Financial Services

Careers in the financial services industry are some of the most dynamic and challenging available. Williams students thrive in these roles by applying their critical thinking skills, adaptability, strong work ethic, and curiosity. With plenty of resources available to develop technical skills, interested students should embrace the finance recruiting process and know their value-add as a Williams student.

Opportunities in finance are vast, from corporate banking to private equity and everything in between.  If you’re considering investment banking it’s best to get an early start, the application process begins as much as a year in advance and junior year internships are extremely important.

• Websites and Online Courses

  What to Read: 

  • Investopedia
  • TheStreet.com
  • Bloomberg.com
  • Wall Street Journal
  • The Economist
  • Glass Door
  • Seeking Alpha
  • Barrons
  • Mergers and Inquisitions
  • Wall Street Oasis
  • Forbes

  Learn Excel:

  There are many online resources to learn about Excel modeling and/or expand your skillset.  Many are free, although some charge a nominal fee.

  • LinkedIn Learning - This a fantastic resource and it's FREE for Williams students through the OIT campus subscription.   Simply search for Excel in the topic box.
  • Udemy.com - Udemy has a free short course here.  They do charge a small fee for additional courses.
  • edX - Classes are taught by colleges and universities throughout the country in a similar price structure as Coursera.
  • Coursera - Classes are taught by colleges and universities throughout the country and priced at anywhere from $29 to $99. 
  • Microsoft Help Center - Not a full course, but mini-tutorials.

• Corporate Finance

  Breaking Down Corporate Finance

• Investment Banking

  The Basics

  Raising Capital & Security Underwriting. Banks are middlemen between a company that wants to issue new securities and the buying public.

  Mergers & Acquisitions. Banks advise buyers and sellers on business valuation, negotiation, pricing and structuring of transactions, as well as procedure and implementation.

  Sales & Trading and Equity Research. Banks match up buyers and sellers as well as buy and sell securities out of their own account to facilitate the trading of securities

  More Details: Breaking Down Investment Banking

• Impact Investing

  Breaking Down Impact Investing

  Good reading/newsletters:

  • Impact Alpha
  • Bloomberg's Good Business section
  • Cathy Clark's #OnImpact digest
  • Morgan Stanley's Institute for Sustainable Investing
  • Global Impact Investing Network (GIIN) Knowledge Center
  • Anything from the Generation Foundation
  • Stanford Social Innovation Review's Impact Investing section

  Job/Internship Boards:

  • GIIN Career Center
  • US SIF Job Search
  • Net Impact Jobs and Internships Board
  • Blended Profit Job Boards

• Investment Management

  Investment Management is the managing the assets (cash, investments etc.) on behalf of clients. An asset management firm has dedicated portfolio managers as well as access to internal, detailed equity research reports which should give it an edge over investors controlling their own money. Private Equity Funds, Hedge Funds and Mutual Funds are different types of investment management firms. 

  Breaking Down Private Equity

  Breaking Down Hedge Funds

  Breaking Down Wealth Management 

  What to Read

  • Buffet (Shareholder letters, Lowenstein’s book, Cunningham)
  • Graham (“Intelligent Investor”, Greenwald’s book)
  • Greenblatt (“Stock Market Genius”, “Little Book”)
  • Bogle (“Common Sense on Mutual Funds”)
  • Fisher (“Common Stocks, Uncommon Profits”)
  • Klarman (“Margin of Safety”)
  • Lynch (“One Up on Wall Street,” “Beating the Street”)
  • Barron's, Forbes, Wall Street Journal, etc.

   

• Microfinance

  Considering finance in the non-profit world?  Check out our Microfinance resource page.

• Professional Associations
  • American Finance Association
  • American Association of Finance & Accounting
  • New York Society of Security Analysts
  • Association for Financial Professionals
  • Financial Management Association International
  • Ellevate - Started by a group of former Goldman Sachs female professionals, this is a fabulous networking organization for women interested in finance and business.

• Programs of Interest

  Diversity Programs

  • InRoads - Places qualified minority college students in two-four year internships with corporate sponsors in business and industry.
  • Management Leadership for Tomorrow (MLT) - Equips African Americans, Latinos and Native Americans with the skills, coaching, and connections they need to lead organizations and communities worldwide.
  • Sponsors for Educational Opportunity (SEO) - A premier summer internship program for college students of color, with internships in accounting, asset management, corporate law. global financial leadership, investment banking and management consulting, and philanthropy.
  • Girls Who Invest (GWI) - A unique opportunity comprised of a four-week educational experience at either the University of Pennsylvania or University of Notre Dame, learning core finance and investment concepts from top professors and building relationships with industry leaders, all with free tuition, room, and board on-campus. The other component of the program is a six-week paid internship - secured by Girls Who Invest - at a leading asset management firm around the world.
  • Starting Bloc - Partnering with top business schools, Starting Bloc is a non-profit that provides training in socially responsible entrepreneurship and business practices. Fellows attend four weekend-long training sessions in Boston, New York or London.

  Summer Business Programs

  • Harvard HBX CORe: The Language of Business
  • Tuck Bridge Program
  • Stanford Summer Institute for General Management
  • University of Chicago Booth School Summer Business Scholars Program
  • Berkeley Haas School BASE Summer Program
  • University of Virginia McIntire Business Institute
  • Vanderbilt Accelerator Summer Business Institute

  Post-Grad Graduate Study in Business for Liberal Arts Students (Typically 10 month - 1-year programs)

  • Wake Forest Masters in Management
  • Duke Fuqua Master of Management Studies: Foundations of Business (MMS:FOB)
  • University of Virginia's Master of Science in Commerce
  • Babson Master of Science in Entrepreneurial Leadership
  • The Catholic University of America Masters in Business Analysis
  • St. John's University Master of Science in Risk Management and Insurance or Master of Science in Enterprise Risk Management

   CFA Program

  • The Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) Program is a professional credential administered by the American-based CFA Institute to investment and financial professionals.  In order to obtain it, a candidate must pass three, six-hour exams, have earned a university degree (or equivalent) and must have four years of qualified, professional work experience.  You may register for the Level I exam if you are in your final year of your bachelor’s degree program, but you must have earned your degree before registering for the Level II exam.

• Opportunities for First Years & Sophomores

  The biggest advantage you can give yourself if starting early. Freshman and Sophomore year is a great time to explore different organizations, industries, and people.  When considering internship options for summers after your first and second-year, think broadly and consider opportunities in commercial banking, venture capital, private equity, wealth management, asset management, and more.  Here are some examples, more can be found in Handshake.

  Goldman Sachs:

  • First-Year Spring Program, Undergraduate Camps, Women's Leadership Camp, Pride Summit, Veterans Career Camp

  Morgan Stanley:

  • Early Insights Program, Career Discovery Day, Sales and Trading Enrichment Program

  Wells Fargo:

  • Sophomore Leaders Conference & Summer Program

  Barclay's:

  • STEM Program for Freshmen

  UBS:

  • Sophomore Diversity Program - Corporate Client Solutions (CCS)

  JP Morgan:

  • Early Internship Opportunities

• Immersion Programs & Student Organizations

  Winter Study Courses
  Finance Trek, New York, NY (January 2019)
  Women in Investing (WIN) Conference (Fall 2019)