About the Mergers & Inquisitions Blog by Brian DeChesare (2024)

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Mergers & Inquisitions is the world’s first and largest blog dedicated to careers in the finance industry, with over 641expertly crafted articles, 533,084+ monthly visitors, and 115,341+ email subscribers.

After you sign up for free weekly updates, you’ll get interviews with industry insiders in investment banking, private equity, venture capital, hedge funds, sales & trading, and other fields, as well as career tips, commentary on news and current events, and case studies and modeling tutorials.

The site is backed byBreaking Into WallStreet for online training in interviews, networking, and financial modeling for career success; you can sign up for all our courses here or learn more about Breaking Into Wall Street here.

M&I was created byBrian DeChesare (bio below) in 2007 based on his experiences in investment banking, technology, and helping his friends revamp their resumes andmemorize obscure Excel functions.

About the Mergers & Inquisitions Blog by Brian DeChesare (3)

About Brian DeChesare

About the Mergers & Inquisitions Blog by Brian DeChesare (4)

About Brian DeChesare

Brian DeChesare is the Founder of and Breaking Into Wall Street. After becoming interested in technology in the late 1990s, he attended Stanford University and moved from New Jersey to California to pursue “The Dream” (a tech startup).

He majored in computer science, studied and worked in Japan, and then quit technology and decided to destroy the world by becoming an investment banker.

That plan came to end when he crashed his car into a tree while driving home from work at 4 AM (this waslong before Uber and Lyft). This life-changing accident convinced him toquit investment banking andteach other students and professionalshow to get in.

Since launching M&I and BIWS, he has traveled and lived all around the world, including in South Korea, Australia, Argentina, various other parts of Europe and Asia, and even small, quiet towns like New York.

You can also read or listen to a few interviews with Brian below:

Mixergy Interview – Brian DeChesare and BIWS

Forbes Profile – Brian DeChesare and BIWS

Strategy Chain Podcast – Brian DeChesare

He has also spoken at leading universities and business schools, such as Harvard, NYU Stern, Peking University, Stanford, the University of Maryland, the University of Virginia, the University of Pennsylvania – The Wharton School, and Yale.

You can follow him on:

About Mergers & Inquisitions

Maybe the market is terrible, and banks have slashed their hiring.

Or maybe the market is better, and hiring is up – but there’s also more competition, and it’s harder than ever to stand out.

But no matter what the market is doing, what’s stopping you from getting in and advancing on the job?

Context.

Context – knowing what it’s like to breakinto the industry and workthere – separates those whothrive from those who merelysurvive.

Existing resources miss the mark because they’re not written by industry insiders and because they don’t give candid advice on what to do and what not to do.

Or, even worse, they “seem” authoritative at first… until you realize that a high-school or university student with no real experience wrote them.

Mergers & Inquisitions will help you to:

  • Learn what people in finance do from insiders who have worked in the industry - whether you're interested in investment banking, private equity, hedge funds, equity research, corporate finance, private banking, sales & trading, or something else altogether.

  • Network your way in, craft a winning resume, and interview like a pro to land 6-figure+ job offers - without killing yourself or making embarrassing mistakes along the way.

  • Maintain your sanity, avoid layoffs, and get promoted more quickly.

  • Learn financial modeling via our comprehensive online courses (quizzes and certifications included), plus our free modeling tutorials and YouTube videos.

  • Get 1-on-1 help with your resume/CV, networking/interview prep, and other career questions via our resume editing and coaching services.

  • Entertain yourself with our exclusive web series, Cost of Capital.

All you need to do is takeactionbased on what you learn here.

What Finance is Really About, and How You Can Break In

Finance is all about numbers, Excel, and rocket-science math, right?

To some extent, it is – especially in fields like quant hedge funds where in-depth analysis and programming skills areessential.

But it is also a social industry where your success depends on convincing people thatyou’re smart, you can do the work, and you’re likable.

In other words, breaking into investment banking is about persuading people to know, like, and trust you, whether that’s in your conversations with them, in your applications, in your interviews, or on the job.

Mergers & Inquisitions teaches you how to do that through detailed how-to articles, case studies, interviews, and questions & answers from readers.

Get Free Update

Contributors & Editors

Our team consists of writers, editors, coaches, and other staff who assist with content creation, customer support, and administrative and marketingduties.

You can read about everyonebelow:

Nicole Lee

Nicole has been serving as an Executive Career & Networking Coach for senior professionals in investment banking, asset management, private equity, and global Fortune 500 companies since 2012.

She has helped 500+ candidates land finance roles at firms such as Morgan Stanley, Macquarie Capital, and UBS.

She helps finance professionals craft and deliver compelling messages that resonate with their interviewers and audiences.

Previously, Nicole worked in investment banking and sales at several bulge-bracket banks; she has also interviewed senior professionals in private equity, venture capital, asset management, hedge funds, and investment banking for articles featured on the site.

Description of Nicole's Services

BJ Hansen

BJ grew up in the Midwestern US and still hasn't made it out of there. He studied finance at the University of Nebraska and then worked at a boutique investment bank doing Mergers & Acquisitions.

After two years of too many (Excel) models and not enough bottles, he found his golden exit opportunity and leaped into private equity.

