Why I’m ditching Vanilla PE for Restructuring (RX)
After grinding through a few "Direct Investment" cases at major funds, I’m over the vanilla PE track.
The real alpha isn't in simple LBOs anymore I believe. I’m doubling down on Distressed Debt and RX.
Anyone else feel like the technical ceiling in standard PE is too low, and the real wealth creation is in understanding covenant triggers and DIP financing? Targeting Centerview/PJT style shops next.
more complex =/= more profitable:
Levered beta
Tell me what leverage I need on the market to make 15x
bros talking about "DIP financing" as if it's the 90s
I'd recommend doing your due diligence before making a move into RX. Look up the returns for some distressed funds. They're ugly. You also have all the headaches of dealing with different constituents at the table and could end up with close to a 0 fast if you get LME'd. Distressed is a better space when there's a major downturn (so ~1-2 years out of every ~10 years) but otherwise you're grinding it out on businesses that have terrible outlooks and are likely swirling the drain. It's a rough life.
Yeah, it’s as if people forget these companies are distressed (and trading at distressed levels) for good reasons. It’s very difficult to get returns this way instead of just riding tailwinds
Is OP talking about doing distressed debt investing or RX advisory? Not clear from the initial message but if you speak to people in that world they'll tell you that a lot of the spoils in distressed credit in 2026 are accruing to the bankers / lawyers with the credit investors making okay returns at best and getting smoked at worst (either getting the short end of an LME, or ending up owning equity in a terrible melting ice cube of a business), with both sides enduring grindy miserable LME->LME->RX rodeos.
My reading too. People making money are on the sidelines without actual skin in the game (advisors) or those trading a combination of flow or other commissions (DD trading desks).
Happy to be corrected by not sure “all-weather” distressed exists as a viable strategy. Don’t think a lot of LPs are parting with money for imminent maturity walls that hardly ever materialise.
Distressed investments were better in the 80s and 90s cause no one invested in the space but as more and more capital came into play here returns were driven down. The strategy relies on market inefficiencies and mispricing, but those opportunities aren’t as available as they once were. And from what I’ve seen most of the players in the space aren’t even that creative and still aren’t hands on operating a turnaround or anything, they still focus on chasing yield behind their laptops. Look at oaktree’s LP presentation with the returns from all of their distressed opportunity funds - it’s a straight decline since the 1990s to like mid to high single digits. It’s a good space from a career perspective because you’re unique and focused on a specific niche so you’re employable - these funds only want to hire people from restructuring backgrounds but from an alpha perspective they need to get more creative and operationally involved.
I sorta get your point but man... The handful of guys I've met from the RX side have all been major assholes, and we weren't even in adversarial situations (it was more recruitment / co-invest). One of them also displayed a horrendous amount of distrust for the team under him and basically undercut his team at every point. My partner by contrast basically gave me the keys to drive it.
There's probably lots to learn from them but not sure I'd be able to take that sort of abuse day in, day out.
This reads like satire. "Centerview/PJT style shops..."?? "understanding DIP financing"
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Are you 12? Real wealth is created by real productivity gains, not self-indulgent financial engineering.
Lol. PE complexity is not into spreadsheets. Nor are returns. PE is about sourcing/identifying assets, understanding sector trends, getting close to founders/mgmt team, having the right governance & supporting team from your network, execution of the value creation plan (with hands on work depending on your PE firm archetype), and then delivering a full exit. All of this is years of learning for a partner to succeed. Most fail. The Rx field is very different, and so is your life. A lot more individual work, financial grinding, legal/court proceeding, etc. This sure is more technical on the face of it. There is no right or wrong but jobs are very different so think about what you like/want your job to be like instead of simplifying what PE really entitles. I’ve done both and honestly find PE intellectually more stimulating, but it depends on your personality. Btw, most rx firms pivoted into capital solutions (eg SVP, DK -> pref. and else) and this is pretty much PE, but done at a lower standard. Reality is that sourcing a DIP financing / loan to own in an ok-ish industry these days is near impossible, so you won’t scale a strategy with this kind of opptys… hence cap solutions. Don’t get hyped by buzz words and do your research. However, doing rx early in a career is great learning and can also lead to PE. Good luck.
“After grinding through a few "Direct Investment" cases at major funds, I’m over the vanilla PEtrack.”
What does this even mean? You googled some case studies and decided it was too easy and ‘not technical enough’ whatever that means?
Kid’s gassing up the forum
(Pleasantly) surprised at the seriousness of replies. Always helpful to get this colour but… is it only me who thinks this is a deliberate clickbait /ragebait post?
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