Category
Careers
Investment banking careers guides: analyst to MD pay, hours, exit opportunities, and what the IB job is really like, so you can plan your finance career path.
Before you commit two years to an analyst seat, it helps to know what the job actually pays, how the hours really run, and where the role leads. These guides break down the investment banking career path from analyst to managing director: base and bonus at each level, the day-to-day work, and the exit opportunities into private equity, hedge funds, corporate development, and beyond. The goal is a realistic picture: what the job rewards, what it costs, and how to decide whether the path fits before you recruit for it.
Most referenced in Careers
6 guides
Capital Markets vs Investment Banking: The Difference
Capital markets (ECM and DCM) raise capital, while M&A advisory sells deals. Compare the day-to-day, hours, pay, and exits before you pick a group.
May 2, 2026 · 10 min readCareersInvestment Banking Career Path: Roles and Timeline
The investment banking career path from analyst to MD: what each level does, promotion timelines, hours, and exit options into private equity and beyond.
May 1, 2026 · 11 min readCareersDay in the Life of an Investment Banking Analyst
A realistic day in the life of an investment banking analyst: the hours, the actual tasks (models, decks, admin), and how busy and slow weeks differ.
Apr 30, 2026 · 12 min readCareersConfidential Information Memorandum (CIM) Explained
What a confidential information memorandum (CIM) is in a sell-side M&A process, what's inside it, who writes it, and where it fits the deal timeline.
Apr 29, 2026 · 10 min readCareersPitchbook Investment Banking: Types and Sections
What a pitch book is in investment banking, the main types, the typical sections, and why analysts spend so much time building them in PowerPoint.
Apr 28, 2026 · 10 min readCareersInvestment Banking Analyst Salary: Base + Bonus
Investment banking analyst salary broken down by year: base, bonus, and total comp, plus how pay scales and differs across bulge bracket and boutiques.
Apr 26, 2026 · 12 min readFrequently asked questions
Where should I start with Careers?
Start with the most-referenced guides in the table above. Other guides cite them most, which makes them the load-bearing pages of this hub. Then follow the related links at the end of each article into the next question.
How do these guides connect to practice?
Guides matched to a drill carry it inside the article: quick local reps or one AI-graded answer before signup. The rest link the exact practice surface at the end, so you never need a second tab to start.
How current is this hub?
Every guide carries its publish date, and substantive updates add a second updated date. Hiring processes change by cycle, so check the dated employer sources at the foot of firm guides before treating a format detail as current.