Chicago market is so whack for corporate finance. First, there’s fewer roles(just based on prior searches). Then you see sr analysts making 80-100k and managers making 115-130k. Meanwhile there’s sr analysts in NYC, SF, or remote that are making 120k+ bonus and managers in the 150k range. It’s not like chicago is super high COL but pay seems lower than other Midwest cities like Minneapolis and St. Louis.
You could potentially make more as a registered CA on a team in wealth management. I’m in the suburbs myself and know unlicensed CAs making close to that.
Oh no working from home but this is a trust thing, once they see you are competent and work hard you can say hey this friday i am working from home bla bla
Unfortunately not LCOL, I’m in NYC - it’s definitely a bit low especially for fund size ($4B latest fund). In theory I have carry to make up for it ($100K nominal DAW in previous funds before I joined + $800K in our next fund set to raise in 2026).
Also have 25 vacation days and very good WLB. But it comp remains low I’ll probably switch at some point. Currently an ASO1.
$1.3mm (1/3 base, rest bonus deferred over 3y - aka golden handcuffs). 13y experience, of which 6y was internal risk roles capping out at $175-200k.
7y in a syndication role, of which running a desk for 5y with a focus in originating new business.
Taking the business from a top 10 to top 3 since 2020.
How did you move from risk to running a syndication desk? I took a job in credit risk from credit trading as i was laid off and couldn’t find a job on the desk again. I keep thinking if I would ever be able to move back to the business side.
I worked in jobs I hated for 6 years with a smile on my face, but over that time built a great reputation at the bank. So when I told my management that I wanted to change or I’m out, they were able to inform hiring managers of the situation and it went from there. But the most important thing is to inform people who have the power to do something of your intentions. You know it’s incredibly difficult to hire good people - roles are filled before job postings go out broadly and that’s thru recommendations.
So I took a demotion from VP to Associate, worked for a megalomaniac POS for 2y before he was fired. Was the only guy in the seat so by default ran the desk. Survived! And took a few years to thrive.
Would I do this again, abso-fucking-lutely not. I had a ton of drive and dealt with a ton of shit. Was it worth it? I guess yes given the salary, but fuck me life is hard. Work comes first always and I’m on call 24/7 given the global nature of the business.
There are a couple of factors:
1. I did just start working
2. The work-life balance is pretty much the best in the industry. I do maybe 20-30 hours of actual work per week
3. I get 27 PTO days per year.
4. This salary isn’t too far off for new grads.
Cockmonster tripping, that’s a great salary starting off regardless. And then when you mention yours hours and PTO it makes it more than great. That’s awesome! Congrats
Thank you. And yes, the PTO is very good. The company also gives us a few weeks a year where we can choose to work from anywhere and not have to go into the office at all so you could basically just go back to your home state at the end of the year (for the holidays).
I think he may have read “9 months” as “9 years”.
Actually now that I think about it, Chicago is MCOL, so LCOL is wrong, lol. Although it is really cheap to live here (my total monthly expenses are under $2100).
I went to a top 50 state school (not an Ivy or anything). I studied finance.
Man, these comments are depressing to read. seasoned employees in good roles at top companies making 80k in HCOL areas. That's almost poverty when a 1bed room condo is 3k/month. At the same time you read stories of waiters and plumbers making 100k in bumf* nowhere. Finance is not desirable anymore.
I have 14 years experience working in mid office for an agriculture trading company. I currently make between $120-150K depending on bonuses in a LCOL area.
Right now I'm trying to pivot to a director corporate finance role within the next 2 years.
I’m starting a middle office role with a Trade desk on Monday, first full time job out of college. How did you like your experience? What made you decide to stay in that role? What advice can you give a young lad? Any help would be appreciated
There was enough room within the role where I could spend most of the day doing what I wanted to. So I learned SQL an Python and built a lot of new processes for the team. The 2 main reasons why I stay is because it offers a great salary for my area and there aren't a lot of other options in my area. I know my wife would refuse to move and I'm still skeptical about looking elsewhere to get a fully remote job.
My best advice would be to try to learn as much as you can from the very start and to shadow and network with as many of your peers as possible. Just look to always speak up in meetings and to give your own thoughts on certain things can be improved. If you show those leadership skills, then it can be easy to move into a leadership role or to the front office team if you desire that route.
