Experienced Quant with 5+ Years of Work Experience


Mehul Mehta

The world is changing faster than most people realize.

Bloomberg just introduced ASKB, bringing agentic AI directly into the Bloomberg Terminal.

This is not just a chatbot upgrade.

This is AI embedded into core investment workflows, capable of pulling data, research, analytics, and generating structured insights in real time.

This signals something bigger.

Agentic AI is moving from experimentation to production across financial institutions.

Firms like BlackRock are integrating AI into portfolio construction and risk systems.

JPMorganChase is deploying AI internally across research and trading workflows.

Even major exchanges and data providers are embedding AI directly into analytics infrastructure.

We are entering a phase where AI does not just assist.

It monitors, reasons, and acts within financial systems.

In investment, trading, and risk management, this will fundamentally change how decisions are made.

The question is no longer whether AI will be adopted.

The question is how fast institutions adapt.

1 day ago | [YT] | 25

Mehul Mehta

This is my third company in the US.

Every time I switched job I had a different strategy in mind.

During my masterโ€™s, I was an international student and I had just one goal.

Get a job in the US, no matter what.

So I followed the law of large numbers strategy.

I applied to nearly 2,000 roles and eventually received multiple offers.

My first role in the US was at Regions Bank.

This is where I got my first breakthrough in the USA job market.

The work at Regions was great, but I wanted to move towards market facing modeling roles.

So I started looking jobs which are closer to the markets.

After 1.5 months of searching, I received three offers and chose Charles Schwab, where I worked in Fixed Income Quant for two years.

I feel I had the best time at Charles Schwab as I had exponential learning curve.

Working there, I discovered my real inclination: Derivative pricing and stochastic modeling.

So, I started looking for the next role and my strategy changed again.

No mass applications.

Only a fixed number of highly focused applications.

And once again, I received 3 offers.

Here is the biggest lesson.

Career advice is never universal.

Some seniors will tell you to apply everywhere.

Others will say apply selectively.

Both can be right.

Because the correct strategy depends on your stage of life.

If you are an international student in the US, your first priority is simple.

Get a job in the system.

You can optimize later.

You can specialize later.

You can move closer to your dream role later.

But first, survive, stabilize, and enter the market.

Everything else follows from there.

6 days ago | [YT] | 146

Mehul Mehta

Happy to share that Iโ€™ve passed the FRM Level 1 exam ๐Ÿ˜„๐Ÿ˜„

This journey involved solving 1000+ practice questions, revisiting concepts multiple times, and truly understanding the intuition behind risk models rather than memorizing formulas.

FRM Level 1 is a strong foundation, but this is just the beginning. ๐Ÿ’ช๐Ÿ’ช

Looking forward to Level 2

1 month ago | [YT] | 153

Mehul Mehta

Quant Firms in India ๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡ณ

2 months ago | [YT] | 266

Mehul Mehta

Algorithmic Trading: The world where mathematics meets markets

Most people think algo trading is only about writing a โ€œfast code.โ€

In reality, it is a combination of statistics, market microstructure, execution science, and risk management.

Here is how I explain it in one line

Algo Trading is using rules, data and automation to execute trades faster and more efficiently than humans.

2 months ago | [YT] | 80

Mehul Mehta

Quant Roles explained ๐Ÿ’ฏ

3 months ago | [YT] | 146

Mehul Mehta

Over the years Iโ€™ve worked with some of the best Quants in the industry. ๐Ÿ’ฏ

What makes them stand out are not just models and math, but the habits they live by:

1. Discipline like traders โ€” structured days, focused routines

2. Attention to detail โ€” checking data twice, assumptions thrice

3. Curiosity beyond finance โ€” physics, CS, probability, even philosophy

4. Reading research daily โ€” they stay ahead by learning continuously

5. Coding relentlessly โ€” always building, testing, automating

6. Questioning everything โ€” never taking inputs or outputs at face value

7. Explaining simply โ€” breaking down complex math into clear insights

8. Staying calm under pressure โ€” markets move fast, but they stay grounded

9. Networking with purpose โ€” exchanging ideas with academics, traders, and engineers

10. Balance of speed & depth โ€” quick to act, deep when solving problems

At the end of the day โ€” habits build great Quants, not just equations.

