Is salary alone enough??

We are all aware of the handsome salaries that investment banking offers
But the question is:
Is the salary you receive enough to go by the expensive NY lifestyle, or any other hotshot city as such.
If spent conservatively, will i be saving some cash at EOY ???
Will i be amassing at-least tiny fragments of wealth(well obviously over time) or will i have to wait for the “your salary is credited” message to splurge a little here & there

Ps- student preparing to enter IDB

 
Most Helpful

The fact that you didn't know that there were taxes taken out of a paycheck explains why nearly 6k a month post tax isn't enough for you. Yes this should be absolutely plenty with some left over to save each month as well while living a quite comfortable lifestyle. 2k a month on rent is leaving you with 4k a month to attend to everything else you could need.

 

Intern in IB - Ind

The fact that you didn't know that there were taxes taken out of a paycheck explains why nearly 7k a month post tax isn't enough for you. Yes this should be absolutely plenty with some left over to save each month as well while living a quite comfortable lifestyle. 2k a month on rent is leaving you with 5k a month to attend to everything else you could need.

Thanks for the insight mate

 

It is all about how much you pay for your apartment. There can be a thousand dollar or more difference between you and your peers. If you have Roomate(s) and don't live in that great a spot, you'll have enough money (AFTER BONUSES), to save more than 25% and go out on weekends (as work allows). You won't have enough money to save 25% of your base salary and go out etc. 

 

How much is too much for an apartment in 2021 honestly? There seems to never be a consensus between people on here who say the several hundred a month difference won’t matter in the long run and others who say to cheap out as much as possible on housing since you will never be there anyway (not sure how true now with WFH or hybrid)

1400? 1700? 2000+ ?

 

Honestly I just started FT and I am shocked with how little I am able to save from paychecks...basically none at all. However I have definitely been going out a ton and I think as work ramps up (only just got done with training) there is no way I will be living the same life so I am not freaking out yet, just enjoying it while I can. But the NYC lifestyle is shockingly expensive for sure

 

people think they are wealthier because of the 10-15% pay bump but there is something called inflation and if you factor in housing prices / rent prices you can get an estimate of 10% for inflation. so basically you are working more hours with relatively the same wealth. but if inflation goes down then that’s a different story. These numbers are always hidden because the government is constantly changing its consumption basket measurement. 

 

I thought this might happen as well (decreased bonuses so total comp stays about the same), but doubt it after hearing more detail. Cutting bonuses like this after acting like they'll be in the same range is a great way to truly piss off all your employees at year end.

 

Spend the base, bank the bonus. In a high COL city like NYC even at a $100k salary it is difficult to accumulate any kind of substantial savings without having to make sacrifices. In my opinion spending more on a nicer place and enjoying the little things is well worth the cost when working in a high stress job like IB. Even if you were to spend every penny of your paycheck each month and put 70% of your bonus in the bank you would still be doing quite well.

 

Don't get me wrong I'm not advocating blowing your paycheck each month just because you can, it's always good to have few grand laying around in the event of an emergency and maxing out your 401k is always a good decision. Personally, I save a few grand a month but I'm also an Associate and have a much higher salary than a first year Analyst so it's a lot easier. If you can save then by all means do so but pinching pennies to save as much as you can just isn't worth it, especially when it comes to housing. Not saying it isn't possible but the odds of not getting a bonus is pretty slim, any bank that wants to retain and continue to attract talent won't do that.

 

It's pretty tough your first two years as analyst to save much with bonus, will have to live with roommates if you want any money leftover to enjoy yourself. Once you hit Associate level, things start to get a lot better. I also basically went with the spend salary, bank bonus approach (it worked out pretty well for me). Ended up investing my bonus each year basically. 

 

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