Why Has Finance Lost Its Glory?

At one point, finance was seen as the golden industry to make money and have a very comfortable life. These days, Hedge funds are the only finance role where I see/hear folks in their 20s easily clearing high six figures and possibly >$1MM in a solid year. Also, tech is generally seen as a better lifestyle choice than finance. Question I have is why do finance jobs (e,g. banking and private equity, etc.) not pay as good as they used to in say the 80s and 90s? 

7 Comments
 
Most Helpful

I don’t think it has. Still the highest income ceiling without being an entrepreneur. Others still view it as prestigious as long as its investment banking (> boutique, non back/middle office)

 

Most of my friends make good incomes, and nobody except me is in finance. Some are doctors, some are in big law, some work in their own company or do something entirely different. It comes down to your personal preference.

Also see if your career path is viable, not everyone in finance has a way up in all banks. A former peer from college left finance to enter marketing and ended up being the CMO of a fairly large business. there is no way he could've done that in banking.

 

Probably due to democratization of knowledge, lower barriers to entry than in past (not just rich private school kids from ivys), commoditization of roles (finance tends to run in cycles of popular asset classes i.e. PE had its run up, tech longs did thereafter, crypto had much shorter run - each gets discovered and priced in faster), higher regulatory and compliance reducing profits / margins (Reg FD, Volcker rule), tech has much easier lifestyle and better margins in many respects, etc.

 

Hedge funds are the only finance role where I see/hear folks in their 20s easily clearing high six figures and possibly >$1MM in a solid year.

Very possible in private equity as well if you bypass MBA. Exceedingly achievable in 30s assuming you stick with it. 
 

Also, tech is generally seen as a better lifestyle choice than finance. 

True, though I think overblown from anecdotes I hear from friends who are top performers at big tech. Also, finance comp >>> tech comp after the first few years, especially if tech valuations follow a more normal trajectory for the near future

 

Qui et voluptatem facilis necessitatibus exercitationem. Ab mollitia voluptas dicta. Voluptatem doloremque natus et occaecati. Temporibus dolores aliquid tempora neque quaerat voluptatem. Omnis rerum ut dignissimos consequuntur veritatis.

Career Advancement Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.8%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.2%
  • 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 98.2%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.6%
  • Banco Santander 01 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.8%
  • Morgan Stanley 05 98.2%
  • JPMorgan No 97.7%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 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 (77) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (72) $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
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
6
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
7
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
8
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
9
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
10
bolo up's picture
bolo up
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...”