What exactly do bankers do in their free time?

Hey fellow monkeys,

As someone that's looking to dive into the banking scene, I was hoping to ask some experienced bankers...what exactly do you guys do in your free time. Is there even such a thing as "free time" or is it as legendary as the mythical beast known as the unicorn. (Considering how I constantly hear about 100 hour work weeks for IBD)

and if you do have free time...is it really constrained to playing golf and tennis? O.O

44 Comments
 
"itsanumbersgame"

Mostly this, also occasional trip to the gym, maybe get a fake tan or pick up some vitamin D supplements to make up for lack of sunlight, online binge shop to feel better about selling soul for money, drink.

Oh gosh.

So 'golf & tennis' is really just reserved for the MDs i guess?

 

solitaire and hookers

it's the risk averse version of blackjack and hookers

i recommend it for a mellow night

Make Idaho a Semi-Target Again 2016 Not an alumnus of Idaho
 

Fortunately for our secretaries, the analysts are way too busy, so only MDs get to do any real murdering.

Otherwise, there'd be some real turnover.

"There's nothing you can do if you're too scared to try." - Nickel Creek
 
"AllDay_028"

These threads are so weird. Bankers aren't some weird subsection of the population. They do basically everything any other young professional does, they just do less of it because they work longer. Gym, Netflix, dating, drinking, coke, and sleeping is basically 90% of what young professionals do in NYC.

That's true! I was just curious to see if bankers utilise their time differently compared to other people because of their long working hours. And if they did, what exactly were they doing?

but so far, it seems like you're right, however, hearsay they party a little harder than most...

 

Whatever they want / can compromise on with the demands of their staffer. Not sure that this should be that much of a concern anymore, considering all these initiatives that have been implemented (mandatory free weekends, pencil down periods, protected weekends/saturdays, etc.)

I'm talking about liquid. Rich enough to have your own jet. Rich enough not to waste time. Fifty, a hundred million dollars, buddy. A player. Or nothing. See my Blog & AMA
 
"Matrick"

Whatever they want / can compromise on with the demands of their staffer.
Not sure that this should be that much of a concern anymore, considering all these initiatives that have been implemented (mandatory free weekends, pencil down periods, protected weekends/saturdays, etc.)

Thanks for the reply! That's a really good point you raised which I'm pretty curious about. How has that affected productivity at the banks? Has it gone down because Bankers are working less hours or is productivity still the same? (Assuming they can't be any more productive then they already are)

 

I think you're overthinking this. But just for the fun of it: If people know they can't put you on any shit over the weekend, they'll just make you finish it during the week. In theory, all you're doing is shifting workload into an even more compressed timeframe.

I'm talking about liquid. Rich enough to have your own jet. Rich enough not to waste time. Fifty, a hundred million dollars, buddy. A player. Or nothing. See my Blog & AMA
 
"OccultFinancier"

My (very scarce) free time goes to:

My girlfriend
My dogs
Movies
Gym

In that order? Doesn't sound too bad to me...
I'm talking about liquid. Rich enough to have your own jet. Rich enough not to waste time. Fifty, a hundred million dollars, buddy. A player. Or nothing. See my Blog & AMA
 

Walk my dogs, go to the gym 4 - 5 days a week, hike around NYC (typically Harlem) with my wife (also a banker) and dogs, listen to podcasts and audiobooks, learn Spanish, spend a fuck load of time supporting my sister through a messy divorce (mainly using my ex-lawyer knowledge to do around 80% of my sister's lawyer's job to save legal fees), "date night" dinner one or two nights a week with my wife, cook at home, teach myself how to use After Effects, discuss politics with my wife (mainly HK local politics and East Asia regional politics), go to the occasional evening talk at the Asia Society or similar venue, walk around art galleries (typically the Chelsea galleries between 10th and 11th like the Gagosian), after work drinks typically 1 evening a week, Skype with my parents in Australia.

That's pretty much 95% of my non-work, non-sleeping time.

Not much social interaction in that outside my wife, dogs and people at the dog park. That's the way I like it.

Those who can, do. Those who can't, post threads about how to do it on WSO.
 

"is it as legendary as the mythical beast known as the unicorn. " face-palm

"if you do have free time...is it really constrained to playing golf and tennis?" is this a negative?

"Oh gosh. So 'golf & tennis' is really just reserved for the MDs i guess?" I didn't think you liked these things

the way you word things bothers me.

if you don't golf now, you probably wont as an analyst. learning takes time and is embarrassing

you will do whatever you do now in your freetime

 

Haha I was trying to inject a little humour into the post...but it came out a little cringey...

Sorry about that :/ but thanks for the reply!

I play tennis actually! (Albeit not very well) but I was just wondering if the clichés we see on the movies is true in reality.

 
"SilenceDoGood"

Can't personally relate to most of these lame answers, but I'm doin dan bilzerian type shit pretty much on the regz lol. shooting guns, fucking models, hanging out with celebrities, eating at Nobu, gambling, flying private, pounding cold brewskis lol its pretty tite dude.

banking is the tits, don't listen to the bitch ass haters

Finally someone who tells it like it is.

I'm talking about liquid. Rich enough to have your own jet. Rich enough not to waste time. Fifty, a hundred million dollars, buddy. A player. Or nothing. See my Blog & AMA
 

Look man, I constantly have a feeling around this forum that some guys think bankers/traders/investors are rare species of humans with different habits than normal people.

Bankers enjoy time with their family, some go to the gym, some play basketball, some go to the bar and some hang out with their friends on their free time.

Just like the rest of the population.

 

some strangle hookers to death at the motel

You killed the Greece spread goes up, spread goes down, from Wall Street they all play like a freak, Goldman Sachs 'o beat.
 

Drink until I can't feel feelings, or, drink until I can feel feelings. Really depends on the day.

Only two sources I trust, Glenn Beck and singing woodland creatures.
 

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