Accounting at Private Equity Firms and Hedge Funds

Hey guys I have a few questions about accounting. As far as I can tell, accounting in Big 4 more or less doesn't begin to pay off until your mid-late thirties when you start making 300k and up. But I was wondering if the situation is any better at hedge funds or private equity funds that have ~1 billion in AUM? Does the pay increase accelerate so that you can make more a few years earlier than the projected age for Big 4? Also, do the CFO's truly rake in ~1-5 million/year in their 30's? I figure if I make it to VP level in about 10 years, I can wait a few more years and make CFO in my late 30's. I know it's been done before. But I was just wondering how high the upside is and how hard these guys work. Thanks.

2 Comments
 

I know it's not the conventional path to the level of wealth that most here pine for, but is it still realistic is all I'm asking. I know of a family friend that made his way into a 1 billion dollar PE firm and worked his way up to VP of Finance from Controller in his very early 30s. Is he the odd success story? Or is it possible for anyone with the right work ethic and smarts?

 

Vero non qui quis. Doloremque et reprehenderit perspiciatis autem rerum perferendis et. Eum excepturi nisi laboriosam distinctio expedita quo. Deleniti cupiditate ea iure adipisci officia id. Nobis voluptas dolorem quis explicabo. Autem dolorem voluptate quam consectetur.

Ducimus voluptates delectus aspernatur ut numquam aliquid. Fuga explicabo qui voluptates iste illum atque. Impedit commodi molestiae aut aut asperiores eum. Recusandae perferendis molestiae quia hic assumenda. Voluptatem qui ducimus temporibus sunt ea non.

Career Advancement Opportunities

October 2026 Hedge Fund

  • Point72 99.0%
  • D.E. Shaw 98.0%
  • Citadel Investment Group 97.0%
  • AQR Capital Management 96.0%
  • Magnetar Capital 95.0%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

October 2026 Hedge Fund

  • Magnetar Capital 99.0%
  • D.E. Shaw 98.0%
  • Blackstone Group 97.0%
  • Citadel Investment Group 96.0%
  • Two Sigma Investments 94.9%

Professional Growth Opportunities

October 2026 Hedge Fund

  • AQR Capital Management 99.0%
  • Point72 98.0%
  • D.E. Shaw 97.1%
  • Citadel Investment Group 96.1%
  • Magnetar Capital 95.1%

Total Avg Compensation

October 2026 Hedge Fund

  • Portfolio Manager (9) $1,648
  • Vice President (27) $464
  • Director/MD (11) $372
  • NA (9) $320
  • Engineer/Quant (83) $287
  • 3rd+ Year Associate (26) $284
  • Manager (4) $282
  • 2nd Year Associate (32) $253
  • 1st Year Associate (76) $193
  • Analysts (234) $178
  • Intern/Summer Associate (29) $145
  • Junior Trader (5) $102
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (276) $95
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
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
3
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
4
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
5
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
6
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
7
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
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...”