For Goldman Sachs employees
When your bonus is delivered as stock that vests over three years, a prenup needs to account for time.
Goldman Sachs compensation is layered: base salary, discretionary cash bonus, and deferred stock that vests over approximately three years. At any given moment, you may hold unvested RSUs from multiple prior bonus cycles simultaneously. A prenup can help you and your partner get clear on how each layer is treated.
Flat fee of $5,000 per couple. No payment to get started.
Compensation layers
Four layers of compensation, each with different timing
Investment banking compensation is not a single number. Each layer has its own timing, conditions, and implications for how a prenup addresses it.
Base salary
Low complexityThe fixed component of your compensation. At Goldman, base salaries are standardized by level: analysts around $110,000, associates around $175,000, and vice presidents around $250,000. This is straightforward income.
Prenup relevance
Current income earned during a marriage is generally treated consistently. A prenup typically does not need to address base salary in detail unless there is a specific reason to.
Year-end cash bonus
Medium complexityDiscretionary bonuses paid annually, often representing a significant multiple of base salary at senior levels. At VP and above, the bonus can be 2 to 5 times base. The amount is determined each year based on individual and firm performance.
Prenup relevance
Bonuses earned during the marriage are one category. Bonuses that reflect work done in the year before the marriage but paid after the wedding date are another. Your attorney can help you address how timing is handled.
Deferred stock compensation
High complexityA portion of your year-end bonus is delivered as restricted stock units (RSUs) that vest over approximately three years. This means compensation you earned in 2025 may not fully vest until 2028. The RSUs are Goldman Sachs stock and are subject to forfeiture if you leave the firm before vesting.
Prenup relevance
Deferred stock occupies a gray area: it was earned during one period but delivered during another. If you marry while holding unvested RSUs from prior years, those awards may be treated differently depending on your state. Your attorney can help you address when the work was performed versus when the stock arrives.
Partnership or MD-level interests
Very high complexityAt the most senior levels, managing directors may participate in firm investment funds, co-investment vehicles, or receive additional long-term equity tied to firm performance. These have their own vesting and liquidity timelines.
Prenup relevance
Senior-level interests can be illiquid, subject to clawback, and tied to continued employment. A prenup can describe how these instruments are characterized and what happens at various stages of their lifecycle.
When you marry matters
Three career stages, three different conversations
Marrying as an analyst or associate
You are early in your career with relatively modest unvested RSUs. However, your compensation trajectory is steep. What you earn in year 5 may be 3 to 5 times what you earn today.
Key question
How should future compensation growth be addressed when the growth curve is this steep?
Marrying as a VP or ED with a large unvested balance
You may have several years of deferred stock still vesting. Each year, a new tranche of RSUs is added on top of prior grants. At VP level, the unvested balance can represent hundreds of thousands of dollars at any given time.
Key question
How are existing unvested awards characterized versus new awards granted during the marriage?
Marrying after making MD
Total compensation may exceed $1 million to $3 million or more, with a significant portion deferred. You may also hold interests in firm investment vehicles with multi-year lockups.
Key question
How are illiquid, long-term interests with clawback provisions valued and addressed?
How Neptune works
Straightforward process, complex assets handled
Guided intake covers your full picture
Walk through base, bonus, deferred stock, and any other assets in plain language. Neptune's intake is designed for complex compensation structures.
Two independent attorneys, one for each partner
Each of you gets a separate, licensed attorney for a free consultation. They can explain how deferred compensation and clawback provisions interact with the rules in your state.
Agreement tailored to your compensation
Your drafting attorney prepares an agreement that addresses your specific layers of compensation. Turnaround is typically around 3 to 4 weeks when both partners use Neptune attorneys.
Transparent pricing
$5,000
per couple, flat fee
$3,000
Drafting attorney
$2,000
Reviewing attorney
No payment to get started. Free consultations. Rush pricing applies when the wedding is within 45 days.
Questions from Goldman Sachs employees
How is deferred stock compensation treated in a prenup?
Deferred stock (RSUs from prior year-end bonuses) occupies a unique position because it was earned through work performed in one period but delivered in another. A prenup can describe how the timing of the award versus the timing of delivery affects characterization. Rules differ by state, and your attorney can review what applies where you live.
What about bonuses I earn during the marriage?
Bonuses earned during the marriage are generally treated as income earned during that period. However, the deferred portion (delivered as RSUs over subsequent years) adds complexity. A prenup can address both the cash and deferred portions of your annual compensation.
What if I have clawback provisions on my deferred comp?
Goldman Sachs RSUs typically include forfeiture-for-cause and clawback provisions. This means compensation that appears to be yours may be subject to recapture. A prenup can address how contingent obligations and clawback risk factor into the treatment of deferred awards.
My compensation is going to increase dramatically over the next few years. Does that matter?
Steep compensation growth is common in investment banking. A prenup established when you are an associate earning $350,000 can still address the scenario where you are a managing director earning $2 million or more. Your attorney can help you build a framework that accounts for growth without needing to be updated each year.
What does it cost and how long does it take?
Neptune charges a flat fee of $5,000 per couple, which covers two independent attorneys (one for each partner). There is no payment required to get started, and consultations are free. Turnaround is typically around 3 to 4 weeks when both partners use Neptune attorneys. Rush pricing applies when the wedding is within 45 days.