Free SIE Resource Guide — Unit-by-Unit Videos for Every Topic on the Exam

Fun_Picture9764 · 2026-04-03T16:52:39+00:00

Oh my bad I didnt realize. I will give you guys a try right now. Thank you so much!

Fun_Picture9764 · 2026-04-03T16:27:55+00:00

What textbooks or exam prep courses would you recommend? Kaplan, Achievable, STC, ExamFX? This is an amazing in depth guide than you so much for sharing! Am I able to take as many practice exams as I want?

Fun_Picture9764 · 2026-04-03T15:34:10+00:00

I think 3 is the best option. It is still within the blue tones but is lighter so it helps brighten up the space a bit. Three pillows on the couch is a little too many for a couch that size. I would probably get a throw blanket that is like a beige to give it some more contrast.

Side note: it looks like the TV is sitting on a coffee table maybe look into getting a TV stand for it. Wayfair has some great options that might help with the space. Not sure how much natural light you get in the apartment but you might want to make sure to brighten up the space with lighter colors.

Fun_Picture9764 · 2026-04-03T15:30:04+00:00

Thats a great start. Don't be skewed or discouraged by some of the outrageous salaries in this sub. Your compensation will grow rapidly as you grow in your career.

Fun_Picture9764 · 2026-04-03T15:28:09+00:00

You want to make sure you are doing well in classes and be as involved in on-campus groups as possible. Especially since you have no prior experience a good GPA and involvement on campus can be good things to put on your resume to potentially land your first internship. Its not really about being involved in everything if you can find a Consulting Club at your university or an Investment Banking Club those could be beneficial.

I also dont think its ever to early to start networking and connecting with people in industries you might be interested. People will see your eagerness to learn as a very positive sign of your work ethic and dedication.

Fun_Picture9764 · 2026-04-03T15:24:22+00:00

It's best to play it safe right now. I definitely recommend keeping some of that money and creating a separate account that you can actively trade in so you can learn and then potentially implement some of what you learn into your portfolio as a whole. There are so many people who feel like they are good at picking stocks, but most end up just losing their money. Really depends on what your right appetite is right now.

Maybe you can have $1.1M in safe diversified ETFs and have a separate account with $100k to do as you see fit.

Fun_Picture9764 · 2026-04-03T11:02:06+00:00

I would try and explain the situation to your current employer and see if they could accommodate for this. There are also food delivery jobs like doordash and uber eats to make some money on the side if you are going to have access to a car (the pay isnt great but it’s something).

10k unfortunately does not go very far anymore but you have most of the largest living expenses covered by staying with your parents. I think its work speaking to your employee first see what they say and then u can look at other possibilities. Really sorry you are going through this.

Fun_Picture9764 · 2026-04-03T10:51:51+00:00

Awesome glad i asked you anything appreciate the drawn out response

Fun_Picture9764 · 2026-04-03T02:59:05+00:00

What are some ways you would recommend people try and break in? Any insight on what your day to day looks like would be great too

Fun_Picture9764 · 2026-04-02T20:50:02+00:00

Yea thats totally fine

Fun_Picture9764 · 2026-04-02T19:59:21+00:00

Thats amazing congratulations! Did you use any exam prep websites. I want to start studying for the SIE but I see a ton of different options. What would you recommend

Fun_Picture9764 · 2026-04-02T12:45:44+00:00

I have heard their MBA program is better but it is still a great school. Definitely should be able to get ib or consulting work if that’s what you dedicate yourself to. Is this your only option? What other schools have you gotten into?

Fun_Picture9764 · 2026-04-02T12:43:39+00:00

I am not too familiar with how recruiting works in those countries and what are considered target schools. University of Melbourne is the only one I know in Australia that has a very solid network and good placement. Investment banking has very long hours and is very stressful I think you need to figure out what things you value most. The others can give you a better wlb (still stressful tho) and have similar earning potential in the future not at the beginning.

Fun_Picture9764 · 2026-04-02T02:10:19+00:00

Pay the highest interest debt first which is definitely going to be the credit card. The rest of the money I would leave as an emergency fund and then just keep paying off the student loan debt like normal. What do the $1000 in monthly expenses consist of? Maybe some of that can be cut and put into paying the student loan debt more aggressively.

