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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…

It is a golden moment for banks.  Trading profits are at record highs, and so are employee bonuses. Mergers, acquisitions and other deals are piling up at the second-fastest pace in at least a decade, producing billions of dollars in fees.   The good times for banks represent a flip of fortunes. Since the 2008 financial crisis, Wall Street’s biggest paydays…

Wall Street year-end incentives are expected to be flat to slightly positive across all sectors for 2026, despite geopolitical turmoil and stress in the credit markets, according to a report from Johnson Associates, a financial services compensation consultant.   “I think certainly some of the gloss is off of private equity,” says Alan Johnson, founder of…

As the AI boom spurs activity across almost every corner of Wall Street, bankers are coming out on top in compensation hikes.  “The big banks had a very good 2025. They’re doing at least as well, if not better, this year, and pay will be up significantly,” Alan Johnson, managing director of Johnson Associates, said in an interview.  “They’re going to…

Investment bankers working on big M&A and equity capital markets deals could be in line for 20% higher bonuses this year after a surge in first quarter revenue.  “We do expect bigger bonuses this cycle, and they will be heavily skewed toward top-tier dealmakers,” said Chris Connors, a managing director at Johnson Associates. “There is real competition…

Wall Street bonuses are projected to jump for the third year in a row as market volatility fuels trading demand and dealmaking makes its long-awaited comeback. For investment bankers who advise corporate clients on deals, incentive pay is poised to be up 10% to 20% or more from a year earlier, according to Johnson Associates Inc.  “It’s…

Amid a price war for trading talent, Steve Cohen and Izzy Englander are each considering new twists to the way they compensate select portfolio managers. Englander’s Millennium Management may provide another avenue for “certain” executives and portfolio managers to invest the deferred portion of their annual bonuses. Instead of putting the deferred pay into a…

After years of restraint following the 2008 global financial crisis, Wall Street is handing CEOs a record payout. Chief executive officers at the top US banks all received annual compensation of at least $40 million, with their total pay surpassing records set in 2006 and 2021.  The payouts reflect a banner year for the banking industry, with…

Wall Street banks’ bonuses for investment bankers have increased by 10-15% at most firms, but senior dealmakers contacted by Financial News said that payouts have underwhelmed after a banner year in 2025.   Alan Johnson, who heads Wall Street compensation consultants Johnson Associates, said that those in advisory roles received a 10-15% uplift, with some receiving increases of…

Equity traders on Wall Street saw their incentive pools rise 15–25% in 2025, according to Chris Connors, Managing Director at Johnson Associates, with top performers sometimes exceeding that range.   The surge reflected both strong markets and intense competition for talent. Connors explained that competitive pressures from prop trading firms and market makers pushed pay higher, particularly for equity…