Leland+ for Investment Banking

How to Lock in an IB Offer in 2026 [7/30/2026] (Recording)

Investment banking recruiting is more competitive than ever, and landing an offer in 2026 will require more than just strong technical skills. The candidates who break through know how to position themselves early, network strategically, and stand out throughout every stage of the recruiting process. This session is for aspiring bankers who want a clear roadmap for securing an investment banking offer in today’s market. You’ll learn how to prepare effectively, avoid common recruiting mistakes, and maximize your chances of converting interviews into offers. Join live to hear from a former investment banker and hiring manager at Wells Fargo Securities with deep expertise in investment banking recruiting. The speaker will share insider perspectives on what top firms are looking for, the subtle signals that differentiate top candidates, and practical strategies you can apply immediately to strengthen your recruiting process.

Land Your Investment Banking Offer [8/18/2026] (Recording)

Investment Banking interviews start soon! Some candidates will be interviewing at the end of the summer or early fall. You have to be ready if you want to succeed. Competition is fierce, and expectations are high. Join me to understand how to Ace Investment Banking Interviews. Extensive Q&A opportunity.

IB Technicals 3: Enterprise Value and Valuation [9/22/2026] (Recording)

Enterprise value is what you write the check for when you buy the whole business. Equity value is the slice that belongs to shareholders. Every valuation question runs through the bridge between the two. This session builds that vocabulary first: why you add debt and subtract cash, what diluted shares are, and which price tag pairs with which earnings line. Then the three ways bankers get to a number. Trading comps, which price a business the way a house gets priced, against what similar ones are selling for. Precedent transactions, which do the same with deals that actually closed, control premium included. And the DCF, which values the cash flows directly and gets its own night. What we'll cover: - What enterprise value is, why you add debt and subtract cash, and the Morgan Stanley superday question that tests whether you understand it - Equity value, diluted shares, and the treasury stock method - What a multiple is, and the pairing rule: above the interest line it is enterprise value, below it equity value - The three valuation methods and how they rank - How to pick a comp set, and the apple farm in the orange farm's peer group - Precedent transactions, and what a football field is Want to be done guessing at valuation questions? I run a 90-minute mock interview, a full simulation and then rapid-fire technicals on whatever broke. Book a free 15-minute intro to see if it is a good fit. Part 3 of IB Technicals, a six part run on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Each night covers how the concept works and, more importantly, how to actually answer the questions on it, with the stories and details behind them. Each one stands alone, so jump in anywhere. I'm the founder of OFFERGOBLIN and ex-Centerview tech.

Investment Banking 101: Introduction to the Income Statement & Company Valuation [7/6/2026] (Recording)

This session is designed for rising college sophomores who are interested in exploring careers in investment banking. We will cover the fundamentals of the income statement—including revenue, expenses, and profitability—through the example of an apple orchard. Students will also receive an introduction to the most common valuation methodologies used in investment banking, including comparable company analysis, precedent transactions, and discounted cash flow (DCF) analysis. The goal is not to master these concepts in one session, but to develop a foundational understanding of how finance professionals analyze businesses and determine value. By the end of the workshop, participants will be able to understand the key line items of the income statement and explain the primary valuation methodologies used in investment banking. No prior finance experience is required.

Coffee Chats: A Primer [8/25/2026] (Recording)

A coffee chat is a fifteen to thirty minute conversation with a banker. Casual in tone, evaluative in function. Treat it as an interview no matter how it was framed. That is the part people get wrong in both directions. Some show up stiff and over-rehearsed. Others hear "coffee" and show up with nothing. What is actually happening is simpler. First rounds go to candidates someone inside is pushing, and that push starts on this call. You are on it to do four things. Collect intelligence you will reuse later, turn the banker into an ally, form your own read on the group, and leave with the name of the next person to talk to. What we'll cover: - What a coffee chat is for, and the four things you are there to do - Why the first five minutes carry more weight than the rest - Tuning your questions to an analyst versus a VP or an MD - The two kinds of questions that land badly, and what to ask instead - What kills a call, including the topics to stay off - Ending on the ask, and how one chat becomes the next two Want to walk into these calls actually ready? Check out my Coffee Chat Ready package. Book a free 15-minute intro to see if it is a good fit. Part 3 of Coffee Chat Ready, a six part run on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Each one stands alone, so jump in anywhere. I'm the founder of OFFERGOBLIN and ex-Centerview tech.

