The Wall Street Skinny

Send us Fan Mail What is fixed income investing, how does it work, and what is the landscape like on the buy-side?  We are proud to present one of our most exciting and high profile interviews EVER with Brian Weinstein, head of Fixed Income at Morgan Stanley Investment Management (MSIM).  We discuss the current market environment, credit products, economic policy & inflation, and we ask the tough...

Send us Fan Mail Welcome back to the Wall Street Skinny with Kristen and Jen!  To kick off today's episode, we answer listener questions about:Ownership and EPS (earnings per share) dilution when analyzing companies using the Treasury Stock Method in corporate finance.  We unpack the concept of a relative value trade, specifically a high yield vs. investment grade trade in the credit derivatives m...

Send us Fan Mail Wall Street's analytics and technology are evolving at a record pace.  What are the roles of quantitative models, and AI in the financial services industry today?  What does it mean to be a "quant", what is a "quant fund", and what quantitative skills are required for someone starting their career on Wall Street today?  Will AI and algorithms help us become smarter, or send the be...

Send us Fan Mail What is best kept secret for understanding market dynamics and being good in investment banking?  You must understand: WHO are the firm’s clients and WHY they need you?  We arm you with the intel to ace any banking interview — either on the IBD corporate advisory side, or on the Sales, Trading, and Research side of the bank — by explaining a select few clients’ motivating factors....

Send us Fan Mail We tackle these listener questions and more in our latest Q&A episode!  1. What is the difference is between prop trading and the trading you hear about in the sales & trading division of an investment bank?  And how does a prop shop differ from a hedge fund?2. When running a DCF and choosing your beta for CAPM, when do you use the industry average beta vs. when do you use the com...

Send us Fan Mail When you hear talking heads yelling at you or see a crazy meme on the internet telling to buy or sell a stock, how do you know if they are right or wrong?  Today we sit down with Anish Mitra, host of the hilarious podcast Laughing Stocks to discuss his journey through FIG Banking, investing in Goldman Sachs' reinsurance group (now Global Atlantic, part of KKR), and talent developm...

Send us Fan Mail Two of the most high profile exit opportunities from the sell side are Private Equity and Hedge Funds.  In today's uber-competitive environment, recruiting for some of these exits starts BEFORE you've even begun your career on the sell side.  We discuss why these jobs are so competitive and attractive to many young people entering world of finance.  What really is the difference b...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, we are joined by Susie Lee Korb, Head of finance at Chord Commerce. Susie leveraged a successful career of over a decade on Wall Street to catapult herself into a senior role in the tech startup world.  We discuss various elements of finance at a startup, such as the role of seed & venture capital, venture DEBT, the lifecycle of taking a company from genesis to IP...

Send us Fan Mail How do you level up in your career --- or even just not get fired when sh*t hits the fan?!?  We sit down with CEO and career coach Helen Dayen to understand the psychology, mindset, skills, and creativity required to advance in the financial services industry and beyond.  Helen also shares her own  stories from the cutthroat environment on the trading floor, "The Devil Wears Prada...

Send us Fan Mail Answering questions we've received from listeners via Instagram, TikTok and email!  This week's topics include: 1. Can you explain the different indices?  SPX, FTSE, DAX, NASDAQ, Barclays AGG…as an investor, why would you look at indices?  What do they mean/represent, and why do we have them? 2. I’m building my first model, and trying to figure out how to connect the Income Statem...

Send us Fan Mail Today we are joined by Steve Haggerty, the former Head of Research in both New York and Hong Kong at Bank of America Merrill Lynch before making the move to the Buy-Side, to answer all your questions about Equity Research including: What is Equity Research? What does a day in the life look like? What is the difference between Buy-Side and Sell-Side Research? How does the skill set...

Send us Fan Mail The global financial markets and the news are inextricably linked. News stories move the financial markets, and the financial markets make the news. Today we sit down with Mosheh Oinounou of Mo News, an Emmy-award winning  journalist who has worked at Bloomberg, CBS, and FOX News in the past.  Mosheh has now created his own news service primarily distributed across social media pl...

