Hedge funds were multi-millionaire-makers in 2024
If you thought getting a hedge fund job would be your golden ticket to untold wealth and riches, you'd be... Well, you'd be right on the money, actually.
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Our 2025 Compensation & Lifestyle report received over 2,500 responses from professionals in the financial services sector, including professionals in hedge funds.
On average, bonuses for these hedge fund professionals increased by 48% last year.
It's worth nothing, as with private equity firms, the hierarchy in hedge funds doesn’t always match that in banks. The levels detailed in the chart are therefore equivalents, rather than the exact nomenclature used in funds.
As with private equity funds, hedge fund juniors benefited from by far the biggest bonus increases last year, with rises of 133% versus 2024. Mid-ranking and senior hedge fund professionals, however, received higher bonus increases than private equity professionals, reflecting the competition for talent in the sector.
The most significant increases came at the top end. “Managing director”-equivalents in hedge funds are typically portfolio managers. They are some of the best paid people in the financial services industry, earning an average of $2.1m for 2024. Just $244k of this was salary, with the vast majority ($1.8m, on average) paid in bonus.
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