BIWS PLATINUM
Breaking Into Wall Street (BIWS) vs Corporate Finance Institute (CFI)
How Do the Breaking Into Wall Street and Corporate Finance Institute Financial Modeling Courses Compare? And Which One Is Right For You?
Students and professionals often ask how our Breaking Into Wall Street (BIWS) courses differ from other providers’ offerings, such as the Financial Modeling and Valuation Analyst (FMVA) program from the Corporate Finance Institute.
Both courses cover some common ground, but there are also important differences that may make one program more appropriate for your needs.
This site is obviously the home of Breaking Into Wall Street, so we’re not going to pretend that this is a 100% fair, unbiased comparison.
But we’re also not going to post a comparison table that sets up “strawman” comparisons where we always win.
The primary differences are as follows:
- Audiences / Uses Cases – The CFI courses are more targeted to “generalist” professionals in roles such as corporate finance at normal companies (e.g., FP&A and Treasury jobs), while the BIWS courses are intended for deal and investment-based roles (e.g., in investment banking and private equity).
- Sign-Up Options and Access Periods – Both providers offer “all-inclusive” annual subscription options for all their courses, but at BIWS, we also offer the option to sign up for individual courses without the same 1-year time restriction.
Here’s the full list of differences based on our Platinum package, which is the closest proxy for the annual plans offered by CFI:
Price
$497 per year for access
$497 per year for access
Other Sign-Up Options
You can also purchase individual courses for one-time fees
Offers only annual subscriptions
Intended Audience
Students and professionals competing for investment banking (IB) and private equity (PE) jobs
Students and professionals interested in “generalist” roles, such as corporate finance at large companies
Average Compensation of Targeted Jobs
$150K to $300K for entry-level IB and PE roles
$80K to $100K for most entry-level corporate finance jobs
Content Volume
11 "courses," where 1 course is the equivalent of ~10-15 CFI courses based on training volume
200 "courses," where 1 course appears to be several hours of training
Topics Covered
Heavy focus on Excel, VBA, accounting, valuation/DCF analysis, 3-statement modeling, M&A and LBO modeling, and PowerPoint (basic to advanced coverage)
Broader but less in-depth (e.g., CFI has courses on Strategy and FP&A but nothing on Advanced M&A models)
Average Completion Time
300+ hours
150-200 hours
Downloadable Templates
Hundreds of Excel files, PowerPoints, PDFs, and Word Docs
Hundreds of Excel files, PowerPoints, PDFs, and Word Docs
Money-Back Guarantee
90-day money-back guarantee
"Except as required by law, all payments to CFI are non-refundable"
In-Person Training
No
No
Used by Firms, Business Schools, and Universities
Yes
Yes
Teaches Investment Analysis for Private Equity and Hedge Fund Roles
Yes; examples of PE investment recommendations/case studies and hedge fund stock pitches are included
No
Updates and Support
$497 annual subscription required for updates and support
$497 annual subscription required for updates and support
Quizzes and Certifications
Yes
Yes
Integrations Bundle with 3rd Party Services
None
Only in the "Full Immersion" package for $847 / year
Excel Macros Included
Custom BIWS Macro Package (free access with no recurring fees)
Only in the "Full Immersion" package for $847 / year
PowerPoint Macros Included
Custom BIWS Macro Package (free access with no recurring fees)
Only in the "Full Immersion" package for $847 / year
Global Case Studies
North American, European, Asian, and Australian companies covered
Primarily North American examples
Number of PAID User Accounts Worldwide
63,412+
Unclear because they do not differentiate between paying users and free trial members
When Considering BIWS vs CFI, Which is Right for You?
We think the CFI vs. BIWS debate comes down to the following points:
- Which jobs are you applying to?
- How long are you planning to use the course?
- How much are you willing to pay for your training?
If you’re applying to jobs in industries such as investment banking, private equity, or hedge funds, the BIWS courses are more appropriate because they focus exclusively on these investment and deal-based roles.
Also, if you do not want to pay an annual subscription fee and prefer one-time payments for the specific courses you need, only BIWS offers you this option; with CFI, you can only pay annually, and there is no way to purchase individual courses.
BIWS also explores topics like M&A and LBO modeling in more depth, as our material is based on real case studies gathered from interviews and exams in these industries.
On the other hand, if you’re interested in working in corporate finance at a normal company or you want to pursue “generalist” strategy/finance roles, the CFI courses may be a better fit because they emphasize breadth over depth.
You will not learn advanced M&A or LBO models to the depth that we teach them, but depending on your career goals, you may not necessarily need these skills.
At BIWS, we also give away a huge amount of free content to sample before you invest in anything, so if you haven’t already, feel free to check out our YouTube channel with 150+ free videos, our Knowledge Base tutorials, and our free financial modeling tutorial series first.
And when you’re ready to sign up, click the button below to get started: