Breaking into top finance roles means embarking on one of the most intense and potentially rewarding career paths. Long hours, steep learning curves, and high-stakes deliverables will test even the most driven junior analyst or associate. But with the right playbook, you can not only survive but also build lasting momentum.

A crucial tool of the trade, PowerPoint is the powerhouse for your slide decks for every dealmaker in finance. It's used to create expensive, high-stakes, storytelling, marketing materials to sell a business or raise capital. However, PowerPoint can quickly become a huge time-drain, especially for juniors, with seemingly minor issues such as alignment, colour compatibility or endless iterations to improve slides...

HSBC fired investment bankers on the day they were due to learn their bonus figures and gave no bonuses to many it let go, in a sign of how the bank is taking a more ruthless approach to costs under new chief executive Georges Elhedery.

In the finance world, Excel is where the technical work gets done, and keyboard shortcuts are your cheat codes. Few things are more frustrating than spending hours in Excel, clicking through menus with your mouse, only to see a colleague complete the same work in half the time, blazing through with multiple tips and tricks.

Sooner or later in their lives and careers, individuals pursuing further educational opportunities go through a decision-making process whether such move is worth their while and if so, which institution to select. Motivations behind the choice to continue studying vary, spanning from advancing existing knowledge in a certain field, gaining a new skill or simply buying a ticket into the networking opportunities a prestigious institution would potentially offer via its alumni.

Working within the FIG team at an investment bank will be a unique experience compared to that of the other teams. This article will address some of the features unique to the sector and hopefully help in assessing whether FIG is for you.

Whether to stay in Investment Banking or attempt a move to potentially greener pastures in Private Equity is an important question that will cross the mind of most young bankers. Both career paths are very well paid and will offer fantastic experiences both personally and professionally.

M&A advisory is the business of buying and selling businesses. It connects ambitious buyers with willing sellers, whether advising entrepreneurs on the sale of their company or guiding private equity (‘PE’) firms through complex acquisitions and mergers. It is a game of high-stakes matchmaking powered by strategy, negotiation, analysis and deal execution.

Excel, often called the backbone of finance, is a tool no professional in investment banking, private equity, or corporate finance can afford to overlook. Mastering Excel is not just about technical skills but about creating purpose-built, clear, credible, and efficient spreadsheets that people trust. This trust, when consistently earned, can significantly enhance your professional reputation. In this article, we aim to share our hard-earned experience with you so you can benefit from it.

The following is a post sponsored by BreakInToPE.com, the premier coaching service in the UK and EU for aspiring PE professionals.