WSO Weekly Wrap-up

February 28, 2026

Hey WSO Monkey,

Hope you’re getting a breather this weekend. With the news feeling heavier than usual in parts of the world, sending thoughts and prayers to everyone affected and hoping things de-escalate soon. Here are this week’s top discussions from the forum.

-Patrick

Top Discussions

  1. Best Paths if You Want a Family Life - "Corp Dev in tech actually pays well? Did 3 years in IB, made ~320k in Corp Dev covering a tech niche. About 6 years into the workforce, and all the roles I am exploring are 300-450k total comp, covering parts of the hardware and data center market no one wants to cover. Work hours are 9-6, weekend work is exceptionally rare, team is anti-face time, so we are hyrbid. So Corp Dev in tech is a chill life, find a larger company to go to if you wanna have a chill life. Smaller companies you wear a lot of hats but also make more."

  2. Some Insider Traders do it Just For Fun - “At a certain level of success, you get bored and this certainly brings some excitement. Also I’ve known most of our members for years, and while I can’t speak for all of them, I’ve observed that many of them simply hate dirty corporate practices and frauds embedded in the business world. And this is their form of revenge.”

  3. We overhauled our Forward Curve to be the most powerful, interactive tool in the industry - "Fully interactive, instantly downloadable, and packed with the live data you need. It’s the coolest forward curve in the biz—toggle indices, overlay historicals, and export data in seconds. Check it out for free.”

What do credit cards, rewards, gamification, and personal finance have in common? One high profile startup: Coverd.

This a16z backed startup might actually be able to say “we don't have any direct competitors”.

Coverd is a category defining product led by former Wall Street traders Albert Wang and Eric Xu (Morgan Stanley & Hudson River Trading).

The app allows users to track all of their spending in one place and win back their credit card purchases via both skill and chance based mini games.

Soon, Coverd will launch the first ever credit card to offer up to 100% cashback (zero fees) on every purchase. Card users will be able to interact with every element of the app using their points.

Not to mention they host free, contest style giveaways on top of it all, and currently have $10,000 Super Bowl LX tickets listed. Free.

Top Discussions (contd.)

  1. [2026] Comprehensive USC IB Recruiting Guide - Clubs, Classes, & Banks - "Would start off by saying that placements in SF/NYC/LA have been extremely strong in recent years. USC would still widely be defined as a Semi-Target for NYC recruiting, but is a strong target for groups in SF/LA. Placements into the buyside have also been extremely solid for those interested, though there is a clear divide between the number of students who aim to go into IB vs PE/DL/GE. I caveat that there are several top IB groups that have USC-specific processes, which is news that isn’t shared as commonly on WSO. If you go to USC and are a top student + in the correct clubs, you will absolutely get the shot to interview at the top groups..."

  2. Why Is Evr M&A Hiring Everyone? - "The Evercore slander lately about their big class has been crazy, exits are still top notch because having a big analyst class isn’t always equal to worse exits. Also, there are some really strong groups (e.g. TMT) have better exits than others, but the majority of evercore analysts will get UMM/MF looks. At the end of the day it depends on individual performance in the interviews since most analysts at top BB/EB will get inbounds from the best funds, it just happens that most people who opt for Evercore instead of GS/MS are hardos who know they want to exit to PE before they start in IB."

  3. Chicago IB Overview - "GS has a FIG team in Chicago, 1-3 summer analysts a year. JPM has mid cap M&A, industrials coverage, midcap coverage and midcap financial sponsors group in Chicago. All in probably 15 SA spots across the 4 groups."

  4. Gen Z Attitudes - "Don't think you can paint all Gen Zs with a broad attitude stroke because of one bad apple. There's rude people in every grad class for every grad class that has ever existed. I've definitely had some rude networking calls but I chalk it up to immaturity, rudeness, frustation with the networking process... this person is not likely to get many offers so their actions will pay them back pretty quick."

  5. Anybody Else Scared for Their Job? - "Has anyone in the industry seen lifestyle get "easy" over the past 3-6 months as AI tools have ramped? I sure haven't. Our associates are still grinding 70-80 weeks and are using AI to support their efforts. As a midlevel, I have no shortage of stuff to give them to do, and in fact, there are still many things I don't push hard on because they aren't high enough priority / a good use of resources. If the associates were leaving at 5 AND I was getting everything I needed instantly, think it would be a different story. That is categorically not the case. Curious what others are seeing.. Yes Claude can make a memo, but if you actually served one up to IC, they would flip out and refuse to take it seriously because the formatting doesn't match their expectations. Most of these senior guys cant even wipe their own ass, much less dig into badly recorded numbers to optimize economics on a NWC peg, sell a $2m EBITDA add on Seller to go to you, or hire a new portco controller. AI can't do any of those things..."

New Podcasts Coming in Hot 🔥

  • How Jaden Broke Into Investment Banking (Non-Target to Offer)

  • Andreea on Finance Careers: Recruiting, Mindset & Long-Term Success

Hot Jobs 💼

Investment Banking Vice President - "This involves reviewing AI outputs for correctness, methodological rigour, and commercial relevance—then building evaluation criteria and model answers that reflect how things are actually done at top-tier banks…"

Private Equity Expert - "Mercor is recruiting U.S./UK/Canada/Europe/Australia-based Private Equity Experts for a research project with a leading foundational model AI lab."

Insights Senior Manager/Principal, Private Equity - "The Insights Private Equity group at Dialectica plays a key role in driving growth and scaling an emerging business unit within the company..."

Financial Modeling Expert - "In this highly visible role, you will deploy your deep expertise in financial modeling, valuation, and deal structuring to support major investment decisions across diverse sectors..."

WSO Mentor - "Are you an experienced professional with a background in investment banking, private equity, hedge funds, S&T, venture capital, asset management, equity research, quant finance, corporate dev, real estate finance, or top-tier consulting? Passionate about mentoring the next generation of leaders? Wall Street Oasis (WSO) is expanding its Mentorship Program, and we're looking for outstanding professionals to join our mentor roster—an elite network supporting students and young professionals as they prepare for high-stakes careers. Whether you’re looking to give back, stay connected to rising talent, or sharpen your coaching skills, this role offers you the chance to make a meaningful impact, remotely and on your schedule..."

On Deck - Training 🎓

All in Eastern Standard Time

Stay Strong,
Patrick Curtis
CEO and Founder, WallStreetOasis.com

WSO Mobile App: iOS | Android

PS - We're also always looking to add resume reviewers and WSO Mentors to our team. Set your own pay (from $40/hr to up to $400/hr) to increase or decrease mentee flow. To submit an application, go here.

PPS - Think you have an interesting story? Want to share it with our podcast listeners? Hit reply and let me know!




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