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.
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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.
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Breaking Down Corporate Finance
Medium
8 Fundamentals of Corporate Finance
Introduction to Corporate Finance (Layman's terms)
Youtube
Introduction to Corporate Finance
Career Examples:
Financial Analyst, Corporate Financial Planning and Analysis at Google
Corporate Finance at Goldman Sachs
Corporate Finance and Strategy at Stripe
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Breaking Down 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
Medium
Youtube
Investment Banking Analyst - What I LITERALLY Do
Career Examples:
Investment Banking Analyst at J.P. Morgan (Bulge Bracket)
Investment Banking Analyst at Lazard (Boutique)
Investment Banking Analyst at UBS (Foreign Bulge Bracket)
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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
Medium
How To Build Your Impact Investing Strategy | by StartingUpGood | StartingUpGood
Youtube
Introduction:
Three Things: What Is Impact Investing?
Impact Investing is Catching Fire: Here’s What You Need to Know | Forbes
What Is the Difference between SRI, ESG, and Impact Investing?
How Firms Think:
$1 Billion Impact Investor Explains How She Makes Money While Making The World A Better Place
Impact Investing: Making Money More | Gino Borges | TEDxUniversityofNevada
What Work Looks Like:
Applying Financial Analysis to Impact Investing
ESG and Impact Investing in Private Equity and beyond | London Business School
Career in Impact Investing Webinar - MIT Social Entrepreneurship Alumni Group (SEAG) Webinar
Career Examples:
Analyst at Vital Capital Fund
Analyst at Triodos Investment Management
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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 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.
Medium
Introduction:
Generation Investment Management – Medium
Investment Management And Factors | by Farhad Malik | FinTechExplained
What Is The Difference Between Asset Management And Investment Management?
Private Equity:
Designing for Value in Private Equity | by Method | Method Perspectives
Simplifying Private Equity: What it means and how does it work?
Hedge Fund: An Introduction to Hedge Funds. What is a Hedge Fund? | by Naveen Vimalathas | Banking at Michigan
How to start a Hedge Fund?. Some of the best hedge funds and start…
The Story of a Hedge Fund Startup, and Why You Should Care
Hedge Fund Secrets. This article first appeared in Price… | by Michael Harris | Medium
Mutual Funds: 10 Basics First-time Mutual Fund Investors Need To Know
MUTUAL FUNDS (PART 1) || INVESTMENTS 101 | by FINMINATI
Wealth Management: The most insightful stories about Wealth Management – Medium
Asset Management 3.0 — A brave new wealth | by Theresa Bottger | Coinmonks
Current and Upcoming Trends in Wealth Management | by Atul Makharia
Youtube
Introduction:
What is Investment Management?
Killik Explains: What do Investment Managers and Wealth Planners do?
Considerations: Considering a Career in Investment Management?
Best practices: Investments management 101, understanding investments management basics and best practices
Career Overview:
5 Investment Jobs Explained (and what they pay)
Wealth Management:
How to Get a Job in Wealth Management / How much can you make in Wealth Management?
The Truth about Wealth Management | Should you Become a Wealth Manager in 2020?
Hedgefund:
How I got a JOB at a HEDGE FUND at 20 years old?! Tips + Advice
Should You Work For A Hedge Fund? | How To Get Into The Hedge Fund Industry
A Day In The Life Of A Hedge Fund Analyst
A Day in the Life of a Fund Manager
Private Equity:
Private Equity: Industry Overview and Careers in Private Equity
Private Equity Interview Questions and Answers
Should I go into Private Equity?
Private Equity Hours (60 - 70 Hour Work Weeks?)
Investment Banking vs Asset Management | Know the Top Differences!
Career Examples:
Equity Analyst at Capital Group (Mutual Fund)
Fixed Income Analyst at Fidelity (Mutual Fund)
Analyst at Bridgewater Associates (Hedge Fund)
Analyst at Audax Capital (Private Equity)
Analyst at Morgan Stanley Wealth Management (Wealth Management)
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Considering finance in the non-profit world? Check out our Microfinance resource page.
Medium
Microfinance 101 — An Introduction | by Chris Statham
Microfinance: What is it and How Does it Help? | by Katherine Li
Youtube
Microfinance 101 [PovertyCure Episode 2]
Introduction to Microfinance (Portfolios of the Poor)
What is MICROFINANCE? What does MICROFINANCE mean? MICROFINANCE meaning, definition & explanation
Career examples:
Relationship Associate at Grameen America
Technical Assistance program manager at Kiva
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- 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.
Williams
- Williams Finance Club
- Williams Insight
- Williams Margins
- Williams Women in Business
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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.
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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:
Wells Fargo:
Barclay's:
UBS:
JP Morgan:
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Winter Study Courses
Finance Trek, New York, NY
Women in Investing (WIN) Conference
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