WSO Weekly Wrap-up

June 21, 2025


Hey WSO Monkey,

We've got two virtual bootcamps lined up next weekend (June 28 and 29) if you're aiming to sharpen your finance skills. Just throwing it out there in case it's helpful.

  • Foundations Bootcamp (Saturday): Covers the basics that actually matter, from Excel and PowerPoint to accounting and analyzing financial reports. Good if you want to get more confident with the day-to-day stuff in finance roles.

  • Pitch Me a Stock Bootcamp (Sunday): All about building a strong stock pitch. Useful for IB, S&T, Hedge Fund, or Asset Management interviews. It goes over sourcing ideas, building a thesis, price targets, and how to actually present it in a clear and compelling way.

-Patrick

Top Discussions

  1. Brief Recent History of UBS / What Went Wrong? - "CS used to work on big deals, but took a ton of risk and had questionable ethics/controls in place (on even things like compliance, fees, ELs, KYC etc). Semi-toxic culture, but nothing out of the norm. UBS took very little risk, had excellent controls, and found a niche little existence working on small deals, an occasional large one, and kept a pretty nice culture where people stayed and were brought up through the ranks to get paid average bonuses and a decent WLB (for banking). Yeah the league table performance wasnt great but they didn't overextend nor waste money on guarantees and things were stable. A good turnaround from the lows UBS hit post GFC. Banks combined and Barclays leadership was brought in. Prior to the merger, most of the CS heavy hitters leave so its not really 1 +1 =2 (but for whatever reason leadership still believes the merger model a 22 year old analyst made...)"

  2. Today's Great Investors - "My point is that at its heart investing is putting money into an activity that becomes a larger part of the economy. The idea of a star manager that sits at a computer and pick securities that go up x100, really is not a universal trend, it is a microcosm that has on the grand scale of economic development is only recently enabled by regulation and technology, and as such it’s not guaranteed that each era gets a stock picker..."

  3. Blackstone Analyst Here — Yes, We’re Behind the “Mike’s Way” Trend - "Blackstone announced the acquisition of Jersey Mike’s earlier this year. Thesis was pretty straightforward: one of the fastest-growing QSR chains in the U.S., strong unit economics, and a ridiculous cult-like customer base with 0 meaningful debt on the books. It checked all the boxes - solid fundamentals, room to scale, brand loyalty we could weaponize. Pretty quickly after signing, we started seeing the early versions of the “Mike’s Way” meme popping up on TikTok. A few creators leaned into it, joking about how “Mike’s Way” wasn’t just a topping option, it was an experience..."

Ask the Questions That Build Careers: WSO Academy Office Hours

Forget office hours with professors who’ve never worked a day in the real world. With WSO Academy, you’ll be invited to 6 Office Hours every week where you can ask anything—live—with real finance pros who’ve climbed the ladder.

These aren’t theory-driven lectures. This is actionable, insider advice from the people who’ve done it. And whe we say you can ask anything—we mean anything.

⏰ Flexible Sessions for Every Time Zone
With 6 sessions a week, from bright & early to late at night, you’ll always find a time that works—no matter where you’re located.

💬 Open Q&A, No Limits
From cracking technicals to navigating tough interview questions, you’ll get real answers from real professionals. Plus, our CEO, Patrick Curtis, also regularly hosts Office Hours, offering firsthand insights into breaking into and thriving in high finance.

🌟 Learn From Leaders, Live
This isn’t a classroom. It’s a unique opportunity to pick the brains of people who’ve been where you are and know what it takes to succeed.

Stop counting on clips from The Wolf of Wall Street and The Big Short to learn about the real world of investing. Come see it firsthand with WSO Academy.

Top Discussions (contd.)

  1. WTF Happened to Houston? How Did It Get So Ghetto - "Houston, more than most cities, relies on the full-cycle turnover of young people because there are very few "middle class" single family home neighborhoods within the loop (you're either in a townhouse or cottage in the Heights / Rice Military or in a $5MM in River Oaks), so you end up having to migrate outward when you start having a family. If there's no one to replace those folks, then the quality of life inside the loop goes down as you can see. It's sad, and I hope it comes back, but it is reality at this point."

  2. How to Increase Mental Sharpness/Clarity in and Out of Work - "Ditch e-books entirely. You need to hold a book in your hand, page turn, and annotate your books with highlighters and pens. Elevate your sharpness by starting to write your reactions, extended thoughts on themes from the physical books you read and some aspect of your own lived experiences. Every day start with reading (can be as little as 2 pages or sometimes I do for about an hour) before even thinking about touching your phone. I promise by day 5 you’ll realize you’ll reach for your phone less and less over time."

  3. London - Buying a House 101 - "In London nothing is cheap. But check out Victorian conversion flats in areas like Holland Park, St John’s Wood, or Fulham.. these often have lower service charges, under £2k a year for a 2-bed flat. New builds generally have much higher service costs..."

New Podcasts Coming in Hot 🔥

  • Loughborough to Boutique Investment Banking | Chat with Jonah | WSO Academy Chat

  • NYU to Centiva | Chat with Pranam | WSO Academy

Hot Jobs 💼

Venture Capital Associate (Life Sciences, Boston based) - "The team is seeking an Investment Associate to join as a generalist across their three sector focuses (biotech, digital health/tech, and tools/diagnostics) in Boston metro with an ASAP or Summer 2025 start date..."

Equity Research Analyst - "Buy-side research analyst opportunity with a family office. The analyst will work with the direct investment team and report to the Portfolio Manager. The team employs a fundamentally driven investment process and an owner’s mentality...."

Research Associate (Equity Small Mid Cap) - New York, NY - "This position will support the Small/Mid-Cap Equity research team and initially be responsible for covering multiple sectors in support of current team members."

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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*** IB Interview Bootcamp includes lifetime access to the IB Interview Course