Hey fellow monkeys,
As I constantly see people talking on the forum about importance of gaining trust and subsequently being staffed on "good deals", I wonder what's considered a "good" deal? M&A > financing deals? Or does this really depend on your desired exit opps?
Also, worst case scenario if I'm being staffed on bad deals, how much worse do I look against my peers staffed on "good deals"?
Appreciate any insights here!
| +273 | Earliest you can get fired | 58 | 1d |
| +258 | Investment Banking is Divine | 40 | 1d |
| +219 | Another $115bn Mega deal for these banks. Congrats! | 45 | 1d |
| +216 | US 2027 SA IB worried about background check | 53 | 1d |
| +206 | Analyst: Why is UBS IB doing worse than peers?, UBS CFO: No Comment | 41 | 2d |
| +133 | Is UBS really that bad? | 39 | 3h |
| +40 | Is Houston SA 28 recruiting already over? | 34 | 22h |
| +27 | FIG Pigeonholes you - is it true? | 8 | 1d |
| +27 | 2026-27 IB Energy Top Banks | 8 | 1d |
| +25 | How do you manage nerves in IB technical interviews? | 7 | 5h |
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.
Depends on the bank. I know someone who wasn’t staffed on a “good” deal in their first year then was the sole analyst on a mega deal their second year
Generally speaking, being staffed on a “good deal” means a high-profile (aka high fee) m&a deal.
These are also the worst to be staffed on as there is unreal pressure to perform from not only your group + ownership, but also senior leaders at your bank.
Being in the space, I view a good deal as an m&a transaction with i) competent management, ii) easy to work with sponsor, and iii) the company is actually a desirable asset.
Just do well on whatever you work on. You can learn 10x more on a small founder-owned sell side vs a $30bn mega deal with 50 people on the deal team
Awesome! appreciate the detailed response.
To your point, being book runner for a large IPO client, as famous as that client could be, is typically less of a good deal than an M&A?
To answer this point, I think it really depends on what you’re interested in.
If you’re at a top tech group and are exiting into growth / VC, you’d rather be on a big-ticket IPO versus a large, high-fee M&A deal. Also, a few banks / groups have a monopoly over big-ticket IPOs (ex, GS / MS are lead on basically every large tech IPO), so in general IPO experience is more scarce and people focus less on it.
Last line is absolute facts imo. I honestly like smaller deals because my MDs give me more autonomy and I can take more ownership of the process. This both lets me learn more, get closer with the client rather than being a drone, and have a more seamless process of putting together materials and such.
Anything m&a that has a solid chance if going through (sellside/buyside) is a good deal
Earum adipisci beatae in praesentium itaque unde quos rerum. Occaecati voluptate tenetur officia. Est dolorem ipsa perferendis sed fugit illum est. Autem aliquid rerum error. Consequatur laborum voluptatem dolores praesentium veritatis et natus dolorem.
Aut maiores dolor a aliquam similique voluptatibus. Minima soluta asperiores est esse voluptatem aut nemo. Dolor vero rerum et dignissimos. Dolore ad omnis sunt aut necessitatibus. Doloremque animi alias nesciunt laboriosam placeat commodi perspiciatis. Totam corrupti aliquam dolores animi doloremque fugit ab quod.
Consequatur suscipit eveniet consequatur est. Aut iure deserunt soluta aspernatur perferendis numquam. Pariatur libero eos placeat reprehenderit cupiditate est. Occaecati quas sint ut.
Aspernatur eum nemo deserunt qui eveniet eum. Cupiditate non impedit perspiciatis temporibus fugiat laborum. Rem quisquam error accusantium ipsa porro. Aut quisquam sit nobis repudiandae accusantium corrupti. Iusto cum amet occaecati temporibus dolore ut accusantium adipisci.
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...