Mum's the word when bragging about bonuses
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Mum's the word when bragging about bonuses

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It’s bonus season again and what has until recently been a time of either great triumph or great sorrow has turned out quite well in Hong Kong.

Even one particular German bank, which reportedly withheld bonuses last year, is paying up, much to the delight of its staff. But bragging about how much money you have made is rarely a good idea, as one neophyte has just learned the hard way.

This naive young chap was naturally excited about getting his first bonus. The moment was especially sweet since his department had performed exceptionally well in 2017, so the entire team was set for a windfall.

But he made a rookie mistake. In his haste to announce his newfound riches, and presumably also to inflate his ego, he sent out a mass text message to his friends and family.

The responses he got weren't quite the ones he was expecting or hoping for. Friends appended congratulatory messages with reminders of money owed, or with requests to be treated to expensive meals. The fellow brushed many of these off as piques of jealousy, but there was one he couldn’t ignore — a text from his mother with a smiley face, reminding him of the rent money he owed her.

Is this young swashbuckler destined to become a bank CEO? Might he end up running investment banking at a bulge bracket firm, or be the rainmaker behind blockbuster deals? Time will tell.

But first things first, he needs to pay back his mum.

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