John Paulson, who rose to fame in 2007 with a prescient bet against subprime mortgages, earned a record $4.9 billion in 2010 as a result of a big wager that his fund, Paulson & Company, made on gold. The metal soared last year, lifting the values of some hedge funds by more than 30 percent.
Last year was very lucrative for some of the biggest and best-performing hedge funds’ chiefs. Wealth was so concentrated that a mere 25 people pocketed a total of $22.07 billion, according to this year’s annual ranking by AR Magazine, which tracks the hedge fund industry. At $50,000 a year, it would take the salaries of 441,400 Americans to match that sum.
Hedge fund managers can still have Huge paydays even in years when their funds do Not perform well. That is because of the millions they earn in fees from charging state pension funds, college endowments and wealthy individuals to manage money. These fees are typically collected regardless of whether the firm has a profit or a loss.
“So many of these guys are killing it on the management fees,” said Bradley H. Alford, chief investment officer of Alpha Capital Management, which invests in hedge funds. “You can’t feel good giving 30% of your returns to some guy who was up single digits. That has to give you indigestion.”
In fact, the hedge fund industry as a whole did not do better than the stock market last year. The HedgeFund Intelligence Global Composite Index, which tracks nearly 4,000 hedge funds around the world, had a median gain of 8% in 2010, trailing the 11.7% in the MSCI World Index of stocks and the 12.7% rise in the Standard & Poor’s 500-stock index.
And this year’s list of top hedge fund earners includes a number of managers who pocketed hundreds of millions of dollars in Fees but produced only single-digit returns for their investors. AR Magazine arrives at the pay figures by estimating a money manager’s portion of fees along with the increase in value of personal stakes in the funds.
For instance, David Shaw of D. E. Shaw, a firm that uses complex algorithms to determine its investments, made the list with income of $275 million, even though his biggest fund returned a paltry 2.45% and over all the firm Lost 40% of its assets, the magazine said. AR Magazine said Mr. Shaw, who gave up day-to-day oversight of the funds in 2002, made the list because the firm charged a 3% management fee and took 30% of the investment gains. Mr. Shaw also has much of his own personal wealth tied up in the firm.
[......]
Almost all of these Big money guys have earned their following; the following that pays them the Big Bucks.
So one Cannot begrudge the agreement they make with their also-wealthy clients.
Being taxed at the Cap Gains rate however, when it's your Clients money but the manager's Salary/Fees, I feel is decidedly Not in a societies best interest.
In addition to Not getting Cap Gains rate, I am for a 50% Bracket for earners over $10 Million.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/01/business/01hedge.html
Ten years ago, when the hedge fund industry was much smaller than it is today, it took 25 hedge fund managers to earn a combined annual payday of $5 billion. Last year, it took only one.
Even Funds That Lagged Paid Richly
By JULIE CRESWELL
March 31, 2011
I don't think many here know what making a few Billion a Year - not just over a lifetime - really is so:
Almost all of these Big money guys have earned their following; the following that pays them the Big Bucks.
So one Cannot begrudge the agreement they make with their also-wealthy clients.
Being taxed at the Cap Gains rate however, when it's your Clients money but the manager's Salary/Fees, I feel is decidedly Not in a societies best interest.
In addition to Not getting Cap Gains rate, I am for a 50% Bracket for earners over $10 Million.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/01/business/01hedge.html
Ten years ago, when the hedge fund industry was much smaller than it is today, it took 25 hedge fund managers to earn a combined annual payday of $5 billion. Last year, it took only one.
Even Funds That Lagged Paid Richly
By JULIE CRESWELL
March 31, 2011
Almost all of these Big money guys have earned their following; the following that pays them the Big Bucks.
So one Cannot begrudge the agreement they make with their also-wealthy clients.
Being taxed at the Cap Gains rate however, when it's your Clients money but the manager's Salary/Fees, I feel is decidedly Not in a societies best interest.
In addition to Not getting Cap Gains rate, I am for a 50% Bracket for earners over $10 Million.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/01/business/01hedge.html
Ten years ago, when the hedge fund industry was much smaller than it is today, it took 25 hedge fund managers to earn a combined annual payday of $5 billion. Last year, it took only one.
Even Funds That Lagged Paid Richly
By JULIE CRESWELL
March 31, 2011
I don't think many here know what making a few Billion a Year - not just over a lifetime - really is so:
CalGun said:So take from those who make it and give to those who don't bother to try? I guess yu can buy votes from the masses that way, but the elites will just take their business some where else and you won't be able to ever buy enough votes to keep the lazy happy.
If you'll both note..I suggest ya start your own hedge fund if ya jealous of the hedge fund managers.
If you'll both note..
I prefaced my OP with the Fact that these guys are worth (in their clients view) what they make.
I agree.. on the best of them anyway. Overall though don't really outperform the market.
As a comfortable financial professional.. it's not a jealousy issue for me.
But what they are worth to society is a different matter.
First and Again.. They Unfairly get preferential Cap Gains tax treatment their salaries and Fees.
Yes, they have to coziest/quietest/most effective lobby there is that keeps it that way.
One can't argue that that's fair.
Second, on the New slightly higher bracket...
Top marginal income tax rates were 70%-90% for a good part of the last century. (1930-1980)
I don't think 50% is out of line for $10 mil and up. We're NOT talking about the pikers at 250K.
One has to remember/keep in perspective, that "Class warfare" HAS been waged by the rich and won, since 1980.
So that any even minor move back the other way elicits the Ironic/Assinine cry of ... "class warfare'. (!)
This only works on Right Wing 20/30-somethings with No history, Just Hannity.
Almost all of these Big money guys have earned their following; the following that pays
them the Big Bucks.
So one Cannot begrudge the agreement they make with their also-wealthy clients.
Being taxed at the Cap Gains rate however, when it's your Clients money but the manager's Salary/Fees, I feel is decidedly Not in a societies best interest.
In addition to Not getting Cap Gains rate, I am for a 50% Bracket for earners over $10 Million.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/01/business/01hedge.html
Ten years ago, when the hedge fund industry was much smaller than it is today, it took 25 hedge fund managers to earn a combined annual payday of $5 billion. Last year, it took only one.
Even Funds That Lagged Paid Richly
By JULIE CRESWELL
March 31, 2011
I don't think many here know what making a few Billion a Year - not just over a lifetime - really is so:
How so?What a desperately hyperbolic and stupid thread.
Me and Warren Buffett that is, not to mention Chief of Goldman Sachs.Fenton said:The Op had no trouble using demagogy to repeat the Liberal false narrative of " eat the rich."
I mean even Clinton had sense enough to lower Capital Gains taxes and IF you go after " the rich " with punitive percentages of tax, they will simply MOVE.
Their money or themselves. Do you know how economically ignorant you have to be to push this drek ?
The "hyperbole" in this exchange was All Yours.Fenton said:To think massive tax increases on the rich FIRST would fund anything but a few IRS getaways, and to think they would take it sittibg down. That they would just pay up.
LOL !!!
It's ridiculous. Some people man.
No.Fenton said:
So you're for ''the rich" either pulling their money out of the econony all together and shoving it into some safe no interest bearing security or forcing them and their money into greener pastuers ?
And you have NO idea what that would do to a already terminal economy ?
Unreal.
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