How many hours do investment bankers work per role?
It's not unusual for investment banking analysts or associates to put in 80 to 100 hours of work a week.
Many Analysts might be working more like 80-90 hours per week rather than 70-80. That may not sound significant, but it's the difference between 12.5 hours per day for 6 days with one day off and 12.1 hours per day with no days off.
Investment Banking Associate Hours
Associates have somewhat better lives than Analysts, but “somewhat better” means 65-80 hours per week rather than 70-80+ hours. If you're in a capital markets group, the hours might be reduced by 10-15%.
Investment Banking VP Hours
VPs have marginally better lives than Associates and significantly better lives than Analysts, but they still work a lot. The average is probably 55-70 hours per week, which translates into 12-hour days in the office on weekdays, followed by a bit of extra work from home.
As an associate, compensation rises significantly. The next level up is Vice President, which can make upwards of 500k. Highest on the food chain is the Managing Director, who makes anywhere from 500k to several million dollars. Investment banking associates are typically hired after business school.
In investment banking, as in fund management, Sunday is a day of work. More than that, it is often the day when all the important work that couldn't get done during the week is completed.
Have you ever heard of Goldman Sachs' 15-minute rule at Goldman Sachs? It means you have to respond to an email in 15 minutes or less no matter what. It doesn't matter if you: - showering - hiking in the mountains - attending your son's wedding - saving someone from a drowning vehicle Unreasonable?
Most former bankers have reported that it is quite uncommon for an analyst to hit the 100-hour mark. Apparently, this only happens occasionally (once a month) when an analyst is working on multiple live deals or poorly aligned international projects.
Age plays a huge factor in the decision-making process. Wall Street is an up-and-out industry. Unless the goal is senior management, most people in finance are out of there by age 50. That's not at just the biggest investment banks, either.
Goldman Sachs came out on top for the second year in a row in forum site Wall Street Oasis' industry report of bank working hours, averaging nearly 90 hours a week, the same as last year.
How old is the average investment banking associate?
| Position Title | Typical Age Range | Total Compensation (USD) |
|---|---|---|
| Associate | 25-35 | $225-$425K |
| Vice President (VP) | 28-40 | $450-$650K |
| Director / Senior Vice President (SVP) | 32-45 | $550-$750K |
| Managing Director (MD) | 35-50 | $600-$1300K+ |
Typically, entry-level investment bankers, for instance, can expect to receive around 10-15 days of vacation per year. This can increase to 20 or more days as they gain seniority and move up the ranks.
At the VP level, the base compensation is typically between $250,000 and $300,000. Regarding the variable bonus portion, on average, bonuses range from $200,000 to $400,000 at bulge bracket investment banks and elite boutiques. The all-in comp for 1st year VPs comes out to around $400,000 to $700,000.
The estimated total pay range for a Investment Banking Vice President at J.P. Morgan is $231K–$401K per year, which includes base salary and additional pay. The average Investment Banking Vice President base salary at J.P. Morgan is $218K per year.
| Annual Salary | Weekly Pay | |
|---|---|---|
| Top Earners | $244,500 | $4,701 |
| 75th Percentile | $190,000 | $3,653 |
| Average | $157,532 | $3,029 |
| 25th Percentile | $115,000 | $2,211 |
Based on that figure, an annual income of $500,000 or more would make you rich. The Economic Policy Institute uses a different baseline to determine who constitutes the top 1% and the top 5%. For 2021, you're in the top 1% if you earn $819,324 or more each year. The top 5% of income earners make $335,891 per year.
As of Apr 8, 2024, the average hourly pay for a 500K A Year in California is $22.82 an hour. While ZipRecruiter is seeing salaries as high as $35.11 and as low as $5.22, the majority of 500K A Year salaries currently range between $18.51 (25th percentile) to $31.54 (75th percentile) in California.
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While working in Investment Banking, the average bedtime on weekdays for me was 1:29 AM, with an average sleep duration of 5 hours and 56 minutes. On weekends, the average bedtime was 12:02 AM, with an average sleep duration of 8 hours and 29 minutes. However, behind these figures are large fluctuations day by day.
A Week in the Life of an Investment Banker
In an average week, you will not have much free time on weekdays. Many Analysts are in the office from 9 AM to 1 AM each day, and sometimes a bit less than that on Friday or other “slow days.”
Why do investment bankers make so much?
Investment bankers make money through the fees charged to their clients. As discussed above, this includes underwriting fees for arranging the sale of securities and advisory fees for providing strategic guidance.
Under the new policy, more than 1,400 senior bankers will no longer have a cap on their time off, while Junior employees will get two extra days off. However, according to the Bank, all employees will be expected to take a minimum of 15 days a year beginning in 2023.
Working at Goldman Sachs can be difficult and stressful, especially in roles that require long hours and intense workloads.
Goldman Sachs is the premier investment bank in the world. With an acceptance rate of roughly 4%, it's harder to get into Goldman than it is to get into Harvard or Yale. Let me share how to get a job at Goldman Sachs from someone who did.
In a typical workday, an investment banker may dedicate the morning to financial research, the afternoon to meetings with clients and colleagues and the evening to the creation of pitch books.
