Posts by Bryan Liou

Artificial intelligence isn’t just transforming how and where private capital firms invest money. It’s also starting to alter the ways they measure staff performance and reward the high-flyers on their payrolls. AI proficiency is now a core requirement for many roles in private markets, according to Chris Connors, managing director at compensation consulting firm Johnson…

Dealmakers are missing out on the personal windfalls they used to score by hitting investing home runs. Banking has become an increasingly attractive alternative. Many aspiring private equity professionals start out with a two-year stint in investment banking, updating deal pitch decks until the wee hours of the morning. That means banking has long been…

Johnson Associates Managing Directors Bryan Liou and Chris Connors recently spoke with Jesse Skaff at Selby Jennings’ podcast, Searching Smarter: The Financial Services Career & Hiring Podcast to discuss compensation trends in 2026 in the recent episode entitled, Financial Services Pay is Up in 2026. Here’s How to Take Advantage.

A surge in dealmaker hiring this year has left senior bankers fearing a talent shortage in the City, while others are wary that the recruitment splurge could leave teams over-staffed if the boom in deals slows.   Bonuses for dealmakers are expected to jump by up to 30% in 2026, according to Wall Street compensation consultants Johnson Associates, after…

End-of-year bonuses for private equity professionals are likely to be higher at larger managers compared to midsized and small buyout shops, as banks’ blowout earnings put pressure on PE firms to keep pace on pay, according to projections from compensation consultant Johnson Associates.  The jump is due, in part, to mounting competition for talent between…

Wall Street is reveling in a year of mega deals, a surging stock market, and a continuing AI frenzy. The latest signal is a 2026 bonus boom expected to spill across most corners of finance, according to Johnson Associates.   “Banks, at least for now, are leading the pack,” said Alan Johnson, founder of the Wall Street…

Bonuses are projected to rise 10% to 15% or more for investment and commercial bankers as their results outpace other sectors of finance, according to Johnson Associates Inc. The forecast comes after the biggest banks reported record second-quarter earnings, fueled by strong equity trading, advisory and underwriting.  “The banks have continued to do well, but I think we expected…

Bank executives’ compensation will rise the most among all financial sectors on Wall Street, ​as record revenues on trading and deals boost bonuses, according to ​Johnson Associates, a financial compensation consultancy.  In a report published on ⁠Wednesday, the consultancy projects bonuses for equity traders and equity capital ​markets bankers rise 20% to 30% this year. Investment bankers working on M&A ​transactions are…

Traders and investment bankers are reigning supreme on Wall Street, at least if you are judging by their bonuses. Those employees work in banks’ hot spots this year and are expected to see year-end bonuses rise as much as 30% from a year ago, according to a report from compensation consultant Johnson Associates.  The outsize rewards for traders…

Managing Director Bryan Liou recently spoke at a conference hosted by HRSoft discussing current compensation issues in financial services. One key topic was current trends in long-term incentive design: The most consequential shift in LTI design right now is not about vesting schedules or eligibility thresholds, but who the plan is actually designed for. One…