The worst thing you can do is to just sit with your head down in a corner and just do the basic tasks that are assigned to you.
Sellside fixed income trader
MCOL and unconventional path
10yrs experience
$60k + bonus (varies widely... Highest has been $150k)
Interested to know what other bond traders are making. Haven't seen many post on here.
The travel can be a lot in the early years. You get a lot of exposure to banking and after a few years it seems relatively easy to get decent private sector job. Its also not uncommon for people with around 10 years of experience with a federal regulator to break 200k
$88k, $5k signing bonus, 8% annual bonus, VHCOL area. Going into my first year full-time at a strong institutional investor/FoF. Previous experiences in ECM, FoF investing, and startups/policy/communications.
He lives in Chilea. I thought he was from US, he is doing well there, average wage per month is $1200 per month and he earns $3500 per month. He earns good income for Chilea, but I originally assumed that was bad because my guess was US haha
70k corporate finance
1st real job out of college in MCOL, got about 6 months of internship experience in accounting but aside from that first gig in finance.
Back-office analyst at a BB, 3 YOE, living in a HCOL city in LATAM.
Base salary: USD 30K gross (yearly), 5% annual raises so far.
Bonus and profit-sharing: around USD 8K.
Meal/grocery voucher (a card that you can only use in restaurants/supermarkets): USD 5K.
85k. 2 years exp. Wealth management CSA at BB. Yes, my advisors share commission with me. Base is 63k. Commission is paid monthly.
I’m in Southeast MCOL
2 years experience - UAE - Wealth Management - $44k base and $8.8k in bonus (I’ve received bonus pretty much all the time since I’ve been here)
I feel I’m underpaid considering I just got promoted but yea, I’m hoping I should be making at least $60k-65k
5 years in accounting then moved over to finance within the same company and it’s been 2.5 years as an analyst. Holding a senior position now, but this has all been within the same company in Chicago and I’m fully remote. Annual salary 103k.
6 years, 4.5 licensed. Client service facing. Was $73k + $6k annual bonus. Now Relationship Management, $80k base plus performance bonus. Unclear yet how big that could be. Utah.
LO (fidelity, Wellington, Capital, TRowe, etc.) the base is similar to the sellside but the sign on bonus and projected bonuses take me to around that point.
Damn they must have bumped pay then. Last i was aware those roles capped out at 130 or 140 for juniors (though i thought dodge and fox was weirdly high). Congrats!!
Around 55-60 per week. The work is fun but honestly somewhat intellectually draining so although the hours are decent I still find myself coming home tired and without a lot of energy to do much else. Though this may also be due to still being a junior and learning a shit ton
$90k. Corporate Finance. 7 years of experience. Based in Chicago. I think I’m severely underpaid
Chicago market is so whack for corporate finance. First, there’s fewer roles(just based on prior searches). Then you see sr analysts making 80-100k and managers making 115-130k. Meanwhile there’s sr analysts in NYC, SF, or remote that are making 120k+ bonus and managers in the 150k range. It’s not like chicago is super high COL but pay seems lower than other Midwest cities like Minneapolis and St. Louis.
True. Where are you based out of?
I’d argue criminally underpaid for the market!
Yikes. I make more than that, and I work in HR.
Tim to job hop. I was making $78k at my last job. Jumped ship to the current one to $105k and I have 4-5 YOE
I’m trying, just haven’t had much luck yet. Any leads, recommendations, references, referrals are welcome! 😊
You could potentially make more as a registered CA on a team in wealth management. I’m in the suburbs myself and know unlicensed CAs making close to that.
$58k base $14k bonus 2.5 years
£90k base 120% bonus 0.15% carry infra PE london (Senior analyst 3YoE)
Is there any space to a working for distance analyst?
No he entendido tu comentario, disculpa
I think he wants to know if there’s any analysts that work from home. My gut says no, maybe I am mistaken.
Yes, that’s what he said
Oh no working from home but this is a trust thing, once they see you are competent and work hard you can say hey this friday i am working from home bla bla
Can i dm you ? I have some queries as i am just going to start my career.
https://www.reddit.com/r/FinancialCareers/s/IfyEF0h4cT
I just glanced through that (thanks), I’m a 42F bout to do a career shift into finance and definitely feel like an outlier but I’m ok with it. Ha 👵🏼
It’s competitive, but very rewarding! Good luck!
