A.  Ludwig Financial was founded in December 2007 to carry on the investment dealer recruiting business established by Brent J. Ludwig for ZSA-X Financial Recruitment in 2005.

Q.  What areas/positions does Ludwig Financial focus upon?

A.  Ludwig Financial focuses exclusively on recruiting for investment dealer-based positions: investment banking, research, institutional sales, trading and retail brokerage.  We also place buy-side dealer (registered and unregistered) positions such as portfolio managers and analysts. 
 

Q.  Why focus exclusively on dealer-based positions?

A.  This answer is simple – by focusing on dealer-based positions we have become experts in our target market.  Ludwig Financial is regularly consulted on matters involving compensation and strategy, to such an extent that the decision makers at various firms have come to appreciate the information flow provided by us and want to see Ludwig Financial "get paid".

Q.  Do you recruit for other financial positions such as CFO, VP Finance and Treasury?

A.  Not really.  Occasionally we do get mandates for these positions, but we do not focus on them.

Q.   Why don't you expand to recruit for executive and other positions?

A.  We simply do not want to lose our focus on our core market.

Q.  Do you have candidates suitable for the corporate world?

A.  Yes, we do.  Many of our candidates are looking for better work/life balance, and are often suitable for positions in corporate/business development, M&A, finance or even at the "C" level. Again, however, this is not our core focus. 

Q.  How do candidates find you?

A.  Roughly 50% of our candidates have come to Ludwig Financial through referrals from trusted peers.  Ludwig Financial has developed a reputation for confidential, professional and responsive service for candidates and firms alike.  The other 50% comes from responding to advertising.

Q.  Who pays your fees?

A.  The firm providing Ludwig Financial pays our fees – ONLY if they hire one of our candidates.  Firms are loathe to use recruiting firms that require them to pay significant portions of their fee up front.  As a success-based firm, Ludwig Financial typically has a plethora of mandates in various areas at any given time.

Q.  Does having a price tag "over my head" hurt me as a candidate?

A.  Our view is "no".  The Street has come to very much value the services provided by Ludwig Financial, as senior capital markets professionals have come to rely on us for comp guidance, market intelligence and, quite frankly, helping them to continue to focus on generating top-line revenue instead of screening and interviewing dozens of candidates.  Firms value service, and in the same way that they expect to "get paid" for providing a service to their clients, Ludwig Financial has earned the respect and trust of many firms, such that we are regularly told "send us candidates – we'd like to see you get paid".

Q.  Will my resume be forwarded without my permission?

A.  Absolutely not.  Your CV will never be forwarded without your express permission.  This process is self-directed by Ludwig Financial's candidates – you will be provided with objective, expert-level information about each opportunity, and only if and when you are happy with what you hear will your information be forwarded with your consent.

Q.  How can you be reached?

A.  The best way to reach Ludwig Financial is via email.  See the "Contact page", or simply send an email to This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .  Please note that we receive hundreds and thousands of unsolicited emails – approximately 1 in 20 candidates make it to the interview stage – and as such Ludwig Financial simply cannot respond to every email or voicemail message.  The best way to ensure a response is to send your resume with your enquiry.