BJ earned his MBA at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business and has now returned to work in private equity.

LinkedIn Profile

James Wallace

James grew up in New Zealand and had aspirations of becoming a professional sailor. Once he realized that he would rather own a yacht than be paid to crew one, he attended Auckland University and studied finance and accounting there.

After graduation, James joined the corporate finance team at a Big 4 accounting firm and worked there for several years.

He now runs his own consulting firm, Model IQ, where he specializes in valuations, financial modeling, M&A, and capital raising.

In addition, he assists with support and content creation on BIWS.

LinkedIn Profile

Looking for Other Contributors?

We’ve had many guest authors and site contributors over the years – you can find a list of former contributors and guest writers right here.

Mergers & Inquisitionshas 115,341+ email subscribers and 533,084+ visitors per month and has been featured in publications such asThe Wall Street Journal,Private Equity Hub,eFinancialCareers, Dealbreaker, Business Insider, and Forbes. If you are a journalist and want to interview Brian or anyone else behind M&I, use one of the articles on the site, or invite Brian to be your guest speaker, please use this contact form.

Have yousigned up for free updatesyet?

About the Mergers & Inquisitions Blog by Brian DeChesare (2024)

FAQs

What mergers and inquisitions? ›

Mergers and acquisitions (M&A) are the different ways companies are combined. Entire companies or their major business assets are consolidated through financial transactions between two or more companies. A company may: Purchase and absorb another company outright.

Who is Brian DeChesare? ›

Brian DeChesare (@briand_mi) / X. Founder of Mergers & Inquisitions and Breaking Into Wall Street and fan of whiskey, weightlifting, and wandering.

How much do investment bankers make on a deal? ›

Investment banks impose a high fee based on the amount of the offering (usually 2-8% of the total deal). They earn millions of dollars in commissions as a result. They are also paid for setting an appropriate price and assembling a solid network of enthusiastic investors about the company's long-term prospects.

Is investment banking still lucrative? ›

Investment banking and asset management offer lucrative career paths for ambitious, high-performing economics and finance students. Jumping into either of these fields often means making a lot of money right out of school.

What was the main purpose of the merger? ›

Mergers are most commonly done to gain market share, reduce operational costs, expand to new territories, unite common products, grow revenues, and increase profits—all of which should benefit the firms' shareholders.

Is merger good or bad? ›

After the merger, companies will secure more resources and the scale of operations will increase. Companies may undergo a merger to benefit their shareholders. The existing shareholders of the original organizations receive shares in the new company after the merger.

Where is Brian Family Guy? ›

Brian dies and Stewie cannot use his time machine to save him. Meanwhile, Peter replaces Brian with an Italian dog named Vinny.

Who funded the life of Brian? ›

Python fan and former Beatle George Harrison set up HandMade Films along with Denis O'Brien to help fund the film at a cost of £3 million. Harrison put up the money for it as he "wanted to see the movie"—later described by Terry Jones as the "world's most expensive cinema ticket".

Is Brian an FBI agent? ›

Federal Bureau of Investigation

At some point in time, Brian returned to Los Angeles. He was recruited by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, despite being a former fugitive and helping a wanted criminal escape.

Can you be a millionaire as an investment banker? ›

Investment bankers typically earn salaries in the $200,000 to $700,000 range, with bonuses that can bring their total income up to several million dollars per year. To amass a million-dollar fortune, an investment banker would need to save and invest a large portion of their income over a period of many years.

How many hours a week do investment bankers work? ›

How Many Hours do Investment Bankers Work? Investment bankers work notoriously long hours, with the typical work week filling in 60-80 hours per week, and the occasional high-intensity work week that can push a banker to 100+ hours.

What is the average commission for an investment banker? ›

Investment Banker Fees

On average, the commission for a business with a $5 million to $10 million value will be approximately five percent of the transaction value. For businesses with values greater than $10 million, the commission will generally decline from five percent as the transaction value increases.

Why are investment bankers so rich? ›

At the heart of an investment banker's earning potential lies their involvement in high-value deals and transactions. These professionals facilitate mergers, acquisitions, and IPOs for corporations, reaping substantial fees in the process.

What age do investment bankers retire? ›

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.

Can investment bankers make a million a year? ›

Investment Banking Director Salary + Bonus: There's a bit of a bump over VP-level compensation, but not necessarily a dramatic one; the typical range for total compensation might be $800K to $1.2 million per year, with the majority in the bonus (as of 2022).

What is the largest merger in history? ›

Transaction values are given in the US dollar value for the year of the merger, adjusted for inflation. As of February 2024, the largest ever acquisition was the 1999 takeover of Mannesmann by Vodafone Airtouch plc at $183 billion ($334.7 billion adjusted for inflation).

What do mergers and acquisitions do? ›

Mergers and acquisitions (M&As) are the acts of consolidating companies or assets, with an eye toward stimulating growth, gaining competitive advantages, increasing market share, or influencing supply chains.

What are 3 mergers? ›

The three main types of mergers are:
  • Horizontal.
  • Vertical.
  • Concentric.
May 24, 2021

What are the 5 types of mergers? ›

jpg. There are five commonly-referred to types of business combinations known as mergers: conglomerate merger, horizontal merger, market extension merger, vertical merger and product extension merger.

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