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Welcome back. This week we go deep on valuation, map the real path into investment banking, and line up the interview prep that actually moves the needle.
Grab a coffee. Here is everything worth reading, in order.
Big Reads
Valuation Methods, Explained
Start here. The five core ways to assess what a business is worth, from discounted cash flow and comparable companies to precedent transactions, asset-based, and sum of the parts. If you read one thing this week, make it this.
Master the Models
Discounted Cash Flow (DCF)
The intrinsic anchor. How to value a company from the present value of its future cash flows, built step by step with a full worked example.
Dividend Discount Model
For the steady payers. Value a stock from its expected dividends across the zero, constant, and variable growth variants. Ideal for mature, dividend-paying companies.
2 minutes. Your URL. A customer profile worth using.
Most founders can describe their product. They can't describe their customer. Not in a way that actually changes how they sell.
HubSpot for Startups built a free tool to fix that. Paste in your URL, answer a few quick questions, and it generates a structured profile of your best-fit customer. Firmographics, buying triggers, the works.
Takes 2 minutes. No spreadsheet required.
Breaking into Investment Banking
Investment Banking, Explained
The foundation. What investment banking really is, the types, how it works, and the skills the job demands. The map before the journey.
How to Get Into Investment Banking
The roadmap. A six-step route in, from recruitment and entry-level roles to the technical skills and networking that actually open doors.
Careers In Investment Banking
The ladder. How the path climbs from analyst to associate to VP to managing director, and what each role is truly responsible for.
Know Your Worth!
Base is only part of the story
What an Investment Banking Associate Actually Earns
The number. Base salary, bonus, and how total pay swings with firm size and city. The range is wider than most people guess.
Interview Prep
The questions are predictable. Prepare accordingly
28 Investment Banking Interview Questions
Test yourself. The technical and fit questions that actually come up, pulled from accounting, valuation, modeling, and deals, each with a clear answer.
Top 25 Valuation Interview Questions
Go deeper. The valuation-specific questions that separate strong candidates, with answers you can rehearse out loud.
Also Worth Reading
Regards,
Dheeraj Vaidya, CFA, FRM
Founder, WallStreetMojo
P.S. If you want this plus everything else we teach, our WallStreetMojo All-Access Membership includes the Financial Modeling and Valuation Course along with 50+ courses and certifications covering Investment Banking, Equity Research, AI, and more.