How the The Keillor Principle Works on Wall Street--

[Jackpine Radical]

Those multi-million dollar bonuses are only awarded to executives whose performance has been above average.

Turns out that, like the kids in Lake Wobegon, they're ALL above average.

[napi21]

1. I suspect the bonuses are based on the am.t of $$ they bring in and

not profitability. Probably also negotiated each year with a new achievement # set for the coming year. Wether that # is set artificially low, or the bonuses were the real reason why they were pushing all those credit default swaps just to reach their goal.

[HelenWheels]

2. I think they pull the amount out of thin air

what ever they think they can get away with.

[notesdev]

3. And every investor expects his returns

will be above average, too. Hence the success of the Madoff fraud.

Cheating and getting away with it has become a cultural value.