Gang, something serious has come up and we need to nip it in the bud before it goes any further. As you may have heard, bonuses at hedge funds, private equity firms, and so forth are expected to be up this year, which is wonderful news. As you may have also heard, bonuses at big banks are expected to fall anywhere from ten to forty percent, which is less great news. Especially when it means witnessing scenes like the following.

This holiday season, many Wall Streeters are flying commercial, according to jet brokers. Those who are still flying private are jet-pooling with strangers to cut costs. Some are even skipping the catered in-flight meals, which can cost $1,000 or more for four people. “They’re telling me, ‘We’ll just bring our own lunch,’ ” said Ricky Sitomer, chief executive of Blue Star Jets, a private-jet charter company. “They still want to travel in luxury, but they want the best value they can get.”

And it gets worse. Brown-bagging is just the beginning Continue reading »