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Rating: 
Summary: Honest and Detailed Assessment
Review: First off, I must say that this book provides a valuable overview for those who are interested in investment management. It quickly gets to the point and is straightforward. The explanations of the difference between sell-side and buy-side are helpful as is the characterization of the industry's general structure.But it is very appropriate to categorize the book as an overpriced appetizer (especially if you were to pay the full list price). I was highly disappointed in its size when it arrived. It's more like a big brochure with a nice cover than an actual book. To add insult to injury, the book has 109 numbered pages, but of those, there are 14 pages of pure advertisements (for additional Vault products or services), title page only, or blank pages. Furthermore, 12 of these numbered pages are glossary and/or valuation technique shortcuts, and there is one additional page of "About the Author". All of this reduces the number of truly substantive pages to roughly 82! The book focuses mostly on the largest firms by assets and provides only one or two pages on specialist firms, which is really where many of the investment management jobs are. I enjoyed the book, but I scarcely felt like I knew any more about the topic than when I started. Most people will probably say it is worth owning but was rather disappointing.
Rating: 
Summary: A must-read
Review: This book gives not only a realistic overview of the Investment Management business but it also provides great tips about companies and interviewing strategies. I especially liked the section that outlined a day in the life of someone in the investment management business. It gives a great picture of what to expect and how to get into the business. It is a must-read for anyone who wants to learn about the business or for anyone in the business who wants to get information about other companies.
Rating:
Summary: Must Read
Review: This book is a must-read for anyone who wants to learn about the Investment Management business as a career. It gives wonderful pointers about not only the various job options but also provides input on interviweing techniques. I especially liked the section that described a day-in-the-life of various jobs. It gives a very realistic outline of what to expect and of the job issues with each position. This is a great book for anyone looking at getting into the business or for anyone in the business to learn about other companies. I highly recommend it!!
Rating: 
Summary: Not bad, but less a carerr guide than expected...
Review: This book lists itself as a carrer guide, which it is to a point. Some of the best portions of this rather thin book are the portions where a "day in the life of x" is explained and listed on a timeline type of thing. These sections give good insite into what it is to be an associate (post MBA) at several firms. However, there are only a couple pages of this. A majority of the book is very basic what is investment management. There is a subtle difference between what is IM and what does someone working in IM do? There is too much explanation of "in a bull market stocks go up" and "mutual funds invest in a bunch of stocks". Vault should focus on the career aspect more. They do have some interview questions that are good, but this could easily have been 1/2 the length and 1/4 the price and still had the same impact.
Rating:
Summary: Not bad, but less a carerr guide than expected...
Review: This book lists itself as a carrer guide, which it is to a point. Some of the best portions of this rather thin book are the portions where a "day in the life of x" is explained and listed on a timeline type of thing. These sections give good insite into what it is to be an associate (post MBA) at several firms. However, there are only a couple pages of this. A majority of the book is very basic what is investment management. There is a subtle difference between what is IM and what does someone working in IM do? There is too much explanation of "in a bull market stocks go up" and "mutual funds invest in a bunch of stocks". Vault should focus on the career aspect more. They do have some interview questions that are good, but this could easily have been 1/2 the length and 1/4 the price and still had the same impact.
Rating:
Summary: Good, Pithy, Overview of the Industry
Review: This is a good, pithy overview of the investment management industry. I found this to be one of the better Vault guides that I've bought recently. In just over 100 pages, it covers the structure and history of the industry, companies in the industry, the typical jobs, and day-to-day tasks in those jobs. The guide doesn't cover interview prep or the specific knowledge required to do the job, but there are various other guides that cover that material. The only negative point that I can think of is that the book is slightly expensive for a ~100 page paperback; however, I found it well worth the price.
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