Ivy Zero Finance » 2011 » June

Just how much do investment bankers actually earn? Most of the people who want to break into investment banking have no idea how much money is really involved.Sure, the Managing Directors and other senior people make several million a year on average; group heads can make $10 million or more. And the CEO of an investment bank can make upwards of $20 million, with Goldman Sachs CEO Lloyd Blankfein making over $70 million in 2007.But what does an entry-level investment banker – an investment banking analyst – actually make?Making six figures as a 23-year old just out of college is nice, but if you have to work 120 hours per week, you can’t possibly be making that much per hour, right?I honestly didn’t know, so I had to investigate this and do some math myself.Could you actually make more working at McDonald’s than you could at Goldman Sachs, at least on an hourly basis?Best Case ScenarioFor investment banking analysts, the best case scenario ever happened in 2007. Base salaries were $60,000 and bonuses were $90,000, for a total of $150,000 in compensation. Again, not bad for a 23-year old’s

When you go to close on your auto loan one of the optional products your loan officer may offer to you is credit insurance. There are basically two credit insurance products that are offered today. Below is a rough description of what they are and what they cover.1) Credit Life- This product is basically life insurance that covers whatever the outstanding loan balance is in the event of your untimely death. Premiums for this type of insurance vary depending on the size of the loan. The borrower is allowed to name a beneficiary at the time of signing the paperwork. If for some reason during the loan duration you were to pass away that loan would be paid off in full and the beneficiary would receive a free and clear title to the vehicle. Because there are very few restrictions to qualify for this insurance the premiums can be very expensive and are usually added on to your loan amount. If you elect to purchase this coverage your payment will increase and be more than if you elected not to purchase it.2) Credit Disability Insurance- This product is basically

Finding financing to take a business to the next level can be a challenge in these less than robust financial times. The question is simply where do you look for desperately need money? The venture capital market is on the ropes, so most are looking to angel investors. The question you should have is how are these angel investor deals set up?Let’s start with the basics. What is an angel investor? The typical profile is a wealthy individual that is readily familiar with building businesses because that is where they made their money. As an angel, they are looking for an opportunity to help another business along in exchange for a very nice return on their investment. They are not doing this for charity and you should realize as much right up front.So, let’s assume you’ve found the angel for your business. How exactly will the deal be arranged? Well, the first thing to realize is everything is negotiable with them. That includes everything down to the type of paper the agreement is written on. If things become that detailed, you probably are in for a mess but I

There seems to be a common misconception among many outside the financial sector: your money is safe with the bank. In reality, your money is no safer with the industry giants than it is with any number of smaller players, case and point Merrill Lynch and Lehman Brothers.It is names like Bernard Madoff and Charles Ponzi that scare people away from boutique investment firms, but the fact is, your money may be safer in these institutions than they are when investing with a large financial institution. Boutique investment firms offer a significant competitive advantage when compared to industry giants, especially the banks.Though definitions vary, boutique investment firms usually have less than $2 billion in assets under management. They are typically employee-owned with key investment personnel being founders or significant owners. Thus, because these investment managers tend to have significant personal assets tied up in the business, their interests are closely aligned with shareholders.This article outlines six competitive advantages boutique investment firms have over banks and large financial institutions.Advantage #1: Continuity and Consistency of Investments:One large reason boutique firms offer better performance is because they tend to be owner operated