WSO Weekly Wrap-up

February 07, 2026

Hey WSO Monkey,

Hope your week’s been manageable. The community has been talking about recruiting stress, career path debates, and people sharing “how do I handle this” advice. Some fresh perspectives if you’ve got a few minutes.

-Patrick

Top Discussions

  1. Leveraged Finance - Top Interview Questions You Will Be Facing - "There are plenty of valid reasons to be interested in Leveraged Finance, and I’ll leave the “eventual exit to credit funds or PE” story to you. What genuinely makes LevFin interesting to me is where it sits in the bank. On the one hand, it’s very project driven. You’re right in the middle of acquisitions and LBOs, working closely with the Private Equity ecosystem. You collaborate with Industry Coverage and M&A teams, PE sponsors, legal counsel, and rating agencies, which gives you a front-row seat to how deals actually get done. That exposure is hard to replicate elsewhere and incredibly valuable early in your career..."

  2. The End of Ivey Business School - "As I’m sure you’ve all heard the news recently. People are finally dancing around what’s been obvious for a while: **Ivey Business School’s biggest modern advantage was the Evercore U.S. pipeline, and with that effectively gone due to visa realities, the whole “Ivey is the clear #1 finance target” narrative kind of collapses. Strip out Evercore and you’re left with no co-op, no real off-cycle flexibility, a clunky 2+2 model the dean himself admits doesn’t work anymore, thin club density, and outcomes that Queen’s (and frankly Waterloo/UBC/Laurier) already match or exceed with better structure. Top kids will always place anywhere but for the median student, losing Evercore was the canary in the coal mine..."

  3. $1.6M Saved: Should I Use an Annuity or Stay 100% in ETFs? (Ask An Advisor) - "‘I’m 61, should I stay 100% in ETFs or use $250K to lock in guaranteed income?’ Questions like this deserve more than passing consideration. That's why affluent investors are reviewing their plans with retirement income-focused advisors. Connect with up to 3 vetted fiduciaries today."

Unwelcome Surprises Not Included

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Don’t accept it.  

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Integration with Microsoft Word and Excel allows you to preview documents in their functional form. Unlimited data storage means you can keep uploading without worry, and around-the-clock support is always there when you need it. In addition, a comprehensive permission manager helps you grant access down to the document level—a clear and easy tool to avoid access mistakes.

Built by the private-target M&A experts, the SRS Acquiom VDR provides exactly what you need and expect. Don’t accept anything less. 

Top Discussions (contd.)

  1. My 2026 On-Cycle Experience - "Something that surprised me was how mentally exhausting on-cycle actually is. It’s not just interviews, it’s managing calls, texts, emails, scheduling, and constantly switching context, all on top of your normal banking gig. Once on-cycle and coffee chats actually start, everything accelerates. You’ll get last-minute interviews, unexpected calls, and overlapping processes. You will not have time to think strategically in the moment. Having a ranked fund list ahead of time was critical for me..."

  2. Raise your hand if you are still manually calculating DSCR in Excel. Stop it. - “Your portfolio is too complex for manual data entry. LoanBoss doesn't just store loan docs; it automates them. One-click covenant testing. Live forward curves. Instant cash flow forecasting. Stop the manual repetition. Modernize your debt management today.”

  3. Do Finance Clubs Basically Decide Your Outcome? Feeling Late to the Party - "Hate to break it to you but the entire reason why its harder without a club is quite literally that cold emailing and networking becomes impossible. Especially if ur from a school with a big club culture, the alumni (definitely at top BBs/EBs) will only respond to students from their clubs."

  4. Boss Hates Me - How to Fix Relationship - "You can’t fix broken relationships and bluntly no one should be yelling at you in a professional white collar work environment. Look to leave immediately before this ends with you getting fired. At least the timing is good and other banks will be looking for lateral hires post bonuses in March. Don’t do the flowers thing unless you want to get fired for sexual harassment."

  5. PE Associate Interview: The Case Study Is Killing Me - "Model tests and case studies are evaluating different things. The reason case studies are given is to see you think like an investor; model tests are for pure mechnical skills. Am at a large UMM (15bn+ fund size); we have moved on people without perfect case study models but good write-ups and debriefs and have also not moved on people who have very detailed or fully correct models but comparatively weaker write-up or debrief. As long as model is not egregiously bad (i.e. things have to work, BS balances, growth rates make sense, margins make sense, debt schedule works, etc.); you aren't really going to get kicked out for modelling."

New Podcasts Coming in Hot 🔥

  • Breaking Into Investment Banking From a Non-Target | Mentor Podcast

  • Mentorship, Banking & Big Deals | A Real Career Story

Hot Jobs 💼

Remote Project for Investment Banking / Private Equity Professionals ($175/hr) - “Handshake is recruiting Investment Banking and Private Equity experts to contribute to an AI research project with leading AI labs. Participation is flexible and fully remote.”

Investment Banking, Private Equity, and Hedge Fund Professionals - “AfterQuery Experts is hiring IB/PE/HF professionals with 1-5 years of experience for remote, part-time roles ($100-$150/hr; 20-40hr/week). You’ll apply your foundation in accounting, valuation, and financial modeling to create high-quality content used to train AI models.”

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!




* PE Interview Bootcamp includes lifetime access to the PE Interview Course
** FMV Bootcamp includes lifetime access to the Elite Modeling Package
*** IB Interview Bootcamp includes lifetime access to the IB Interview Course