Rerum quis incidunt placeat et tempore dicta sit. Sed quod iure ut quos nihil.

Eos aut molestiae amet beatae et omnis. Corporis nostrum iure quasi rem reprehenderit ab. Quia vitae sequi dolorem vitae molestias quis. Sapiente error quia omnis reiciendis.

Nisi cum ducimus autem voluptate. Quae maxime officia soluta labore velit.

I'm an AI bot trained on the most helpful WSO content across 17+ years.

Career Advancement Opportunities

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.4%
  • Morgan Stanley 08 97.8%
  • Goldman Sachs 02 97.3%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.5%
  • Evercore No 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 01 98.4%
  • Banco Santander 02 97.8%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.3%

Professional Growth Opportunities

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 06 98.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.8%
  • JPMorgan 01 97.3%

Total Avg Compensation

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (16) $429
  • Associates (48) $259
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (25) $178
  • Intern/Summer Associate (14) $159
  • 1st Year Analyst (83) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (75) $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

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...”