4 years of experience (1 Commercial Banking, 3 ER), facing decision:
A. Remain Sell Side Equity at Current Shop ($185k, remain pigeon holed) B. Fixed Income Analyst at Major Insurance Co ($160k, better hours, broader exits potentially)
Thoughts? All appreciated.
| +183 | Evercore > Goldman and I don’t think it’s particularly close anymore | 65 | 6h |
| +157 | Article: Why UBS's Asian M&A bankers are thriving and UBS's American M&A bankers are not | 17 | 1d |
| +87 | UBS Offer Day | 30 | 1d |
| +86 | Santander IB? | 10 | 3d |
| +71 | I hate Wells Fargo | 19 | 1d |
| +67 | Think Twice before Recruiting for HOUSTON IB!! | 36 | 1h |
| +51 | No return offer - feeling like a failure is an understatement | 20 | 19h |
| +49 | How cooked am I as an incoming WF IB SA 2027? | 17 | 21h |
| +46 | WF Return offers | 28 | 2d |
| +40 | 2026 Investment Banking Return Offer Climate | 25 | 1d |
Career Resources
Get instant access to lessons taught by experienced private equity pros and bulge bracket investment bankers including financial statement modeling, DCF, M&A, LBO, Comps and Excel Modeling.
Sell side ER getting slammed by regulation, stock pickers being crowded out by ETFs, buyside generally has better compensation upside than sell side... I'd take the buy side opportunity and run. I don't really see any advantages to staying on the sell side other than immediate comp or waiting to get on the buyside in equities, even then Fixed Income is more stable as passives aren't destroying their business.
p.s. Insurance companies are also very stable jobs that rarely have turnover, so there's that as well. Although comp upside would be better at a traditional buyside fund (mutual, hedge, etc.). Of course you can make that exit from the insurance job.
Would add that the buy-side insurance opportunity is investing in a broader, more global industry. Would be more inclined to seek out long only or private equity jobs in that space rather than the current industry I cover.
Really, biggest negative is immediate comp, and of course, any new job is an unknown vs. very comfortable current position.
Appreciate everyone's thoughts.
Ea doloremque consequatur quasi eum. Eos et quas illum sed eaque recusandae quam. Dicta sit nihil pariatur magni qui voluptas eum consequuntur.
Reiciendis aliquam minus officiis dolore. Dicta non laboriosam sint molestiae officiis ut. Consequatur tempora officia voluptas aut.
See All Comments - 100% Free
WSO depends on everyone being able to pitch in when they know something. Unlock with your email and get bonus: 6 financial modeling lessons free ($199 value)
or Unlock with your social account...