6 months ago | [YT] | 91

Mehul Mehta

Stochastic Modeling ๐Ÿ˜‚๐Ÿ˜‚

6 months ago | [YT] | 52

Mehul Mehta

๐ŸŽ“ Is a Masterโ€™s in Financial Engineering (MFE) worth it in 2025?

I get this question from students and professionals all the time โ€” and my answer is simple:

โœ… Yes. 100% worth it โ€” especially if you are targeting the U.S. market.

Let me explain why ๐Ÿ‘‡


๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ 1. The U.S. Quant Finance Market Is Massive

Whether itโ€™s hedge funds, asset managers, banks, or prop trading firms, the demand for skilled quants has never been higher.

From pricing exotic derivatives to building risk models, from algo trading to credit risk modeling โ€” the U.S. market has a job for every quant specialization.

The best part?
You donโ€™t need to be from an Ivy League or โ€œtop 10โ€ university.

Many firms care more about your:
๐Ÿ“Œ Practical skills
๐Ÿ“Œ Projects and GitHub
๐Ÿ“Œ Understanding of financial products


๐Ÿ’ฐ 2. The Degree is Expensive โ€” But ROI is High

Yes, MFEs in the U.S. can cost $60,000โ€“$90,000.

But if you land a full-time role as a quant, quant dev, or model validator, youโ€™re typically starting with a base salary of $100K+, not including bonuses.

๐Ÿ“Œ Many students recover the full tuition cost in 1โ€“2 years.

Plus, the U.S. allows you to work during and after your degree (OPT/STEM OPT), so you can gain experience and earn while you learn.


๐Ÿ“š 3. The Learning Experience Is Intense โ€” and Worth It

In an MFE program, youโ€™ll dive deep into:

โžก๏ธ Derivatives Pricing
โžก๏ธ Risk Management
โžก๏ธ Numerical Methods
โžก๏ธ Machine Learning for Finance
โžก๏ธ Stochastic Calculus
โžก๏ธ Portfolio Optimization
โžก๏ธ Python, R, C++, Excel Modeling

Itโ€™s not easy โ€” but if you stay consistent, youโ€™ll come out job-ready.


๐Ÿ’ก๐Ÿ’กMy Take?

If youโ€™re serious about a career in Quantitative Finance, want to build globally relevant skills, and are ready to work hard โ€” an MFE from the U.S. is one of the best investments you can make in 2025.

Donโ€™t worry if youโ€™re not from IIT, IIM, or a top-tier college.

Quant finance rewards curiosity, consistency, and competence.

So if youโ€™re dreaming of becoming a quant โ€” this might be your moment.

I did it.
Thousands of others have.
You can too.

7 months ago | [YT] | 69

Mehul Mehta

If going for Quant Interviews, please make sure to revise all the below concepts ๐Ÿ’ฏ

๐Ÿ“˜ Derivatives

โ†’ Forwards and Futures
โ†’ Options (Call & Put)
โ†’ Call & Put Options Payoffs
โ†’ European vs American Options
โ†’ Put-Call Parity
โ†’ Option Greeks (Delta, Gamma, Vega, Theta, Rho)
โ†’ Black-Scholes Model
โ†’ Binomial/Trinomial Trees
โ†’ Monte Carlo Pricing
โ†’ Volatility Smile & Surface
โ†’ Exotic Options: Barrier, Asian, Lookback, Binary
โ†’ Swaps: Interest Rate & Equity Swaps
โ†’ Implied Volatility
โ†’ Hedging Strategies & Real-world Use Cases

