Making Manager/Sr Manager at Big 4 Firm vs CFA®

Hey I have a question thats very important in helping me determine my career options..how long does it take to make Manager at a Big 4 accounting firm and how long does it take to make senior manager. How much does an accounting manager and senior manager hope to earn. Also what are the opportunities one has after working for a big 4 firm for 5-7 years in terms of finding a job that pays about 150K and shorter working hours.

Thank you for your time!!

4 Comments
 
Best Response

At a big 4 it should take you about 5 years to become a Manager. You start off as an associate and after 2 years you should become a senior associate (1.5 years if you are a top performer). Then you can expect to become manager after another 3 years (maybe 4, again depends on your performance and sometimes just luck).

Managers will on average make around 125K (advisory group, subtract about 10-15K for tax and audit) and they can definitely make up to 150K. Bonuses can run around 10-20K depending on performance.

Senior manager might take you a while longer, I would say another 2-3 years. They make closer to 150K bonuses closer to 15-25K. I would say upper salary range of around 200K.

I have friends that made director after 9 years. So it is possible to move up quickly, but again a lot of it can depend on luck.

Hope this helps.

 

I dunno. My Dad made partner in eight years at one of the (then) Big 8 firms, though this was back in the early '80s.

He eventually became one of the managing partners and today is nationally recognized as an expert on derivatives taxation. That said, it's a comfortable upper-middle class life, but you'll never make as much money in accounting as you will in banking. You'll also age a lot slower and have more free time, so there's a trade-off.

At most Big Four firms, you can graduate from some school like UW Milwaukee, DePaul, or UIUC and eventually make managing partner. It would be harder to pull off the equivalent in banking (though it wouldn't be harder on the trading side.)

 

Mollitia et qui odio minima adipisci quae nobis. Qui et quia enim. Rerum amet voluptate incidunt sint perferendis. Commodi nobis minima nam voluptas quidem aut. Quas aut quibusdam sit necessitatibus ducimus rerum necessitatibus.

Iste delectus ipsa id similique. Enim molestiae quas maiores ut. Voluptas aliquid nemo perspiciatis totam quisquam est. Et ut fugiat totam sint sit nostrum libero quisquam. Suscipit rerum et ipsam tempora.

Corrupti pariatur in dolore quis iste. Eum rem omnis aliquam omnis dolor explicabo. Qui praesentium non eaque rerum. Voluptas dolorem iure expedita quis cumque ea. Enim sit est vel sequi velit nesciunt doloremque.

Career Advancement Opportunities

July 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

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Evercore No 98.8%
  • Morgan Stanley 01 98.3%
  • BMO Capital Markets 13 97.7%
  • Banco Santander 01 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

July 2026 Investment Banking

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

Total Avg Compensation

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (15) $434
  • Associates (46) $258
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (22) $179
  • Intern/Summer Associate (13) $156
  • 1st Year Analyst (80) $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
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
7
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
8
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
9
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
10
Mimbs's picture
Mimbs
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...”