The Accidental Investment Banker: Inside the Decade That Transformed Wall Street
"Entertainingly indiscreet . . . Knee's talent for wicked pen portraits is put to good use."—Financial Times

Investment bankers used to be known as respectful of their clients, loyal to their firms, and chary of the financial system that allowed them to prosper. What happened? From his prestigious Wall Street perches at Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley, Jonathan A. Knee witnessed firsthand the lavish deal-making of the freewheeling nineties, when bankers rode the wave of the Internet economy, often by devil-may-care means. By the turn of the twenty-first century, the bubble burst and the industry was in free fall. Told with biting humor and unflinching honesty, populated with power players, back-stabbers, and gazillionaires, The Accidental Investment Banker is Knee's exhilarating insider's account of this boom-and-bust anything-goes era, when fortunes were made and reputations were lost.


"Not since Michael Lewis's Liar's Poker has there been as good, as accessible or as pithy a look at the world of investment banking."—The Washington Post


"For anyone who remembers the crazy boom times, and the even crazier bust, Jonathan A. Knee's The Accidental Investment Banker is a must. This tell-all chronicles Knee's time at Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley, revealing a world that rivals 24 in intrigue and drama."—Fortune


"[Knee] captures the glories and agonies of his profession . . . Readers will marvel."—The Wall Street Journal


"Finally we have someone willing to lift the curtain. . . . With refreshing candor and engaging prose, [this book] takes us inside the world of investment banking."—James B. Stewart, author of Den of Thieves and DisneyWar
1117253955
The Accidental Investment Banker: Inside the Decade That Transformed Wall Street
"Entertainingly indiscreet . . . Knee's talent for wicked pen portraits is put to good use."—Financial Times

Investment bankers used to be known as respectful of their clients, loyal to their firms, and chary of the financial system that allowed them to prosper. What happened? From his prestigious Wall Street perches at Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley, Jonathan A. Knee witnessed firsthand the lavish deal-making of the freewheeling nineties, when bankers rode the wave of the Internet economy, often by devil-may-care means. By the turn of the twenty-first century, the bubble burst and the industry was in free fall. Told with biting humor and unflinching honesty, populated with power players, back-stabbers, and gazillionaires, The Accidental Investment Banker is Knee's exhilarating insider's account of this boom-and-bust anything-goes era, when fortunes were made and reputations were lost.


"Not since Michael Lewis's Liar's Poker has there been as good, as accessible or as pithy a look at the world of investment banking."—The Washington Post


"For anyone who remembers the crazy boom times, and the even crazier bust, Jonathan A. Knee's The Accidental Investment Banker is a must. This tell-all chronicles Knee's time at Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley, revealing a world that rivals 24 in intrigue and drama."—Fortune


"[Knee] captures the glories and agonies of his profession . . . Readers will marvel."—The Wall Street Journal


"Finally we have someone willing to lift the curtain. . . . With refreshing candor and engaging prose, [this book] takes us inside the world of investment banking."—James B. Stewart, author of Den of Thieves and DisneyWar
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The Accidental Investment Banker: Inside the Decade That Transformed Wall Street

The Accidental Investment Banker: Inside the Decade That Transformed Wall Street

by Jonathan Knee
The Accidental Investment Banker: Inside the Decade That Transformed Wall Street

The Accidental Investment Banker: Inside the Decade That Transformed Wall Street

by Jonathan Knee
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Overview

"Entertainingly indiscreet . . . Knee's talent for wicked pen portraits is put to good use."—Financial Times

Investment bankers used to be known as respectful of their clients, loyal to their firms, and chary of the financial system that allowed them to prosper. What happened? From his prestigious Wall Street perches at Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley, Jonathan A. Knee witnessed firsthand the lavish deal-making of the freewheeling nineties, when bankers rode the wave of the Internet economy, often by devil-may-care means. By the turn of the twenty-first century, the bubble burst and the industry was in free fall. Told with biting humor and unflinching honesty, populated with power players, back-stabbers, and gazillionaires, The Accidental Investment Banker is Knee's exhilarating insider's account of this boom-and-bust anything-goes era, when fortunes were made and reputations were lost.


