Is a “balanced” life in finance realistic ~5 years out?
Hey everyone,
I’m a rising sophomore at a semi-target T20 overall. I think finance is genuinely interesting, but the lifestyle (especially IB) gives me pause.
A few thoughts:
- I understand being young = grinding hard is normal
- But I’d prefer to grind in a role where I feel more consistently valued
- Not saying that doesn’t exist in IB, just unsure if it aligns with me long-term
What I'd love to be by ~25 (4–5 years post-grad):
- Comfortable finances (not chasing insane wealth)
- Some freedom of time
- Ability to travel a few times a year or visit family if I want
I know that might sound idealistic.
My question:
- Is this kind of lifestyle realistically achievable in finance?
- Or is it possible through a path like: grind IB/consulting → exit to something more balanced later?
- If so, what roles actually offer that balance?
Would appreciate any honest perspectives.
In IB or PE, no.
But if you do IB for 2 years and then exit to something with better hours or IB + PE for 2 years then exit to something with better hours, yes.
Bump
No in IB or PE
No and sadly even corp dev or strategy roles are quite demanding. Thinking you can do 4 years and be free is the biggest misunderstanding people have. It’s a constant grind or even if less hours you leave banking and your pay is cut in half and maybe lifestyle improves only a bit.
This isn’t really true - or not in all (most) instances. Most corp dev jobs are not very time demanding. 40-50 hour weeks has been my experience at both Fortune 500 and smaller companies. I’ve rarely hit 60+. Maybe a couple times in about a decade.
I think it’s the minority. They also on average pay 40% less id guess. These teams run very lean as well so harder to get.
Yes and no, and it requires tradeoffs and a lot of management of your time.
You will always be on call, from an analyst being pinged for work product all the way up to MD when its clients. The industry is competitive and these are just table stakes.
Will you have freedom of time? Somewhat when you're up in the client facing ranks. You make your own schedule but again, always on call and always under pressure to bring in fees. Travel? Multiple times a year def not, but you can swing holidays. Again, easier higher up the ranks with the caveat that you'll be on call if a client has something to talk about.
You can trade off the BBs and EBs for something more boutiquey where the lifestyle is better but the pay isn't comparable. You'll still be "on call" but at a lower intensity.
It’s possible, but you can’t have it all and you need to decide what matters to you.
For example, I spent 4 years in New York before moving to London and took a huge step down in “prestige” and essentially threw away my career as team has 0 deal flow. That said, work 55 hours a week and got paid $275k last year and take my full 28 days vacation days and no weekend work (vs the $350 / 80 hr / 1 week in August and 1 week for Christmas). Spend every weekend jetting off to a new country and work 9-8 most days and usually can swing a late dinner with friends.
Incredibly paranoid I could get fired at any moment, but get good reviews doing lots of paper pushing and internal work. Was a big saver back in the day + bull runs means it wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world. Would probably go find some super chill gig and “find myself” in the process.
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