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Investment Underwriters


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Exploring this Job

A great way to gain experience in this field while making valuable contacts is through a part-time job or internship with a company that offers investment underwriting. Ask your school's career services office for help with locating employment and internship opportunities. Search company's Web sites for job listings; visit the career sections and see if there is information geared towards students. Get involved in a professional association to meet investment underwriters and learn more about the field. Organizations such as the Association for Financial Professionals offer educational programs and networking events. Find information at https://www.afponline.org. 

The Job

Investment underwriters are the liaisons between the companies that issue securities and clients who have private equity investments. They help clients grow their capital by underwriting the issuance of securities, which can be in the form of stocks, bonds, options, or futures. They also structure or negotiate deals for corporate clients, such as sales, mergers, or acquisitions.

Investors typically invest in companies by purchasing bonds, aiming to make profits from this investment. Corporations want to have as many investors as possible, which is why they use investment underwriters to help them raise capital by attracting and securing as many  investors as possible. Underwriters also analyze the financial performance and the operational efficiency of companies that are in financial straits, to help them identify problem areas and make recommendations for solutions.

The main tasks of investment underwriters include advising clients of various aspects of capitalization, such as when the right time would be to invest, what amount to invest, and the different sources of capitalization. They examine companies' facilities to determine the viability for client investments. Investment underwriters also help clients secure financing for corporate deals by securing financing from financial institutions, agencies, or public or private companies.

Investment underwriters use various computer software programs to conduct research, write reports, and create presentations. For financial analysis, they use software programs such as Bloomberg Professional; Moody's KMV CreditEdge; and Moody's RiskCalc. They also use photo imaging software such as Microsoft Visio, as well as Microsoft Office, Microsoft Excel, and e-mail software.