I'm an Investment Manager at a FTSE250 firm w/3 years experience. AMA

_investmentmgr

As per above. Ask away :smile:

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Reply 1

UWS

Original post by _investmentmgr

As per above. Ask away :smile:

What's your salary? :mmm:

Reply 2

_investmentmgr

£35,000 base salary, plus 40% bonus (depending on market conditions and overall profitability of the office). I should add that by three years experience, I mean overall since I joined the company. I started as a Trainee Investment Manager straight out of university and then progressed in three years to a fully qualified Investment Manager.

Reply 3

School00000

Original post by _investmentmgr

As per above. Ask away :smile:

What degree did you do and what university did you go to ?

Reply 4

MajorFader

Original post by _investmentmgr

As per above. Ask away :smile:

What a levels did you do?

Reply 5

Cameron1209

Original post by _investmentmgr

As per above. Ask away :smile:

In order to get into IB, is an LSE/Oxbridge student any more advantaged than Warwick/Durham etc?

Reply 6

_investmentmgr

Original post by School00000

What degree did you do and what university did you go to ?

I studied Economics and Finance at Newcastle University and I graduated with a 2:1!

Reply 7

School00000

Original post by _investmentmgr

I studied Economics and Finance at Newcastle University and I graduated with a 2:1!

That’s cool, is it possible to get into investment banking with a geography degree from UCL, also do you have any advice when applying for investment banking

Reply 8

username3612318

What exactly is an investment manager?

Reply 9

_investmentmgr

Original post by MajorFader

What a levels did you do?

I took History, Italian, Physics and Business Studies at A Level..

Reply 10

_investmentmgr

Original post by Cameron1209

In order to get into IB, is an LSE/Oxbridge student any more advantaged than Warwick/Durham etc?

Personally, I don’t think so. I feel companies are being forced to look for talent wherever it can be found and HR would like them to look beyond the Oxbridge stereotypical hire. I truly believe your passion, ethics and hard work will do far for you than a degree will. Obviously it helps if you did well at university, because it demonstrates you’re able to work on your own, which is a big worry for companies when hiring grads.. the last thing they want to do is ‘babysit’.

Reply 11

_investmentmgr

Original post by PEking

What exactly is an investment manager?

We invest client cash into the stock market according to our models. Our clients can be, private clients (people like you and I), independence financial advisors (smaller versions of us) who need to outsource the investment management of their own clients or charities who need someone to manage the charity fund.

Reply 12

Trapz99

What's a typical day in the life of an investment manager like?

Reply 13

_investmentmgr

Original post by School00000

That’s cool, is it possible to get into investment banking with a geography degree from UCL, also do you have any advice when applying for investment banking

I’m afraid I can’t give you any IB advice as it never tickled my fancy and I never applied applied for it. I’m 100% not bashing anyone who’s like to be in IB, but I’m more than happy doing my 9/10 hours in the office and having the weekends off (obviously if there’s a crisis this doesn’t apply, but that’s a rarity in itself). Sure, the money is slightly less than IB, but it’s buy side and if you’re switched on you can progress much quicker as the companies are often smaller than your typical IB powerhouses. Having said that - I’m confident you could 100% get into IB with a Geo degree from UCL. Where are you thinking of applying?

Reply 14

Cameron1209

Original post by _investmentmgr

Thank you for replying, sorry for the following bombardment. Don't feel like you have to reply to it all.

-Is it enjoyable?
-What are the hours and stress like?
-Are computers starting to take over some of the IB jobs?
-What things look good on a CV applying to IB?(Sports/academics/work experience - where?/member of any societies at uni)
-How can I prepare for IB? (I'm 17 doing AS level and I'm not committed to a career in IB yet but Im really fascinated by the stock market and trading etc not just because of the money)

Thanks

Reply 15

AidenHa

Do you invest clients into cryptocurrencies? If so which ones

Reply 16

username3612318

Original post by _investmentmgr

ah so PWM essentially?

what is your opinion on the stock market currently? is the equity market going to pop anytime soon?

what are the key things which will impact the equity market in 2018, in your opinion?

has mifid affected your firm in any way? i assume you've cut down on the number of research reports you use? have you started to do it in-house instead?

