An Intern’s View – An 8 Week Insight

Many people will know Friday 30^th August as the final day of the notorious school summer holidays. Unfortunately it also signals the end of my 8-week summer internship, where I have quickly been transitioned into the weird and wonderful world of financial planning – challenging, engaging and enjoyable are the three words that come to mind!

During this time, I have been educated on numerous aspects of the financial universe, whilst encouraged to make a real impact through visiting some of our excellent clients. From the moment I stepped through the door, I always had a sense of purpose and a task to keep me occupied (although my calendar didn’t say so for a while!)

Straight from the start, I was instantly welcomed into the team and swiftly exposed to the culture of DB Wood. I found a community who were united and strived to help each other wherever possible. From that moment onwards, I was hooked!

Throughout my time here, I have been fortunate enough to be involved in every department within DB Wood. Whether I was building my portfolio under the careful supervision of the Investment Committee or completing an action packed day with the risk department (including a client meeting in Leicester), I was always kept on my toes and excited for what the next day could throw at me!

For most of my internship, I worked closely with the financial planning department, vigorously completing and editing cash flows in preparation for visiting clients in the coming week. I thoroughly enjoyed this part because it offered me the chance to add value and meet the people who make this whole process possible, while simultaneously allowing me to extract knowledge from my economics course to make meetings more engaging. I was inspired by the personal connection each adviser shared with their client, tailoring each meeting and filling it with client-specific information; never leaving a stone unturned. This is certainly one of the main lessons I have learnt whilst being at DB Wood.

Although I spent the majority of my time out visiting clients, I extremely enjoyed learning about the works of the Investment Committee. This ranged from discussions over asset allocation to even meeting some of the brains behind Goldman Sachs’ latest absolute return fund. This was closely followed with the creation of my own medium-risk portfolio, which performed strongly, despite it being for all the wrong reasons! Don’t get me wrong, having the foundations of an economics degree was useful for this task, but it didn’t even scratch the surface for the depth of knowledge that was required. Alex and Dec’s investment expertise were a great help throughout my time here and provided plenty of conversation topics and debates. I guess what everyone says is true; you do begin to learn once you leave the classroom.

It has been a pleasure spending the last 8 weeks here at DB Wood and whilst I am sad to be leaving, it has proven to be an excellent chapter in my life and possibly the start of a new beginning. Hopefully our paths will cross again at some point but for now, it’s back to university for the final push. I can safely say it won’t be the last of me in this industry. Over, but not out.