Send us Fan Mail We explore the hot topics of private equity, venture capital, mergers & acquisitions, hostile LBOs, and MORE through the lens of one of our favorite shows: Succession.  Think "dual class stock shares" sound boring?  Think again!  We break down the key corporate finance plot points (note:  spoilers included but minimized, especially regarding the season 1 finale) driving the drama...

Send us Fan Mail Congrats on landing your summer internship....Now what??  We walk through every aspect of the internship experience --- from getting coffee to getting the coveted full time offer.  We talk about housing, training, desk assignments, the importance of networking, etiquette, and typical projects across various divisions.  We discuss how to prove your worth, how to land a full time of...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, we explore the world of hedge funds with Paul Podolsky, who spent 16 years at Bridgewater (the world's largest hedge fund) before launching a writing, publishing, and podcasting career.  We ask: how did hedge funds evolve, and how are they different from traditional asset managers?  What are the different types of hedge funds?  How do they raise and deploy capital...

Send us Fan Mail Answering questions we've received from listeners via email and Instagram!  This week's topics include: how to choose the right valuation method?  How to prepare for an investment banking interview?  What is the difference between IRR, CAGR, and ROI?  ...and more!!  This is our first of many future Q&A episodes to come.  To have your question featured on our next Q&A episode, plea...

Send us Fan Mail We share our unfiltered personal stories from the front lines of the 2008 financial crisis.  Maybe you've read the headlines: banks going under (SVB, First Republic), UBS acquiring Credit Suisse, offers being rescinded, and worry about what will happen if you’re starting your career during a financial crisis.  They say past is prologue so  we share what it was like being on the tr...

Send us Fan Mail It's been a pretty wild spring in 2023.  Since March of this year, we've seen Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) collapse, Signature Bank shut down, Credit Suisse get acquired by UBS, and --- most recently --- First Republic get acquired by JPMorgan. But the turmoil in the banking sector is likely not over just yet. In this episode, we explore the economic circumstances driving current eve...

Send us Fan Mail We tackle our most-asked listener question: how do I ace the interview for a job in finance?  Listen to learn key technical skills you'll need in your toolkit and pick up tips for mastering the conversation.  We touch on do's (and don'ts!) for interviews in IBD and Sales & Trading, and cover variations on the theme for hedge funds, private equity, and other opportunities.   Shop o...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode we tackle the Sales & Trading division of an Investment Bank, the high profile, fast-paced, markets-based, client-facing arm of a firm.  This is where billions and billions of dollars change hands every single day, and fortunes can be made or lost before most people have their morning coffee.  We follow the journey of an investment idea from conception to execution...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, we delve into one of life's greatest mysteries:  where do bonds come from??  We take a brief detour through the capital markets group and walk through an example of corporate bond origination.  We also discuss the lifestyle and exit opportunities associated with the Capital Markets division of an investment bank Shop our Self Paced Courses: Investment Banking & Pr...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, we explore the investment banking division (IBD) through the lens of one specific merger, discuss different groups within the division, and share insights for those interested in a career in IBD.  This episode is dedicated in loving memory of Jennifer Moe, a former colleague and beloved friend.   Shop our Self Paced Courses: Investment Banking & Private Equity Fun...

Send us Fan Mail What are the secrets for success in investment banking and sales and trading? In today's episode we discuss talents and character traits that may set you up for success on Wall Street, explain the two main divisions of the investment bank in greater detail, and describe a day in the life of a first year analyst in both divisions.    Shop our Self Paced Courses: Investment Banking...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, we answer the question:  "What is an Investment Bank?".  We also explore the reasons why someone might want to pursue a career on Wall Street, and share some of our personal stories that led us into finance.   Shop our Self Paced Courses: Investment Banking & Private Equity Fundamentals HEREFixed Income Sales & Trading HERE Subscribe to our Substack: https://subst...

Send us Fan Mail Welcome to The Wall Street Skinny!  Our first episode is a brief introduction to explain our mission, share a little bit about ourselves, and invite you along on our quest to make the world of Wall Street accessible to EVERYONE. Shop our Self Paced Courses: Investment Banking & Private Equity Fundamentals HEREFixed Income Sales & Trading HERE Subscribe to our Substack: https://sub...