Reply 17

_investmentmgr

Original post by Trapz99

What's a typical day in the life of an investment manager like?

I get into the office at 7/7.10. The senior IM’s get in around 6.45 because they’re hardwired like that...

I’ll then ensure I have all my meeting notes prepped if I have any client meetings that day. If I my notes aren’t already prepped I’ll look at portfolio performance and reasons why the performance is good/bad. I’ll also reply to client queries from the day before if there are any. If I don’t have any clients to see that day I’ll read the FT online and see what is being reported and if any of it applies to our clients. I’ll also meet with our portfolio managers to see if we need to tweak any of our models.
Around this time the market will open so I just keep an eye out for any big movers (like Carillion yesterday) so that we can react in time if we have to. Mid morning I’ll usually get together with corporate lawyers and accountants in my network for a coffee and catch up. This gives us an opportunity to learn about each other’s industry too. I tend to eat at my desk and keep an eye on the portfolios I manage. After lunch I’ll usually meet the clients and update them on how we’re performing. We also have to write suitability reports so I’ll dictate notes for the Trainees to use for the reports. I usually leave around 6ish if I’ve been out the office all afternoon as they’ll always be more emails to reply to.. if not I can get away at 5 and no one would batter an eyelid... the senior guys even leave at 4/3.30...

It’s really not intense, the hours are great, loads of socialising in the office, interaction between senior and junior staff is outstanding. Plus you get to wine and dine client on a regular basis!

Reply 18

Trapz99

Original post by _investmentmgr

Thanks for the detailed response! Do you work in London? Also, how do you feel about the future of the industry? I've heard that increasingly more money is being invested into passive funds like ETFs instead of funds that are actively managed. Do you feel that you will have a job in the industry in 10-15 years' time? Also, when you started as a trainee investment manager, how did your job differ from what you do now? Was it mainly doing research? Thanks a lot

Reply 19

_investmentmgr

Original post by Cameron1209

haha it's all good - it's nice to be able to hopefully help even if it's just like this!

1) Extremely - I'm actually excited on a Monday and look forward to get into the office. But that's very subjective!
2) Hours are great. I get in around 7am and can leave at 5pm or 6pm with no dirty looks from the seniors. If you're effective and work hard during the day, there's absolutely no need to be in the office late. You would end up burning out if you were doing 16 hrs a day 6 days a week... Stress is minimal. When there's pressure to close big deals and deadlines it can get to you but it's over very quickly. I would compare the stress with the stress of a bartender... chilled when it's quiet but a little stressful when it's happy hour!
3) From what my friends tell me in the IB industry, the only way AI is taking over in their industry is by doing the menial paperwork admin job. You're always going to need a human touch to close a multimillion dollar deal. I wouldn't worry about IB not being around in 10 years time because of AI. :-)
4) My friends did spring week internships in year 1, went back for a year between yr 2/3 and then got offers after uni - but it differs for everyone. I think being part of your investment society at uni will always look good. Being part of a team will also look good - football, rugby, cricket or whatever you enjoy playing. I personally speak a number of foreign languages so I was quite lucky as that helped me spruce up my own CV. I also had a part time job in a restaurant at uni. I think any work experience looks good. However for IB your life is made 100x easier if you've done any sort of work experience/internship in the financial sector..
5) Network... like literally find the email address or tel number of a VP or AVP and call their PA. Be nice, explain who you are and ask if there could be the smallest of chances of meeting him/her for a coffee and a chat... if you can build a rapport with people like this you never know who'll offer you a job when you finish uni... plus you have the added benefit of not having been to uni yet so you'll look super keen and they'll remember you if you stay in touch over the years :wink: