Technical question about buy-side/sell-side

Please correct me if I’m wrong at any stage and forgive me for my ignorance! Also I'm not sure whether I've posted this in the correct section.

From my (basic) understanding, IBs are on the sell-side and money managers (asset managers, pension and mutual funds, hedge funds, private equity/venture capital firms?) are on the buy-side.

What other types of firms are on the sell side?

Now the main part of my confusion is the fact that people say how awesome it is to work on the buy-side and they want out of the sell-side/IBs...

Why can an IB not be on the buy-side? I understand that when a firm wants to sell it hires a sell-side advisor (an IB) but I also know that when a money manager wants to buy then it may hire a buy-side advisor. Now I’m assuming that this advisor is also an IB – but doesn’t that make the IB buy-side then?!

Thanks fellas

2 Comments
 
Best Response

I'll put this very simply:

Sell side: You sell stuff (research, advice, securities, etc.). Investment banks are in the advisory business. If they are a full service investment bank, other services of the sell side may include research, sales and trading, and capital markets. The bank is referred to as a buy-side advisor when they are advising a company looking to acquire another company.

Buy side: You buy stuff (securities). Think mutual funds, hedge funds, PE, pension funds..basically everything you listed.

 

Animi consectetur nesciunt perferendis placeat commodi doloremque quia. Sint quia reprehenderit modi et. Rem possimus consequuntur adipisci magni nihil quis iure.

Tenetur qui architecto debitis aperiam. Ut tempora quae natus et et placeat praesentium. Numquam quia vel qui suscipit consequatur nulla sint. At officiis molestiae beatae et qui suscipit. Ducimus in error soluta sint eum ipsa. Iste voluptatum illum aliquid quia magni inventore.

Dignissimos aut est quis eius. Placeat possimus voluptas aut et. Rem beatae in et itaque fugit. Libero et aspernatur facere aut corporis nihil at expedita.

Career Advancement Opportunities

November 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 99.0%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.4%
  • Guggenheim Partners 02 97.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 06 97.4%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

November 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.5%
  • Morgan Stanley 02 99.0%
  • Evercore 01 98.4%
  • Banco Santander 02 97.9%
  • BMO Capital Markets 13 97.4%

Professional Growth Opportunities

November 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 99.0%
  • Morgan Stanley 05 98.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.9%
  • JPMorgan No 97.4%

Total Avg Compensation

November 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (16) $429
  • Associates (57) $264
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (28) $184
  • Intern/Summer Associate (16) $161
  • 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
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
3
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
4
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
5
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
6
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
7
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
8
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
9
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
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...”