That Line at the Ferrari Dealer? It's Bonus Season on Wall Street -NYT

[Rose Siding]

...The year-end bonus is a Wall Street tradition, and for a second consecutive year, the amounts are significant. Three major Wall Street firms - Goldman Sachs, Lehman Brothers and Bear Stearns - have reported record profits for the year and all are said to have given out handsome bonuses.
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This year, investment bankers are expected to see gains in bonuses of 10 to 15 percent, amid a year-end flurry of mergers. Fixed-income traders, who have been the best compensated Wall Street professionals in recent years, will also be amply rewarded, but their percentage gains may be smaller than those of bankers. Bonuses, of course, vary by bank, by division and by individual. They reflect the firm's profitability and the group's performance, as well as the individual's contribution.

This year's bonuses do not quite reach the heights touched by star bankers and traders in the heyday of the late 1990's technology bubble. But they are rich enough to persuade many of Wall Street's elite to rediscover conspicuous consumption.
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Another senior banker at a different firm, who is set to receive a $2.8 million bonus, said he had bought his wife a mink coat and was planning a weeklong skiing vacation out West. But he also said he intended to save most of the money. "We're not buying homes or boats, we're not spending on the big things," he said. "We are more relaxed and generous on the small things."

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/12/28/business/28bonus.html?hp&ex=1104296400&en=9dbbb1a2157e9ffa&ei=5094&partner=homepage