Career Information, Company Profiles and Contacts

Vault Career Guide to Investment Management

By Adam Epstein, 2008.

This book offers a breakdown of the buy-side of the finance industry - firms that purchase securities as investments - to equity, fixed income, and currency markets, and a look at the career path in investment management.

Vault Guide to the Top 25 Investment Management Employers: 2009 Edition

By Derek Loosvelt

A very useful book that provides in-depth profiles of firms such as Blackstone and UBS. Based on interviews and surveys of employees, the profiles reveal an insider's view of the firms' business practices, hiring process, workplace culture and salary structure.

Hedge Me: The Insider's Guide - Hedge Fund Careers

By Claude Schwab

HEDGE ME has been written by a leading hedge fund recruiter for aspiring hedge fund analysts and traders. The guide includes a comprehensive section on each of the following topics: - Hedge fund resources and access to hedge fund information. HEDGE ME also lists and categorizes established hedge funds by strategy, by performance, and by asset size. - Interview preparation featuring interviewer questions segmented by hedge fund strategy/style/functional role. - Resume information with resumes segmented by hedge fund strategy/style/functional role. - Recruiter list and information that identify best-of-breed hedge fund recruiters. - Overview of hedge fund career trajectories and how hedge fund careers differ from other finance careers. - Compensation data/information segmented by functional role and years of relevant experience.

Vault Career Guide to Hedge Funds

By Michael Martinez

Hedge funds represent the pinnacle of employment for many finance professionals. For many jobseekers, however, the industry is a mysterious one, as employers are relatively small and do not have structured hiring programs like investment banks or mutual funds. This Vault guide takes an inside look at employers and career paths in the industry.

Careers in Asset Management and Retail Brokerage

By Wetfeet

Find out more about the world of asset management and retail brokerage by reading this guide! Learn about: (i) who the major players are and how they're doing; (ii) what the typical jobs entail and what you need to know to snag one, (iii) what the lifestyle is like, and what kind of money is involved, (iv) what the pros and cons of getting into this industry are and (v) what questions to ask during your interviews

Bloomberg

A financial information station that is increasingly appearing in good business schools.

Jobs In the Money

A service focused on the needs of those interested in finance jobs. You'll find job postings, info and a place to post your resume.

Nelson's Directory of Investment Managers

Nelson Publications, Port Chester, NY.

This is the definitive guide to money managers which lists names and addresses of managers around the United States along with additional information such as amount of funds under management.

Organizations

CFA Institute

Offers programs leading to the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation which is increasingly important in getting into money management. Very international and accepts global members. Also operates a free phone job hotline for members only.

Investment Company Institute. Describes important trends in the mutual fund industry. Good background reading if you are preparing for a job interview with a mutual fund.

The Securities and Exchange Commission

Regulator of U.S. financial markets.

Entertaining and Informative Tales

Reminiscences of a Stock Operator

By Edwin Lefevre, John Wiley & Sons. Reprinted: 1994.

This is probably the best book on this list. It's engrossing, very well-written and 75 years old. If you interested in investment banking or investing, you should to read this book. It talks about the life of Jesse Livermore, who started investing in bucket shops as a kid. He went on to gain and lose fortunes several times. The lessons learned and stories told are enduring.

Ideas and Know-How

When Markets Collide: Investment Strategies for the Age of Global Economic Change

By Mohamed El-Erian.(Head of PIMCO)

This book is an essential read for those who. wish to understand the modern world of investing. - Alan Greenspan

Winner of the 2008 Financial Times and Goldman Sachs Business Book of the Year Award

When Markets Collide is a timely alert to the fundamental changes taking place in today's global economic and financial systems--and a call to action for investors who may fall victim to misinterpreting important signals. While some have tended to view asset class mispricings as mere "noise," this compelling book shows why they are important signals of opportunities and risks that will shape the market for years to come. One of today's most respected names in finance, Mohamed El-Erian puts recent events in their proper context, giving you the tools that can help you interpret the markets, benefit from global economic change, and navigate the risks.

Mutual Fund Industry Handbook: A Comprehensive Guide for Investment Professionals

By Lee Gremillion.

This book focuses on open end funds, and gives you a comprehensive inside look at the mutual fund industry, including real-life examples of how specific functions are performed at various firms. You'll explore industry history and structure, investment management, portfolio operations, accounting, auditing, legal compliance, customer service, distribution, globalization, and e-commerce. You'll also learn about the cost of various mutual fund operations—both to the fund companies and to investors.

The Fundamentals of Hedge Fund Management: How to Successfully Launch and Operate a Hedge Fund

By Daniel Strachman.

In The Fundamentals of Hedge Fund Management, both budding and established hedge fund managers will learn the fundamentals of building and maintaining a successful hedge fund business. Strachman presents the facts in an accessible and easy-to-use format that will empower readers to create a lasting fund that provides significant income for years to come. The Fundamentals of Hedge Fund Management provides information on everything from picking a lawyer to creating a fund's documents to determining what markets attract investors. Readers will glean valuable information from real-life experiences (both negative and positive) that have shaped and continue to guide many of today's leading and most respected funds.