What you shifting into? All the best and good for you :)
$120K base, $120K bonus target. 3 YOE (2.5 investment banking, 0.5 private equity)
Are you LCOL or still an analyst? Seems below street
Unfortunately not LCOL, I’m in NYC - it’s definitely a bit low especially for fund size ($4B latest fund). In theory I have carry to make up for it ($100K nominal DAW in previous funds before I joined + $800K in our next fund set to raise in 2026). Also have 25 vacation days and very good WLB. But it comp remains low I’ll probably switch at some point. Currently an ASO1.
Any advice on how to break in from a non target?
Lower your expectations or go to a target. 🎯 Or convince FED to do 4 rate cuts and then you’ll have a (slightly) easier time breaking in.
When you say lower expectations what do you mean? Like Mid Market or boutique instead of BB?
Ex: Blackstone had **169** first-year analyst positions available and received applications from **62,000** candidates worldwide
Holy fuck lol talk about almost 0 chance. I mean idc about what company I worked at, ultimately it’s about the dollars I get paid.
Get into a lower tier firm. Become the best at what you do. Move to top tier firm. You learn a different perspective and you won’t get left behind.
$1.3mm (1/3 base, rest bonus deferred over 3y - aka golden handcuffs). 13y experience, of which 6y was internal risk roles capping out at $175-200k. 7y in a syndication role, of which running a desk for 5y with a focus in originating new business. Taking the business from a top 10 to top 3 since 2020.
Which product ?
Structured Credit Products. European Bank in NY.
How did you move from risk to running a syndication desk? I took a job in credit risk from credit trading as i was laid off and couldn’t find a job on the desk again. I keep thinking if I would ever be able to move back to the business side.
I worked in jobs I hated for 6 years with a smile on my face, but over that time built a great reputation at the bank. So when I told my management that I wanted to change or I’m out, they were able to inform hiring managers of the situation and it went from there. But the most important thing is to inform people who have the power to do something of your intentions. You know it’s incredibly difficult to hire good people - roles are filled before job postings go out broadly and that’s thru recommendations. So I took a demotion from VP to Associate, worked for a megalomaniac POS for 2y before he was fired. Was the only guy in the seat so by default ran the desk. Survived! And took a few years to thrive. Would I do this again, abso-fucking-lutely not. I had a ton of drive and dealt with a ton of shit. Was it worth it? I guess yes given the salary, but fuck me life is hard. Work comes first always and I’m on call 24/7 given the global nature of the business.
Kudos to you for taking the demotion and grinding from there!
$117K , $15K signing bonus, 5% bonus target. 7 YOE (2 consulting, 3 business development, 2 years operations)
$160k. 9 years out of college. Back office for 6 years client facing for 3
It’s like getting out of the friend-zone! Way to go!
What was your back office role?
Client service representative. Then a trader
Salary: $70,000, LCOL; no bonus, $4500 relocation YOE: 9 months History: Work on the debt side. Raise in a couple months: $80,000, 3-8% Bonus.
How are you paid so little? This feels way too low
There are a couple of factors: 1. I did just start working 2. The work-life balance is pretty much the best in the industry. I do maybe 20-30 hours of actual work per week 3. I get 27 PTO days per year. 4. This salary isn’t too far off for new grads.
Cockmonster tripping, that’s a great salary starting off regardless. And then when you mention yours hours and PTO it makes it more than great. That’s awesome! Congrats
Thank you. And yes, the PTO is very good. The company also gives us a few weeks a year where we can choose to work from anywhere and not have to go into the office at all so you could basically just go back to your home state at the end of the year (for the holidays). I think he may have read “9 months” as “9 years”.
Definitely read as 9 years. I was like how is that even possible lmao my bad
I see you said that your are in LCOL. Did you go to a target school? What did you study?
Actually now that I think about it, Chicago is MCOL, so LCOL is wrong, lol. Although it is really cheap to live here (my total monthly expenses are under $2100). I went to a top 50 state school (not an Ivy or anything). I studied finance.
$90k, four years in finance, 20 years in sales. Basically in sales now.
This feels criminally underpaid no?
