High Earners: What’s the Real Motivation After $1M+?

Hi all, I’m about to start a finance gig in NYC, and I’m genuinely curious. I’ve always been amazed by people earning $1-$2MM+ who still have the drive to keep grinding.

For those of you in that bracket (or beyond):
What keeps you going? Why do you continue to work?
And what do you actually do with all that money?

Genuinely curious.

3 Comments
 
[Comment removed by mod team]
 

A job is a job. They are all the same at some point. It’s not like at this point in my career a job paying 500k at a corporate is any less stressful than mine. I’d argue as a group head making say 5mm my job is less stressful than an MD who works for me making 2mm, in fact far less so, because I call more of the shots. His job is less stressful than the director making 800k because he in turn has more control. Similarly, I’d rather have my boss who heads IB and makes 15mm more than mine simply because he has even more control than I do.

 

Quos rerum sed tempore sed. Nulla ut officiis fugit consequatur vero qui cumque. Non ut facilis nihil quod possimus officia. Non cum sint doloremque et architecto. Omnis accusantium dolorem rerum ut eligendi et et est. Fuga et sed qui. Sunt cum adipisci totam aliquam.

Illum fuga accusamus nobis sit accusantium voluptates doloribus. In error praesentium occaecati sit non facilis. Et enim pariatur quisquam temporibus dolorem. Qui quam itaque reiciendis corporis eius qui sequi.

Est itaque doloremque maxime nemo. Animi dolorem quas molestiae et provident commodi. Reprehenderit voluptatem dolores non autem ullam itaque debitis. Accusantium rem ut quam voluptate sit nulla culpa. Recusandae doloribus animi sit quae at a rem.

Career Advancement Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.3%
  • Guggenheim Partners 01 97.7%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Morgan Stanley 02 98.8%
  • Evercore 01 98.3%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.7%
  • Banco Santander 01 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 06 98.3%
  • JPMorgan 01 97.7%
  • Goldman Sachs 02 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (14) $434
  • Associates (44) $258
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (22) $179
  • Intern/Summer Associate (13) $156
  • 1st Year Analyst (79) $150
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (73) $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
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
3
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
4
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
5
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
6
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
7
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
8
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
9
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
10
bolo up's picture
bolo up
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...”