28 Comments
 

I would be surprised if many large HFT firms or banks were interested in this type of background as this type of trading is very very different from the type of trading they do and they make suspect whatever performance you achieved last year was a fluke. Also if you are really making 3000% annual returns consistently you should be able to internally generate sufficient capital very quickly.

I wouldn't really recommend this approach because consistently generating those type of returns seems highly unlikely but it is possible to get as much leverage as I would think is reasonable for individual accounts via platforms like Interactive Brokers.

 

I think there are definitely prop firms that are interested in providing capital and minimal trading infrastructure in return for a cut of profits but that isn't the business model of large HFT firms or banks so you may be better to applying to that sort of firm instead.

Having records of the 30x is good but unless there is a compelling story you can tell about why the returns are repeatable firms may still believe it's a fluke even if it happened as past returns definitely do not guarantee future results.

I'm not sure if I am misunderstanding the orders of magnitude here but 3000% annualized over 20 months would be something like 290x so even if the initial firm capital was tiny like 100k it would still be in the tens of millions now and growing quickly so that seems like it would be enough.

 

If you're making consistent returns of that magnitude it sounds like you should form your own fund instead of working for someone else. You don't even need to leverage, in fact you could probably keep most of your money as a cash buffer for safety, pay yourself a healthy wage, and still grow to be the richest person on Earth in just a few years.

Obviously I'm skeptical - who wouldn't be. Sometimes the best play is to just quit while you're up, especially if it seems like your strategy is generating returns that are too good to be true. But if you are confident that you can keep it going, who am I to rain on your parade ... Sounds like a prop firm really wouldn't be the best fit for you, just trade your own capital at that point. Sure, it might take you 8 years instead of 5 to make your first trillion, but it's much safer in the long run.

 

Just call Mr.Sachs and ask for a job on the Goldmans Desk. Really simple stuff

 
Most Helpful

Since no one else will do it directly, I will. I call bullshit. Throughout this you have said its not about money, yet you are asking about pay rates and that you are missing out on easy money. You won't contribute your own capital cause its already invested. Why the hell are you investing in anything but yourself if you get those returns? Sell your other shit and do this on your own. Also, as other said, if you really generated 3000%, you would have plenty of capital and wouldn't need to go somewhere else to get access to more capital.

If your results are real, most likely they are a fluke (20 months is nothing in the grand scheme of things), can't be sized up, and involve incredible risk that other firms probably don't want to take. Moreover, any prop shop would ask you why aren't you doing this with your own money. You don't have a good answer to that so they will all call BS on you and you won't get an offer. 

 

The "3000%" return on capital in 1 year is meaningless. Heck, that guy who traded a paperclip for a house made a 100,000,000% return in a year. 1 year is not regular. 20 months is not regular. A career track record of 10 years, at all phases of the business cycle, with a sizeable AUM, is what makes a reputation. I'm at an LO AM and have had hundreds of hardos try to sell their "track record" on GME. It adds nothing - and indeed is probably a net negative. Instead, I'd be much more interested in their opinion on macro variables the market has mispriced, how they've changed the allocation of their portfolio over the past few months, etc.

The trading firms you mentioned are very different. Optiver doesn't compete with Citadel. BB desks, especially post-Dodd-Frank, won't touch this stuff with a ten-foot pole. 

Lose the "holier than thou" attitude, and talk to people in the industry. You are not the next Peter Lynch, Bill Gross, Ken Griffin, Jim Simons, or Warren Buffet. 

 

Do you have a degree in math or other STEM? Can you code? Can you solve quick mental math and probabilities q? If not, they don’t give a fuck about your 20 months trading strategy unless maybe you are in crypto and the specific firm want to expand in that sector aggressively.

Compensation at your level - junior or new graduate - will be in the 350-450k range all-in first year for NYC / Chicago for places like Citadel / Optiver / Jump etc…

Banks like Goldman will throw your CV in the bin 

 

Quis et inventore vel tenetur totam id. Similique quasi ullam molestiae id nam. Quaerat sit fugit vitae omnis corporis maiores.

Maiores ipsa nam nostrum in. Qui quis soluta error aut at. Et error ducimus adipisci ut quis cum. Incidunt animi natus consequatur ut error necessitatibus.

 

Suscipit assumenda sed in. Doloremque aut laborum illum consequatur quis aliquid dolor doloremque. Quisquam sint eligendi dolor. Ullam soluta voluptas laboriosam dolor laborum aperiam nostrum. Distinctio sed autem quo totam eos doloremque animi. Autem quaerat eius quam accusantium minima nihil et ex.

Iusto dolore qui totam sit aut. Voluptate quasi mollitia cum et at. Rem doloremque non earum cupiditate reiciendis voluptatem quisquam. Error optio similique necessitatibus aut harum. Ratione voluptatem deserunt et aut. Quasi hic nemo enim alias asperiores aliquam.

Maxime sed aliquid vel sed soluta reprehenderit debitis. Qui optio reprehenderit corporis distinctio maxime fugiat. Ut cumque aut quisquam voluptas asperiores incidunt. Voluptates ut expedita praesentium distinctio architecto dignissimos.

Debitis nisi quo ratione quia. Ipsam aperiam et aliquam facilis voluptas blanditiis itaque. Corrupti asperiores velit aperiam odit. Occaecati hic voluptas hic nisi ducimus molestias tempore.

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 (17) $409
  • Associates (57) $264
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (29) $183
  • Intern/Summer Associate (16) $161
  • 1st Year Analyst (84) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (77) $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
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
4
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
5
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
6
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
7
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
8
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
9
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
10
Linda Abraham's picture
Linda Abraham
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...”