Why do investment bankers work so long?
Investment banking hours are much longer than those in other jobs because of four main reasons: Huge Clients Pay Your Bank Huge Fees: When a company is paying your bank $50 million, $10 million, or even $1 million to advise on a deal, you have to do whatever it wants at any time of the day.
Why Are Investment Banking Hours so Poor? Investment banks sell a service: Investment banking clients pay tens of millions in service fees to be served what they want when they want it. This means someone at the firm (usually an analyst) will need to be on-call for most days and late nights.
| Position Title | Typical Age Range | Timeframe for Promotion |
|---|---|---|
| Analyst | 22-27 | 2-3 years |
| Associate | 25-35 | 3-4 years |
| Vice President (VP) | 28-40 | 3-4 years |
| Director / Senior Vice President (SVP) | 32-45 | 2-3 years |
Investment Bankers travel to manage the client relationship face to face. You travel to a potential new client for a pitch meeting to build trust. Traveling also ramps up during due diligence, where Investment Bankers coordinate management meetings and site visits with the potential investors.
Some generic themes to draw on for your answer to “Why Investment Banking” could include: Fast-paced environment. Exposure to high profile transactions. Surround myself with intelligent and motivated people.
Have you ever heard of Goldman Sachs' 15-minute rule at Goldman Sachs? It means you have to respond to an email in 15 minutes or less no matter what. It doesn't matter if you: - showering - hiking in the mountains - attending your son's wedding - saving someone from a drowning vehicle Unreasonable?
Distribution of Hours Worked
Below is how I would generally chart out my experience in investment banking. I think the median of my hours worked was around 70 hours per week. The vast majority of my weeks were spent in that 60 to 80 hour range.
Age plays a huge factor in the decision-making process. Wall Street is an up-and-out industry. Unless the goal is senior management, most people in finance are out of there by age 50. That's not at just the biggest investment banks, either.
The average age of investment bankers is 40+ years years old, representing 58% of the investment banker population.
The world's biggest banks reportedly slashed more than 60,000 jobs in 2023. It was a year in which investment banks suffered their second year in a row of declining fees amid a downturn in dealmaking and companies going public, the Financial Times (FT) reported Monday (Dec.
Do investment bankers have a good life?
In the high-stakes and fast-paced world of finance, the work-life balance of Investment Bankers often teeters on a fine line. Known for their grueling hours and the high-pressure environment of financial markets, Investment Bankers are frequently at the mercy of market fluctuations and client demands.
Investment banking is a demanding and competitive field that can take a toll on your physical and mental health. Long hours, high pressure, and tight deadlines can cause stress, burnout, and anxiety. However, there are ways to cope with these challenges and maintain a healthy work-life balance.
Bankers, generally speaking, are not sleeping well. Across all respondents to our survey, people working in finance got an average of 6.72 hours of sleep a night.
Investment bankers are financial advisors to corporations and, in some cases, to governments. They help their clients raise money. That may mean issuing stock shares, floating a bond issue, negotiating the acquisition of a rival company, or arranging the sale of the company itself.
Answer for “Where do you see yourself in 5 years?” “In five years, I see myself as an integral part of the company who has helped contribute to the growth and success of the organization. I would like to continue developing my skills and knowledge in order to be able to take on more responsibility within the company.
- Research the firm.
- Prepare your pitch.
- Ask smart questions.
- Follow up and stay in touch.
- Showcase your skills and personality. Be the first to add your personal experience.
- Be yourself and be enthusiastic.
- Here's what else to consider.
Working at Goldman Sachs can be difficult and stressful, especially in roles that require long hours and intense workloads.
Companies Considered Too Big to Fail
Bank of America Corp. The Bank of New York Mellon Corp. Citigroup Inc. The Goldman Sachs Group Inc.
Under the new policy, more than 1,400 senior bankers will no longer have a cap on their time off, while Junior employees will get two extra days off. However, according to the Bank, all employees will be expected to take a minimum of 15 days a year beginning in 2023.
The short version here is: Yes, investment banking hours, especially in your first year or two, are always bad (think: 70-80 hours in the office per week). But junior bankers also tend to exaggerate their hours, often by not subtracting downtime or breaks during the day.
Do investment bankers get a day off?
Investment bankers get between 10 to 20 vacation days per year. This is about the same as the national average for all professions in the United States.
Investment banking analysts generally work 80-110 hour workweeks – expect to have very little free time outside of the office, especially during the first year on the job.
Retiring at age 40 is entirely feasible if you have accumulated $5 million by that age. If the long-term future is much like the long-term past, you will be able to withdraw $200,000 the first year for living expenses and adjust that number up for inflation every year more or less forever without running out of money.
Ways to make a lot of money in this world
Sure, anybody can make a good living being a doctor or a lawyer or an investment banker where you can make ~$200-500K per year a few years after you finish with your studies, but you hit a ceiling very quickly unless you start your own practice (aka start your own business).
Even this can be tough if you're post-30, according to the M&A headhunter we spoke to (most banks focus MBA hiring on their M&A and capital markets divisions). "You do get some first-year associates who are aged 32+, but it's very rare," he says.
