Breaking Into Finance

Last episode we teed up the topic of exit opportunities and the types of careers paths available to finance professionals. Today we're excited to be joined by Paul Barnhurst AKA The FP&A Guy, host of FP&A Today and Financial Modeler's Corner. Financial Planning & Analysis ("FP&A") drives the strategic finance function at corporates and is an increasingly popular next step for ex-bankers. Paul is a thought leader in the space who helps break down the FP&A role, the skills you need to be successful, and his thoughts on the future of financial modeling.

You can learn more about Paul's thought leadership here: https://www.thefpandaguy.com/

Those who follow us on social media will know that last week I was fortunate enough to be invited to Middlebury College for a guest lecture series on a variety of topics that are highly relevant for our listeners. On today's episode, I wanted to share the top 5 most frequent questions I got asked and give some quick thoughts on how I answered each.

On this episode we're sharing a conversation that Craig had with Gurjeet, a current Sophomore at Princeton University, where we discuss some strategies for preparing for investment banking and investing interviews. We also spend a lot of time talking about startups and entrepreneurship, and the pros/cons of trying to startup a business as an undergrad vs. pursuing finance or consulting. Even on this podcast I will readily admit that investment banking isn't the best answer for everyone! Hopefully this gives listeners some context on whether it's right for them

On this episode I sit down with Chandler Dula, a recent graduate of Williams College, to talk about the strategies he used to gain three high-profile finance internships - including a rare Sophomore M&A investment banking internship! We also discuss his decision to help start the Margins Finance Club at Williams, a fun story about "bid day" from his junior internship and how to plan for the logistical realities of finding NYC summer housing.

On this episode Craig breaks down how private equity firms make money and the most common elements of valuation creation that private equity-owned companies can generate to produce a profit for their PE ownership.

We're back with another strong mock interview! Joel is a student at Vienna University student at Vienna University (Austria) recruiting for investment banking after management consulting and photography internships.

If you are interested in schedule a mock interview, email me at [email protected] with a short note and a copy of your resume.

Our first mock interview episode! Alexandra is a student at UPenn recruiting for investment banking and private equity roles after interning in private credit at a blue chip firm.

If you are interested in schedule a mock interview, email me at [email protected] with a short note and a copy of your resume.

This episode is all about cold outreach. Who to target, what to say, how to say it, when to follow up and why overlapping affinity groups can be so powerful when it comes to effective out-of-market interviews. We use a specific example of a cold email I sent to illustrate best practices for cold outreach.

On this episode we're talking about growth equity investing with Mike Hinckley, Founder of Growth Equity Interview Guide and former investor and operator at AirBnB, General Atlantic and Deutsche Bank. We touch a number of topics including recruiting for that 2nd job after getting the Analyst job, the growth equity space, and how growth equity investors think about valuation. We also get the untold story of how Mike made his way to General Atlantic and some tips about working with recruiters.

Blaise, Olivia and Craig discuss the role of the Fed, and both the "how" and "why" central banks do what they do. We also talk about the biggest cause of the 2022 bear market, and the implications of what central bank policy decisions mean for Wall Street and valuations.