Stifel Canada Paying $0 for Bonuses This Year

Not sure what to say other than I feel awful for anyone at Stifel CAN right now. To work so hard all year long in anticipation of being rewarded for that hard work is brutal. No one deserves that. It is well known that IBD is only worth the squeeze when you incorporate your bonus into your TC, as otherwise the hourly rate is painfully low. To all the folks who busted their ass all year, Im sorry. Working in banking is terribly taxing. Its not just the hours, the stress, the short deadlines, the inability to exercise due to long hours, the sacrifices you make to cancel on friends and family, but it is all of this combined. That is a lot for anyone, especially folks early in their career to sacrifice. But many do it all in hopes of being in a strong financial position. While this goal is still achievable, a year like this hurts any long-term investing the folks at Stifel were hoping to make. Especially given the notion that many bankers invest the lions share of their bonus with the aim of generating that compound interest that goes such a long way. 

I feel the urge to call out the importance of focusing on what you can control when looking at future contracts. The last few years have been a wake up call that bonuses and SBC is not guaranteed (or may be meaningfully lower than expected). I dont say this in a condescending way, I feel that many of us will suffer in some capacity in the years to come.