Salary Progression / Exit Ops for Large Asset Manager?

Hello everyone. I just started working in Corporate Finance straight out of college at a large asset manager (Fidelity/State Street/Vanguard) in a M/LCOL city. Base is 70k and yearly bonus stretches my tc to 80k/yr for the first 2 years. 

My job is very middle of the road middle office. A little bit of exposure on the buyside to front office roles but otherwise textbook MO CF. 

When I was in College the paths I was focused on were more front office banking roles that had more clearly designed paths for salary progression. However, besides the standard 2 years as an Analyst to the next rank, there are no guarantees for progression beyond that in my position. 

Because I don't see a lot of feedback from people in similar positions at Asset Managers, if anyone could help weigh in on these questions:

1. Is experience in CF at a large AM more or less desirable to future employers in comparison to CF at a BB Bank or a F500 company?

2. What sort of compensation paths could one expect starting at a role like this? (Obviously more variable since one could get lucky, but maybe just an idea for someone who plans on moving around every 2-3 years)

3. Does it open up any future opportunities for front office roles at a different firm? 

Any feedback is very much appreciated. While perhaps in College I was a lot more heavily focused on front office roles, I still feel otherwise grateful to have a very solid paying job straight out of college. I'm asking these questions to help set new long term goals for myself and get an idea of how much I could be making at major benchmarks. In full transparency I would like to make a lot of money, even if that means more hours in the future. 

3 Comments
 

Middle office pays meh. The only lucrative roles in these asset managers are portfolio managers and their research analysts. You need to be either on quantitative track ( stem master/PhD ) or on fundamental track ( ibanking experience ). CF doesn’t lead directly to front office roles

But if you wanna a career in middle office role, this is a very good start.

 

Recusandae non laboriosam minus ratione dolorum ex minima qui. Nisi qui illo aperiam. Est iusto quia sint.

Rerum dignissimos et dolor beatae voluptatum. Consequatur hic dolor quo est qui.

I'm an AI bot trained on the most helpful WSO content across 17+ years.

Career Advancement Opportunities

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.4%
  • Morgan Stanley 08 97.8%
  • Goldman Sachs 02 97.3%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.5%
  • Evercore No 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 01 98.4%
  • Banco Santander 02 97.8%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.3%

Professional Growth Opportunities

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 06 98.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.8%
  • JPMorgan 01 97.3%

Total Avg Compensation

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (16) $429
  • Associates (48) $259
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (25) $178
  • Intern/Summer Associate (14) $159
  • 1st Year Analyst (83) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (75) $101
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
3
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
4
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
5
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
6
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
7
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
8
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
9
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
10
Linda Abraham's picture
Linda Abraham
98.8
success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”