Tell Me About Yourself [8/27/2026] (Recording)

It is the one answer in the entire interview you can build completely before you walk in. The interviewer is asking for a story. The resume already lists what you did. What it cannot show is why those lines sit next to each other. The structure is HERO. Setup, challenge, turning point, resolution, future path. Sixty to ninety seconds, then stop. The turning point has to be an actual event, a class, a person, a job, because a named source is checkable and a vague one is not. Two things people get wrong in the other direction. If the prompt is literally walk me through your resume, that answer is chronological and it tracks the page in front of them, so do not force a story arc onto it. And do not answer why banking inside this one. Those are scored separately. Land the arc, name the target, stop talking. What we'll cover: - The five HERO slots in order, and what belongs in each - Why the turning point has to be an event and not a feeling - The four things being graded: structure, character, sourcing, delivery - What changes when the prompt is walk me through your resume instead - Why answering why banking inside this one costs you both answers - How to drill it: slots on paper, page away, say it out loud, record it Want to solidify your tell me about yourself and be done with it? I run a popular 90-minute session where we go deep and construct a strong, personal story. Book a free 15-minute intro to learn more. Part 4 of Coffee Chat Ready, a six part run on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Each one stands alone, so jump in anywhere. I'm the founder of OFFERGOBLIN and ex-Centerview tech.

How to Get the Coffee Chat [8/20/2026] (Recording)

Nobody replies. That is the whole problem, and it is usually fixable. This is the outreach primer. Before you send anything, look at what the banker sees when your request lands. A LinkedIn with no photo and no school reads as someone there is no reason to take seriously, and the request gets declined. No resume in the thread and they may not bother taking the chance on you. Then the email itself. Who you are, one specific reason you want this person, three windows, resume attached. Under five sentences. The windows have rules people break constantly, and breaking one of them costs you the contact. What we'll cover: - Which channel to use first, and why the school or club pipeline beats a cold email - What a banker sees before deciding whether to take your call - The five sentence email, and the one specific reason that has to be in it - The rules for offering times, including the one that burns the contact - When to follow up, and the line between persistence and pestering - The referral email, and why it is the easiest one you will ever send Have a tricky networking situation? Book a free 15-minute intro and we will talk it through. Part 2 of Coffee Chat Ready, a six part run on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Each one stands alone, so jump in anywhere. I'm the founder of OFFERGOBLIN and ex-Centerview tech.

The Deal Discussion Playbook [8/10/2026] (Recording)

After this session, you will know how to navigate compensation conversations, respond to exploding offers, and push back on deal terms without jeopardizing an offer. This playbook covers the specific moments in the negotiation process where candidates most commonly leave money on the table or signal the wrong things to a hiring team. Attending live means you can bring your actual situation, whether you have a competing offer, a timeline conflict, or a number that feels off, and get a direct read on how to handle it. A recording cannot replicate that exchange. The coach works inside these conversations regularly and will share the patterns and language that move outcomes in the right direction.

Banking to Buy-Side: IB & Venture Playbook [6/17/2026] (Recording)

Many finance professionals see investment banking as a stepping stone, but far fewer understand how to successfully make the jump to the buy side. This session is for candidates interested in venture capital, investing, and long-term finance careers who want a clearer roadmap for navigating that transition. You’ll learn how investment banking experience can be leveraged for buy-side opportunities, what firms look for in candidates making the move, and how to position yourself throughout the recruiting process. Join live to hear from two experts with extensive experience across both investment banking and venture capital and ask questions about your own career path. The speakers have firsthand experience navigating these industries and will share the patterns they see across successful transitions, common mistakes, and what differentiates candidates who break through. Expect practical insights and advice similar to what’s covered in 1:1 career coaching conversations.

IB Technicals 2: Cash Flow and the Cost of Capital [9/15/2026] (Recording)

Accounting is transaction language. One number changes, and the question is whether you can walk it through all three statements. The version that works in the room is short. Jump to pre-tax income, tax-effect it, land on net income, add back what is not cash, and finish on a balance sheet that balances. Once that walk is automatic, the harder versions stop being new questions: depreciation, a purchase with cash, a sale on credit, working capital going up while the income statement looks fine. The second half of the night is the cost of money, because valuation cannot start without it. Time value, what a discount rate is, why debt is cheaper than equity and why a company still does not fund itself entirely with debt, and what beta is doing inside the cost of equity. What we'll cover: - The $10 of depreciation walk, and the pre-tax income shortcut that keeps it short - Why depreciation gets added back, and the tax shield underneath it - Buying a car with cash, and selling $100 of product on credit - What working capital is, and why an increase consumes cash - EBITDA to unlevered free cash flow, and why EBITDA is not cash - Time value of money, cost of debt versus cost of equity, and why you unlever and relever beta Want to know how you hold up when the question changes shape? I run a 90-minute mock interview, a full simulation and then rapid-fire technicals on whatever broke. Book a free 15-minute intro to see if it is a good fit. Part 2 of IB Technicals, a six part run on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Each night covers how the concept works and, more importantly, how to actually answer the questions on it, with the stories and details behind them. Each one stands alone, so jump in anywhere. I'm the founder of OFFERGOBLIN and ex-Centerview tech.

