Goldman Sachs

Headquarters: 200 West St.
New York, NY 10282
Employees: 34,700
CEO: Lloyd Blankfein
Stock Symbol: GS

Website: http://www.goldmansachs.com

Career Page

Goldman Sachs is one of the best known financial companies in the world. It provides financial advisory services, underwriting and investment management.

Goldman Sachs' business activities are divided into three segments:
 
Investment Banking. The firm provides a broad range of investment banking services to a diverse group of corporations, financial institutions, governments and wealthy individuals. Goldman Sachs is the world leader in advising on corporate mergers and acquisitions.
 
Trading and Principal Investments. The firm facilitates client transactions with a diverse group of corporations, financial institutions, governments and individuals and takes proprietary positions through market making in, trading of and investing in fixed income and equity products, currencies, commodities and derivatives on such products. In addition, the firm engages in specialist and market-making activities on equities and options exchanges and clears client transactions on major stock, options and futures exchanges worldwide. In connection with the firm's merchant banking and other investing activities, the firm makes principal investments directly and through funds that the firm raises and manages.
 
Asset Management and Securities Services. The firm provides investment advisory and financial planning services and offers investment products across all major asset classes to a diverse group of institutions and individuals worldwide, and provides prime brokerage services, financing services and securities lending services to mutual funds, pension funds, hedge funds, foundations and high-net-worth individuals worldwide.

Many prominent people in the financial world have worked at Goldman Sachs including Robert Rubin, former Treasury Secretary, John Thain, current Chairman of the New York Stock Exchange, and Jim Cramer, host of CNBC's Mad Money. Cramer was a trader at Goldman.

In 2011, Goldman Sachs reported revenues of $28.8 billion, a drop of 26% from the previous year, and net income of $4.44 billion.

The company has offices in over 20 countries. Goldman Sachs moved its headquarters in January 2010 to a new state-of-the-art 43-story building on West St. in Manhattan.

Compensation and benefits expenses (including salaries, discretionary compensation, amortization of equity awards and other items such as benefits) were $12.22 billion for 2011, a 21% decline compared with $15.38 billion for 2010. The ratio of compensation and benefits to net revenues for 2011 was 42.4%. Workers at the company are among the best paid in the nation due to annual bonuses.

Total employees at Goldman Sachs decreased 7% from 2010.

History

The firm was founded in 1869 when Marcus Goldman set up a commercial paper dealership in New York. He was joined by his son-in-law, Samuel Sachs, in 1882. The company would play a lead role in the market for Initial Public Offerings in the 1900s.

Goldman Sachs went public on the NYSE in 1999.

In September 2008, Goldman Sachs converted into a bank holding company so it could accept deposits from bank customers. The move will mean more regulation from the Federal Reserve and also reduces risk from using leverage.

Benefits

Employees receive year-end bonuses based on salary and company performance.

A benefit pension plan contributes one percent of an employee's compensation for each year of service, capped at $75,000.

The company offers on-site health services, back-up childcare and fitness centers in New York, London and Chicago offices.