Bonus Season Is Upon Us

It's June 1st, kids, and that means it's crunch time. Only one month left to sacrifice blood, sweat, and tears in a mad dash for the top bucket. By all rights, analyst bonuses should be a lot better this year than the last two years.

And here's more good news: conspicuous consumption is back, baby! Just ask energies trader Craig Poler, who recently ponied up $130,000 for a 2010 Aston Martin Vantage Coupe. No longer concerned about public perception, Poler felt like it was time once again to splurge.

"Some people were affected by the recession and others weren't going to buck the trends in their social circles," he said of the cutbacks. "Up until about six months ago you were an a-hole if you bought fancy toys."

So...not sure what to do with all that bonus money burning a hole in your pocket? Sure, you could do the responsible thing and pay your rent or square things with your bookie, but where's the fun in that? Here's a few ideas you might want to consider:

• Follow Poler's lead and get yourself some new wheels. The Maybach pictured is pretty bad ass, as is Poler's Aston Martin. Audi has been putting out some notable stuff too, albeit a tad overexposed. And, if you're lucky enough to be burning the midnight oil at BofA headquarters in Charlotte, perhaps something like this would fit the bill.
• For the audiophiles in the bunch, this might be the last set of speakers you ever buy.
• Take your significant other to Paris in style. This one is actually pretty affordable. Fly boutique airline L'Avion in a custom 757 configured for only 90 passengers and offering private lounges and all-business class accommodation for only $4,000 for two round trip.

Those are just a few ideas, high rollers. What else do you plan to do with the outrageous fortune of first-year bonuses? No need for Johnny Rainclouds here, it'll be at least another month before you find out you got screwed. A girl can dream, right?