Deciding between Private Bank and Boutique M&A

Dear good people of WSO,

I am a junior with no relevant as of yet, and currently there are two roles I'm waiting for a reply on. The first role is a 6-month internship at a private bank on their Private Wealth Management team, and the second is an Analyst Intern position at a boutique M&A firm (with no clarity on length as of yet). What are the relevant considerations for me to take into account, and what are specific details to each category I should look out for?

Thank you for your attention, and best wishes.

2 Comments
 

In general, at your stage of life, you should show a strong preference for roles that will develop transferable skills and maximize your future earnings and optionality. If you start at a boutique M&A firm and decide you want to do something else, you will have many options, including pursuing Private Wealth Management. But if you start in PWM and decide you want to do M&A or something similar, that switch will be much more difficult to make. 

That isn't the only relevant consideration by any means. But unless you really know you want to do PWM (and you don't, which is why you're asking) I would lean heavily towards the M&A path as the better role to launch a finance career. 

 

Ut magnam repellat sint qui quaerat et ad. Vero quia eveniet consequatur laborum quisquam ut. Quibusdam voluptatem quis ducimus commodi quidem. Enim totam consectetur aut neque.

Doloremque asperiores reiciendis odio eveniet. Sunt voluptatum inventore dicta ut necessitatibus reiciendis et. Dolores at nihil officiis dolor maxime et.

Iure repellendus commodi non velit. Dignissimos ab ut ut itaque. Quis eligendi autem aliquid et sed officia. Optio vel et natus cumque ut. Et sit ab ut et doloremque quos velit tempora.

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

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...”