In Margin Call the 23 year old analyst says he earned ~$250k, working in the risk department.
I know movies tend to exaggerate a bit especially banking ones which look to portray excess wealth, but just curious if this figure is realistic? Could a 23 year old analyst really make that much working in risk before the crash? Just seemed quite surprising to me.
| +326 | UBS Tech MD hires Son (from no-name college) as an Intern | 57 | 19h |
| +256 | Evercore Intern Seizure | 38 | 5h |
| +90 | [Official] 2026 IB Analyst Bonus Megathread (with 2025 Consolidated Pay and Perks/Benefits) | 12 | 2d |
| +55 | JPM M&A is Gone??? Purely Coverage Banking??? | 22 | 9h |
| +54 | Is DCM actually underrated ? | 21 | 18h |
| +46 | Are all Tech / TMT groups sweaty? | 33 | 1d |
| +43 | Losing my personality in Banking | 7 | 2h |
| +39 | Am I behind? 31 Year Old Analyst | 9 | 1d |
| +39 | Associate & Above IB exits | 16 | 2d |
| +31 | Incoming IB Analyst: Best Ways to Prepare? | 8 | 2d |
Career Resources
Get instant access to lessons taught by experienced private equity pros and bulge bracket investment bankers including financial statement modeling, DCF, M&A, LBO, Comps and Excel Modeling.
no
total bullshit. I know people with that exact job who earn 100-120K.
Agreed, I know those who earn less. ~70
Maybe he was including his inflated home value.
I sort of understood it that they made the 23 year old into a hybrid of sorts, remember, he was involved in the "sell all our shit securities" onslaught near the end of the film. Obviously, no one in risk at 23 makes that much money. That said, it's a movie that blends roles for purposes of story telling.
Personally, I think it did a better job portraying Wall Street than most other films about it.
well, it is supposedly depicting Lehman right at the height of heights of IB salaries. So..maybe not that far of reality.
don't really know though, but comparing it to today's salaries is wrong.
23 yrs old and 250K don't mix.
Yeah I knew that $250k figure was bullshit.
Also there was that guy who I assume to be a VP that was making $2.5m a year, the guy that almost jumped off the roof (lol). that's a little more believable I guess given that it had been like their best year ever
Consequatur sed exercitationem quis non aliquid ad. Mollitia laborum earum modi consequatur aliquid non odit. Sunt repellendus occaecati quae animi. Corporis tenetur ipsam aspernatur. Nihil sit tempora numquam rem perspiciatis perspiciatis qui temporibus. Doloremque optio ea et necessitatibus tempore.
Quae aut veritatis et saepe ut. Animi laudantium dolores quas est provident illo. Quia illo dolor distinctio consequatur facere aut. Qui aliquid dolor eum velit facilis.
See All Comments - 100% Free
WSO depends on everyone being able to pitch in when they know something. Unlock with your email and get bonus: 6 financial modeling lessons free ($199 value)
or Unlock with your social account...