If you’re like most people, you probably figure investment banking got its start in a towering office skyscraper in New York City. But the real story of the origin of investment banking is far less metropolitan, yet arguably even more interesting. Investment banking traces its roots to the age of kings and queens.

The IPO (Initial Public Offering) still remains one of the pinnacles of what a company can achieve in its early life. When a company sells stock to the general public for the first time, it’s a sign that the company has a compelling enough story that it can attract outside investors to buy a piece of the company.

Mergers and acquisitions (M&A) is a key function of the investment banker. When companies get together and combine, which happens during mergers and acquisitions, the terms of a deal usually are straightforward. Typically, a larger company is looking to bolster a part of its business.The company could hire a team of people to build that company from scratch, pairing up researchers to design the product, finance people to price it right and control costs, marketing people to whet the consumers’ appetite, and operations people to get the product.

Investment bankers spend a great deal of time constructing financial models on spreadsheets and manipulating them to arrive at values for companies, divisions, and potential projects. These models are often very complex and involve many assumptions and inputs. This article provides some ideas on how investment bankers can improve their analyses and deliver greater value to clients.

Investment banking has a big impact on the world you live in, whether you have investments or not, and understanding what investment bankers do is important. Part of investment banking has to do with mergers and acquisitions, like why companies buy other companies and what’s in it for them. Even people who aren’t big on investing sometimes get the urge to be part of an initial public offering, more commonly known as an IPO.