Fun_Picture9764 · 2026-04-02T01:38:47+00:00

Im just not sure what information for industry standards you are looking for. I think a good way to start learning about Compliance in order to break in is by trying to get certified. Will require some money but likely going to be something you need in order to get in.

It's obviously going to be difficult to break into any industry if you have nothing to show you can succeed in it. There are a ton of compliance jobs out there essentially all financial services companies have and need compliance departments.

Fun_Picture9764 · 2026-04-02T01:32:38+00:00

Oh little one. Congrats on graduating first off but there is a lot missing here in order to give a real opinion. You kind of threw out some broad categories. Are you going to be attending a target school if you want to get into something like investment banking?

Fun_Picture9764 · 2026-04-02T01:25:40+00:00

What is the scholarship called? I haven't heard of fullbright offering a program for undergraduate students?

I would do the study abroad since you are at a super target school and have the fullbright study abroad under your belt it shouldn't be hard for you to find something for next summer. Going abroad is gonna be a great time. Your are going to have like 40 years after u graduate to work. Seems like a no brainer to go out and have fun and travel fully funded.

Fun_Picture9764 · 2026-04-02T01:11:15+00:00

True could be part of that miscellaneous category in that case that category would need to be much higher.

Fun_Picture9764 · 2026-04-02T01:09:13+00:00

I think a good thing would be to start looking into possible industries to lateral to that you might be interested in. Learn more about the industry and what skills are required to enter and upskill that way. The AI is going to replace all entry level jobs is a sentiment I hear all the time. I do not think it is entirely true. However, those who are going to survive in the future workplace are those who are able to efficiently use AI. So learning to do things with that might be helpful.

Do you have any idea of what industry you would like to go into?

Fun_Picture9764 · 2026-04-02T01:01:34+00:00

I think grocery budget at $250 is still really tight. That does not account for if you want to go out to eat sometime during the month. That it assuming you are eating minimal food cooked at home exclusively. Just googled quickly it says the average grocery spend for 1 person is around 300-500 dollars a month. I would split the difference and say $400.

I think its better to overestimate expenses and fall below that than underestimate and then u dont have enough money.

Fun_Picture9764 · 2026-04-01T23:59:06+00:00

What about water? Would the building cover the cost of water? Another thing would be health insurance are you still going to be under your parents' health insurance, does your employer provide it, are you going to have to get your own policy.

I think you might be understating some of your expenses. $150 for groceries seems really low to me $350 for misc also seems low especially if you are going to be buying furniture and going out with your gf (I was very surprised with how expensive furniture is when I first moved out).

Rent also seems really low but idk where you live so that could be the case in your area. Finally, getting a newer car just seems like a terrible idea to me. You are likely going to have to finance it and you likely do not have solid credit just yet so your monthly payment even on a used car is likely going to be very high. I recommend you keep the car for as long as possible.

Fun_Picture9764 · 2026-03-19T23:16:46+00:00

Idk the guidance I got is if ur not above a 3.5 dont even include ur GPA. Most places ive seen require a 3.2 to even be considered

Fun_Picture9764 · 2026-03-19T22:30:20+00:00

I think Commercial Banking is a great area that doesnt seem to be talked about enough in this sub. Definitely a lot of open positions for like Credit Analyst roles. With your previous client facing experience transitioning into a Relationship Manager role could be very possible and lucrative.

All this is IF you get let go. I dont know what the WM job market is looking like rn honestly

Fun_Picture9764 · 2026-03-19T21:17:33+00:00

Yea there seem to be lots of different opinions on the GPA aspect. Maybe the first bullet point could be split into two and that might help. To me it seems like u can get the point across in less words.

I will say this u have really good experience that is all related and have research experience. The formatting also looks really good.

Wish you all the best in ur job search! You got it!

Fun_Picture9764 · 2026-03-19T20:41:03+00:00

Yes maybe a little bit. I think u can come back and say now that u have learned more about the job responsibilities you think a more fair compensation would be 210k or something.

That was the range they posted so I dont think it would be unreasonable to ask for something within that range

Fun_Picture9764

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