Moelis gets $25M bonus to stay at eponymous Wall Street bank

Moelis gets $25M bonus to stay at eponymous Wall Street bank
The deal is designed to keep leader in place for at least four years.
FEB 11, 2025
By  Bloomberg

by Todd Gillespie

Ken Moelis, chief executive officer and founder of Moelis & Co., was offered a $25 million retention bonus to stay at the investment bank for the next four years, the latest effort by a Wall Street firm to keep hold of its senior executives. 

The award — granted in the form of partnership units — will vest fully if Moelis remains at the firm until February 2029, the bank said in a Monday filing. Moelis can draw on the award provided he remains CEO, executive chairman or in another executive leadership position, according to the filing. 

“The compensation committee determined to grant the retention award to Mr. Moelis to maintain continuity and stability in the company’s leadership in the coming years,” according to the filing. 

The retention bonus helps stave off questions around the retirement of Moelis, 66, from the investment bank he founded in 2007. The CEO has grown the firm, which went public in 2014, to reach a market capitalization of nearly $6 billion, serving major clients in the US, Europe and the Middle East.

Last year, Moelis, who had previously predicted he would hand over control of his firm to someone else by the age of 65, indicated he had no plans to retire soon. “I think I’m still contributing, I’m enjoying it,” he said. “And 65 doesn’t seem as old as it used to seem.”

The award follows a move last month by Goldman Sachs Group Inc. to pay out $80 million retention bonuses to its CEO and president to keep them both at the company. David Solomon and John Waldron will receive the payouts in a restricted stock package if they stay until 2030.

 

Copyright Bloomberg News

Latest News

More workers dipped into their retirement savings last year, Vanguard finds
More workers dipped into their retirement savings last year, Vanguard finds

Sneak peek into annual defined contribution plan report shows average participant balances reached an all-time high amid rising equity markets.

Decades-old will leaves fate of late actor Gene Hackman's $80M fortune uncertain
Decades-old will leaves fate of late actor Gene Hackman's $80M fortune uncertain

The iconic actor's death alongside his wife, Betsy Arakawa, leaves pressing questions about what happens next to his assets.

Fallen tech stocks fail to entice wary investors
Fallen tech stocks fail to entice wary investors

Big tech firms like Alphabet and Amazon are trading at bargain valuations, but a risk-averse market has meant no one's biting.

Social Security Administration sets record straight on dead people getting beneifts
Social Security Administration sets record straight on dead people getting beneifts

Of millions of deaths reported yearly, just a fraction of a percent are "erroneously reported" cases that need to be corrected, the agency said.

Trillions wiped off equities but don't worry, it’s 'healthy' says Bessent
Trillions wiped off equities but don't worry, it’s 'healthy' says Bessent

US Treasury secretary says that markets will 'do great' over longer term.

SPONSORED Beyond the all-in-one: Why specialization is key in wealth tech

In an industry of broad solutions, firms like intelliflo prove 'you just need tools that play well together'

SPONSORED Record growth: Interval funds emerge as key players in alternative investments

Blue Vault Alts Summit highlights the role of liquidity-focused funds in reshaping advisor strategies