Fast track your buyside career and save 10% with coupon code OPM-10 at https://www.fundamentedge.com/opm What does it take to succeed in one of the most competitive industries on the planet? Brett Caughran, lead trainer and founder at buyside analyst training platform Fundamental Edge is trying to codify the answer to that question and systematize the process of training hedge fund analysts. Caughran discusses the most important processes analysts must master, why understanding your role is key to success, and why building trust with your PM over years is the perhaps the most important factor in determining the trajectory of an analyst&#x27;s career. Follow Other People’s Money on: Apple Podcast https://bit.ly/4e7QJ1M Spotify https://bit.ly/3Yhaazi YouTube https://bit.ly/3C63VXR Follow Brett Caughran on Twitter: https://x.com/FundamentEdge Follow Max Wiethe on Twitter: https://x.com/maxwiethe

Building the Definitive Hedge Fund Analyst Masterclass | Brett Caughran on Fundamental Edge 

Monetary Matters with Jack Farley

# Full Transcript

**Podcast:** Monetary Matters with Jack Farley

## Participants

- **Jack Farley** (Monetary Matters)
- **Brett Caughran** (Fundamental Edge)

## Transcript

What does it take to succeed in one of the most competitive industries on the planet? That's what I'm going to be exploring today with my guest, Brett Caughran, lead trainer and founder from Fundamental Edge, the industry leader in buy-side analyst training. If you are a buy-side professional looking to improve your investment process, check out the link in the description to get 10% off their Analyst Academy training course. Now let's get into the interview.

Hello, everyone. Welcome to another edition of Other People's Money. I am joined today by Brett Caughran. He is the founder and head trainer at Fundamental Edge. They are a buy-side analyst training platform looking to bring analysts and portfolio managers increasingly up into the modern world of investing. Thank you so much for joining me today, Brett. Thanks for having me, Max.

The topic that I most want to touch on today is what does it take to be an investment professional in the modern world? So much has changed over the last decade. It's moving faster every year, it seems. I know that you guys at Fundamental Edge are really focused on bringing analysts into the 21st century. So what does it take to be a hedge fund analyst these days?

The first point I would want to make is it's not for everyone. This can be a very strenuous, stressful, arduous job. So I'd say step number one is know thyself, know what you're passionate about and what you want to do. I think rewind the tapes 15 to 20 years working on Wall Street was one of the most lucrative jobs in the economy. Fast forward to today.

There's a lot of ways to make money. There's a lot of ways to practice different crafts that are creative and remunerative. And so it's not a job for everyone. However, for those who love the job, it doesn't feel like work.

For much of my career, I kind of pinch myself walking in and be like, wow, I get to like meet with management teams, analyze companies, figure out core debates, you know, putting together the pieces of a puzzle is a very intellectually gratifying game.

And oh, by the way, if I'm right, I make a lot of money while I'm doing that. So I think, you know, sometimes people use poker analogies. It's like a big game of poker where the stakes are very, very high and you're paid for cleverness. You're paid for work ethic. You're paid for creativity. And so, you know, it's for the right individual. It's kind of a dream, kind of a dream career.

Now, in any game of poker, skill is rewarded. Perseverance is rewarded. It's not a job for everyone. I think there's a few kind of big buckets that we talk about when we answer this question. One is there are just some intrinsic considerations, right?

Getting a job at a hedge fund is a highly competitive career track. You know, if you're a brand name hedge fund and you put a p...

Building the Definitive Hedge Fund Analyst Masterclass | Brett Caughran on Fundamental Edge

Transcript

Built for investment professionals

Every day you wait, your competitors are finding
edge in conversations you're not hearing.

Building the Definitive Hedge Fund Analyst Masterclass | Brett Caughran on Fundamental Edge

Transcript

Built for investment professionals

Every day you wait, your competitors are findingedge in conversations you're not hearing.

Every day you wait, your competitors are finding
edge in conversations you're not hearing.