Moelis & Company: public research and practice themes

Independent investment banking advisory firm. This independent page organizes general study themes alongside public background information; it is not an employer-endorsed interview guide.

Moelis & Company
Independent investment banking advisory firm
HQ New YorkFounded 2007Type Independent advisory
M&A advisoryFinancial restructuringRecapitalization advisoryCapital markets advisory
IB Atlas is not affiliated with Moelis & Company. It does not publish actual, confidential, or leaked interview questions. Confirm current firm information through the firm’s own public materials.

About Moelis & Company

Moelis & Company is an independent investment banking advisory firm headquartered in New York, founded in 2007 by Ken Moelis. The firm advises clients on mergers and acquisitions, restructuring and liability management, and capital raising.

It has grown into a significant independent advisory franchise, with industry coverage teams spanning M&A alongside a recognized restructuring and recapitalization practice.

Because the firm is advisory-focused, interviews tend to put real weight on the core technicals. Practice your M&A, valuation, and restructuring fundamentals before you walk in.

What to emphasize in your prep

Valuationemphasis 3 of 3

Be fluent in trading comparables and precedent transactions, and be ready to explain how you would pick and defend a multiple. Valuation questions test judgment as much as mechanics.

DCFemphasis 3 of 3

Practice building a discounted cash flow out loud, from unlevered free cash flow through to a defensible valuation range. Be ready to explain every assumption, not just the formula. That connects directly to Moelis & Company's work in M&A advisory.

M&Aemphasis 3 of 3

Be ready to walk through how a merger gets evaluated and modeled, including the accretion and dilution math, and to explain the strategic logic in your own words. That connects directly to Moelis & Company's work in Recapitalization advisory.

Accountingemphasis 2 of 3

Make sure the three financial statements, and how they connect to each other, are automatic. Interviewers use accounting questions to check whether you can reason quickly under pressure, not just recite a definition. That applies to Moelis & Company as an independent investment banking advisory firm, whichever group you talk to.

Restructuring & Distressedemphasis 2 of 3

Understand how a capital structure breaks down in a distressed scenario, the difference between in-court and out-of-court processes, and how creditors are prioritized. That connects directly to Moelis & Company's work in Financial restructuring.

Practice questions

1Cash Subtracted From Enterprise Value, Explained2Minority Interest in Enterprise Value, Explained3EV/EBITDA's Capital-Structure Neutrality, Explained4Normalizing a Peer's EBITDA, Explained5Control Premium and Its Formula, Explained6Equity Value to EBITDA, Explained7The DCF Walkthrough, Explained8Interest Expense and Unlevered FCF, Explained9Beta and Systematic Risk, Explained10Tax-Affecting the Cost of Debt, Explained11Gordon Growth vs Exit Multiple, Explained12The Mid-Year Convention in a DCF, Explained13Bolt-On Acquisitions, Explained14Accretion vs Deal Quality, Explained

How to talk about Moelis & Company

  • Advisory-only firms want to hear why the model itself appeals to you. Be ready to explain why independent advice is the kind of work you want to train in.
  • Moelis' restructuring practice is a genuine strength. If you are interviewing anywhere near that group, put real time into distressed and capital structure concepts.
  • Deal teams at independent advisory firms tend to be lean. Frame that as a draw: earlier responsibility and closer work with senior bankers.

What to expect from the process

Recruiting at independent advisory firms like Moelis & Company runs through both structured campus channels and off-cycle, network-driven hiring. Deal teams are lean, so you may meet senior bankers relatively early in the process, and interviews tend to put real weight on the technical fundamentals and on why the advisory model appeals to you specifically. Processes vary by group, office, and recruiting cycle.

Frequently asked questions

Start with the core technical set every group expects: accounting, valuation, and a clean DCF. At Moelis & Company, put extra time into Valuation, DCF, and M&A, since that is where the firm's business is concentrated. Processes vary by group, office, and recruiting cycle, so confirm the emphasis with the people you actually talk to.

Recruiting at independent advisory firms like Moelis & Company runs through both structured campus channels and off-cycle, network-driven hiring. Deal teams are lean, so you may meet senior bankers relatively early in the process, and interviews tend to put real weight on the technical fundamentals and on why the advisory model appeals to you specifically. Processes vary by group, office, and recruiting cycle.

Build the core technicals until they are automatic, then read how Moelis & Company describes its own business on its own site and be ready to connect that, in your own words, to why you want to work there. Practice saying your answers out loud, not just writing them down.

More firms to prepare for

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General educational practice prompts with study explanations for offline review. They are not firm-provided questions.

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