JD DeGulis, President and Portfolio Manager at Soundshore Management, joins host Karen to discuss navigating a career in finance. Soundshore is a long-only, value-focused boutique managing roughly 35 concentrated positions, with about two-thirds of assets coming from institutional clients like pensions and endowments.

JD's core advice for young people entering finance centers on two big decisions: understanding where you fall on the analytical-versus-sales spectrum, and broadening your search beyond the well-known names. He emphasizes that selling is far more pervasive on Wall Street than most people expect - even roles in banking and private equity are largely about persuasion and relationship-building. He also encourages candidates to explore smaller and mid-size firms, where opportunity and compensation are often comparable to the big banks.

On AI, JD is direct: get in and start using it now. He sees a real advantage for younger professionals who can not only use AI tools fluently but also explain them to senior colleagues who are less familiar. He recommends building your own agents, running repeated experiments over time, and using AI to prepare thoroughly for networking conversations and interviews.

The conversation also touches on the importance of intellectual curiosity - following industries and stocks you genuinely care about, going deep on resources like the Acquired podcast and Farnam Street, and reading consistently every day. JD closes with a reminder that the investment business demands accountability; the market gives you clear, unforgiving feedback, and being willing to pitch an idea, be wrong, and learn from it is exactly what separates candidates who stand out from those who don't.

A few of the reading/listening resources that JD suggested:

• Digital news mainstays:
  • Wall Street Journal and WSJ What's News Podcast (short episodes 2x/day)
  • The New York Times
  • Bloomberg
• Podcasts
  • Farnam Street - Newsletter and Farnam Street’s The Knowledge Project Podcast by topic (Business & Leadership, Wealth & Investing, etc)
  • All In podcast
  • Colossus Business Breakdowns podcast - HERE is the episode with JD DeGulis discussing Vistra Corp. and the rapid evolution of the renewables industry
  • Acquired podcast - Incredible, you can search for in-depth conversations by topic
• Resources for learning AI
  • Anthropic Academy
  • Coursera -

LAUNCH Career Strategies was founded by Karen Elders and Elyse Spalding. We help young professionals launch a successful career path with expert coaching services. Reach out today for an initial FREE coaching session.
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