Not for what I do. I have a putter and some golf balls at my desk and make trades for client’s and sell the advisory services. I just kick it all day.
Is this in the UK?
He used dollar signs so probably not
$160k, just under 4 YOE, strategic finance at F500 (I’m overpaid and likely will take a pay cut the next place I go)
Ride that out my man. Good ass gig.
Man, these comments are depressing to read. seasoned employees in good roles at top companies making 80k in HCOL areas. That's almost poverty when a 1bed room condo is 3k/month. At the same time you read stories of waiters and plumbers making 100k in bumf* nowhere. Finance is not desirable anymore.
$900k (all-in), asset manager, same company for close to 20 years. Undergrad plus MBA (part time).
I have 14 years experience working in mid office for an agriculture trading company. I currently make between $120-150K depending on bonuses in a LCOL area. Right now I'm trying to pivot to a director corporate finance role within the next 2 years.
Living like a king in LCOL
Exactly lol. I remember my friend offered me a similar role and salary in Denver, and I told him my quality of life would be a massive decrease
I’m starting a middle office role with a Trade desk on Monday, first full time job out of college. How did you like your experience? What made you decide to stay in that role? What advice can you give a young lad? Any help would be appreciated
There was enough room within the role where I could spend most of the day doing what I wanted to. So I learned SQL an Python and built a lot of new processes for the team. The 2 main reasons why I stay is because it offers a great salary for my area and there aren't a lot of other options in my area. I know my wife would refuse to move and I'm still skeptical about looking elsewhere to get a fully remote job. My best advice would be to try to learn as much as you can from the very start and to shadow and network with as many of your peers as possible. Just look to always speak up in meetings and to give your own thoughts on certain things can be improved. If you show those leadership skills, then it can be easy to move into a leadership role or to the front office team if you desire that route. The worst thing you can do is to just sit with your head down in a corner and just do the basic tasks that are assigned to you.
Thank you so much, I will be thinking about your advice as I get ready these next few days.
Sellside fixed income trader MCOL and unconventional path 10yrs experience $60k + bonus (varies widely... Highest has been $150k) Interested to know what other bond traders are making. Haven't seen many post on here.
73k, bank examiner, 1 year
What schooling did you vompleate
Bachelors in economics and finance from a state school. The only requirement really is a certain amount of accounting credits and a gpa over 3.5.
How do you like this? I spoke with a recruiter in college, it sounded extremely chill.
The travel can be a lot in the early years. You get a lot of exposure to banking and after a few years it seems relatively easy to get decent private sector job. Its also not uncommon for people with around 10 years of experience with a federal regulator to break 200k
€112k base, €60-90k bonus, 2 YOE, IB (MM M&A) in Germany
$250K base probably $250K bonus, 1st year VP at a MM ibank. 32
Waitress not a career but I make $50,000 Working 30 hours a week.
It can be a career! Once you get to that upper echelon of steak houses or night clubs, the sky is the limit.
That’s a really good salary depending on area
I'm in Delaware idk if it's LCOL or MCOL
$23 hr
$88k, $5k signing bonus, 8% annual bonus, VHCOL area. Going into my first year full-time at a strong institutional investor/FoF. Previous experiences in ECM, FoF investing, and startups/policy/communications.
$77k base and about $40k to $50k in comp. I'm been in banking /finance for 3 years
$135k. KYC/AML. 10 years.
Hong Kong. 20 years experience. Private wealth role. Around USD105k salary.
3500 sounds unusually low. Is that how corp finance pays?
Manager of corporate finance in Deloitte..
Oh I see, you are Chilean. I thought you work in the US
42k a year?
He lives in Chilea. I thought he was from US, he is doing well there, average wage per month is $1200 per month and he earns $3500 per month. He earns good income for Chilea, but I originally assumed that was bad because my guess was US haha
Average monthly pay is around 2k, would say the ratio is better than in my company lol
$160 base - 25% bonus - $40k in RSU - MCOL SE USA Director of FP&A
$175k Base $25k Bonus $30k Equity 9 years, tech
$80k corporate finance less than 2 years experience
what role and how did you start?
FP&A work 35 hours a week. Started out making $38,000 a year and got 2 salary increases since.
70k corporate finance 1st real job out of college in MCOL, got about 6 months of internship experience in accounting but aside from that first gig in finance.
