Military to Wall Street

Thinking about what’s next after your time in the military?

Investment banking is an exciting and high-paying career field. Data from Mergers & Inquisitions shows that investment banking associates can earn total compensation that significantly exceeds that of a four-star General: https://mergersandinquisitions.com/investment-banker-salary/

Two groups of people that I consistently hear from senior bankers that do well in investment banking: 1) varsity athletes, and 2) military veterans.

Veterans have skills that investment banks want.

There are guides written on breaking into investment banking, in general.

There are guides on getting out of the military and getting some kind of job, in general.

But, there aren’t many resources on getting out of the military and into investment banking.

Why should you care?

Being a military veteran shows that you have skillsets that investment banks value. This guide will help you convey your military experiences into Wall Street friendly terms, prepare for interviews, and ultimately get a high-paying investment banking job.

Why should you buy my guide?

I’ve been on both sides of the fence. I joined the US Army later on in life, at age 29, through Officer Candidate School. This was after I worked in various finance roles and became a CFA Charterholder. Some of you may have come to my content from my YouTube videos on how I passed all of the CFA Program exams.

I wrote this guide because this is the guide that I wish that I had when I was going through the investment banking recruiting process—and, the guide that I wish I had when I was going through the MBA application process, which can be an initial transition step (I talk about the pros and cons of grad school in this book).

I saw too many guides that got into the weeds instead of the fundamentals.

There will be mock interview questions, but this will not be one of those guides with thousands of mock interview questions, and that is intentional. I will cover some important interview questions that you need to know—but realize that for all the guides out there that advertise hundreds of practice questions, the banks have these guides too, and can and will ask questions that are not on the guide. My goal is for you to understand the questions, not just rote memorize answers only to be thrown a curveball during an actual interview.

Additionally - while the guide was intended for military veterans thinking about what's next, the networking and interview prep in this guide will also be useful for civilians seeking to get into investment banking.

For less than the cost of dinner and drinks on a Friday night, this guide will cover:

• What is investment banking? I talk about how the financial services industry works.
• Why should veterans consider investment banking?
• Framing your military experience for employers
• Considerations for getting out in 4 years versus getting out in 8 years (or later)
• How the investment banking rank and team structure works
• MSF, MBA, or should you pursue one of those “hire veterans” type of internships that you may have seen some banks offer
• Navigating the grad school application process
• Starting the investment banking recruiting process: info sessions, coffee chats, and networking
• Key items to follow in the markets to prep for interviews
• Finance jargon to understand
• Common interview questions and interview strategy
• Tips for success on the job or at the internship

All opinions are my own and not that of my employer or the Department of Defense.