๐Ÿ’ต Fixed Income

โ†’ Bond Pricing, YTM, Spot/Forward Rates
โ†’ Duration, Modified Duration, Convexity
โ†’ Bootstrapping Yield Curve
โ†’ Term Structure Models (Nelson-Siegel, Svensson)
โ†’ Interpolation (Linear, Cubic Spline, Monotone Convex)
โ†’ Interest Rate Derivatives (Caps, Floors, Swaptions)
โ†’ Z-Spread, Option-Adjusted Spread (OAS)
โ†’ Mortgage-Backed Securities (MBS), ABS
โ†’ Prepayment Risk (CPR, PSA, SMM)
โ†’ Repo, Reverse Repo
โ†’ Key Rate Duration
โ†’ Interest Rate Models: Vasicek, CIR, Hull-White, BGM

๐Ÿ“‰ Market Risk

โ†’ Value at Risk (VaR): Historical, Parametric, Monte Carlo
โ†’ Expected Shortfall (CVaR)
โ†’ Volatility Modeling: EWMA, GARCH
โ†’ Risk Sensitivities: Greeks, DV01, PV01
โ†’ Full Revaluation vs Delta-Normal VaR
โ†’ Stress Testing & Scenario Analysis
โ†’ Marginal & Incremental VaR
โ†’ P&L Attribution
โ†’ Backtesting VaR
โ†’ Capital Models (Basel, FRTB)
โ†’ Liquidity Risk and Market Data Mapping
โ†’ Sensitivity Analysis (IR, FX, Credit, Equity)

๐Ÿ”ข Stochastic Calculus

โ†’ Brownian Motion
โ†’ Itoโ€™s Lemma
โ†’ Geometric Brownian Motion
โ†’ Stochastic Differential Equations (SDEs)
โ†’ Martingales
โ†’ Risk-Neutral Valuation & Girsanovโ€™s Theorem
โ†’ Black-Scholes Derivation from SDE
โ†’ Jump Diffusion Models (Merton)
โ†’ Heston Model
โ†’ SABR Model
โ†’ Numerical Methods: Euler, Milstein
โ†’ Feynman-Kac Theorem
โ†’ Applications to Derivatives & Interest Rate Modeling

โฑ๏ธ Time Series Analysis

โ†’ Stationarity and Unit Root Tests
โ†’ Autocorrelation, Partial Autocorrelation (ACF, PACF)
โ†’ AR, MA, ARMA, ARIMA, SARIMA
โ†’ ARCH, GARCH, EGARCH, TGARCH
โ†’ Volatility Clustering
โ†’ Rolling Mean & Rolling Volatility
โ†’ Seasonality & Trend Detection
โ†’ Forecast Accuracy: MAPE, RMSE
โ†’ Cointegration and Error Correction Models
โ†’ Kalman Filter
โ†’ VAR Models
โ†’ Application: Forecasting asset returns, volatility, macro variables

๐Ÿค– Machine Learning in Quant Finance

โ†’ Supervised vs Unsupervised Learning
โ†’ Feature Engineering for Financial Data
โ†’ Regression Models (Linear, Lasso, Ridge)
โ†’ Classification Models (Logistic, Decision Tree, SVM)
โ†’ Ensemble Methods (Random Forest, XGBoost)
โ†’ Time Series ML (Lag features, Rolling stats)
โ†’ Clustering: K-Means, DBSCAN
โ†’ Dimensionality Reduction: PCA, t-SNE
โ†’ Cross-Validation Techniques (K-Fold, TimeSeriesSplit)
โ†’ Model Evaluation: AUC-ROC, Precision, Recall, F1
โ†’ Overfitting/Underfitting, Regularization
โ†’ Use Cases: Credit Risk Modeling, Algo Trading, Fraud Detection, Price Prediction

PS: Make sure to practice a lot of probability and puzzles from Green Book ๐Ÿ“—

8 months ago | [YT] | 95