I had a friend come to me yesterday to strategize about his upcoming call to discuss compensation at a MM PE firm. The role is for an analyst and he'd be coming straight out of undergrad, but I have no idea what compensation should look like. I googled around and searched here, but couldn't really get a firm answer. Would 85 + 40 be fair? Should he push for a signing bonus? How much? It's in SF if that matters.
Trending Content - Private Equity Forum
| +139 | What’s “the path” now? | 56 | 7h |
| +87 | Is Everyone Too Bearish on PE? | 31 | 3h |
| +48 | Why would anyone do PE in long term in 2026? | 12 | 1d |
| +37 | 3rd Year IB Analyst, Top Bucket, Still No PE Offer. What Would You Do? | 19 | 11h |
| +25 | Is This Normal in LLM PE | 10 | 3d |
| +24 | Q&A: What It’s Actually Like Working at an Independent (Fundless) Sponsor | 4 | 1d |
| +21 | UMM PE or High Paying Strat Finance? | 9 | 6h |
| +21 | Striking out in last rounds | 2 | 2d |
| +20 | On Cycle Preparation | 8 | 1d |
| +16 | Would you use a centralized sponsor research page before meetings? | 6 | 6d |
Career Resources
Your friend should comp to a first year banking offer. The salary feels about right, I'll let others comment on bonus as I've been out of banking for some time.
For reference, all in comp my first year in IB was like 125-140k between base/bonus/signing bonus.
I'm not sure how much negotiating you can actually do, but if you are negotiating, obviously start 10-15% above what you think is fair so if you get walked down you're still in a good spot (and if they're ok with it, then cool).
Fugit consequuntur rerum eum omnis porro natus excepturi. Omnis et amet quia doloremque nulla maxime dolorum. Quidem sapiente sint aut dolorem beatae consequatur nam.
Iste nisi doloremque corporis illum. Expedita velit sunt quae doloremque. Magni eveniet aspernatur minima vel praesentium ullam quis.
Quibusdam ea vel non qui. Libero accusamus ut quisquam quo enim. Omnis recusandae beatae possimus laborum et at. Quia consequuntur sint nihil corrupti ea commodi.
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...
Officia quidem sed voluptate eligendi tenetur qui recusandae qui. Omnis molestiae non recusandae unde. Nobis officia repellendus consectetur odio.
Dolor nobis laudantium quia quas quia debitis quia possimus. Explicabo aspernatur iste quidem accusantium. Fuga dignissimos cupiditate aperiam iure autem ut qui ea. Voluptatem fugiat qui perferendis atque hic.