Finance and Investment Handbook

Financial Modeling

The New York Times Dictionary of Money and Investing

Options, Futures, and Other Derivatives with Derivagem CD

By John Hull

This is the classic on options valuation. Important to have this book or similar nearby if you are a banking associate.

Suggested Courses

Professor Campbell Harvey of Duke University suggests courses for those interested in portfolio management.

Essentials of Investments

By Zvi Bodie, Alex Kane and Alan Marcus.

This popular textbook explains investments, money management and performance evaluation. If you haven't read a book like this yet and the interview is approaching, now is a great time to start.

The Intelligent Investor

By Benjamin Graham, 1949, Harper & Row. An investing classic by one of the greats describes a value investment approach which inspired Warren Buffett. Pick stocks with low price-earnings ratios and solid business prospects and you've got a winner is the message.

Random Walk Down Wall Street

By Burton Malkiel.

here is the best-selling, authoritative, and gimmick-free guide to investing. Burton Malkiel evaluates the full range of investment opportunities, from stocks, bonds, and money markets to real estate investment trusts and insurance, home ownership, and tangible assets such as gold and collectibles. This edition includes new strategies for rearranging your portfolio for retirement, along with the book’s classic life-cycle guide to investing, which matches the needs of investors in any age bracket.

The Battle for Wall Street: Behind the Lines in the Struggle that Pushed an Industry into Turmoil

By Richard Goldberg.

The Battle for Wall Street follows the struggle for power between two giants: the sellers, traditional commercial and investments banks; and the buyers, upstart hedge funds, private equity firms and the like. The battle is about winning the hearts, minds, and – yes, the wallets – of global investors. This battle is still running its course, and with the insights of industry veteran Richard Goldberg, who has had a front row seat, readers will gain a detailed understanding as to what, exactly, is going on within this dynamic arena, specifically the forces behind the shift of power from the old sell side gatekeepers to the new buy side players.

A Demon of Our Own Design: Markets, Hedge Funds, and the Perils of Financial Innovation

By Richard Bookstaber, December 2008

As the risk manager to some of the leading firms on Wall Street–from Morgan Stanley to Salomon and Citigroup–and a member of some of the world’s largest hedge funds, from Moore Capital to Ziff Brothers and FrontPoint Partners, Rick Bookstaber has seen the ghost inside the machine and vividly shows us a world that is even riskier than we think.

Capital Ideas Evolving

By Peter Bernstein.

A lucid explanation of the modern theory of finance, the people behind it and the attacks that have arisen in recent years.

Magazines and Newspapers

The Economist

Widely read weekly covers world of investment banking, politics and art quite well. You have to read this if you plan to go into the field.

CNBC

You gotta watch it.

Institutional Investor

New York, NY (212) 303-3300. This monthly publication describes key trends in portfolio management, talks about people in the area and carries numerous ads which give a good feel for the business of money management.

Institutional Investor Newsletters

BondWeek, Corporate Financing Week, Derivatives Week, Emerging Markets Week and others are widely read on the Street. You can catch much of the action online.

Pensions and Investments

This is a leading resource in the field of investment, institutional money management and the markets.

Wall Street Journal.

The most widely read business periodical in the world. And it's on the net! You must register for the net version. Great way to keep up with what's going on in the markets and the world. Following tombstones and ads is also a good way to see which banks are involved in what types of activity this year. You may also be interested in Careers.wsj.com.

Bill Sharpe's Home Page

Professor of Finance at Stanford Graduate School of Business. Has a textbook in development on Macro-Investment Analysis which would be good reading for anyone interested in money management.

People and Their Stories

The Snowball: Warren Buffett and the Business of Life.

By Alice Schroeder.

In this startlingly frank account of Buffett's life, Schroeder, a former managing director at Morgan Stanley—and hand picked by Buffett to be his biographer—strips away the mystery that has long cloaked the word's richest man to reveal a life and fortune erected around lucid and inspired business vision and unimaginable personal complexity.

Inside the House of Money: Top Hedge Fund Traders on Profiting in the Global Markets .

By Stephen Dropbny

Informative stories from many top hedge fund players on how to invest profitability + their life stories.

Bernard Baruch: The Adventures of a Wall Street Legend.

By James Grant. John Wiley, 1997.

An inspiring story of a savvy, hare-brained investor who went on to serve his country.

Wealth, War and Wisdom.

by Barton Biggs

Lucid description of investment strategies from a legend in the industry.

Market Wizards: Interviews with Top Traders.

by Jack Schwager (also New Market Wizards).

This book is a classic which features viewpoints from a variety of Wall Street Superstars like Bruce Kovner and Michael Steinhardt.