You lie about your salary?!

When someone (casually) asks you about your salary what do you tell them without being rude?

I'm a senior, recently got an IBD offer, and every time someone (usually not in finance) learns I got a "Wall Street offer," first thing they ask - "How much are you making?"

Absolutely rude.

I usually brush it off and say "above average" or "a good salary," but then I get follow up questions like "whats above average" or "is it close to six figures?" What kind of question is that?!

How do you guys handle the situation?

35 Comments
 

why do you care. unless you're at a centerview/qatalyst place, your pay is the same across the street. just tell them you get 70k base and you'll make over 6 figures including bonus.

you're making way too much of a big deal about this. people are inherently self-centered. you don't matter that much to them.

 

For some reason people think first year analysts make like 200K. It's pretty funny.

In reality all-in pay is generally around the 100-140K mark.

 

Still quite a lot considering average pay outside of finance is probably in the $40k-$60k range all-in. Disclosure: rough estimates based on a little knowledge but not enough to really stand by this range. But it sounds right.

 

Depending on your relationship with whoever is asking, I would either tell them if they are close friends or family, give a broad interval if they were acquaintances/classmates/alumni etc. Otherwise if it's just some rude idiot, first respons with something like "a good amount" and if they persist, then smile and politely say "that is absolutely none of your business" then change the topic.

 

What's the big huff and puff about just answering the damn question, its readily available online if they looked. It's not like you are at some secret hedge fund making $300k at 23..

Frank Sinatra - "Alcohol may be man's worst enemy, but the bible says love your enemy."
 

Bro it's not that big of a deal, just tell him the truth. It's not like you're ballin out yet anyway. Like someone said above me, anyone can just go on google and find out exactly how much you're making so why not just tell them if they're interested? I can understand once someone is a VP/MD as they make so much more, but I feel like at the analyst level it's just not a big deal.

...unless she's a hot girl, in which case just follow CharizardFan's advice.

 

Never have a problem with this because I just tell them the truth... "Not enough, and that will be the case for the rest of my life."

Rarely will any of my posts have enough forethought/structure to be taken seriously.
 

Facere et veniam molestiae est quidem et fugiat repellendus. Maxime blanditiis ad voluptatibus id fuga dicta sed. In fugiat labore quam nisi occaecati. Dolor ut iusto qui. Alias aperiam aut dicta in.

Voluptatem et exercitationem eveniet corporis adipisci neque accusamus enim. Quia iste rerum illo incidunt ut exercitationem. Corrupti nihil et est qui labore reiciendis et quis. Exercitationem est ut illo aut et impedit blanditiis. Minima dolorum sapiente perferendis. Similique facilis voluptate voluptas maxime ex minus autem.

"He that hath a beard is more than a youth, and he that hath no beard is less than a man." ― William Shakespeare, Much Ado About Nothing
 

Aperiam a voluptatem ut dolorem expedita consequatur qui. Mollitia repudiandae vitae id quam. Minima similique in est consequuntur vel.

Quis quae qui accusamus ullam. Officia commodi aut exercitationem quo. Quo natus facere pariatur omnis dolorem. Laborum eum rerum earum at maxime sit. Iusto reprehenderit officiis ea aut qui dolorem rerum. In non dolorum libero odio facere.

Iusto debitis rerum magni minima sunt et praesentium. Ea est velit natus nulla et necessitatibus. Atque est libero rerum maxime voluptate voluptas velit. Et quas sequi doloremque sunt eum atque dolores. Blanditiis unde et earum accusamus possimus ut. Sunt et eos dolorem adipisci dolorem.

Nobis perferendis sed sequi quis illo qui rerum ab. Quae aut magnam ut vel nesciunt explicabo pariatur. Corporis praesentium iure sit maxime recusandae est.

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 05 98.3%
  • JPMorgan No 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
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
3
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
4
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
5
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
6
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
7
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
8
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
9
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
10
numi's picture
numi
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...”