"Not since Michael Lewis's Liar's Poker has there been as good, as accessible or as pithy a look at the world of investment banking."—The Washington Post


"For anyone who remembers the crazy boom times, and the even crazier bust, Jonathan A. Knee's The Accidental Investment Banker is a must. This tell-all chronicles Knee's time at Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley, revealing a world that rivals 24 in intrigue and drama."—Fortune


"[Knee] captures the glories and agonies of his profession . . . Readers will marvel."—The Wall Street Journal


"Finally we have someone willing to lift the curtain. . . . With refreshing candor and engaging prose, [this book] takes us inside the world of investment banking."—James B. Stewart, author of Den of Thieves and DisneyWar

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9780470517345
Publisher: Wiley
Publication date: 09/24/2007
Pages: 288
Product dimensions: 5.10(w) x 7.70(h) x 0.90(d)

About the Author

Jonathan A. Knee is now a partner at a boutique investment banking firm. He is also Adjunct Professor of Finance and Economics and Director of the Media Program at the Columbia Graduate School of Business. His writing has appeared in the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times , and elsewhere.

Table of Contents

1 A Chicken in Every Pot

2 The Accidental Investment Banker

3 An Empire on It's Own

4 "Let's Ask Sidney Weinberg"

5 What Investment Bankers Really Do

6 The Culture of M&A

7 The Rise of John Thornton

8 The House of Morgan

9 Cracks in the Façade

10 Drama of the Gifted Banker

11 Take a Walk on the Buy-Side

12 "Save the Red Carpet for the talent"

13 View from the Top

14 The Myth of Meritocracy

15 King of the SLC's

16 The Long Goodbye

What People are Saying About This

"In his new book, Jonathan Knee takes a sharp look at the fundamental changes that have taken place in the investment banking business. It's an important story, and thanks to the skillful way Knee mixes in the tale of his own experience as a banker, it reads like a novel. The book is hard to put down."
—Bethany McLean, author of The Smartest Guys in the Room: The Amazing Rise and Scandalous Fall of Enron and Senior Writer, Fortune

"What Liars' Poker did for the trading room, Jonathan Knee does for the investment banking floor, with one big difference—The Accidental Investment Banker also sets a colorful and highly readable story into the broader strategic context of the transformation of financial services over the past twenty years."
—Thomas Glocer, CEO, Reuters Group PLC

"The Accidental Investment Banker is a must-read for anyone in business who is impacted by Wall Street—and that is just about everyone. Knee's book is a humorous and very clever insider's look at the ever-seismically-changing financial services industry—but without the bias of an insider, rather just with incredible knowledge and insight. I learned things I didn't expect to learn but realized I needed to. A truly exceptional book and a powerful, powerful read."
—Leo Hindery Jr. , Managing Partner, InterMedia Partners, former CEO of TCI and author of It Takes a CEO: It's Time to Lead With Integrity

"Investment bankers play a crucial, if little understood, role in our economy. In this engaging and insightful book, Jonathan Knee describes the work that investment bankers do and the ways in which the business of investment banking has been transformed-not altogether for the better-in the past two decades. Knee combines a depth of personal experience with sharp-eyed observation. For anyone interested in the history of investment banking, and its present state, The Accidental Investment Banker is must reading."
—Anthony Kronman, Sterling Professor of Law and Former Dean, Yale Law School

From the Publisher

"…"warts and all" account of the boom and bust of the late 1990s up until the start of this century." (The Wharf, Thursday 16th August 2007)

"...a Wall Street soap opera in the vein of Michael Lewis's Liar's Poker about Knee's time at Morgan Stanley and Goldman Sachs."  (Financial Times, Saturday 25th August 2007)

“an unusually candid view” (Reuters, Wednesday 5th September 2007)

"…this is a compelling read for both navel-gazing corporate financiers and voyeurs of the City and Wall Street." (CPO Agenda, Autumn 2007)

"really a great read...will go down as one of the great books on investment banking, just like Liar's Poker"  (City AM Podcast, Wednesday 19th December 2007)

"Easy enough to understand for even someone outside the industry" (Gulf Business, March 2008)

“…candid view of some of the big Wall Street firms, especially Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley.” (Breakingviews.com , Wednesday 16th April 2008)

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