How bad will bonuses be?

How much are you guys tempering expectations for bonuses? Particularly interested in VP’s.

Our BB group said we are flat from last year fee wise but actually gained share which would not go unrewarded come bonus season. We’ll see, still skeptical.

If I got what I received last year as a last year associate (VP1 now) I would be very happy. Doubt it is that good though.

17 Comments
 

Based on the most helpful WSO content, it seems there's a mixed bag of expectations for bonuses this year. Some folks are optimistic, while others are more cautious. One user mentioned that despite a significant decrease in completed deals year-over-year, there's a belief that bonuses will be slightly down to flat compared to last year.

Another user pointed out that those working at bulge brackets might be disappointed if they're expecting their bonuses to increase proportionately with the surge in IB revenues. They also mentioned that the increased salaries/bonuses might be a mirage due to high inflation rates.

As for your specific situation, it's hard to predict. If your group has indeed gained share and this is recognized, it could positively impact your bonus. However, given the overall climate and the factors mentioned above, it might be wise to temper expectations.

Remember, I'm just a monkey swinging from the vines of information. The actual outcome could be different. Keep your bananas peeled for updates from your firm!

Sources: https://www.wallstreetoasis.com/forum/investment-banking/bonus-season-comps?customgpt=1, Analyst Bonuses Summer 2022, 2022 Compensation - What Are You Guys Expecting?

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

If fees are flat/better than last year they’ll give you a shit bonus under the guise of: “the market is down, we’re saving for a potentially shaky year”

If fees are worse than last year, they’ll give you a shit bonus under the guise of: “markets are terrible, the pool has shrunk”

Either way, bonus is shit

 
Most Helpful

The more you work, the more you see the cascade of downturns in things. Banking deal flow is bad in no small part because of overlevered and underintegrated PE rollups, which leads to mediocre returns and poor fundraising, as well as lender workouts, which leads to fire sales and loan losses, which leads to weaknesses in private credit, and so on and so forth. Everything has a cycle, and every dog has his day.

 
[email protected]

Thanks for sharing. What type of firm are you at?

I’m VP1 at a BB and I am preparing for really bad number. Think my performance has been fine bucket wise.

I'm at RBC; while certainly not a banner year for us, we did less worse than other large banks (typically the case in downturns with RBC and increased our market share).  So I'd expect our % decrease from last year to be less than the banks that struggled more for various reasons this year like Barclays, UBS etc.

And to answer the other question, it's 10% less than the equivalent year would have got last year (ie apples to apples)

 

Est voluptatem repellat molestias quos in eligendi velit. Unde animi et molestiae. Aut eum non sed nulla. Fuga ex hic et rerum placeat odio.

Rerum et ea non autem voluptatem dolores doloribus beatae. Autem et eius fugiat et sunt nam fugit. Qui reiciendis dignissimos voluptatem quia voluptatem.

Hic sit molestiae repellat ratione fugiat. Iste facere sed illo debitis natus. Exercitationem veritatis delectus omnis ad corrupti qui facere. Nam saepe est similique sit est repellat. Quam libero corrupti necessitatibus repellat amet sed unde. Sint quis delectus ducimus consequatur. Minus porro ut odit quibusdam.

Voluptas voluptatem dolores veritatis repudiandae ut et ut. Labore consectetur consequatur aut assumenda a aut. Ipsum quidem pariatur eum est et. Cupiditate minima non quis suscipit. Totam itaque consectetur sed et consequuntur dolor.

Career Advancement Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.8%
  • 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 98.8%
  • Morgan Stanley 05 98.3%
  • JPMorgan No 97.7%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 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 (78) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (72) $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
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
4
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
5
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
6
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
7
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
8
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
9
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
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...”