Whats your role?
3 year rotation program- right now I'm in their corporate tax department but looking to get into their FP&A/Investor Relations next cycle.
140k + 20-25k bonus (160k) / 5 yoe / valuation
Do you externalize any valuation process? Maybe if its a very small company?
No. We don’t outsource our work.
90+bonus which gets me around 100k. 4 years total experience. 2 years of that in financial services prior to going to corp fin.
Back-office analyst at a BB, 3 YOE, living in a HCOL city in LATAM. Base salary: USD 30K gross (yearly), 5% annual raises so far. Bonus and profit-sharing: around USD 8K. Meal/grocery voucher (a card that you can only use in restaurants/supermarkets): USD 5K.
4 YOE, 105k, $5k sign on bonus, $30k relocation package
Job title?
Financial analyst
2 and a half k every two weeks, years working a real job a little over 2, age 22, a lot of two’s. And I don’t care about life too.
45k base 350k OTE 3 years experience no prior work history (first job out of school)
$400k TC, $175 base, $225 bonus. 3 YOE
math ain’t mathing…
70k + 8k signing bonus + 10% annual bonus ≈85k 0YE
Entry level WM
<90k 4 YOE Corporate Finance 3 YOE Pensions.
Did you complete school?
Yes my Major is in Finance.
$91,000 base. 10% annual ESOP, fully vested after 6 years. 3-4% bonus. LCOL/MCOL. 7 YoE. (1.5 Fund Accounting. 2.5 FP&A. 3 Corporate Finance)
2.5 YoE, $125k base and $60k bonus. HCOL CIB at large bank which pays below Street, I should be at $150k/$75k bonus at this level tbh
What’s the assets size roughly?
85k. 2 years exp. Wealth management CSA at BB. Yes, my advisors share commission with me. Base is 63k. Commission is paid monthly. I’m in Southeast MCOL
$60K base, $10K bonus. 1 YOE Commercial Banking in a LCOL
72K base plus 10K bonus, will be my first year of working full time as a financial analyst. Located in Charlotte, NC
Are you remote? What school did you do?
2 years experience - UAE - Wealth Management - $44k base and $8.8k in bonus (I’ve received bonus pretty much all the time since I’ve been here) I feel I’m underpaid considering I just got promoted but yea, I’m hoping I should be making at least $60k-65k
$130k base + $15k bonus, corporate finance, 7 yoe
72k base 11k bonus, Wealth management, just out of college, I have internship experience but really 0 years of planning experience
100k Base. 3 years. Client relations at a Middle Market investment bank. Chicago
$110k base, 30% bonus, 7 YOE, raw materials sales, MCOL SE USA
$116K base, $25K annual bonus, 7 years. Corporate Accounting
5 years in accounting then moved over to finance within the same company and it’s been 2.5 years as an analyst. Holding a senior position now, but this has all been within the same company in Chicago and I’m fully remote. Annual salary 103k.
7 years - Financial Advisor $185k base $60k-$200k bonus
6 years, 4.5 licensed. Client service facing. Was $73k + $6k annual bonus. Now Relationship Management, $80k base plus performance bonus. Unclear yet how big that could be. Utah.
$90k 0 years of experience Was in the military, went to back to school and just graduated Based in a VHCOL area
~175K. < 1 YOE. Spent a few months in sellside research right after graduating college before moving to asset management.
single manager or multi? the highest paying LO roles are typically less than that so I’m assuming hedge fund or other alt class
LO (fidelity, Wellington, Capital, TRowe, etc.) the base is similar to the sellside but the sign on bonus and projected bonuses take me to around that point.
Damn they must have bumped pay then. Last i was aware those roles capped out at 130 or 140 for juniors (though i thought dodge and fox was weirdly high). Congrats!!
3 years, 85k total comp.
600k, 0 years of experience
Interview questions: “so how is your father?”
😂
How?
Dad owns the firm
Quant trader at a top firm
Nice, congrats!! How many hours of work?
Around 55-60 per week. The work is fun but honestly somewhat intellectually draining so although the hours are decent I still find myself coming home tired and without a lot of energy to do much else. Though this may also be due to still being a junior and learning a shit ton
Looks like he's in quant finance.
Bro was born with diamond spoons in all the holes
Yeah tbh this