Investment Banking Recruiting General Advice - Technical & Networking Prep [9/6/2026] (Recording)

In this session we will go over the updated investment banking timeline, tips for recruiting, and best practices for preparing for interviews and networking calls.

Breaking Into Investment Banking from Non-Traditional Backgrounds [6/16/2026] (Recording)

If your resume doesn't follow the traditional finance recruiting path, this session will show you how to position your background so it reads as an asset, not a gap. We'll cover how to reframe non-traditional experience for banking roles, which transferable skills actually resonate with hiring managers, and how to approach networking when you don't have built-in alumni pipelines. Attending live means you can describe your specific background and get a direct read on how a recruiter or banker would interpret it, which a recording simply cannot replicate. The coach works with non-traditional candidates regularly and will share the patterns that tend to separate the ones who break in from the ones who stall out.

IB Technicals 5: M&A and Accretion Dilution [9/29/2026] (Recording)

M&A applies valuation to a live decision: why a company buys another, what it pays, and what the deal does to the buyer. Building is slow and buying is fast. The catch is that the buyer pays a premium, usually twenty to forty percent over where the target already trades, so the deal has to create more value than the market already priced in. Synergies are the argument for that, and cost synergies are the only ones bankers count on. The question that carries the most interview volume in this block is accretion and dilution, and it comes down to one comparison: the earnings you are buying against the cost of the financing you used to buy them. Then the mechanics underneath, starting with goodwill, which appears the moment you pay more than book value. What we'll cover: - Why companies acquire, and why synergies have to exceed the premium - Cost synergies versus revenue synergies, and why bankers only count on one of them - Cash, debt, or stock: which is most accretive, and why - The P/E arbitrage rule, and the earnings yield trick that answers it in your head - Goodwill, and what happens when you write up assets for book but not for tax - The sell-side process, and selling to a sponsor versus a strategic Want to be done with the M&A block? I run a 90-minute mock interview, a full simulation and then rapid-fire technicals on whatever broke. Book a free 15-minute intro to see if it is a good fit. Part 5 of IB Technicals, a six part run on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Each night covers how the concept works and, more importantly, how to actually answer the questions on it, with the stories and details behind them. Each one stands alone, so jump in anywhere. I'm the founder of OFFERGOBLIN and ex-Centerview tech.

Top 5 Tips to Stand Out in IB Recruiting [7/8/2026] (Recording)

Investment banking recruiting is intensely competitive, and small differences in preparation can have an outsized impact on who gets interviews and offers. This session is for candidates who want to understand how to separate themselves in a crowded applicant pool and stand out to top firms. You’ll learn five high-impact strategies for strengthening your candidacy, positioning your experience effectively, and making a lasting impression throughout the recruiting process. Join live to hear from a former Associate at Goldman Sachs and Private Equity Director who has seen recruiting from both sides of the table. The speaker will share the habits, signals, and subtle differentiators that top firms pay attention to, along with common mistakes that hold strong candidates back. Expect practical advice and insider perspective you can immediately apply to your recruiting journey.

How to Walk Through Your Deal Experience in Private Equity Interviews

A practical guide to walking through investment banking deal experience in private equity interviews. Learn a 5 step framework for discussing transaction responsibilities, business models, valuation, investment merits and risks, and your investment perspective, along with common follow up questions and interview preparation tips.

Investment Banking Behavioral Interview Guide

A comprehensive guide to investment banking behavioral interviews covering Tell Me About Yourself, Why IB, Why Firm/Group, strengths and weaknesses, leadership, teamwork, conflict, failure, adversity, prioritization, and deal walkthroughs. Includes answer frameworks, a 3–4 story behavioral bank, timing guidance, pressure tests, a comprehensive question bank, and a final interview prep checklist.

Investment Banking Networking Guide

A practical, step-by-step guide to investment banking networking, covering target bank selection, cold outreach, networking calls, follow ups, relationship building, and converting conversations into recruiting momentum and interviews.

Finance Career Resume Template

A clean, one-page resume template designed for investment banking, private equity, and other finance careers. Includes guidance for structuring professional experience, transaction experience, education, leadership, skills, and interests.

Investment Banking Technical Interview: 75 Essential Questions

Prepare for investment banking technical interviews with 75 essential questions covering accounting, enterprise and equity value, valuation, DCF and WACC, accretion/dilution, and M&A. Designed for Analyst and Associate recruiting, with questions progressing from core fundamentals to advanced transaction mechanics and M&A judgment.

Discounted Cashflow Modelling guide

Master DCF valuation with a guide built for real-world finance roles. This concise, practical resource will strengthen your technical foundations and refine your understand of the logic behind each calculation, so you can explain valuation concepts confidently in interviews.