20 tasks, each one witnessed by the sources that watched the job — and behind every one, a prompt you can use tonight.
You usually start by checking overnight market moves and company news, then pull financials into Microsoft Excel to update models. Expect to spend 2–4 hours building or adjusting valuation models, running scenario analyses, and drawing charts for reports.
Afternoon often means meeting company management or analysts, writing sections of a research note in Google Docs, and preparing a slide deck in Microsoft PowerPoint. Time splits: about 40% analysis/modeling, 30% writing/presentation, 30% calls and meetings.
Learn Microsoft Excel first — you’ll use it for valuation models, historical financial analysis, and charts every day. Learn to build inputs, formulas, scenario tabs, and clean data for risk systems.
Second, learn PowerPoint for client-ready slides. IBM SPSS Statistics helps for statistical tests and backtesting; Apache Hive matters if you work with large datasets in a firm that stores raw data in Hadoop. Google Docs is enough for collaborative writing.
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reports a median pay of $117,330 per year for this occupation. BLS also shows about 63,850 employed; the lowest tenth earn $64,820 and the top tenth earn $196,110.
Use BLS for national median figures; actual pay varies by city, firm size, and whether you get bonuses or work in investment banking or buy-side roles.
Use AI to speed research: ask it to summarize transcripts, suggest comparable companies, or draft report language. Always check AI outputs against primary sources (10‑K, earnings slides) and your Excel models; treat AI as a first draft, not a final product.
Never paste confidential data into public AI services. Use firm-approved AI or run models locally. Keep version control in Google Docs or your firm’s system and document assumptions in your model tabs.
Equity research focuses on analyzing companies and recommending buy/sell/hold, producing research notes and models. Tasks include financial statement analysis, valuation, and meeting company management.
Investment banking structures deals and raises capital; you work on transactions and pitchbooks. Portfolio management buys and sells securities for a fund and manages risk/allocations. Research supports portfolio managers by providing the analysis.
Excel modeling and financial statement analysis are top priorities — you need to pull, clean, and interpret numbers and build scenario analyses. Learn to make clear charts and summaries in PowerPoint or Google Docs.
Communication matters: write concise research notes and explain models to traders or portfolio managers. Also learn to assess management quality during meetings and keep data quality in risk systems.
Analysts create risk assessments by running scenario analyses in Excel, evaluating market and credit risk metrics, and compiling findings into written risk reports using Google Docs or PowerPoint. They gather data from filings, market feeds, and internal risk databases.
Firms may use IBM SPSS Statistics for statistical tests, Apache Hive to query large raw datasets, and maintain input/data quality for risk management systems. Tasks include recommending ways to reduce risk, fraud prevention steps, and contingency plans.