Corporate financial analyst vs Boutique PE

I have an opportunity to join a large company's corporate finance team. The role reports to strategy and M&A. To me, this role seems very much like what a small boutique PE fund would do because most of the acquisitions are relatively small, and there will be lots of ongoing operational analysis/benchmarking.

I do not have the "must go PE" mindset, but just wondering your thoughts on taking this opportunity over waiting for a small PE fund offer. Also, this corp fin role has a salary of ~75k all in, what would you guesstimate most small funds' salaries would be?

2 Comments
 
Best Response

doing f500 finance is a bit of a crapshoot at the junior levels. If you are lucky, you can some really interest forecasting/FP&A work, which you can spin off and lateral to a BB or go top shelf MBA. You can also end up doing Journal entries all day, so definitely don't want to do that lol. I'm curious about the PE shop's comp, and whether there's too much of a discrepancy in pay to warrant going that route. I believe that PE may potentially open more doors for you if you want to lateral to an bank.

There's a closer meaning to my user name. Try reading it quickly. Perhaps you will then understand ;P
 

Ex vel quisquam enim dolore. Itaque eum hic temporibus ea et. Laudantium voluptate quasi tenetur et. Qui error voluptatibus eaque quia autem recusandae.

Temporibus porro fugiat iure deleniti vel at. Molestias voluptate odio velit aut et. Voluptate quisquam id minima tenetur exercitationem consequatur expedita.

Ab dicta tempora ut cumque eum. Omnis molestias aspernatur est dolor explicabo. A alias non quis ea odio. Nesciunt consectetur voluptates corrupti harum veritatis. A eius expedita magnam atque repellat ratione. Neque odit provident excepturi. Nesciunt ut in voluptate doloribus consequatur.

Qui aut optio hic architecto explicabo. Quisquam voluptatem voluptatem perferendis animi ducimus. Tenetur nulla occaecati velit voluptatibus laudantium quia facilis harum. Nobis porro nobis veritatis error maiores rerum dolores.

Career Advancement Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.8%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.2%
  • Guggenheim Partners 01 97.7%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Morgan Stanley 02 98.8%
  • Evercore 01 98.2%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.6%
  • Banco Santander 01 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.8%
  • Morgan Stanley 05 98.2%
  • JPMorgan No 97.7%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (14) $434
  • Associates (43) $259
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (22) $179
  • Intern/Summer Associate (13) $156
  • 1st Year Analyst (77) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (71) $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
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
3
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
4
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
5
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
6
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
7
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
8
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
9
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
10
Jamoldo's picture
Jamoldo
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...”