How a typical day of Wall Street investment banker looks like?

Preeti Taneja

Entrepreneur | Posted on 17-Jun-2018

The routine of a Wall Street investment banker generally varies from companies to companies. Like, for example, the analysts and associates of JP Morgan, expectedly, are more stressed out comparing to some new and small investment banks. So, we cannot categorize all these professionals on the same plate. They all have their distinct set of works and timetable.

But to put it broadly, here’s how a typical day of Wall Street Investment banker looks like:

• A regular start at 7:00/ 7:15 am . They get up early. Eat, exercise and then set out for the office. Given such companies are located in metropolitan cities, they have to give some time for transportation.

• The first half of the day includes answering emails, making calls and holding simple meetings with the associates. This part of the day is much more scheduled and organized. They read reports from the prior day.

• After lunch, they check the models and presentations from the team of analysts. They review the documents, make necessary recommendations and then send back the file to the team. Again, this process is much methodical.

• Following, they spend their time till dinner on “live deal”—the projects they are currently working on. Different individuals and teams are assigned different projects. They manage IPO and Merger & Acquisition deals. They talk to different parties involve and ensure the deal is progressing.

• After dinner, the Wall Street investment banker reviews the morning work and write comments and recommendations for the associates. The stress of this process can vary.

• The seniors can take an early day at 10:00 pm. The professionals at the low-level would have to continue working till late 1:00 am. They work on the comments they got from the senior. They also have to make proper preparation for the next day, so that the senior come and check the pitchbook.

• Late at night, after everything is done and dusted for the day, a junior-level investment banker reaches home at about 2:00 am.

This is how the typical day of a Wall Street investment banker looks. Needless to say, it’s extremely hectic. Also, again, note that not all of them have the same kind of day. It really depends on the kind of company they are working in.